CONTENTS OF VOL. I.

PART I. 1826-1848.

CHAPTER I.—THE ANCESTRAL INHERITANCE: Six generations of

Yankees.- Samuel Bowles, the father.- Early struggles.-Estab-

lishes the Weekly Republican....

.1-4

CHAPTER II.-THE EARLY ENVIRONMENT: New England's first

two hundred years.-The seed, the soil, the tree.-Theocracy and

democracy.—The Puritan religion.- The growth of the nation.-

Early Unitarianism.—An old-time country town.— The unchanged

face...

.5-14

......

CHAPTER III.-BOYHOOD:

A New England household.— The

mother. The boy's moderate promise.—At school.— No hands.—

"Not much boyhood".
.15-19

CHAPTER IV. THE BEGINNING OF THE DAILY "REPUBLICAN":

Son follows father.-A bold project.-Life's load shouldered

early. The first break-down.- Newspaper letters. — A quarrel,

a rival, and an impulse..
.20-25

--

--

..26-31

CHAPTER V.-THE OLD AND THE NEW JOURNALISM: A new

epoch in journalism and politics.- The old-time newspaper and

the new.-
The Herald and the Tribune. - The old country

weekly

CHAPTER VI.—EARLY YEAars of Work-ASHMUN AND CALHOUN :

No early brilliancy.-A hard worker, a good reporter.-An un-

stimulating community.- No vice except overwork.- William B.

Calhoun: "The public man of Springfield."— Services and charac-

ter.-George Ashmun.-A master of men.-Brings Douglas and

Lincoln together.- Devotion to Webster.- Social charm..32-44

CHAPTER VII.—THE MEXICAN WAR AND THE FREE-SOIL PARTY :

Annexation of Texas.- Polk and Clay.- Conquest and Spoliation

of Mexico.- Whig opposition.- The Wilmot proviso.- Webster's

Springfield speech.-The Abolitionists.- The Republican's atti-

tude.- The dilemma of the Northern conscience.— Taylor's nom-

ination.-Free-soil and Van Buren.- Mr. Bowles's first political

writing. Why not a Free-soiler..

.45-55

PART II. 1848-1852.

CHAPTER VIII.— PERSONAL AND FAMILY LIFE: Marriage.— An

ally found- and lost.- Dr. Holland comes.- The first child.-

Father dies.- Overwork and sickness..

.56-60

CHAPTER IX.- THE DEVELOPING NEWSPAPER: The home nest.-

Dr. Holland: lay preaching and literature. The two blades of

the scissors.-Toil and thrift.-Life-blood spent - and freely.—

"We will never take public office."- Advance payments.- Inde-

pendence: how achieved.-The growing ideal.- Unwillingness

to own mistakes.-Independent journalism in a nut-shell..61-72

CHAPTER X.- THE COMPROMISE OF 1850: Growth of anti-slav-

ery sentiment.-The question as to the new territory.- Henry

Clay's compromise.- Webster's seventh of March speech.- The

moral element ignored.- The Republican's embarrassment.-The

Fugitive Slave bill.....

73-81

CHAPTER XI.—THE FUGITIVE SLAVE LAW: Compromise ac-

cepted. Must we surrender fugitive slaves? - Humanity versus

law.- Obedience or anarchy.- Shadrach rescued.-Simms re-

turned. Two kinds of mobs.-George Thompson in Springfield.

A bloodless riot.- Democrats and Free-soilers coalesce.- Sum-

ner goes to the Senate.-Degenerate Whigs.-The '52 conven-

tions surrender to the South.-Party above principle......82-96

-

PART III. 1853-1856.

CHAPTER XII.-THE JOURNALIST AT WORK-HIS LIEUTENANTS:

News first. A new civilizing agency. - Working the home

field.-Dr. Holland's local contributions.- Mr. Bowles as a

news-gatherer.- A traveler.-Clark W. Bryan.- Election re-

turns.- Business expands.- Joseph E. Hood.-Portrayed by his

chief.

..97-109

1

CHAPTER XIII.— THE AWAKENING OF THE NORTH: Douglas pro-

poses repeal of Missouri Compromise.- The North roused at last.

- The Republican on the new era.-"Popular sovereignty."- Its

uncertain meaning. - Kansas-Nebraska bill passed.- How unite

the opposition? - The rendition of Burns.- No more slave-hunt-

ing!-A Republican party attempted.- The rise of Know-noth-

ingism.- Its triumph in Massachusetts....
110-127

CHAPTER XIV.- THE STRUGGLE IN KANSAS AND IN MASSACHU-

SETTS: Lawful and lawless invasion.-A usurping legislature.-

President Pierce's Administration.- First anti-slavery victory at

Washington.-Punishing Judge Loring.- Personal liberty law.

Henry Wilson.-Philadelphia Know-nothing council.-Organiza-

tion of the Republican party in Massachusetts.— Its defeat by the

Know-nothings...
128-145

CHAPTER XV.-THE FREMONT CAMPAIGN: Brooks's assault on
Sumner. Two confusing influences.- Nomination of Buchanan.
-First national Republican convention.- The situation in Kan-
sas.- -In Massachusetts.-Governor Gardner.-Henry L. Dawes.
-The character of the Republican party.- Defeated, not dis-

couraged.......

