McClure's Magazine, Vol. 1, No. 4, September 1893

In Short

This issue of McClure's Magazine from September 1893 brings together non-fiction profiles, personal memoirs, dramatic fiction, and natural history to capture the dynamic spirit of its age. Readers tour the home of author Edward Everett Hale, follow Louis Pasteur’s pioneering laboratory work, hear the harrowing memories of express train engineers, and travel into the African wilderness with a naturalist studying gorillas. Interspersed with short stories of domestic peril and romance, the collection endures as a vivid historical snapshot of late-nineteenth-century curiosity, scientific optimism, and literary storytelling.

The Story

The issue unfolds as a journey across the frontiers of human knowledge, technological power, and emotional drama. It begins in Roxbury, Massachusetts, with a warm, reflective visit to the residence of Reverend Edward Everett Hale, author of "The Man Without a Country." Through conversational interview snippets and quiet observations of his Ionic-columned home, the text highlights Hale's lifelong devotion to his parish duties over literary fame, establishing a foundational theme of quiet integrity.

From peaceful domesticity, the focus shifts to domestic tension and lighthearted heroism in Annie Howells Frechette's narrative of family life. Left to manage their homestead, a group of young sisters faces sudden danger when a mysterious intruder lurks nearby, prompting the quick-thinking Cassie to defend her home with pluck before welcoming friendly neighbors. Romantic complications follow in a historical tale detailing the tumultuous courtship of Hugh Brontë and Alice McClory in Ireland. Entangled in religious divides between Protestants and Catholics, the lovers overcome community hostility, secret night meetings by lime-kilns, and a dramatic wedding-day escape on horseback to secure their union.

The narrative voice then pivots from human drama to scientific triumph in Paris, where author Ida M. Tarbell brings readers into the inner sanctum of Louis Pasteur. The text depicts Pasteur not merely as a famed savant, but as a tireless, humble researcher who fought decades of skepticism to pioneer life-saving vaccines against rabies and anthrax. Alongside his cautious colleague Dr. Roux, Pasteur’s rigorous, self-denying methodology reveals how modern medicine was carved out of patient, unyielding inquiry.

The physical momentum of the century takes center stage in Cleveland Moffett’s high-speed account of driving a limited express locomotive from New York to Albany. Inside the cab of Engine 870, the narrative conveys the intense mental and physical toll borne by engineers traveling at unprecedented velocities, confronting the ultimate limits of human endurance against mechanical speed.

Finally, the magazine reaches into the global unknown through R. L. Garner’s expedition into the deep forests of West Africa. Encased in a iron cage for safety, Garner observes the natural habits, gaits, and vocalizations of wild gorillas and chimpanzees, dispelling sensationalized myths while recording the terrifying grandeur of tropical storms in total solitude. Together, these varied pieces weave an intricate portrait of an era eager to master both the physical world and the human spirit.

How It Unfolds

Visiting a literary patriarch The volume opens with a quiet exploration of Edward Everett Hale's historic Roxbury home, detailing his preference for humble parish work over the fame brought by his celebrated stories.

Defending the home front A group of siblings left alone on an autumn farm faces an unexpected threat, culminating in young Cassie using her wits and courage to secure the house and protect her family.

Courting amid quiet hostility In Ireland, young Hugh Brontë falls in love with Alice McClory, navigating fierce sectarian divides and learning to read by the light of a lime-kiln to write her secret letters.

Escaping to the altar On the day scheduled for her forced wedding to a rival suitor, Alice rides off on horseback to join Hugh, securing her freedom and winning the admiration of her family through her daring getaway.

Entering Pasteur's laboratory A visit to the Pasteur Institute reveals the daily routines of Louis Pasteur and his assistant Dr. Roux as they rigorously test vaccines, balance scientific caution, and treat dozens of patients daily.

Riding the iron monster A harrowing journey inside the cab of a high-speed express train exposes the extreme physical strain, intense focus, and constant hazards faced by nineteenth-century railway engineers.

