Tag: Grace Livingston Hill

Isabella’s Most Difficult Year, Part 2

Published on by Isabella Alden4 Comments

This is the second of two posts about Isabella’s most difficult year. If you missed the first post, you can read it here.

In the spring and summer months of 1924, Isabella and her family carried on without her beloved husband, Ross, who died in March of that year.

The influenza epidemic that precipitated Rev. Alden’s death had waned, but there were still reported cases as late as the summer of 1924. That’s when Isabella’s sister Marcia fell ill.

Black and white photo of a woman of about 60 years of age. Her wavy hair is parted in the middle and softly drawn up into a bun at the back of her head. She wears a dress with a high neckline and a soft shawl-style collar. The sleeves are long and have white cuffs trimmed with lace at her wrists. She holds an open book in her hands.
Marcia Livingston

Again a doctor was called to the house in Swarthmore to treat her, but the virus had weakened her heart. On August 7, Marcia succumbed to myocarditis, a rare but serious condition that causes inflammation of the heart muscle.

It had to have been a devastating blow to Isabella. For their entire lives, she and Marcia had been close. Marcia was the sister who tended Isabella when she was young, who watched over her when she was ill, and prayed that Isabella would choose Christ as her Saviour (you can read more about that here). Marcia helped introduced Isabella to her husband Ross; and after Isabella married, the Livingstons and the Aldens shared a home in Florida, and lived as neighbors at Chautauqua. They were as close as sisters could be.

Black and white photograph of two elderly women sitting together. They are both wear their hair parted in the middle and pulled back to a braided but at the back of their heads. Isabella is dressed in a long-sleeved, high-neck blouse and skirt and she is knitting. Marcia wears a dark colored, high neck, long-sleeve dress and holds an open book in her hands.
Isabella Alden (left) and her sister Marcia Livingston (courtesy Daena Creel).

Isabella wrote:

I held the dear hand of my one remaining sister Marcia all that day, and prayed for one more clasp of it, one look of recognition, all in vain. She went, as did my dear husband, without a word or look.

Marcia was laid to rest in Johnstown, New York; that was where Marcia and Isabella grew up, and where Marcia met her husband Charles (you can read more about that here). Her grave is beside Charles’ grave and the grave of their infant son Percy.

Photo of a large stone grave marker that reads: Marcia Macdonald wife of Charles M. Livingston 1832 - 1924.
Marcia Macdonald Livingston’s grave marker in the Johnstown Cemetery.

Although there’s no known record of it, Isabella, Grace, and other family members may have traveled to New York for the interment. If they did make the journey, it’s probable that Isabella’s son Raymond did not accompany them.

By the time Marcia died, Raymond was receiving medical care in Philadelphia for a chronic condition. All his life Raymond endured a painful form of eczema that caused open sores and blisters, leaving him prone to infection. In May of 1924, Raymond’s condition became worse, and he began to regularly see a doctor in Philadelphia.

Black and white full-body photo of a gentleman standing out of doors in front of a large stone building. He wears a three-piece suit, a bowler hat and spectacles. One hand is in his trouser pocket; in the other hand he holds a pair of gloves.
Raymond Alden, from the Stanford University 1923 Yearbook.

By July Raymond’s wife Barbara wrote to her cousin about Raymond’s health, saying that although he was still very sick, he had shown “marked improvement.”

Newspaper clipping. Headline: Prof. R. M. Alden Reported Better. Marked improvement in the condition of Prof. Raymond M. Alden, who has been seriously ill for several months in Swarthmore, PA., is reported in a recent letter to Mrs. Alden's cousin, Miss Effa Spencer, who is now in Carmel. Although Dr. Alden is still very sick, his condition is now hopeful and his convalesence encouraging.
From The Peninsula Times Tribune, July 15, 1924.

But his improvement was short-lived. By September Raymond was suffering from an infection and, possibly, from an allergic reaction to medications he was given.

On September 27, less than two months after the death of his aunt, Raymond Alden died. Isabella was with him at the end.

“Mamma, fan me!” was the quick eager word my dear boy said, and the next minute he was gone.

Grace later wrote:

My saintly uncle went first, then my precious mother, and then my brilliant cousin, Dr. Raymond M. Alden. One blow after another that nearly crushed us all.

The family held a private funeral service for Raymond in Philadelphia; then it was time for the Aldens to leave Swarthmore and return to their Palo Alto home. Grace described it this way:

Then my dear aunt, courageous and wonderful through it all, went back to her California home with her brave daughter-in-law, and her five grandchildren.

