Josiah Conder (editor and author) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Josiah Conder
At the Anti-Slavery Convention in 1840
Born	1789 London, England
Died	1855 St John's Wood, Hampstead, England
Nationality	English
Occupation	Writer

Josiah Conder (born September 17, 1789 – died December 27, 1855) was an important English writer, editor, and hymn-writer. He was also an abolitionist, meaning he worked to end slavery.

Josiah Conder was a well-known figure in his time. He edited two important British publications: The Eclectic Review, a literary magazine, and The Patriot, a newspaper that supported nonconformist (Protestant Christians who were not part of the Church of England) and anti-slavery causes. He wrote many poems and hymns, some of which are still sung today. One of his biggest projects was The Modern Traveller, a huge thirty-volume series about geography around the world. His book The Congregational Hymn Book was also very popular. Conder was a strong supporter of the Congregationalist church in London and actively worked to change unfair laws against Jewish people in Britain.

Early Life and Education

Josiah Conder was born in London on September 17, 1789. He was the fourth son of Thomas Conder, who was an engraver and bookseller. His family were active Nonconformists, meaning they were Protestants who did not follow the Church of England. His grandfather, John Conder, was a respected Dissenting minister and led Homerton College.

When he was a baby, Josiah lost sight in one eye because of smallpox. He was sent to Hackney, a village north of London, for a special electrical treatment. People at the time believed this treatment could stop the disease from spreading to his other eye. Luckily, he recovered and continued his education at a special school in Hackney for Nonconformists.

Josiah's writing talents showed early. His first essay was published when he was just ten years old. At fifteen, he started helping in his family's bookshop. In 1811, when he turned 21, he took over the family business. Soon after, he married Joan Elizabeth Thomas.

A Life of Writing

Josiah Conder stopped working at the bookshop around 1819. This was because his writing skills were noticed, and he was offered a big job: editor of The Eclectic Review. This was a very respected literary magazine, and he edited it for twenty years, from 1814 to 1837.

Because of his strong connections to the Congregational church, he was also asked to edit The Patriot. This newspaper supported nonconformist and evangelical (a type of Protestant Christianity) causes. He edited The Patriot for twenty-three years, from 1832 until his death in 1855.

One of his poems, 'The Apocalypse', from his book The Choir & The Oratory or Praise & Prayer, became very famous. Its popularity led him to write another book, The Harmony of History with Prophecy, and Explanation of the Apocalypse, for readers who wanted to learn more.

Conder's hymns were known for being open-minded and not tied to just one church group. They became very popular in churches and chapels around the world. Even many years after he died, more of his hymns were still used in Britain and the USA than those of almost any other Congregational writer, except for the famous Isaac Watts and his friend Philip Doddridge.

Fighting for Freedom: Abolition Work

Josiah Conder was a strong voice against slavery. He wrote a paper explaining why free labor was better than slave labor. In 1839, he became a founding member of the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society. This group later merged with others and is now known as Anti-Slavery International.

In his role, he helped organize and attended the world's first Anti-slavery convention. This important meeting took place in London in 1840. A large painting by Benjamin Haydon shows this event and hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in London.

Conder also wrote a powerful poem called 'The Last Night of Slavery'. It was published in 1837 and described the terrible journey enslaved people had to make across the ocean. He also wrote a short biography of Thomas Pringle, who was the Secretary of the Anti-Slavery Society.

Before he died, Josiah Conder played a key role in helping Samuel Ringgold Ward. Ward was an African-American man who had escaped slavery in the United States. Conder helped raise money and arrange for Ward to travel all over Britain. Ward spoke to large crowds, encouraging them to support ending slavery in the southern states of America. This was at a time when the British government's official policy seemed to support slavery in the US, even while trying to stop the slave trade from West Africa.

Death and Legacy

Josiah Conder passed away on December 27, 1855, at the age of 66, in St John's Wood, Hampstead. He was buried in Abney Park Cemetery in Stoke Newington, a garden cemetery for Congregationalists. His monument is a grey granite tomb.

His wife, Joan, who was also a writer, lived to be 91 and died in 1877. She is buried with him and other family members. Josiah and Joan had five children, four sons and one daughter.

Works

The Modern Traveller

Even though Josiah Conder never traveled outside Britain himself, he put together all thirty volumes of The Modern Traveller. This huge non-fiction series covered the geography of many countries around the world. It sold very well, but his Congregational Hymn Book sold even more copies, with about 90,000 ordered in its first seven years.

Other Books

• The Congregational Hymn Book, 1834
• The Withered Oak, 1805
• The Reverie, 1811
• The Star in the East, with Other Poems Chiefly Religious and Domestic, 1824
• The Choir and the Oratory, 1836/7
• Analytical and Comparative View of All Religions Now Extant among Mankind, 1838 (Conder was one of the first European writers to tell the difference between various non-European religions in this book.)
• The Harmony of History with Prophecy, an explanation of the Apocalypse, 1849
• Hymns of Praise, Prayer, and Devout Meditation, 1856
• Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan, with a Life of the Author by Josiah Conder, 1838
• Narrative of a Residence in South Africa by Thomas Pringle, with a Life of the Author by Josiah Conder, 1835

Hymns

Some of his well-known hymns include:

• Baptised into our Saviour's death
• Be merciful, O God of Grace
• Beyond, beyond that boundless sea
• Bread of heaven, on Thee we feed
• Day by day the manna fell
• The Lord is King! lift up thy voice
• Thou art the Everlasting Word