Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-11-14
MONCURE D. CONWAY, COMPANION
OF MANY NOTABLE MEN OF HIS TIME
Mrs. Ward Pictures Seek
er After Truth, Born
in Virginia.
WENT TO ENGLAND FOR
FIGHT AGAINST SLAVERY
Died in Paris Thirteen Years
Ago, Ending Help
full Life.
ny NANCY II. WINSTON.

ia NANCY IL. WINSTON.
Many OF Is to-day recall vlvidiy the
| sensation created, at the tine OF II.
/ publication, by Robert f.lsmcre." It's
| success was instantaneous. II was a,
once recognized as 81 masterpiece OF
portraiturc Tho hostile critics. we're
few, the admirers legion.
Gladstone. who discovered the book
through friend. Was unuesried IN
his praise OF IL. calling II ":remend-
GUS" Tplsto. pronounced lis author
the greatest al living English novel
lists. The sensation produced by the
| book III England was repeated in
America. Everywhere. In BON coun-
/ tries. tho leaders OF thought wrote.
talked and preached about IL, and
It's sale was unprecedented. Til.
reason vas that "Robcr Elsni.re"
trodght the battle over what wa,
then called tho llIGhcr criticism" OF
the Eibie from tho studies OF clergy
men and tho pages OF Theological re-
Views into ;he marks; place.
II put the study OF the Bible on
new plane for thousands OF peoplc
who had been laugh. 10 believe in
it's literal and ful! inspiration. Al
the time OF it's publication. I: was
said. in England. that Mrs. Hum
phry Ward had created in "Roher,
Elsmerc" somewhat o: counter
par: of Moncurc u. Conway. Tho
hall in London, hung with political
portraits and cngravIngs Of such
teachers as Jesus %! Nazareth, Budd-
ha. Socrates. Moses. Shakespeare. and
81. Paul. In which Robert Elsmerc'
held his mission. had been suggest
ed. i, WAS claimed. b. the historic
South Place Chapel in which CONWAY
rres chcd for so many Gears.
or Powerful influence.
Moncure -. Conway had Il wide cx-
pcr,ence in the ''highways and by
ways" Of life: as preacher. ,ittera-
;cur. and journalist he had tho priv
ileGc of the friendship and confidence
OF many OF tho most notable men OF
his time, in England and the United
states II not always, or even often.
taking a prominent and active part
In great movements. he was in a
position 10 influence some who we're
| taking such part. and therefore
! the usefulness of his life cannot
be altogether measured by it's visible
! results. notwithstanding the trou-
blcd scenes through which. at one
time or another, he passed, when
finally hc found his own sphere o.
usefulness. Inc went on his way cheer
fully and hopefully. and on review
| Ing his experience in his most de
lightfu! autobiography avowed that
ne would gladly have gone over his
pilgrimage again.
Mcncmrc J.. Conwa" was born In
i IA
that lonely corner OF the world" as
! he terms IT, about fifteen miles from
tho viilaE. of Falmouth. To Fal-
; mouth. however. his parents moved
here his childhood and youth were
spent in the imposing old .brici. man
sion known as Conway House.
His father was Walker Peyton
| Eleanor Daniel both connected with
many OF the hest families in the
state: and. indeed. Mr.. Conway's ac-
! count of his ancestors and relatives
fusins 10 those in whom a taste for
| Virginia Senra!oSy is not strong
point. y factor that entered very
! largely into his carly life and into
| the shaping Of his character was tho
circumstance that his parents, though
sprung from old Episcopal families
! i'll community where membership
| in the Episcopal Church was still a
selves become adhcrents OF Method
| ism. Thus the influence OF his boy
hood carried him TO Methods,
College. at Carlisle. Pa. and later
into the Methodist ministry.
However. it was his carly ac-
quaintancc with Emerson which un-
settled his beliefs in the social and
religious Institutions to which he was
Emerson. when he was only fifteen
years old. Conway says upon read
ing Blackwoods Magazine: I'm the
number for December, 1877. the frs;
name previously unknown to me-.
The very first extract-it was from
Emcrson's essay on history-iixed
| itself in me like an arrow. Precisely
| what there was in these words to in
nuence my life ! cannot say: have
vague remembrance of sitting there
! beside the spring long time mcdi-
! tatinE on Emerso1's use of the
phrase, true to himself, What self
was this? Clearly not the same soul
with which was SO familiar"
This was the spiritual crisis. Some
| revelation certainly was there.
Through a rift tho boy caught u
ent from any nc had ever known.
Emerson set free in that youthfu!
heart n winged thought that sang
q. new song and scared. Henceforth
the sage OF Concord was his spiritual
and intellectual guide. and his
| teachings soon led him far afiald.
| Separated from the sympathies and
support Of his family Conway be-
| took himself at the age of 81 10 the
Harvard divinity school in order TO
prepare himself for tho Unitarian
ministry. While youth in Virginia.
the life there had appeared TO him
| an idyilic onc-the question of slave
| ry did not then disturb him. Hut In
Boston he took an active part in the
! antislavery movement, and the tim.
soon came when the SON of Il Vir-
Ginia slave-cwner became an ardent
abolitionist. Tho story Of the abolje
| ton movement and the War Between
the states, as told by Mr.. Conway.
| differs In many respects from tho non ,
| ular version. and tile traditionay
| his pages.
There can be no doubt that for !,
time Mr.. Lincoln put union before
emancipation. but Mr.. Conway he
lieved and iabored hard to persuade
! others to believe that, had enamel
| patton been put first, war might have
been avoided. or moro speedily ter
minated after<it had been commenced.
Ills rccollcctions OF the course o;
moral and political. which determine q;
I, 1t. both before and during tho wnr.
[ arc a most valuable contribution n a