Category: About Isabella

Information about the author’s life, writing habits, family and friends.

A Tale of Two Boarding Houses

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Not all boarding houses were created equal.

In the late 1800s, a boarder’s standard of living—from the cleanliness of their sheets to the quality of their morning coffee—was dictated almost entirely by two factors: location and cost.

In a successful, well-managed boarding house, life could be surprisingly comfortable. Articles in ladies’ magazines from the 1890s and early 1900s show that establishments that charged fair, competitive rates prided themselves on the little details.

A proper Victorian table set for a meal, circa 1886.

A boarder in a reputable house could generally expect:

  • Clean, whole bedding and fresh pitchers of water replenished daily in their room.
  • Well-maintained common areas, such as a tidy parlor for receiving guests and a clean, functioning bathroom down the hall.
  • Hearty, predictable meals that often featured choices of fresh meat (like steak or mutton chops) alongside hot bread, griddle cakes, potatoes, and coffee for breakfast.

These houses were typically situated in respectable, quiet residential neighborhoods, a bit removed from the soot and noise of the commercial districts. For a young clerk or a professional starting out in a new city, a good boarding house provided respectability, a family atmosphere, and a comfortable place to rest.

Baking day in a spacious, well-organized kitchen, circa 1886.

On the flip side, lower-end establishments operated under severe financial constraints. Landladies running cheap rooms on tight budgets—often located right near bustling business or industrial areas—faced an uphill battle just to keep the lights on.

Their struggle wasn’t just financial; it was also extremely physical. Housework in the late 1800s was heavy, grueling labor. Without our modern conveniences, almost every task involved carrying water—and water is remarkably heavy. From cooking and scouring to daily cleaning and massive loads of laundry (made even heavier by the thick wools, linens, and structured fabrics of the Victorian era), running a household required endless physical exertion. In the summer months, kitchens became stifling, unventilated boxes that trapped heat and frayed tempers.

Because cheaper boarding houses lacked the luxury of hired help or updated amenities, corners had to be cut. Landladies were often stretched far beyond their physical limits, leaving them too exhausted to properly clean individual rooms daily or handle basic maintenance. To make ends meet on minimal budgets, their menu options were often minimal and monotonous. Even worse, their rooms were smaller, draftier, and closer to the clamor of the city streets, offering little relief for boarders at the end of a long workday.

Isabella Alden understood these differences and used them in her novels in ways her readers could identify with. In the opening chapters of Ester Ried, Isabella described Ester as tired, exhausted, and weary—a reflection of the long hours and crushing labor required to keep a household running. Her readers would have sympathized with Ester, and most would have recognized times in their own lives when they, too, found themselves overwhelmed by the physical demands of household duties.

Isabella illustrated the contrast between a well-managed boarding house and a lower-end establishment in her novel Workers Together; An Endless Chain. In that story, the circumstances of two young men—co-workers in the same business—cause them to have completely different boarding experiences.

Robert Parks lodges in a warm, well-managed home run by Joy Saunders and her mother. It’s located in a nice, respectable residential neighborhood and has a comforting, home-like environment.

Fred Briggs, on the other hand, receives a smaller paycheck and can only afford to lodge in an ill-managed, uncomfortable boarding house located near the industrial business district. Like Ester, his landlady is too overwhelmed and exhausted by the physical demands of the house to clean his room regularly or pay attention to her lower-paying tenants. When Fred falls ill, Robert visits him in his cheerless, neglected room and tries to enlist the help of “the uncombed, collarless, partly buttonless, altogether untidy woman who presided over this third-rate boarding-house, peopled by young men with small salaries.”

Interestingly, Robert’s visit to Fred’s boarding house becomes a turning point in his life—an unexpected test of character. It also shows Isabella’s talent as a story-teller. She didn’t just use boarding houses as colorful backdrops; she used them as mirrors for character. She understood that how we live, how we treat those trapped in overwhelming circumstances, and how we respond to our own daily weariness say everything about who we are.

