The Quaker in the Dime Novel

108Bulletin of Friends Historical Association THE QUAKER IN THE DIME NOVEL By Thomas Kimber* In my recent study entitled "The Treatment of the Quaker as a Character in American Fiction (1825-1925) "x I examined a considerable number of works of fiction—novels and short stories —in which various authors have portrayed the Quaker as a character . I found that most of these writers, as is shown by Caroline Crew in her article "The Quaker in Fiction,"2 were themselves not members of the Society of Friends. It is only in quite recent years, in fact, that any considerable body of fiction by Quakers has made its appearance. Among the more significant works studied may be mentioned Whittier's Leaves From Margaret Smith's Journal, Hawthorne's "Gentle Boy," Melville's Moby Dick, Weir Mitchell's Hugh Wynne: Free Quaker and Hephzibah Guinness, Mrs. Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, Bayard Taylor's The Story of Kennett, Chauncey Hotchkiss' Betsy Ross: A Romance of the Flag, Max Adler's The Quakeress, Caroline Atwater Mason's A Windflower, and Caroline Dale Snedecker's Downright Dencey. Soon after the close of the Civil War a new popular literary form made its appearance in the United States, a type of fiction later to be known as the "dime novel." Although die term is not entirely accurate, it was soon accepted by the mass of its readers and about 1870 came into general popular usage.3 The dime and nickel novels, dime libraries, half-dime libraries, and similar innovations , with their offering of violence, mystery, heroism, vülainy , and romance—all calculated for popular appeal—rapidly captured the public imagination, performing in the late nineteenth century much the same office which the mystery and detective stories do today. * Professor of English, Pasadena College, Pasadena, California. 1 Doctoral dissertation at the University of Southern California, completed in October, 1953. 2 The Dial, XXXV (October, 1913), 251-253. 3 See Albert Johannsen, The House of Beadle and Adams and its Dime and Nickel Novels (Norman, Oklahoma, 1950), I, 3. Notes and Documents109 It was somewhat surprising to discover the traditional Friend, clad in Quaker drab and broad-brimmed hat, making his way, albeit unwittingly, into the pages of the dime novel. Among the lurid titles of these sensational stories a number refer directly or indirectly to the Quakers. As examples of these may be cited the following: Wide Awake Len, the Quaker City Crook, Quaker City Ferret, Quaker Detective, Quaker Among the Red Skins, and The Fugitives; or, The Quaker Scout of Wyoming.4 Others like Saul Sabberday, the Idiot Spy make interesting use of the Quaker as a character. As examples of this type of fiction employing Quakers in melodramatic roles we may choose Ned Buntline's Saul Sabberday, the Idiot Spy and Edward S. Ellis's The Fugitives; or, The Quaker Scout of Wyoming. Jay Monaghan in his dashing biography of Ned Buntline declares that a review of the first fifty years of Buntline's life is the story of the rise of cheap literature in America.5 His books were read by countless thousands who probably knew little of the vagaries of the author's life. Probably Bundine's short period of residence in Philadelphia acquainted him with the ways of Friends. Saul Sabberday, the Idiot Spy is a specimen of the Beadle Dime Library novels. It is a Revolutionary War story, the hero being an eccentric young Quaker lad who plays the role of a spy in Washington's army. Saul must be classed with the "fighting Quakers." His brothers Seth and Simeon occupy respectively rather prominent positions in the small colonial navy and in Washington 's army. All three are sons of a Quaker widow, who appears to subscribe to Quaker pacifist principles. An attempt is made by the author to illustrate these principles but in an unconvincing manner. The widow, for example, makes little effort to restrain her halfwitted son Saul from his ambition to "wear a real sword" and join his loyal brothers in defense of his country.6 Later in the narrative, when Benedict Arnold is attempting to abductRuth Sabberday and 4 Johannsen, II, 393. 5 The Great...