Newspaper clipping. Headline: Return to Palo Alto. Mrs. G. R. Alden, Mrs. Raymodn Macdonald Alden and the latter's two younger children, Elizabeth and Raymond, Jr., have returned to Palo Alto after a year's absence in Pennsylvania. Mrs. Alden's oldest son, Donald, returned earlier int he month to enter Stanford. The other two children, John and Ronald, are in Pasadena with their aunt.
From The Peninsula Times Tribune, October 18, 1924.

There must have been times when Isabella felt the acute loneliness of losing the three most important people in her life. She once wrote to Grace:

There is no one in all the world who needs me any more. I’m too old to help anybody in any way, and too weak to be anything but a burden to those who have already more than they can bear. Why can’t I go now to my eternal rest? Does it seem to you wrong to pray for this?

There were other times when she spoke of the many family members who had died over the years, and asked impishly, “What do they think of us all by this time? Do they meet together and talk us all over?” She thought often of the loved ones who had “gone ahead” and wrote to Grace:

Sometimes I have to put my hands over my eyes in the darkness and say: “Casting all—All—ALL your care upon Him.” Oh, why doesn’t He take me home?”

But God did not call her home. Isabella lived with Barbara and her grandchildren in the house she and Ross built on Embarcadero Road in Palo Alto for another six years.

A young woman with dark hair stands facing the camera. She wears a coat and a hat with a wide brim and tall feathers sticking up from the crown. Her hair is styled in a bouffant with a bun on top of her head hidden by the hat.
Barbara Hitt Alden, about 1910

By all accounts, Barbara was loving and kind and “more than a daughter” to Isabella. And despite Isabella’s belief that she was “too weak to be anything but a burden” to Barbara, she would soon find that her work on Earth was not done, and that she had one last novel to write before she would be called Home to her Saviour.

Next Month: Isabella’s Final Novel

You can read more about the house Isabella and Ross built in Palo Alto by clicking here.

Click here to read the story of how Marcia and Charles Livingston introduced Isabella to her husband, Ross.

Isabella’s Most Difficult Year

Published on by Isabella Alden5 Comments

On the surface, it may seem that Isabella led a charmed life. Her husband was beloved a minister and a leader in the Presbyterian Church.

Black and white photo of an elderly man wearing a cleric's collar and suit. His head is bald on top, and he has a full beard and mustache. He wears a pair of wire-rimmed glasses.
Gustavus “Ross” Alden in later years (about 1912)

Her son Raymond was a talented writer, a beloved teacher, and an esteemed academic.

Black and white photo of an elderly woman. She is seated and holding a book in her hands she appears to be reading.
Isabella Alden, about 1895.

Isabella, herself, had been a successful author for decades, as well as an influential editor of various Christian magazines for young people and adults.

With so many proud accomplishments in her life, it’s hard to remember that Isabella had her share of heartache and loss.

Some of those losses were made all the more difficult because they occurred almost in a back-to-back fashion during one six-month period in her life. And it happened one-hundred years ago.

The year 1924 began on a positive note for the entire Alden family. Isabella’s son Raymond—who was head of the English Department at Stanford University in California—was on sabbatical so he could teach courses at Columbia University in New York. It was an exciting career opportunity for Raymond.

A black and white photo of a young man dressed in a suit and wearing a pair of eyeglasses.
Undated photo of Raymond Macdonald Alden.

His topics during that Spring Session at Columbia were:

  • English Literature from 1780 to 1830.
  • Shakespeare
  • Versification
Clipping from catalog. Heading: ENGLISH AND COMPARATIVE LITERATURE below which is a listing of professors. Highlighted portion reads "Visiting Professor: R. M. Alden."
Raymond Alden listed as a Visiting Professor in the English and Comparative Literature department, Columbia Course Catalog for 1923-1924.

Raymond, his wife Barbara, and their five children (ages 2 to 14) made the move east together and rented a home within an easy commute to Columbia’s campus.

Portrait of a young woman wearing clothing with a high collar neckline and large puffed sleeves that were in style about 1890.
Barbara Hitt Alden, in her early twenties.

Isabella and her husband Ross went, too. Ross was 92 years old and had been officially retired from the ministry for some time, but he still enjoyed excellent health and a quick wit and intellect. Isabella was still writing novels, but she too had “retired” and had adopted a much slower pace when it came to her work.

Isabella and Ross moved into the Swarthmore, Pennsylvania home of Isabella’s sister Marcia Livingston and niece Grace Livingston Hill. Grace often described Marcia and Isabella as “inseparable” sisters, and for the majority of their lives, the Aldens and the Livingstons spent much of their time together.

It was while the Aldens were staying with Marcia and Grace in Swarthmore in the spring of 1924 that tragedy struck.  