HAVE YOU READ THE BOOKS MENTIONED IN THIS POST? CLICK ON THE BOOK COVERS TO GET STARTED!

Cover for Ester Ried

YOU CAN READ MORE ABOUT WOMEN’S DOMESTIC DUTIES IN THESE PREVIOUS POSTS:

Are College-educated Women Good Home-makers?

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That was the question that was being debated across late-Victorian America. It was a timely subject; while higher education for women was still a relatively young movement, women were rapidly proving their intellectual competence in colleges across the country.

In 1896 a Christian magazine put the question to three prominent Christian women writers and leaders of the era. You may recognize their names:

Elizabeth Stuart Phelps-Ward (1844-1911) was one of the most famous and best-selling American authors of the late 19th century. She was also a passionate advocate for women’s rights and financial independence, making her one of the most visible feminist voices in Christian literature.

Black and white photo of Elizabeth Stuart Phelps-Ward about 18905. Seated in a chair, her face in profile. Her hair is drawn back and arranged in a modest chignon. She wears a dark gown with a white ruffle trimming the cuffs of her long sleeves and a high color.
Elizabeth Stuart Phelps-Ward (Wikimedia Commons)

Mrs. James L. Hill (Lucy B. Dunham Hill) was an author, speaker, and Christian leader. Married to a prominent Congregational minister and leader of the Christian Endeavor movement, Lucy was a strong advocate for women’s involvement in Sunday school work, missionary societies, and national Christian assemblies.

Grace Livingston Hill (1865-1947) was Isabella Alden’s niece and a giant in Christian fiction. In 1896 Grace was just beginning her prolific career and was deeply involved in the Christian Endeavor movement. With her husband she wrote a popular guide for leaders of Christian Endeavor meetings. Over the course of her life, Grace would write over 100 beloved novels that seamlessly blended themes of romance, faith, and practical Christian living.

When it came time to answer the question “Are college-educated women good homemakers?” each woman took a difference approach.

Elizabeth Stuart-Phelps-Ward felt it was “too early to judge” because female-only and co-educational universities had only recently sprung up. However, she felt no one could doubt that a woman’s intellect could “bear the strain” of obtaining a college degree.

Mrs. James L. Hill answered the question with a balanced “No and Yes.” If higher education caused a student to lose her femininity or feel she was above domestic duties, then her answer was “No.” But if a woman used her education to embrace full “comradeship in marriage,” recognized good housekeeping as a virtue, and retained a true love for the home, then her answer was a resounding “Yes!”

A sketch of Mrs. James L. Hill in profile.
Mrs. James L. Hill in 1900.

As always, Grace Livingston Hill brought a refreshing, practical, and spirited perspective to the discussion. Instead of defending college on its own merits, Grace cleverly turned the argument back on her critics by contrasting a college education with a “society life.”

She wrote:

“It is sometimes said that a college life gives a girl tastes that unfit her to be a home-maker, yet you do not hear it often urged that a society life does the same thing. Surely in society she will acquire tastes for being out late at night dancing, flirting with other women’s husbands, spending her energies over bits of paste-board while the household accounts run riot, dropping her tears for the dressed-up children on the stage while her own little ones are crying at home for their mother.”

Grace argued that the “earnest purpose, patience, and perseverance” required to earn a college degree meant she could apply those same qualities to managing the care and strain of running a home. She added that a mother whose mind had been broadened by science, literature, and history would ultimately be far better equipped to train her children “for all higher and better things.”

Grace Livingston Hill Lutz about 1910

Much like her Aunt Isabella, Grace believed that higher learning was not an obstacle to faith and domestic life, but a valuable tool to enrich it.

What makes this 1896 article so interesting is how clearly it shows the changing roles of women in the late 19th century. Just like Isabella herself, the three women quoted in the article actively demonstrated that a woman could be intellectual, articulate, and deeply devoted to Christ and home.

