ADDRESSES AND REPRINTS 1850-1907 Published and unpublished work INTRODUCTION ONCURE D. CONWAY was born in Stafford County, Virginia, March 17, 1832, of an old settled Virginia family, owners of some land and some slaves, and at that time much bound up in Methodism. He died in Paris, November 15, 1907, being then almost the only survior of the leading abolitionists in America and of the Free Religious movement in England. In the course of this pilgrimage (as he called it) Mr. Conway passed through many phases of thought, and lived in many places abroad and in America. There has seldom, if ever, lived a man who had such affectionate personal friendships, in so many parts of the world, among cultivated men and women of every religion and of every rank. In addition, he was well acquainted with most of the eminent men and women of his time. Many of these were his friends; others he met for literary or scientific purposes for interviewing, if you like,—during the exciting and historic period in which he played a part. Some memorials of his literature will therefore not be without interest to the casual reader. To his friends and followers this was a great man, one who exercised great influence on their lives, and some volume has been desired to partially embody their memories. It is judged that such a volume's most acceptable form will be to republish some of Mr. Conway's work, now out of print, and also some of his later discussions and addresses, never published for general circulation. |