Photograph of a large two-story home with brick accents set back from the street with lush green lawns and mature trees.
Grace Livingston Hill’s Home, Swarthmore, PA.

At that time Philadelphia was dealing with an influenza epidemic. The particular strain that prevailed during the spring of 1924 often caused pneumonia.

Newspaper clipping. Headline: HEALTH DIRECTOR WARNS OF DANGER. Tells Public to Watch February and March Cold Symptoms. These Two Months Shown as Highest in Pneumonia Mortality.
From The Philadelphia Inquirer, February 18, 1924.

Unfortunately, antibiotics like penicillin and sulfonamides were not as widely available as they are today; so doctors could offer little in the way of treatment for pneumonia, beyond recommending bed rest, and drinking fluids. Almost every day newspapers reported new outbreaks of the influenza virus, as well as the number of deaths, and it often seemed as if no one was safe.

Newspaper clipping. Headline: BABE RUTH STRICKEN BY FLU, PNEUMONIA IS RESULT NOW FEARED. Article: Babe Ruth, the Sultan of Swat, baseball's biggest attraction and the game's longest hitter, is seriously ill at a local hotel. Just now Ruth is suffering from an attack of flu, but there is danger he will develop pneumonia within the next twenty-four hours. According to Dr. W. T. Wootton, there is a great deal of congestion over Ruth's left lung.
From The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 1, 1924.

Health officials warned that a common cold or a mild case of the flu could quickly turn into a deadly case of pneumonia. Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened to Rev. Alden. At ninety-two years of age he was particularly susceptible to pneumonia, and although the family brought in a physician in to treat him, he died on March 29, 1924.

Newspaper clipping. Dr. Alden's death at the home of his niece, Mrs. Grace Livingston Hill, followed an illness of only 48 hours. Up to that time he had been strong and vigorous, although in his 93rd year. Funeral services, followed by cremation, were held in Swarthmore.
From The Peninsula Times Tribune, April 14, 1924.

His death was reported in newspapers across the country and the tributes and remembrances came pouring in. People wrote about their memories of when he was their church minister. They related the anecdotes he used to illustrate his sermons and teachings; and they mentioned the close friendships they formed with him in the Sabbath School classes he taught.

Perhaps Isabella had a chance to read some of those tributes. And she no doubt relied upon her sister Marcia’s support, as well as the tender care that Raymond, Barbara and Grace would have provided.

Isabella made the decision to remain in Swarthmore until summer, so Raymond could fulfill his teaching responsibilities at Columbia. Then, the Alden family planned to travel together back to their home in Palo Alto, California, where Rev. Alden’s remains would be laid to rest.

In her remembrances of her uncle, Grace recalled a poem he wrote and had printed as a New Year greeting card. He sent the cards to the members of his Bible class the last winter he was with them before going to Swarthmore. It reads:

TODAY

We are living today—not tomorrow,
For no morrow was ever yet seen;
And for joy, or for pain, or for sorrow,
Only yesterdays ever have been.

God gives us duties—just for today;
And His strength He bestows by the hour,
“Grace is sufficient” we still hear Him say,
So we trust Him for wisdom and power.

And since today is all that He gives,
Let us treasure the day as it stands.
It matters, then, much how everyone lives
For tomorrow God holds in His hands.

G. R. Alden

Next: Isabella’s Most Difficult Year, Part 2

Free Read: The Weak Brother for Whom Christ Died

Published on by Isabella Alden2 Comments

It’s the time of year when many people make resolutions—to study their Bible more often, lose weight, or spend more time with family and friends. But how many people resolve to change their life in order to benefit a stranger? That’s the premise of our January free read.

Grace Livingston Hill wrote “The Weak Brother for Whom Christ Died” in 1897, and it was based on true events. At that time, French actress Sarah Bernhardt was a theatrical titan, who enjoyed world-wide fame.

Black and white photo of actress leaning against a large garden urn. She wears a pensive, thoughtful expression.
Undated photo of Sarah Bernhardt in character.

She toured the globe in plays she produced and starred in. She was a master of self-promotion and cultivated a larger-than-life persona that the newspapers and magazines of the time eagerly reported to their readers. She was, arguably, the world’s first true international superstar.

Actress in costume of sleeveless, loose-fitting, floor-length gown. On her head she wears a headpiece with the figure of an upright snake. She wears bracelets on her upper bear arms. In one hand she holds long-stemmed flowers.
Undated photo of Sarah Bernhardt as Cleopatra.

Bernhardt first performed in America in 1880, when Grace was fifteen years old. Bernhardt’s American tour lasted several months. She performed in cities across the country, and each performance was met with thunderous applause and critical acclaim.