And Grace’s defense of the disciplined college graduate over the frivolous society girl feels just as insightful today as it did when she wrote it 130 years ago!

Originally published in The Golden Rule magazine, the article was syndicated and published by different newspapers, including The American Israelite. You can read the entire article here in its original form, followed by a transcript.

The Boarding House in Isabella’s World

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If you’ve spent any time getting to know the characters in Isabella Alden’s novels, you’ve probably met them multiple times: the widow who takes in lodgers to keep her family afloat, the young store clerk boarding far from home for the first time, the landlady presiding over a dinner table crowded with as many opinions as boarders. Boarding houses show up so often in her stories that it’s easy to read right past them — but for Isabella’s original readers, they needed no explanation. For us, more than a century later, a bit of an explanation is in order.

Newspaper ad: St. Augustine, Fla. THE HERNANDEZ HOUSE, Charlotte Street, Two doors from treasury, St. Augustine, Fla. This House is strictly First Class, and Guests will find good attention, particularly Invalids. CHARGES MODERATE. Mrs. J. V. Hernandez, Priprietrees.
Newsapaper ad for a private boarding house in Florida, 1878.

A boarding house was, at its simplest, a private home where the owner rented out rooms and provided meals — typically breakfast and dinner were included in the weekly rate, with lunch offered as a lighter, extra meal since working boarders were away at midday. This is an important distinction: a boarding house was not the same thing as a rooming house, where a lodger rented a room but ate meals elsewhere, usually at a restaurant. Boarders lived and ate under one roof; roomers just slept there. Isabella’s characters moved between both kinds of arrangements, and knowing the difference helps explain a lot about their daily routines (and their complaints).

Black and white photo from about 1910 showing a neat two-story house with clapboard siding and a small screened front porch. A woman sits alone in a chair to the left of the house near a shade tree.
A small private home open to boarders. The sign near the seated woman reads “Rooms by day or week.”

A well-run boarding house was expected to offer more than just a bed. According to the standards of the day, a boarder could expect a clean, whole set of bedding, a washstand with a large pitcher for washing up, fresh drinking water left by the bed at night, and a well-supplied bathroom down the hall. Whether a house actually delivered on these basics — or fell woefully short of them — could make the difference between a boarder’s contentment and outright misery. We meet both kinds of houses in Isabella’s novels.

Black and white photo of a small room containing two twin beds with iron frames. At the foot of each bed is a wooden chair. A tall chest of drawers stands against a wall between two doors. On top of the chest are a mirror and small toiletry items and jars. In the foreground you can see what appears to be the edges of towels hanging from a rod. One small window is covered by a dark shade.
A boarder’s room at a boarding house in Uniontown, Pennsylvania (courtesy Uniontown Public Library).

In Isabella Alden’s lifetime, a woman who needed to support herself — or her family — had only a handful of respectable options. She could teach school. She could sew. She could clerk in a store. Or she could keep a boarding house.

That last option had a particular appeal for women who already owned a home, especially widows left with a house too large for their remaining family and no other income. It required little starting capital. You didn’t need to buy a building or stock a shop; you just opened the doors of the house you already had. And on paper, it looked deceptively simple: cook a bit more food, make up a few extra beds, and collect the weekly rent.

Old black and white photo of a small dining room with 2 gas lamps hanging from the ceiling. Four men sit at a table covered in a white table cloth as a woman wearing an apron carries a tray toward them. In the foreground is an empty table and chairs set with linens, dishes and cutlery. The walls and ceiling are covered with patterned wallpaper. In the back corner of the room you can see the exhaust pipes for a small wood-burning stove.
The dining room at Mrs. Heath’s boarding house, Duluth, Minnesota, 1893.

