There are few of our worthies who can look back upon a longer and more
useful career, largely devoted to the spread of vegetarianism, than
the Rev. Henry S. Clubb, President of the American Vegetarian Society,
and editor of Field, Home and Garden, whose portrait appears
above. Although Mr. Clubb has been so long identified with America,
he is, by birth, an Englishman, having been born in 1827, at Colchester,
Essex. He is a son of Mr. Stephen Clubb, who becam a vegetarian at the
mature age of 72, and with great advantage to his health. Mr. H. S.
Clubb became a vegetarian in 1840, having been converted by reading
some vegetarian works. On the formation of the Vegetarian Society he
became a member, and in the early days of the movement was local secretary
for Colchester. We soon afterwards find him in Manchester very busily
engaged in spreading vegetarianism, and working actively in connection
with the Bible Christian Church, of which he was admitted a member by
Mr. Joseph Brotherton, M.P. The next few years of Mr. Clubb's life were
largely devoted to vegetarian lecturing and he makes frequent appearance
in the early volumes of the Vegetarian Messenger as advocating
vegetarianism up and down the country. In 1849 he was elected president
of a Dietetic Class in connection with the Library Institution, Salford.
This class, of which Mr. Edwin Collier and Mr. Peter Foxcroft were active
members, did good work in the education of its members in the principles
of dietetic reform. He was also a contributor of excellent articles
to the early volumes of the Vegetarian Messenger, of which we
believe he was for a time the editor.
This period in Mr. Clubb's life ended in 1853, when he emigrated to
the United States and made what was probably his first appearance on
the vegetarian platform in that country at the annual meeting of the
American Vegetarian Society, on August 24th of that year. One of the
first people of importance he met in America was Horace Greeley, with
whom he worked for some time. He was a co-worker with Charles A. Dana
on the Tribune and afterwards became a reporter on the Washington
Union. During the session in which the famous debate on the admission
of Kansas and Nebraska to Statehood was held was in the reporters gallery
of the House of Representatives and he can tell many interesting reminiscences
of the men and the time. Mr. Clubb was a radical abolitionist and wrote
for the Tribune a series of articles on "Slavery as I found
it," which attracted much attention and caused so much hatred for
thier writer that it is said they nearly cost him his life at the hands
of the Southern sympathisers of slavery. Though not, as a general thing,
in favour of fighting. Mr. Clubb felt that the cause of right demanded
his personal assistance. He therefore joined the Northern Army, and
at the outbreak of the American Civil War he went to the front as a
quartermaster, just after the disaster at Bull Run. His wife accompanied
him on the campaign and was present at the siege of Vicksburg. On one
occasion Mr. Clubb was struck in the side by a bullet and he still bears
the scar from the wound. In an inside pocket of his coat, however, was
a well-filled purse, and the force of the leaden missile was broken
in passing through this, the government's money saving the life of at
least one of its quartermasters. The bullet slashed Mr. Clubb's naturalization
papers all to shreds.
At the close of the rebellion Mr. Clubb was sent to the Texas frontier
as a quartermaster, and after he had been honourably discharged from
the service at the conclusion of his term of enlistment he was sent
to Grand Haven, Michigan, where for twenty years he edited a published
a paper. He represented that district in the Senate of the State Legislature.
Mr. Clubb became pastor of the Bible Christian Church in Philadelphia,
succeeding the Rev. Dr. Taylor. During his occupancy of the pulpit a
handsome new church has been erected. Of Mr. Clubb's later activity
in vegetarian advocacy it is unnecessary to speak. He was instrumental
in forming the Vegetarian Society of America some few years ago, and
the International Conference of Vegetarians at the Chicago Exhibition
owed its success largely to his efforts. Commenting on Mr. Clubb's appearance
an American paper says: "As an example of what a vegetable diet
will do for a man Mr. Clubb stands a hale and hearty argument. Although
fast approaching the alloted age of three score years and ten, he is
still bright eyed and erect. His hair, although gray, is luxuriant,
and his cheeks have a rosy glow indicative of health. He is a brilliant
conversationalist, and is at his best when advancing some argument in
favour of a vegetable regimen.'
E.A.