Photo of an open-air amphitheater with a full audience. On stage is a figure in a long gown sitting in a large, throne-like chair.
Bernhardt performing onstage in Berkeley, California, 1906.

In 1897 Bernhardt toured England, where she was so much in demand that she sometimes appeared in multiple plays at once, performing a matinee in one theater, then playing the lead in an entirely different play in a different theater that same evening!

Newspaper clipping announcing Bernhardt's performances in "Lorenzaccio" matinee Saturday; "La Tosca" on July 8, 9 and 10; "La Dame Aux Camelias" on July 12, 13, 14; "L'Etrangere" on July 15, 17; and "French Plays" on June 17.
From The Times, London, June 16, 1897.

But not everyone embraced Sarah Bernhardt with open arms. Despite her talent and riveting performances, conservative members of society and many religious groups viewed the theater as a morally corrupting influence, especially for women.

A promotional poster for Bernhardt’s 1905/1906 American tour.

Female actors were frequently stigmatized as immoral or promiscuous. Sarah Bernhardt—with her unconventional lifestyle, her bold stage performances, and numerous love affairs both within and outside of her marriage—scandalized a good portion of the population.

Photo of Bernhardt wearing a pseudo-military uniform of high-collared tunic with long sleeves, and form-fitting pantaloons tucked into knee-high boots. Around her waist she wears a sash from which is hung a sword in a scabbard.
Bernahrdt as Napoleon. Her costume, with its form-fitting pantaloons, was considered quite scandalous.

Grace Livingston Hill knew about Sarah Bernhardt and probably read many of the newspaper articles about her. She also had strong opinions about Bernhardt and theater entertainments, which she used as the theme of her story, “The Weak Brother for Whom Christ Died.”

Book cover showing a collection of pink and white flowers against a watercolor background of blue, purple and pink. The title of the book title is displayed in a large, swirly font that takes up the entire cover.

“Did you go out to see Bernhardt last evening, Murray?”

When three young men meet to pass a Sunday afternoon together, they never imagine that such a simple question can spark a very complicated discussion! But Frank Murray has read his Bible, and he is willing to forego some of the world’s pleasures if it means he will never be a stumbling-block to fall in another Christian brother’s way. Will Frank be able to explain his position to his new friends so they, too, will strive to help a weak brother in Christ?

You can read “The Weak Brother for Whom Christ Died” for free!

Choose the reading option you like best:

You can read the story on your computer, phone, tablet, Kindle, or other electronic device. Just click here to download your preferred format from BookFunnel.com.

Or you can select BookFunnel’s “email” option to receive an email with a version you can read, print, and share with friends.

Margaret’s Lullaby

Published on by Isabella Alden1 Comment

Like her aunt Isabella, Grace Livingston Hill expressed her creative talents in many ways.  Although she was best known for writing Christian novels and short stories (click here to read a few), she also wrote poetry.

After her first child Margaret was born in 1893, Grace wrote this charming poem to her darling little daughter:

Image of mother sitting up in bed, her back against pillows, looking down at the baby she holds on a pillow in her lap. 
The birdies have tucked their heads under their wings,
And cuddled down closely, the dear little things;
And my darling birdie is here in her nest,
With her heart nestled close on her own mother’s breast.
The wind sings a sleepy song soft to the roses,
And kisses the buds on the tips of their noses.
Shall I sing a sleepy song soft to my sweet,
And kiss the pink toes of her precious wee feet?
The butterflies fold their silver-gauze wings,
And now sweetly sleep with all the fluttering things;
Will you fold your wee palms, my dear little girl,
And rest the tired footies, my dainty rare pearl?
The violet sweet has closed its blue eye,
That has gazed all day long at the clear summer sky:
Now droop the dark fringes over your eyes;
They are weary with holding great looks of surprise.
The flower-bells have drooped their meek little heads, 
And laid themselves down in their soft, mossy beds.
Your golden head droops and your eyes are shut quite;
Shall I lay you down soft on your pillow so white?

Grace’s lovely poem was published in newspapers across the country . What do you think of “Margaret’s Lullaby”?

Announcing the Winners of “The Governor’s Son” Giveaway!

Published on by Isabella Alden1 Comment

Thank you to everyone who entered “The Governor’s Son” e-book drawing!

We’re happy to announce the winners are:

Heather Dreith

Helen Fistler

Sharon Thomas

Kayla James

Karen Noske

Confetti falling down on the word CONGRATULATIONS spelled out in a different color for each letter.

Heather, Helen and Karen, you’ll receive an email from Amazon.com with a link to download your e-book copy of The Governor’s Son.

Sharon and Kayla, you’ll receive a Facebook DM from Isabella. Please respond with your e-mail address so we can deliver your e-book right away.