In practice, as Isabella’s own characters discover, it was one of the hardest ways a woman could make a living. Keeping boarders happy, fed, and paying required real business sense — knowing what to charge, what “extras” to allow, how to set rules boarders would actually obey and respect — and it demanded relentless physical labor that often fell hardest on daughters and servants rather than the woman whose name was on the sign. That was certainly the case in the Ried household in Isabella’s novel, Ester Ried.

Newspaper ad showing a photo of a large home. "IVERHOLME." Private Boarding. Billiards and smoking room. Suites of rooms, with private bathrooms. Good staff of servants. Individual tables. Private grounds. Most beautiful residential street in Toronto. Four minutes' walk from four car lines. Special accommodation for tourists during July and August. Write or phone when in the city. Telephone North 682. MRS. HELLIWELL.
Ad for a large well-staffed boarding house in the Toronto Daily Star, 1904.

Isabella Alden probably had some personal experience as a boarder. As the wife of a minister who moved frequently from one calling to the next, she likely spent time in boarding houses and rented rooms herself, sizing up landladies and dining rooms much the way her characters do. That experience may be exactly why her boarding house scenes feel so specific and true.

Isabella’s fellow boarders had their own reasons for renting rooms. They were people who needed lodging but didn’t have or want a household of their own — young unmarried clerks and salesmen, professionals new to a city, widows and widowers, traveling businessmen with schedules that didn’t match a family’s routine, and increasingly, by the turn of the century, single working women living independently of their families for the first time.

Some residents of the Taylor Boarding House in Denton, Texas, 1904.

That mix of backgrounds, ages, and personalities all sharing one dining table is exactly what made boarding houses such fertile ground for Isabella’s imagination. For her, a boarding house dining room could be the setting for a marriage proposal, a theological argument, a landlady’s quiet influence on a wayward young man, or a boarder-turned-lifelong-friend, all in the course of an ordinary week. Isabella used her boarding houses not just as scenery, but as places where her characters’ true selves came out and sometimes, their spiritual journeys were corrected.

Join us again on October 20 when we’ll begin looking at the boarding houses in Isabella’s novels, starting with a weary young heroine named Ester Ried and the exhausting responsibilities she carries as she tries to keep her family afloat.

Two pencil and charcoal illustrations showing women at work in a late 1800s kitchen. In one, two young women wearing aprons wipe plates and platters at a wooden table while behind them can be seen shelves with plates and platters arranged by size. In the second, a young woman wears an apron and capt to protect her hair as she washes plates by hand in a large tub.

Make Me a Puzzle

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Long before modern crossword puzzles appeared in 1913, Victorians enjoyed word games to pass the time. One of the most popular forms was the acrostic—a puzzle where the first letter of each line spells out a word, name, or hidden message when read vertically down the page.

A classic acrostic poem looks like this:

Stars up in the sky
They sparkle with love
All so glorious
Radiant above

Reading the first letters top-to-bottom reveals the secret word: STAR.

In The Pansy magazine, Isabella Alden encouraged her young readers to build acrostics, but with a spiritual twist — she asked them to spell out their names using lines from their favorite Bible verses.

Children responded with enthusiasm, sending in hundreds of scripture acrostics over the years, many of which Isabella published.

Here is one example sent in by a young reader who drew her verses from the Coverdale translation of the Bible. Can you read the first letter of each line to figure out her name?

Clipping from the magazine showing the acrostic puzzle transcribed below.

Keep innocency, and take heed unto the thing that is right.
And call upon me in time of trouble, so will I hear thee.
Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes.
Early in the morning do I cry unto thee.

Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips that they speak no guile.

Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth.
Order my steps in thy word, and so shall no wickedness have dominion over me.
Delight thou in the Lord, and he shall give thee thy heart’s desire.
Make me to understand the way of thy commandments.
A small thing the righteous hath is better than great riches of the ungodly.
Now are ye light in the Lord, walk as children of light.

Did you figure it out? The writer was Kate K. Rodman!