Solitude in the African jungle Naturalist R. L. Garner waits inside a protective steel cage deep within the Ogowe forest, carefully documenting gorilla behavior, forest drumming, and violent tropical storms.

The People

• Edward Everett Hale: A distinguished Boston author and minister who values his weekly sermon writing and pastoral care far above his widespread literary popularity.
• Cassie: A bright, resourceful young woman who keeps her composure and humor intact while protecting her siblings from a suspected intruder on their isolated farm.
• Hugh Brontë: A persistent Irish laborer who teaches himself to read and write under harsh conditions in order to win the heart of the woman he loves.
• Alice McClory: A determined young woman who defies her family’s religious prejudices and outwits an unwanted suitor through a bold, deliberate escape on her wedding day.
• Louis Pasteur: A gentle, soft-spoken French scientist whose immense self-mastery and painstaking adherence to proof allow him to revolutionize medicine despite fierce public and institutional opposition.
• Dr. Roux: Pasteur's dedicated lab partner who enforces strict scientific silence, refusing to claim discoveries until every contrary hypothesis has been thoroughly disproved.
• Archie Buchanan: A steady, silent express train engineer who navigates the deadly pressures and split-second decisions required to drive massive steam engines at extreme speeds.
• R. L. Garner: An intrepid natural researcher who endures profound isolation in the West African jungle to systematically observe wildlife and dispel popular myths about apes.

In Its Own Voice

"Doctor Hale's face wrinkles in a curious way around his eyes. These are the features of his face. They are fine, deep, sad, careless of human opinion--except it has to be conciliated for a high purpose--and alert as a boy's, ready for a truth or for a friend."

The author captures the quiet, unpretentious character of Edward Everett Hale during a quiet interview in his home.

"To believe that one has found an important scientific fact, to be in a fever to announce it, to compel one's self for days, weeks, sometimes years, to be silent, to force one's self to destroy his own experiments and to announce nothing until he has exhausted all contrary hypotheses--that is hard."

Louis Pasteur describes the intense emotional discipline and strict patience required to conduct true scientific research.

"Science may remove the mechanical difficulties in the way of running a hundred miles an hour, or more, for such a rate has already been predicted; money may buy better axles, wheels, lubricators, and machinery, but where are the men who will run these trains of the future when they are built?"

The narrator reflects on the human physical limits being tested as high-speed steam technology outpaces human endurance.

What It's Really About

At its core, this collection examines the tension between rapid human progress and the discipline required to master it. Whether detailing Pasteur's painstaking laboratory methods, the intense concentration needed to pilot an express locomotive, or the patient observation required in an African jungle, the text returns constantly to the theme of self-mastery. It asks how individuals maintain integrity, courage, and focus when confronted by daunting natural forces, societal prejudices, or overwhelming technological changes.

The issue also explores the boundary between popular myth and empirical truth. Garner dismantles exaggerated fables about wild beasts, Pasteur replaces medical guesswork with verifiable inoculations, and personal memoirs reveal the quiet reality behind famous names. Across various disciplines, the magazine champions quiet, methodical dedication over sensationalism and empty bravado.

Why Read It Today

Modern readers will find this volume a captivating primary source that captures the late nineteenth century's kinetic energy and intellectual curiosity. Rather than reading like a dusty archive, the prose carries an immediate, vivid quality that transports you directly into the soot-filled cab of a speeding steam train, the quiet study of a Boston reformer, or the humid depths of a primeval forest. It offers a rare, multi-angled window into an era navigating the dawn of modern technology and global exploration.

The collection does carry period flaws that readers should anticipate. The romantic and regional fiction relies on melodrama and period-specific dialects that can feel dated to modern tastes. Furthermore, the travel accounts reflect subtle colonial attitudes typical of 1890s Western explorers when describing foreign lands and native populations.

Nevertheless, the writing shines whenever it focuses on human endurance and scientific inquiry. It will deeply appeal to history enthusiasts, lovers of classic journalism, and anyone fascinated by the moments when modern science and industry began to reshape daily life.

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