This post is part of our 10-year Blogiversary Celebration! Join us every weekday in September for a fun drawing, giveaway, or Free Read!

Poems of Faith from The Pansy

Published on by Isabella Alden1 Comment

When Isabella edited The Pansy magazine, she made sure each issue included (in addition to her own stories) a wide variety of content, such as essays on science, history, life in foreign countries, and biographies of famous people.

Her family members regularly contributed articles, anecdotes, stories, and poems.

Isabella’s husband, her son, her sister, and even her niece Grace Livingston (who, as Grace Livingston Hill, later became a best-selling author just like her aunt Isabella) all wrote poems for The Pansy.

The Giveaway

Today’s giveaway is an e-book of some of the best-loved poems from the pages of The Pansy magazine.

Book cover of Poems of Faith from The Pansy has image of an old-fashioned lady's high-heeled shoe with a bouquet of purple, yellow, and blue pansies coming out of the top of the shoe.

Sometimes soulful, sometimes charming or funny, Poems of Faith from The Pansy is the perfect read when you’re in the mood for a bit of whimsy or a quiet moment of reflection.

You can read Poems of Faith from The Pansy for Free!

Choose the reading option you like best:

You can read the book on your computer, phone, tablet, Kindle, or other electronic device. Just click here to download your preferred format from BookFunnel.com.

Or you can select BookFunnel’s “My Computer” option to receive an email with a version you can read, print, and share with friends.

This post is part of our 10-Year Blogiversary Celebration! Join us tomorrow as we announce the winners of this week’s drawing!

The Governor’s Son Giveaway!

Published on by Isabella Alden21 Comments

Before Isabella published a new novel, she often shared the story in chapter-by-chapter installments in magazines. One example is her novel Christie’s Christmas. Before it was published in 1885, part of it appeared in The Pansy magazine under the title “Christie at Home.” Then the magazine’s publisher advertised the story in newspapers across the country:

Newspaper clipping: An everyday and Sunday visitor and friend in your home. In the first place: There is the new cover, dainty and sweet from top to bottom, an index to the fresh, attractive interior. Second: Mrs. G. R. Alden ("Pansy") has written a new serial entitled "CHRISTIE AT HOME," one of her invigorating, strong efforts towards making true men and women of the boys and girls of to-day, and the boys' and girls' fathers and mothers. As fascinating as all her books, is this latest story.
From The Perry County Democrat (Pennsylvania) newspaper, November 5, 1884.

When Isabella’s niece, Grace Livingston Hill began her writing career, she followed suit. Several of her short stories and novels first appeared as serials in magazines before the complete story was published in book form.

In 1905 Grace’s novella The Governor’s Son was published as a serial in a Christian magazine. Then, in 1909, the same story appeared as a serial in a British magazine. Both publications included lovely pen and pencil illustrations of some of the story’s key scenes.

The Governor’s Son is about a young woman named Leslie who spends the summer with her sister and cousin at a seaside resort. Here’s one of the magazine illustrations showing Leslie befriending an elderly woman while on the train to the resort, as her sister and cousin look on.

Illustration of the interior of a train. An elderly woman sits on a bench as a young woman stands beside her in the aisle, offering her a cup of water. Two young ladies are seated behind the elderly woman, watching. In the background another passenger reads a newspaper.

That small act of kindness earns Leslie a new friend, and she and the elderly woman spend quite a bit of time together on the seashore.

Illustration of a young woman in white sitting beside an elderly woman on the beach as they sit under an umbrella near a formation of rocks. The young woman is reading a book. In the background a fisherman tends to his row boat and sailboats sail on the ocean.

The Governor’s Son was never published in book form, but all the complete magazine issues survived, so the story could be pieced together; and it’s now available for purchase on Amazon.com.

The Giveaway:

We’re giving away five e-book copies of The Governor’s Son by Grace Livingston Hill!

Book cover showing a young woman in a long white dress, holding a sun bonnet in her hand, standing at the steps of a piazza as she looks out to sea.

Shy, lovely Leslie Graham would rather spend her summer at home reading a book, but her parents insist she accompany her sister Anna to a seaside resort, where the sisters’ differences quickly come to light. While Anna tries to mingle with the resort’s most fashionable and wealthy inhabitants, Leslie makes friends with sweet, elderly Mrs. Hamilton, who likes to watch the ocean, quote Bible verses, and talk about her son. And when Mrs. Hamilton’s son arrives, Leslie realizes Chauncey Hamilton is just as thoughtful and handsome as his mother described. In the face of such kindness, Leslie can’t help but prefer to spend her days and nights with Chauncey and his mother, even as Anna plots to pull her in a more worldly and dangerous direction.