Another reader, Fanny C. Tingue, submitted a verse acrostic with a surprise. Instead of spelling her own name, she used scripture to spell out the name of her favorite author:

Clipping from the magazine showing the acrostic puzzle transcribed below.

My sheep hear my voice.
Righteous lips are the delight of kings.
So that we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper.

Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised.
Remove from me reproach and contempt.

And many believed on Him.
Let not your heart be troubled; ye believe in God, believe also in me.
Divers weights are an abomination unto the Lord.
Every man shall kiss his lips that giveth a right answer.
Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.

Fanny’s acrostic spells out MRS. G. R. ALDEN—Isabella’s married name—a thoughtful tribute that must have delighted Isabella.

Encouraging children to craft scripture acrostics was a wonderfully creative way to help them search the Scriptures, practice reading, and memorize verses that touched their hearts.

Why not try following Isabella’s challenge yourself? Choose your name, open your Bible, and see if you can create an acrostic using your favorite verses!

A Spurgeon Quotable

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In an 1891 issue of The Pansy magazine, Isabella Alden shared a thoughtful passage by the famous preacher Charles Spurgeon.

Because her magazine was written for young readers and families, Isabella frequently featured quotes and insights from spiritual leaders that illuminated simple truths. Spurgeon’s words draw a beautiful parallel between astronomy and the heart, reminding her readers—and all of us—how personal communion with Christ naturally deepens our devotion.

You can find more words of wisdom like the one above, which you can print and share. Just enter “quotables” in the search box on the right to see more.

New Free Read: “The Bureau of Destiny”

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In the early 1910s, Americans were experiencing a world in turmoil. With major events like the start of World War I and the sinking of the Titanic, many people found themselves looking for reassurance, order, and a sense of control over their futures. One surprising place they turned to—The stars.

During this time, a massive craze for astrology, palmistry, and fortune-telling swept the country. Newspapers filled their classified pages with advertisements from self-proclaimed astrologers, clairvoyants, and palm readers promising to map out business  prospects, cure health troubles, and—most popular of all—arrange perfect marriages.

A newspaper column from the classified ads page under the heading "CLAIRVOYANTS" listing several businesses. CLAIRVOYANT Palmist and Card Reader. Queen Olamphey. Phone Cedar 852. No. 2 Crown Street. MADAM LILLIS, Daughter of Queen Alice. Hours, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. No clients received on Sunday. 432 Pleasant Street, Cor. of Bellevue St. Phone Cedar 1911-W. LORNA LEE. Scientific palmist and medium. Her parlors are filled daily with people who go away pleased and satisfied. Come and see for yourself. LOW FEE this week: 50c, 41. No. 168 Pleasant St. Closed on Sunday.
from the Telegram and Gazette (Worcester, Massachusetts) September 6, 1914.

Raymond Macdonald Alden—Isabella’s son—recognized the growing trend. Raymond was an acclaimed scholar and author in his own right. He held a doctorate, served as chair of the English department at Stanford University, and was a noted expert on Shakespeare and classic literature who frequently delivered popular lectures.

Newspaper advertisement block. Headline: "MODERN DRAMATISTS AND SOCIAL PROBLEMS" (Ibsen, Galsworthy Hauptman, Brieux) Dr. Raymond McDonald Alden of Leland Stanford University. Lecture at Professional Woman's Building, 210 East Grace, Friday Evening, 8:15 o'clock. ADMISSION $1.00. For Benefit of Bureau of Vocations.
from the Richmond Times Dispatch, May 1, 1919.

Raymond was also an award-winning short story writer. He watched the growing obsession with astrology and palmistry with a sharp, humorous eye. In 1914, he confronted the trend the best way he knew how: through a light-hearted romantic story that poked fun at the craze. His story playfully shows how common sense, honesty, and real human connections make a far more reliable foundation for love than any horoscope ever could.

When a skeptical young man stumbles into a Los Angeles “Bureau of Destiny” to cure his heartache, he has little hope for a happy future. But as the bureau’s clever secretary takes his romantic fate into her own hands, he soon learns that destiny works in mysterious and delightfully unexpected ways.

