STOWE, HARRIET BEECHER. 



SWEDEN AND NORWAY. 



writing of her novel "Dred: A Tale of the Great 

 Dismal Swamp." It is a powerful story, and, like 

 its predecessor, was aimed at the slave system. It 

 is a more artistic novel than " Uncle Tom's Cabin," 

 and as its scenes are not so excruciating in the por- 

 trayal of misery, it is in some respects more effect- 

 ive. Its special object was to reveal the social de- 

 terioration produced by slavery. When the book 

 was finished Mrs. Stowe sought change and rest 

 again in Europe, this time being accompanied by 

 her husband, her two eldest daughters, her son 

 Henry, and her sister Mary (Mrs. Thomas Perkins, 

 of Hartford). Prof. Stowe and Henry returned 

 home, the daughters were placed at school in Paris, 

 and Mrs. Stowe and her sister spent the winter in 

 Italy. They returned to Andover in June, 1857. 

 Mrs. Stowe came back laden with honors and happy 

 in the continued evidence of the good results of her 

 work. But a terrible shock awaited her. produced 

 by the drowning of her son Henry, a blow from 

 which she was long in recovering. The " Atlantic 

 Monthly " was established in 1857, and its editor, 

 James Russell Lowell, asked Mrs. Stowe for a serial. 

 The result was "The Minister's Wooing," which 

 began in December, 1858. It was published in book 

 form a year later, and gave testimony to the versa- 

 tility of its author's genius. In 1859 the family 

 again went to England. This and the previous 

 journey were partly planned for the sake of secur- 

 ing copyright abroad in the only way it could then 

 be secured that of actual residence. The winter 

 was again passed in Italy, and " Agnes of Sorrento " 

 bore evidence to the interest and value of the visits. 

 This tale was published serially, and as a book in 

 1862. " The Pearl of Orrs Island : A Story of the 

 Coast of Maine," was published the same year. In 

 1863 Prof. Stowe resigned his professorship, and 

 the family removed to T^artford, Conn., where Mrs. 

 Stowe had associations of girlhood, and where two 

 of her sisters were then living. Her " House-and- 

 Home Papers " appeared in the " Atlantic " in 

 1864, and "Old-Town Folks" in 1869. 



Frederick Beecher Stowe, her son, had been so 

 seriously wounded during his service in the civil 

 war that it was deemed advisable that he should 

 spend the winters in a warmer climate. The Stowes 

 accordingly purchased an orange plantation in Man- 

 darin, Fla., and thenceforth spent their winters on it. 



When the " Christian Union " was founded by 

 her brother, Henry Ward Beecher, Mrs. Stowe be- 

 came a frequent contributor to it. Prof. Stowe was 

 an invalid for several years before his death, in Au- 

 gust, 1886, and his wife was his constant companion. 

 After he was taken from her she continued to live 

 in the seclusion that had been necessary for him, 

 and that soon became equally necessary to her own 

 waning powers. She had a gentle failing, long 

 continued after active interest in the life that had 

 found in her an intense and eager lover had almost 

 ceased. She passed away quietly in her Hartford 

 home, full of years and honors. Her life is not 

 only indissolubly connected with the greatest crisis 

 this land has ever known, but that crisis was prob- 

 ably hastened and was given something of its deft- 

 niteness and purpose by her wonderful ability to 

 feel and to portray her feeling. The list of her 

 books, omitting those already mentioned, is as fol- 

 lows : "Geography for my Children " (Boston, 1855) ; 

 " Our Charley, and what to do with him " (1858) ; 

 " Reply in Behalf of the Women of America to the 

 Christian Address of many Thousand Women of 

 Great Britain " (1863) ; " The Ravages of a Carpet " 

 (1864); ''Religious Poems" (1865) ; "Stories about 

 our Dogs" (1865); "Little Foxes" (1865); "Queer 

 Little People " (1867) ; " Daisy's First Winter, and 

 Other Stories " (1867) : " The 'Chimney Corner, by 

 Christopher Crowfield (1868); "Men of our Times" 