To enter the drawing, just leave a comment below or on Isabella’s Facebook page no later than midnight (EDT) on Thursday, September 14.

The five winners will be announced on Friday, September 15. Good luck!

If you love Grace Livingston Hill stories and can’t wait until Friday to read The Governor’s Son, you can purchase your copy of the novella by clicking here.

Remember: You don’t have to own an Amazon Kindle to read The Governor’s Son. Just download Amazon’s e-reader app to read the story on any electronic device.

This post is part of our 10-Year Blogiversary Celebration! Join us every weekday in September for a fun drawing, giveaway, or Free Read!

Defending Grace

Published on by Isabella Alden9 Comments

When Grace Livingston Hill’s short story “The Livery of Heaven” was published in a popular Christian magazine in 1897, she probably had no idea the controversy it would cause.

Black and White hand-drawn illustration. At the top is a ribbon banner that stretches across the page with "The Livery of Heaven" in all capital letters. Beneath is a table top on which are jars of peaches, bottles of wine, and cocktail and wine glasses. In the center is a drawing of a man kneeling beside a bed. His arms are resting on top of the bed and his face is buried in his arms.
Magazine illustration for Grace’s story, “The Livery of Heaven.”

After all, Grace was 31 years old and had been writing and publishing her stories and novels since 1889, and they all sold very well. So it might have been a bit surprising that the magazine that published “The Livery of Heaven” began to receive letters from readers like this one:

The Letter:

I have been reading “The Livery of Heaven,” and, as one hoping your paper meets the highest standard of merit and helpfulness, I desire to make an emphatic protest against the unreality of some of the characters and descriptions of that story.

The character of Mrs. Wallace, for instance, seems to me too absurd even for a story. Is it possible that a woman of her intelligence and honesty of purpose could be so absolutely blind as not to know the inevitable consequences of giving to one with a passion for liquor “brandy peaches” so strong with brandy as to scent a whole room?

Or that she could be so utterly inconsistent as to go out and work zealously in the cause of temperance reform when she had just finished putting up a lot of peaches saturated with brandy, which she purposed to serve indiscriminately?

Impossible! Unless she were a bold hypocrite, and obviously hypocrisy is not intended or thought of.

And if not a hypocrite, such rank inconsistency and incongruity of character could not exist except in a vivid imagination. It is not real life.

If my ideas are wrong, I would like to be set right.

It just so happened that Grace’s aunt, Isabella Alden, was one of the magazine’s editors, and she decided she would personally answer the critics who wrote in about Grace’s story and “set them right.”

Here is Isabella’s response:

There is more to this letter, and I wish we had room for its entirety, for it is carefully and thoughtfully written.

It seems to me that the writer is wrong, not in his deductions, but in his statement of facts. He distinctly states the impossibility of so inconsistent a woman as Mrs. Wallace. What will he do with her if I own that she, to my certain knowledge, exits—that she is not only “true to life,” but she is life? I have no means of knowing whether the Mrs. Wallace about whom the author in question writes is the Mrs. Wallace of my acquaintance; but I do know that exactly such an instance of moral blindness occurred but a few years ago.

I knew a woman who would walk miles on hot summer afternoons to secure signers to a “no-license” petition within the precincts of her ward, and would discourse eloquently on the evils of the saloon and the dangers attending her young son, and the miseries resulting from “acquiring a taste for intoxicants;” and then offer that same young son at her own dinner table a pudding, the sauce of which was so highly flavored with wine as to make its very presence offensive to certain of her guests.

I knew another woman who wept copious tears over the downfall of a beloved brother, and besought us earnestly to help her plan ways and means of reaching and saving him “even yet”; and then offered us in the next breath a bit of her fruit-cake so well flavored with brandy as to be detected by the sense of smell as well as that of taste; and she remarked that she always kept it on the sideboard where her brother could help himself.

The dense ignorance that exists in regard to these matters on the part of many people who consider themselves almost temperance fanatics, is proverbial among workers who have studied into the subject.

In our mothers’ meetings that I conducted for years this matter of cookery was continually coming to the front; and at not a single meeting did we fail to have represented the puzzled woman who said:

“Why, do you suppose, that the little bit of brandy that I put in my mince-pies to keep them, or the few drops with which I flavor my sauces, can have any effect on a person’s appetite for liquor? Won’t such strained notions as these do more harm than good?”

Also, almost as regularly, we had that other woman who said:

“Well, there’s no use in talking to me about such things. John wouldn’t eat mince-pies if they hadn’t brandy in them. He doesn’t like the flavor without it; and I’m not afraid of its doing any harm in my family.”