.146-161

CHAPTER XVI.—LETTERS (1851-56): To Charles Allen, Henry

L. Dawes, and Mrs. Bowles.-Too busy to go a-fishing.-A

convalescent.-"Newspapers not machines to suppress informa-

tion."- Judge Loring. Reporting a convention.- Religious

observances.-All the reward I seek.-Don't croak.-I bide my

time. Fremont's prospects.-The fight for Dawes.-Invited to

Philadelphia .....

..162-178

PART IV. 1857-1861.

CHAPTER XVII.-THE BOSTON "TRAVELLER": Fit for a wider

field. An ambitious project.-Its early failure. The causes.-

A heavy undertaking: divided councils.- Return to the Re-

publican....
.179-188

CHAPTER XVIII.—THE RIPENING JOURNALIST: The education of
the times.-Republicanism, a school of statesmanship.- Partisan-
ship and independence.-The Republican's declaration of inde-
pendence.-Instinct for news.-Attitude toward public men.—

Fondness for change.-Epigrammatic power.- Dr. Holland's in-

novations.- Timothy Titcomb's Letters..
.189-202

CHAPTER XIX.- PERSONAL RELATIONS: As seen by his readers.

- By his family.- Homesickness.-Relish for humanity.-Auster-

ity in public, charity in private.- Personal manner.-Attitude

toward friends.-Their words about him.-Burning his own

smoke.- Love of old associations.-"Two men in him."— Differ-

ences and reconciliations.-The nervous strain.- Friendships

with women......
..203-218

-

CHAPTER XX.-DRED SCOTT AND LECOMPTON: The logic of

events. The Dred Scott decision.-Its reception at the North.-

President Buchanan and Governor Walker.—The Lecompton con-

vention and constitution.-A break in the Democratic party.-

Douglas a rebel.- The English bill.- Kansas free......219-231

CHAPTER XXI.— DOUGLAS AND LINCOLN: Shall the Republicans

accept Douglas? — His fatal defect.-Abraham Lincoln.-Early

life.- Position as to slavery.-"A house divided against itself."

-The joint debates.-The tide turns...
.232-245

CHAPTER XXII.-JOHN BROWN: The South on the defensive.-

The attack on Harper's Ferry.-Brown's character.- How judged

by the North and by the South....
.246-255

CHAPTER XXIII.—THE ELECTION OF LINCOLN: Disunion threat-

ened. The North incredulous.- The Charleston convention di-

vides.― Nomination of Lincoln, Douglas, Breckinridge, Bell.—

The menace of secession.- "Let's try it!".... ...256-268

CHAPTER XXIV.-SECESSION: South Carolina acts.-The mo-

tives of secession.- The North uncertain.- Let them go.- Shall

we concede anything?- The ultimatum in Congress.-The Con-

federacy organized.- Beleaguered Sumter.-The Star of the West.

-Seward pours oil. The Crittenden and Adams schemes.-Lin-

coln takes the helm.-Fluctuations of opinion.-The emerging

purpose. The storm breaks.....
.269-288

CHAPTER XXV.- LETTERS (1857-60): To Mr. Allen, Mr.

Dawes, and Mrs. Bowles.-The Philadelphia project.- The Trav-

eller.- Dawes's first speech.-State politics.-"Nil nisi bonum."

-The day's work never done.- The Government printing.-

Horace Mann - Thurlow Weed..
.289-304

PART V. 1861-1864.

CHAPTER XXVI.—ILL HEALTH: The engine overdriven.-Im-

possibility of rest.— Lack of inertia.- Compensations of illness.—

Crippled at the nation's crisis.-Among water-cure patients.- Off

for Europe.....
.305-315

CHAPTER XXVII.- LETTERS (1860-62): To Mrs. Bowles, Chil-

dren, Mr. Allen, Mr. Dawes, and Miss Whitney. -A crisis in health.

- Lincoln and Seward.- Recommendations for office.-Better to

give than receive. In the White Mountains.-At the Water-cure.

-Domestic details.-Bent double with sciatica. The convales-

cent mother.-A winter landscape.- History and theology.-Dis-

cussion of religion, philosophy, life.-Good-by... 316-340

CHAPTER XXVIII.-THE CIVIL WAR: Temper of North and

South.-A bird's-eye view.-The uplift of spirit.-The nation's

chief. The journalist's part.-How deal with slavery?—The

proclamation.— Two objects instead of one.—The course of par-

ties.- Politics in Massachusetts.- Presidential nominations.-

What kind of a peace? - Triumph at last.......

.341-363

CHAPTER XXIX.-IN EUROPE: Letters to Mrs. Bowles, his

daughter, Mr. Allen, Miss Whitney, and the Republican.— Old↓

friends in England.-Loneliness.-A birthday.-Among the Alps.

-Wayside companions.- Before the Matterhorn.-Across the St.

Theodul.-Wedding-day at Chamouny.- By the Lake of Geneva.—

The war.-Sense of exile.-Gain of health.-Influence of high

mountains
364-385

CHAPTER XXX.- OFFICE AND HOME - LETTERS (1863-64): The

growth of the staff.-A new home.-Letters to Mrs. Bowles, Miss

Whitney, F. B. Sanborn, Charles Allen.-Suggestions as to making

a newspaper.-A Sunday morning.-The finest of epitaphs.-

The death of friends.-The battle with disease.-Home pictures

for the wife and mother.-Unitarian convention.- Gardening

and baby-tending.-Theodore Parker.-Church organizations.-

Slavery abolished: the final scene.-Honor to Massachusetts.-

Health the first requisite
.386-419