No book at all, however, could have been produced, even from the material so generously placed at my disposal, had it not been for the constant collaboration of my father and sister, whose help in sifting great masses of papers and in advising me in all difficulties has been my greatest support throughout this task.
J. P. T.
BERKHAMSTEAD,
July, 1923.
CONTENTS
| PAGES | |
| [CHAPTER I] | |
| CHILDHOOD | |
| Mary Arnold’s Parentage—The Sorells—Thomas Arnold theYounger—Marriage in Tasmania with Julia Sorell—Conversionto Roman Catholicism—Return to England—TheArnold Family—Mary Arnold’s Childhood—Schools—HerFather’s Re-conversion—Removal to Oxford | [1-16] |
| [CHAPTER II] | |
| LIFE AT OXFORD, 1867-1881 | |
| Oxford in the ‘Sixties—Mark Pattison and Canon Liddon—MaryArnold and the Bodleian—First Attempts at Writing—Marriagewith Mr. T. Humphry Ward—Thomas Arnold’sSecond Conversion—Oxford Friends—The Education ofWomen—Foundation of Somerville Hall—The Dictionaryof Christian Biography—Pamphlet on “Unbelief and Sin” | [17-34] |
| [CHAPTER III] | |
| EARLY YEARS IN LONDON—THE WRITING OF ROBERTELSMERE, 1881-1888 | |
| Mr. Ward takes work on The Times—Removal to London—TheHouse in Russell Square—London Life and Friends—Workfor John Morley—Letters—Writer’s Cramp—MissBretherton—Borough Farm—Amiel’s Journal Intime—Beginningsof Robert Elsmere—Long Struggle with theWriting—Its Appearance, February 24, 1888—Death ofMrs. Arnold | [35-54] |
| [CHAPTER IV] | |
| ROBERT ELSMERE AND AFTER, 1888-1889 | |
| Reviews—Mr. Gladstone’s Interest—His Interview with Mrs.Ward at Oxford—Their Correspondence—Article in theNineteenth Century—Circulation of Robert Elsmere—Letters—Visitto Hawarden—Quarterly Article—The Bookin America—“Pirate” Publishers—Letters—Mrs. Wardat Hampden House—Schemes for a New Brotherhood | [55-80] |
| [CHAPTER V] | |
| UNIVERSITY HALL, DAVID GRIEVE AND “STOCKS,” 1889-1892 | |
| Foundation of University Hall—Mr. Wicksteed as Warden—TheOpening—Lectures—Social Work at Marchmont Hall—GrowingImportance of the Latter—Mr. PassmoreEdwards Promises Help—Our House on Grayswood Hill—SundayReadings—The Writing of David Grieve—Visitto Italy—Reception of the Book—Letters—Removal to“Stocks” | [81-103] |
| [CHAPTER VI] | |
| THE STRUGGLE WITH ILL-HEALTH—MARCELLA AND SIRGEORGE TRESSADY—THE BUILDING OF THE PASSMOREEDWARDS SETTLEMENT, 1892-1897 | |
| Mrs. Ward much Crippled by Illness—The Writing of Marcella—StocksCottage—Reception of the Book—Quarrel withthe Libraries—The Story of Bessie Costrell—Friends atStocks—Letter from John Morley—Sir George Tressady—Lettersfrom Mrs. Sidney Webb and Mr. Rudyard Kipling—Renewedattacks of Illness—The Building and Openingof the Passmore Edwards Settlement | [104-122] |
| [CHAPTER VII] | |
| CHILDREN AND ADULTS AT THE PASSMORE EDWARDS SETTLEMENT—THEFOUNDATION OF THE INVALID CHILDREN’SSCHOOL, 1897-1899 | |
| Beginnings of the Work for Children—The Recreation School—TheWork for Adults—Finance—Mrs. Ward’s interestin Crippled Children—Plans for Organizing a School—Sheobtains the help of the London School Board—Openingof the Settlement School—The Children’s Dinners—Extensionof the Work—Mrs. Ward’s Inquiry and Report—FurtherSchools opened by the School Board—After-care—Mrs.Ward and the Children | [123-142] |
| [CHAPTER VIII] | |
| HELBECK OF BANNISDALE—CATHOLICS AND UNITARIANS—ELEANORAND THE VILLA BARBERINI, 1896-1900 | |
| Origins of Helbeck—Mrs. Ward at Levens Hall—Her Views onRoman Catholicism—Creighton and Henry James—Receptionof Helbeck—Letter to Creighton—Mrs. Wardand the Unitarians—Origins of Eleanor—Mrs. Ward takesthe Villa Barberini—Life at the Villa—Nemi—Her Feelingfor Italy | [143-164] |
| [CHAPTER IX] | |
| MRS. WARD AS CRITIC AND PLAYWRIGHT—FRENCH ANDITALIAN FRIENDS—THE SETTLEMENT VACATION SCHOOL,1899-1904 | |
| Mrs. Ward and the Brontës—George Smith and Charlotte—ThePrefaces to the Brontë Novels—André Chevrillon—M.Jusserand—Mrs. Ward in Italy and Paris—The Translationof Jülicher—Death of Thomas Arnold—The SouthAfrican War—Death of Bishop Creighton and GeorgeSmith—Dramatization of Eleanor—William Arnold—Mrs.Ward and George Meredith—The Marriage of herDaughter—The Vacation School at the Passmore EdwardsSettlement | [165-186] |
| [CHAPTER X] | |
| LONDON LIFE—THE BEGINNINGS AND GROWTH OF THECHILDREN’S PLAY CENTRES, 1904-1917 | |
| Mrs. Ward’s Social Life—Her Physical Delicacy—Power ofWork—American Friends—F. W. Whitridge—Plans forExtending Recreation Schools for Children to other Districts—Openingof the first “Evening Play Centres”—The“Mary Ward Clause”—Negotiations with the LondonCounty Council—Efforts to raise Funds—No help from theGovernment till 1917—Two more Vacation Schools—OrganizedPlaygrounds—Fenwick’s Career—“RobinGhyll” | [187-206] |
| [CHAPTER XI] | |
| THE VISIT TO THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA, 1908 | |