YOU CAN READ “THE BUREAU OF DESTINY” FOR FREE!

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Mr. Moody’s Bible Class: Lesson 11 – The Holy Spirit

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As a minister’s wife for over four decades, Isabella Alden knew firsthand what D.L. Moody describes in this month’s Bible class: how quickly a congregation’s criticism can wear down a pastor’s spirit, and how “the Holy Spirit will not work in an atmosphere of criticism.”

Black and white photo of a woman in 1880. Her long hair is parted in the middle and braided into a coiled bun at the back of her head. She wears a high-collared dress with a white blouse underneath with rows of lace that cascade down the front of her gown.

In Lesson 11, Mr. Moody introduces us to both the Person and work of the Holy Spirit — His conviction of sin, His gift of hope, His call to love the unlovely, and His power to bring true liberty to a captive soul.

Black and white photo of D.L. Moody. His white hair is cut close to his head, as is his white beard and mustache. He wears the black suite and white collar of a cleric.

This is a lesson for anyone who wants to better understand the Holy Spirit’s work in daily life.

YOU CAN READ LESSON ELEVEN FOR FREE!

Click here to download a large-print PDF version you can print or share with friends. Then, join us again on September 29 for Lesson Twelve of Mr. Moody’s Bible Class.

If you missed Lessons One through Ten, you can find them by clicking here or on the Free Reads tab above.

Safe at Home

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In August 1914, the world Isabella knew was rapidly changing. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand weeks earlier had set off a domino effect across Europe, throwing nations into war and leaving thousands of travelers scrambling to return across the Atlantic.

For most Americans, the conflict in Europe seemed a world away. But for Isabella the outbreak of World War I brought a sudden and very personal concern.

Her son, Dr. Raymond Macdonald Alden, was in the middle of it all.

Raymond Alden in an undated photo

Raymond was a brilliant scholar and head of the English department at Stanford University. He was an accomplished author in his own right, best known for his classic short story “Why the Chimes Rang.”

In early 1914 Raymond traveled to England to spend several months conducting research in the historic archives of the British Museum and Oxford University. It was a dream trip for an American  professor of English literature. But as summer drew to a close, the gathering clouds of war suddenly broke over Europe.

Duke Humfrey’s Library, the oldest reading room at the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford. Courtesy http://www.oxfordvisit.com

Germany declared war in early August, and almost overnight, the Atlantic Ocean became a danger for travelers as German U-boats began patrolling major shipping lanes.

Before matters could escalate further, Raymond wisely booked passage home on an ocean liner called the SS Arabic that departed Liverpool on July 28, 1914.

The SS Arabic of The White Star Line, 1904.

Raymond’s journey across the ocean was anything but peaceful. For most of the voyage, a British cruiser sailed alongside the Arabic as an escort to protect the liner from a potential u-boat attack.

While the Arabic made it safely across the Atlantic that summer, the ship would not always be so fortunate. Just one year later, in August 1915, the Arabic would be torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine off the coast of Ireland, an event that made international headlines and brought the United States to the brink of entering the war. But in August 1914, Raymond’s ship docked safely in Boston, delivering him back to America unharmed.

While Raymond was braving the ocean crossing, his parents were eagerly waiting for him in New York. The Aldens had always been a close-knit family, but given the circumstances in Europe, Isabella and her husband decided to travel clear across the country to New York so they could be close by when Raymond’s ship docked. The area where they stayed held a special place in their hearts

Isabella was born in Gloversville, New York, and had attended school at Oneida Seminary. It was there that she met Theodosia Toll Foster (who would write under the pseudonym Faye Huntington), and they became lifelong best friends, sharing a bond of faith and friendship that spanned decades.