(Hartford, 1868); "The American Woman's Home," 

 with her sister Catherine (Philadelphia, 1869); 

 " Little Pussy Willow " (Boston, 1870) ; " Pink and 

 White Tyranny" (1871); "Sam Lavvson's Fireside 

 Stories " (1871) ; "My Wife and I " (1872) ; Pal- 

 metto Leaves " (1873) ; " Betty's Bright Idea, and 

 Other Tales" (1875); "We and Our Neighbors" 

 (1875) ; " Footsteps of the Master " (1876) ; " Bible 

 Heroines" (1878): " Poganuc People " (1878) ; and 

 "A Dog's Mission" (1881). 



SUNDAY-SCHOOL CONVENTION, INTER 

 NATIONAL. The thirteenth National and eighth 

 International Sunday-school Convention met in 

 Boston, Mass, June 23. The Hon. S. B. Capen pre- 

 sided. Tiie statistical report of Sunday schools of 

 all denominations in the United States showed a 

 gain during the past three years of 10,171 Sunday 

 schools, 98,634 teachers, and 1,239,334 pupils, the 

 whole number being now 142,089 Sunday schools 

 and 11.556.806 pupils. Including the United States, 

 Canada, Newfoundland, and Salvador, the whole 

 number of members of Sunday schools was 13,033.- 

 175. The Executive Committee reported concern- 

 ing the results of the four meetings which it had 

 held during the past three years, among the re- 

 sults of which were the adoption of the home- 

 class department as a department of International 

 Sunday-school work ; a recommendation to States, 

 etc., to increase the amount pledged by them to a 

 total sum of nearly $12,000 a year ; the appoint- 

 ment of a special finance committee, of a field su- 

 perintendent for work among colored people, and 

 of a committee to superintend the work; and the 

 adoption of a resolution expressing preference for 

 one lesson only for the whole Sunday school, with 

 a suggestion to the lesson committee concerning 

 an optional course for primary classes, if the com- 

 mittee should conclude to try that plan. The 

 work of organization might now be considered 

 thorough in 15 States. Two States and 2 Territo- 

 ries were unorganized. Field workers, missionaries, 

 and secretaries were employed in 23 States. The 

 primary department of the Sunday schools had the 

 first place in consideration. In 6 States and 1 

 province qualified primary teachers were employed 

 as State workers, and primary unions were forming 

 in the cities and larger towns. Increased interest 

 was reported in the training of teachers and in nor- 

 mal classes. The report of the Lesson Committee 

 referred to the criticism which had been made con- 

 cerning the systems of selections for biblical study 

 which it had adopted, and added : " Unless there 

 had been great vitality in the system, it would have 

 collapsed under the assaults, but it still survives. 

 A few hundred have left us, but what are these 

 compared with the millions that remain ? The 

 ' Sunday-school Journal ' says that the uniform In- 

 ternational Lessons are taught under the Methodist 

 Episcopal Church in nearly 20 languages through- 

 out the world, while the American Baptist Publi- 

 cation Society has announced that the circulation 

 of the lesson helps has increased 192,000 copies dur- 

 ing the current quarter. It does not seem necessary 

 to enter more into a discussion of our work. Scarce- 

 ly an objection has been raised which was not an- 

 ticipated and answered when the system was 

 adopted in 1872." The convention directed the 

 present system of International Lessons to be con- 

 tinued, stipulating that one temperance lesson 

 should be given every quarter. A Lesson Com- 

 mittee was appointed for the ensuing three years. 



SWEDEN AND NORWAY, two kingdoms in 

 northern Europe, united, in accordance with the 

 treaty of Kiel, made Jan. 14, 1814, in the person of 

 the sovereign. The throne in both monarchies de- 

 scends to the heirs of the house of Bernadotte. Af- 

 fairs common to the two monarchies are referred to 