| Invitations to visit America—Mr. and Mrs. Ward and Dorothysail in March, 1908—New York—Philadelphia—Washington—Mr.Roosevelt—Boston—Canada—Lord Grey andSir William van Horne—Mrs. Ward at Ottawa—Toronto—HerJourney West—Vancouver—The Rockies—LordGrey and Wolfe—Canadian Born and Daphne | [207-223] |
| [CHAPTER XII] | |
| MRS. WARD AND THE SUFFRAGE QUESTION | |
| Early Feeling against Women’s Suffrage—The “Protest” inthe Nineteenth Century—Advent of the Suffragettes—Foundationof the Anti-Suffrage League—Women in LocalGovernment—Speeches against the Suffrage—Debate withMrs. Fawcett—Deputations to Mr. Asquith—The “ConciliationBill”—The Government Franchise Bill—Withdrawalof the Latter—Delia Blanchflower—The“Joint Advisory Committee”—Women’s Suffrage passedby the House of Commons, 1917—Struggle in the House ofLords—Lord Curzon’s Speech | [224-245] |
| [CHAPTER XIII] | |
| LIFE AT STOCKS, 1908-1914—THE CASE OF RICHARD MEYNELL—THEOUTBREAK OF WAR | |
| Rebuilding of Stocks—Mrs. Ward’s Love for the Place—HerWay of Life and Work—Greek Literature—Politics—TheGeneral Elections of 1910—Visitors—Nephews and Nieces—Grandchildren—Deathof Theodore Trevelyan—The“Westmorland Edition”—Sense of Humour—The Caseof Richard Meynell—Letters—Last Visit to Italy—TheCoryston Family—The Outbreak of War | [246-263] |
| [CHAPTER XIV] | |
| THE WAR, 1914-1917—MRS. WARD’S FIRST TWOJOURNEYS TO FRANCE | |
| Mrs. Ward’s feeling about Germany—Letter to AndréChevrillon—Re-organization of the Passmore EdwardsSettlement—President Roosevelt’s Letter—Talk with SirEdward Grey—Visits to Munition Centres—To the Fleet—ToFrance—Mrs. Ward near Neuve Chapelle and on theScherpenberg Hill—Return Home—England’s Effort—Deathof F. W. Whitridge and of Reginald Smith—SecondJourney to France, 1917—The Bois de Bouvigny—TheBattle-field of the Ourcq—Lorraine—Towards the Goal | [264-287] |
| [CHAPTER XV] | |
| LAST YEARS: 1917-1920 | |
| Mrs. Ward at Stocks—Her Recollections—The GovernmentGrant for Play Centres—The Cripples Clause in Mr. Fisher’sEducation Act—The War in 1918—Italy—The Armistice—Mrs.Ward’s third journey to France—Visit to BritishHeadquarters—Strasburg, Verdun and Rheims—Paris—Ill-health—TheWriting of Fields of Victory—The lastSummer at Stocks—Mrs. Ward and the “Enabling Bill”—Breakdownin Health—Removal to London—Mr.Ward’s Operation—Her Death | [288-309] |
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
| TO FACE PAGE | |
| Mary Ward at Twenty-five. From a water-colour painting byMrs. A. H. Johnson | Frontispiece |
| Borough Farm. From a water-colour painting by Mrs.Humphry Ward | [45] |
| Mrs. Ward in 1889. From a photograph by Bassano | [82] |
| Mrs. Ward in 1898. From a photograph by Miss Ethel M.Arnold | [149] |
| Mrs. Ward and Henry James at Stocks. From a photographby Miss Dorothy Ward | [252] |
| Mrs. Ward beside the Lake of Lucerne. From a photographby Miss Dorothy Ward | [262] |
CHAPTER I
CHILDHOOD
1851-1867
IS the study of heredity a science or a pure romance? For the unlearned at least I like to think it is the latter, since no law that the Professors ever formulated can explain the caprices of each little human soul, bobbing up like a coracle over life’s horizon and bringing with it things gathered at random from an infinitely remote and varying ancestry. It is, I believe, generally known that the subject of this biography was a granddaughter of Arnold of Rugby, and therewith her intellectual ability and the force of her character are thought to be sufficiently explained. But what of her mother, the beautiful Julia Sorell, of whom her sad husband said at her death that she had “the nature of a queen,” ever thwarted and rebuffed by circumstance? What of the strain of Spanish Protestant blood that ran in the veins of the Sorells: for although they were refugees from France after the Edict of Nantes, it is most probable that they came of Spanish origin? What of the strain brought in by the wild and forcible Kemps of Mount Vernon in Tasmania? A daughter of Anthony Fenn Kemp (himself a “character” of a remarkable kind) married William Sorell and so became the mother of Julia and the grandmother of Mary Arnold; but the principal fact that is known of her is that she deserted her three daughters after bringing them to England for their education, went off with an army officer and was hardly heard of more. An ungovernable temper seems to have marked most of this family, and the recollections of her childhood were so terrible to Julia Sorell that she wrote in after years to her husband, “Few families have been blessed with such a home training as yours, and certainly very few in our rank of life have been cursed with such as mine.” Yet although Julia inherited much of this violence and passion, to her own constant misery, she had also “the nature of a queen,” and transmitted it in no small degree to her daughter Mary.