Understand, these are good temperance women—every bit as good as Mrs. Wallace; much like her in every respect; women who, by reason of their upbringing and their present environment, are utterly unable to see the connection between liquor-eating and liquor drinking; women who believe that what their mothers and their mothers’ mothers always did must be right and best.

What the temperance cause needs today, in my judgment, more than any other thing, is some apostle who will undertake to open the eyes of the army of Mrs. Wallaces that infest the land, who labor zealously with their strong right hands to put out the fires of rum, and industriously feed the flames with their ignorant left hands all the while.

.

What did you think of Grace’s story? Do you agree with the letter writer’s critique?

Do you think Isabella gave the right response?

If you haven’t yet read Grace’s story “The Livery of Heaven,” you can read it here.

New Free Read: The Livery of Heaven

Published on by Isabella Alden2 Comments

Like everyone in her immediate and extended family, Grace Livingston Hill was a dedicated temperance worker. She was well-educated in the effects alcohol had on individuals and their families.

And because the production and sale of alcohol was unregulated at the time (and often included addictive ingredients such as cocaine, morphine, cannabis, and chloroform), she knew it was not uncommon for people to become addicted to some alcoholic beverages.

She wrote about the harm alcohol caused in a short story titled, “The Livery of Heaven.”

Cover made for "The Livery of Heaven" with the title in dark blue against a blue background. Below it is a framed image of a still-life showing a plate, peaches, and a pitcher. Below the image is a lace border, and below that is the name "Grace Livingston Hill."

Mrs. Wallace is proud of her work in the temperance cause.  Her latest project is raising money to build a play-ground at the Home of Inebriates’ Children. It’s a worthy cause, so when she has a chance to host a famous temperance lecturer in her very own home, she jumps at the chance, certain that his lecture will draw the support and donations she needs.

But little does Mrs. Wallace realize, a dark force is using her efforts to harm the people she loves the most.

At the core of the story is a lesson about the seemingly small and thoughtless ways Christians can cause others to stumble in their daily walk with Christ.

Black and White hand-drawn illustration. At the top is a ribbon banner that stretches across the page with "The Livery of Heaven" in all capital letters. Beneath is a table top on which are jars of peaches, bottles of wine, and cocktail and wine glasses. In the center is a drawing of a man kneeling beside a bed. His arms are resting on top of the bed and his face is buried in his arms.
Magazine illustration for Grace’s story, “The Livery of Heaven.”

After a Christian magazine published the story in 1896, “The Livery of Heaven” set off a bit of a fire storm.

Join us next week to find out how some readers reacted to Grace’s story “The Livery of Heaven.”

You can read “The Livery of Heaven” for free!

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Grace Livingston Hill and the Authors’ Carnival

Published on by Isabella Alden2 Comments
Newspaper Headline: The Great Social and Artistic Event of the Season, THE AUTHORS' CARNIVAL! A novel and unique entertainment, under the management of Frank B. Pease, of Buffalo, N.Y., assisted by the leading ladies and gentlemen of Evansville. MAGNIFICENT SCENES from Shakespeare, Dickens, Whittier, Verne, Stowe, Thousand and One Nights, Moore and Addison, introducing the most noted of their characters. "THE ROYAL INFANTS," in which 75 beautifully costumed children will take part. GORGEOUS TABLEAUX, heretofore unsurpassed in Evansville, introducing marble statuary by living figures. FOR THE BENEFIT OF EVANS HALL. SIX NIGHTS ONLY, COMMENCING Monday, April 26, and Closing Saturday, May 1. ADMISSION ONLY 25 CENTS.
From the Evansville, Indiana Daily Courier, April 18, 1880

In the late 1800s a new and exciting form of entertainment swept across America. It was called the Authors’ Carnival. It had all the fun of a community fair, as well as dazzling theatrics on a magnificent scale.

Old photo of ten women standing on the steps of a building. Each woman is dressed in a different costume, such as Native American, Arabian, Western, etc.
Women in costume for an Authors’ Carnival in Washington DC

The Authors’ Carnival drew great crowds in every city in which it was staged, so it had to be set up in a large space, such as a town hall or tabernacle. The concept, though, was simple: the Carnival was comprised of a number of booths, each of which depicted a scene from a famous author’s works.

For example, there was a booth devoted to Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne. Costumed actors portrayed scenes from the book in an elaborately decorated submarine compartment behind a gauze curtain that simulated water.

Black and white photo of a woman, a man, and three children dressed in costumes of Sixteenth Century Scotland. The woman wears a headpiece and neck ruff from the Elizabethan period. Then man and one child wear kilts. They are in a well-decorated parlour with art on the walls and paneled moulding.
A booth devoted to Sir Walter Scott’s Baronial Hall, from The Buffalo Times

Another booth was devoted to John Greenleaf Whittier’s poem, “Snow-Bound: A Winter Idyll.”