Black and white newspaper photo of a large two-story home with a wide covered front porch and mature trees beside it.
Locust Shade, the Toll Family Homestead as it appeared before it was demolished in 1952 (from The Rome Sentinel, August 13, 1952

That August of 1914, while waiting for Raymond’s return, Rev. and Mrs. Alden stayed as guests at the Toll Homestead in Verona, New York. They also spent time in nearby New Hartford, where Rev. Alden had served as a beloved pastor of the First Presbyterian Church nearly forty years earlier.

But lurking beneath the family visits and conversations with friends, Isabella and her husband must have felt a good deal of anxiety over the safety of their son. Their prayers and the bond of faith they shared with family and friends must have been a comfort and support during that time.

After nine stressful days at sea, Raymond’s ship docked at Boston Harbor and he at last joined his parents in New York. He gave the local newspaper a brief (and very understated) account of his Atlantic crossing, describing it as “a somewhat exciting trip.”

Newspaper Article: Verona, Aug. 14. Dr. R.M. Alden of the department of English of Stamford [sic] University, Palo Alto, Cal., has been the guest of Mrs. T. M. Foster and family. Dr. Alden was en route from London to Palo Alto. He reports a somewhat exciting trip by the steamer Arabic. A British cruiser was near at hand the great part of the way, as it was suspected that a hostile cruiser was following the Arabic. Dr. Alden has been in England several months studying in the libraries of the British Museum and Oxford. His parents, Dr. and Mrs. G. R. Alden, have been visiting friends in Verona and New Hartford for the past week, and the party left for their California home on Monday. Dr. G. R. Alden was pastor of the New Hartford Presbyterian Church about 38 years ago.
from the Daily Sentinel (Rome, New York) on August 14, 1914

Four days later, the Alden family boarded a train together for the long journey back to the home they shared in Palo Alto, California.

To the residents of Verona and New Hartford, the war across the Atlantic might have felt distant. But Raymond’s close call on the Arabic was a reminder of how quickly major world events could reach right into the homes of American families.

For Isabella and her family, facing uncertainty with steady faith and holding fast to deep friendships brought them through another trial, surrounded with love and support until they were, at last, safe at home together.

YOU CAN READ MORE ABOUT ISABELLA’S EARLY LIFE IN GLOVERSVILLE IN THESE POSTS:

LEARN MORE ABOUT ISABELLA’S FRIENDSHIP WITH THEODOSIA TOLL FOSTER IN THESE POSTS:

DISCOVER MORE ABOUT RAYMOND MACDONALD ALDEN IN THESE POSTS:

A Bicycle, a Bulldog, and Rev. G. R. Alden

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In 1918, Isabella’s husband, Reverend G. R. Alden was a healthy, hardy 86-year-old. Though retired from his ministerial duties in the Methodist church, he remained incredibly active. The Aldens were living in Palo Alto, California at the time, and because the Reverend didn’t drive, his bicycle was his primary mode of transportation. Seeing him pedaling his bike around town was a familiar and endearing sight in the neighborhood.

Illustration of a red men's bicycle with hand brake and a small black pouch attached behind the seat
A roadster bicycle from about 1915, described in advertisements as “admirably suitable for the young and middle-aged.”

Rev. Alden was also a well-known dog lover. Years earlier, he had written two children’s novels centered around a canine protagonist named Major: Major’s Autobiography and Major’s Friends, were both serialized in the pages of The Pansy magazine in 1892.

Black and white illustration of a boy wearing a sailor style top, breaches, and ankle boots, holding a large dog by the leash as they walk through a field, while three small dogs cavort around them.
An illustration from the 1892 serial story, “Major’s Friends.”

He was very open about his affection for four-legged friends. In the opening lines of Major’s Friends he declared to his young readers:

“By this time you will begin to believe that I am fond of dogs. Well, I am, if they are good, and I am especially fond of large, intelligent dogs.”

With such a deep affection for man’s-best-friend, it must have come as quite a shock to the Alden family—and the community—when the local papers ran a startling headline in July 1918.

