Edward Bellamy - Dr. Heidenhoff's Process.pdf

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Dr. Heidenhoff's Process
Bellamy, Edward
Published: 1880
Type(s): Novels, Science Fiction
Source: http://www.gutenberg.org
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About Bellamy:
Edward Bellamy (March 26, 1850–May 22, 1898) was an American au-
thor and socialist, most famous for his utopian novel set in the year 2000,
Looking Backward, published in 1888.
Edward Bellamy was born in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts. His father
was Rufus King Bellamy (1816-1886), a Baptist minister, and his mother
was Maria Louisa (Putnam) Bellamy, a Calvinist. He had two older
brothers, Frederick and Charles. He attended Union College, but did not
graduate. While there, he joined the Theta Chi Chapter of the Delta
Kappa Epsilon Fraternity. He studied law, but left the practice and
worked briefly in the newspaper industry in New York and in Spring-
field, Massachusetts. He left journalism and devoted himself to literat-
ure, writing both short stories and novels. He married Emma Augusta
Sanderson in 1882. The couple had two children, Paul (1884) and Marion
(1886).
He was the cousin of Francis Bellamy, most famous for creating the
Pledge of Allegiance to promote the sale of American flags.
His books include Dr. Heidenhoff's Process (1880), Miss Ludington's
Sister (1884), Equality (1897) and The Duke of Stockbridge (1900). His
feeling of injustice in the economic system lead him to write Looking
Backward: 2000–1887 and its sequel, Equality.
According to Erich Fromm, Looking Backward is "one of the most re-
markable books ever published in America." It was the third largest best-
seller of its time, after Uncle Tom's Cabin and Ben-Hur: A Tale of the
Christ. In the book "Looking Backward" an upper class man from 1887
awakens in 2000 from a hypnotic trance to find himself in a socialist uto-
pia. It influenced a large number of intellectuals, and appears by title in
many of the major Marxist writings of the day. "It is one of the few books
ever published that created almost immediately on its appearance a
political mass movement." (Fromm, p vi). 165 "Bellamy Clubs" sprang up
all over the United States for discussing and propagating the book's
ideas. This political movement came to be known as Nationalism. His
novel also inspired several utopian communities.
Although his novel "Looking Backward" is unique, Bellamy owes
many aspects of his philosophy to a previous reformer and author,
Laurence Gronlund, who published his treatise "The Cooperative Com-
monwealth: An Exposition of Modern Socialism" in 1884.
A short story "The Parable of the Water-Tank" from the book Equality,
published
in
1897,
was
popular
with
a
number
of
early
American
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socialists. Less successful than its prequel, Looking Backward, Equality
continues the story of Julian West as he adjusts to life in the future.
46 additional utopian novels were published in the US from 1887 to
1900, due in part to the book's popularity.
Bellamy died at his childhood home in Chicopee Falls at the age of 48
from tuberculosis.
Source: Wikipedia
Also available on Feedbooks for Bellamy:
• Looking Backward (1888)
• Equality (1897)
Note: This book is brought to you by Feedbooks.
Strictly for personal use, do not use this file for commercial purposes.
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Chapter 1
The hand of the clock fastened up on the white wall of the conference
room, just over the framed card bearing the words "Stand up for Jesus,"
and between two other similar cards, respectively bearing the sentences
"Come unto Me," and "The Wonderful, the Counsellor," pointed to ten
minutes of nine. As was usual at this period of Newville prayer-meet-
ings, a prolonged pause had supervened. The regular standbyes had all
taken their usual part, and for any one to speak or pray would have been
about as irregular as for one of the regulars to fail in doing so. For the at-
tendants at Newville prayer-meetings were strictly divided into the two
classes of speakers and listeners, and, except during revivals or times of
special interest, the distinction was scrupulously observed.
Deacon Tuttle had spoken and prayed, Deacon Miller had prayed and
spoken, Brother Hunt had amplified a point in last Sunday's sermon,
Brother Taylor had called attention to a recent death in the village as a
warning to sinners, and Sister Morris had prayed twice, the second time
it must be admitted, with a certain perceptible petulance of tone, as if
willing to have it understood that she was doing more than ought to be
expected of her. But while it was extremely improbable that any others
of the twenty or thirty persons assembled would feel called on to break
the silence, though it stretched to the crack of doom, yet, on the other
hand, to close the meeting before the mill bell had struck nine would
have been regarded as a dangerous innovation. Accordingly, it only re-
mained to wait in decorous silence during the remaining ten minutes.
The clock ticked on with that judicial intonation characteristic of time-
pieces that measure sacred time and wasted opportunities. At intervals
the pastor, with an innocent affectation of having just observed the si-
lence, would remark: "There is yet opportunity… . . Time is passing,
brethren… . . Any brother or sister… . . We shall be glad to hear from
any one." Farmer Bragg, tired with his day's hoeing, snored quietly in the
corner of a seat. Mrs. Parker dropped a hymn-book. Little Tommy Blake,
who had fallen over while napping and hit his nose, snivelled under his
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breath. Madeline Brand, as she sat at the melodeon below the minister's
desk, stifled a small yawn with her pretty fingers. A June bug boomed
through the open window and circled around Deacon Tuttle's head, af-
fecting that good man with the solicitude characteristic of bald-headed
persons when buzzing things are about. Next it made a dive at Madeline,
attracted, perhaps, by her shining eyes, and the little gesture of panic
with which she evaded it was the prettiest thing in the world; at least, so
it seemed to Henry Burr, a broad-shouldered young fellow on the back
seat, whose strong, serious face is just now lit up by a pleasant smile.
Mr. Lewis, the minister, being seated directly under the clock, cannot
see it without turning around, wherein the audience has an advantage of
him, which it makes full use of. Indeed, so closely is the general attention
concentrated upon the time-piece, that a stranger might draw the mis-
taken inference that this was the object for whose worship the little com-
pany had gathered. Finally, making a slight concession of etiquette to
curiosity, Mr. Lewis turns and looks up at the clock, and, again facing
the people, observes, with the air of communicating a piece of intelli-
gence, "There are yet a few moments."
In fact, and not to put too fine a point upon it, there are five minutes
left, and the young men on the back seats, who attend prayer-meetings
to go home with the girls, are experiencing increasing qualms of altern-
ate hope and fear as the moment draws near when they shall put their
fortune to the test, and win or lose it all. As they furtively glance over at
the girls, how formidable they look, how superior to common affections,
how serenely and icily indifferent, as if the existence of youth of the oth-
er sex in their vicinity at that moment was the thought furthest from
their minds! How presumptuous, how audacious, to those youth them-
selves now appears the design, a little while ago so jauntily entertained,
of accompanying these dainty beings home, how weak and inadequate
the phrases of request which they had framed wherewith to accost them!
Madeline Brand is looking particularly grave, as becomes a young lady
who knows that she has three would-be escorts waiting for her just out-
side the church door, not to count one or two within, between whose
conflicting claims she has only five minutes more to make up her mind.
The minister had taken up his hymn-book, and was turning over the
leaves to select the closing hymn, when some one rose in the back part of
the room. Every head turned as if pulled by one wire to see who it was,
and Deacon Tuttle put on his spectacles to inspect more closely this dilat-
ory person, who was moved to exhortation at so unnecessary a time.
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