Newspaper excerpt that reads: WHITTIER BOOTH. Beyond the cafe where refreshments will be dispensed during each evening will come the snow-bound home of the Poet Whittier; the home dear to all American hearts, for who that has lived in the country does not remember the snow-bound home of his childhood? In this booth the following characters will be represented: Whittier's Grandfather, Whittier's Grandmother, Whittier's Mother.
A description of the Whittier booth, from The Scranton Republican, April 23, 1886

There were booths dedicated to Shakespeare, Longfellow, and Washington Irving, and many more literary figures, including Mother Goose. One of the most popular booths was lavishly decorated as Aladdin’s Cave.

In many cases, booths were set up so the costumed actors could interact with the people passing by.

Old black and white photo showing a group of people dressed in costumes from the 1770s. Some men are standing; others are seated beside women. There is a statuary urn with a plant between the chairs. Behind them is a background painting of a garden scene with more statues.
Victor Hugo’s Paris Garden booth, from The Buffalo Times

The highlight of the Authors’ Carnival occurred on a center stage where tableaux vivant were enacted at intervals throughout the day and evening. The most popular tableau was the colorful, well-choreographed “The Fan Brigade.” It illustrated an essay by British satirist Joseph Addison on how ladies in the eighteenth century used their fans as weapons in flirtation and romance.

Old photo of eight women dressed in gowns from the late eighteenth century. Some of them have powdered hair; all wear tall headdresses and carry fans. Two of the women stand between a large open fan mounted on top of a pole that is about seven to eight feet tall. Behind them is a painted backdrop of the stone columns and balustrade of terrace, with a landscape beyond.
Fan Brigade, from Authors’ Carnival Album, 1880, Library of Congress

In 1881 the Authors’ Carnival arrived in Cleveland, Ohio, where sixteen-year-old Grace Livingston lived with her father Charles and mother Marcia (who was Isabella Alden’s older sister). Already an aspiring author, Grace visited the Authors’ Carnival one afternoon and wrote the following account of her experience:

The Author’s Carnival in Cleveland

By Grace

It was impossible for me to attend the evening entertainment of the Author’s Carnival, but when a matinee was announced for the next afternoon, I thought I would go.

It was held in the tabernacle. As you entered the door, directly opposite you was the stage, where the most beautiful tableaux were exhibited every twenty minutes, the performers never having rehearsed before, but being picked out and arranged on the spot, from the different booths.

The booths were ranged around the sides, and the center left for the audience to promenade. We took a look at the booths before the first tableaux.

The “Alhambra,” which, having a piano, and a few good players, managed to keep such a crowd around it all the time, that one could hardly get a peep at it.

Whittier’s “Snow Bound,” with its soft gray costumes, which harmonize wonderfully with the neat room, and fire-place, and cupboard, with its rows of bright, shining dishes, and the strings of dried apples hanging from the ceiling. Whittier’s “grandmother” happened to be a friend of mine, so I stepped up to her, and she said, “How does thee do, friend Grace?”

There was the “Arabian Nights” booth, where they sold miniature “Aladdin Lamps,” said to be exact copies from the original.

“Lalla Rookh” and the “Jules Verne” booths were beautiful and picturesque, with their mermaids, and flowers, and sea-weeds.

Longfellow’s “Hiawatha,” where the Indians flourished their tomahawks, and gave war-whoops, attracted a great deal of attention, and really was one of the most fascinating.

The “Egyptian” booth had beautiful, rich costumes.

The “Addison” booth had, perhaps, the most beautiful costumes, but the characters were all ladies.

The “Dickens” booth, with all its comical characters, was just refreshing.

As I walked up to the “Shakespeare’s” booth, the “Duke of York,” an old schoolfellow, stepped forward and shook hands with me.

The tableaux-bell rang, and we all rushed to the center of the floor, each one trying to get the best position for seeing. The most beautiful and quaint pictures succeeded each other; lastly, the beautiful “Fan Drill.” If you have never seen it, seen the perfect time and graceful motions, you cannot imagine how beautiful it was.

But there was one blight on all this beauty. At the “Spanish” booth they sold cigars and cigarettes, and some ungentlemanly persons even smoked among all that company of ladies. It was Satan’s way of joining in the Author’s Carnival.

Tableaux and theatricals were common forms of entertainment during Isabella Alden’s lifetime, and she wrote about them in several of her novels. You can read more about tableaux in these previous posts:

Tableaux: Bringing Pictures to Life

A Nice Oyster Supper