Newspaper headline: VICIOUS DOG BITES REV. G. R. ALDEN

According to the July 17, 1918 issue of the Peninsula Times Tribune, Rev. Alden was riding his bicycle near his home one evening when he was suddenly “assaulted” by a vicious bull terrier. The dog bit him, leaving a painful injury on his left leg just above the ankle. The next morning, Rev. Alden reported the attack to the police, requesting that immediate action be taken to muzzle or properly handle the dangerous dog.

Because Isabella and the Reverend were such prominent figures in the region, the story quickly spread beyond Palo Alto to nearby San Jose. The Aldens were frequent visitors to the Mount Hermon Christian Camp in Santa Cruz, where they owned a cottage, so two days later, the Santa Cruz newspaper also picked up the story and added a few additional details for its readers.

Newspaper Article: MINISTER BITTEN BY bULLDOG. REV. G. R. ALDEN, WELL KNOWN HERE, VICTIM OF DOG. Rev. G. R. Alden is suffering from a rather painful injury caused by an attack by a bulldog Tuesday evening. Mr. Alden, a retired clergyman was riding his bicycle on Embarcadero road when he was attacked by the bulldog. He reported the matter to the police and the latter are looking for the owner. Mrs. Alden is the author of a famous series of books for girls that were very much read from 30 to 40 years ago. These were the "Pansy" books, which will be well remembered by the older generation. Mrs. and Mrs. Alden are living in retirement in Palo Alto. One son, R. M. Alden, is a professor at Stanford.

The article made sure to note that Mrs. Alden was the famous author of the beloved “Pansy” books, and proudly mentioned that their son, R. M. Alden, was currently serving as a professor at nearby Stanford University.

Thankfully, an injury above the ankle couldn’t keep a robust 86-year-old retired minister down for long, and Rev. Alden was soon back on his bicycle, pedaling around Palo Alto. It’s fascinating to see how a minor local mishap can reveal so much about the Aldens’ daily lives, their tight-knit family, and their enduring fame in California.

Did you know Reverend Alden wrote children’s stories about dogs? Have you ever read about Major’s adventures? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts!

Wonderfully Made

Published on by Isabella AldenLeave a comment

Isabella Alden was a teacher at heart. She learned at an early age that the best and most lasting lessons are often taught through real-life examples (read more about that here). It was a philosophy she shared frequently with other parents—whether she was speaking to mothers at church, during her summers spent at Chautauqua, or while traveling on her lecture circuit.

Isabella loved discussing the unique challenges of raising children with Biblical truths as their guide. In a 1901 article in American Mother magazine, she shared a bit of advice she had learned from a mother who found a brilliant way to do just that:

Teaching Self-Reverence.

I knew one mother who, before her son could speak the words plainly, taught him the Bible verse, “I will give thanks unto thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

Then, every evening, during their half-hour of confidential talk, she gave him, in minute detail, some proof of the truth of this verse. He was interested in “chu-chu cars,” and had been allowed to stop and examine the great engines, and to ask numberless questions about them.

That evening, his mother told him of the engine in his body that worked day and night at its appointed task. He had a chance, one evening, to look through a small telescope and saw wonders; and was led to think of the two perfect telescopes that he carried about with him daily.

For days, for weeks, for months the marvels went on, given in serial chapters; the revelation of one small human being to his human self. Every night he repeated, with increasing reverence, the words, “I will give thanks unto thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

Can you imagine Isabella nodding and smiling as she listened to this mother’s clever idea? Long before modern science had mapped out the intricate inner workings of the human body, this mother used a child’s natural curiosity over trains and telescopes to inspire a deep, foundational reverence for how God made him. It’s a reminder for us today that Isabella’s philosophy was right, and that the greatest truths can often be taught in the quietest moments of a daily routine.

Do you have a favorite way you’ve seen scripture or deep Biblical truths made simple for children?