Sara Jane Crafts (, Timanus;

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

, Mrs. Wilbur F. Crafts; August 15, 1845 – May 2, 1930) was an American social reformer, author, lecturer, and teacher. She lectured and taught at

Chautauqua Chautauqua ( ) was an adult education and social movement in the United States, highly popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s. The Chautauqua br ...

s, as well as a lecturer at State and International

Sunday school A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West. ...

conventions. Crafts was an editor and contributor to various periodicals, and published several books between 1876 and 1911. Craft was a social reformer who traveled the world advocating on behalf of Sunday schools,

temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture * Temperance (group), Canadian dan ...

, and anti-

opium Opium (or poppy tears, scientific name: ''Lachryma papaveris'') is dried latex obtained from the seed capsules of the opium poppy '' Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid morphine, which ...

. She was also "one of the first women to conduct convention sessions" in the U.S.

Early life and education

Sara Jane Timanus was born in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

, August 15, 1845. Sara had two younger siblings, John and Fannie. Her parents were Jesse and Jane (Means) Timanus. She was educated in the public schools of Cincinnati, at

Ohio Wesleyan Female College Ohio Wesleyan Female College was founded in 1853 in Delaware, Ohio. In 1877, the Ohio Wesleyan Female College merged with Ohio Wesleyan University. History It is one of the oldest institutions of higher education for women in the United State ...

, and at Iowa University, Grinnell.

Career

Around 1865 till 1870, taught in public schools. From 1870 through 1874, she was a teacher in the

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over t ...

State Normal School. On May 1, 1874, in

Plainfield, New Jersey Plainfield is a city in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, known by its nickname as "The Queen City."

, she married Rev. Wilbur Fisk Crafts (1850–1922). After marriage, she worked with her husband on

Union work and the production of social reform literature. She was an instructor in various Sunday school normal institutes, State conventions, and

assemblies. In 1895, she was made superintendent of the Sunday school Department of the World’s

Woman's Christian Temperance Union The Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) is an international temperance organization, originating among women in the United States Prohibition movement. It was among the first organizations of women devoted to social reform with a program th ...

(WCTU). She was an organizer and honorary president of the International Primary Union of Sunday school teachers. Between 1880 and 1913, she traveled extensively in Europe and the Orient in the interest of

, anti-opium, and reform movements. In 1904, she was in the Orient and Palestine. Three years later, she was in Australia, China, Japan, and Korea. In 1910, she was in Norway and Sweden. She organized Sunday schools in Iceland in 1913. Her travels also included Holland, Switzerland, and Italy. In 1895, Crafts founded and served as superintendent of the International Reform Bureau. Beginning in 1896, she was the

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

of the ''20th-Century Quarterly''. From 1901 till 1903, she was also the editor-in-chief of the ''Christian Statesman'', the official organ of the National Reform Association, which was a monthly journal devoted to the maintenance of Christian principles of civil government. For a number of years, she wrote the temperance lessons for the

National Temperance Society and Publishing House The National Temperance Society and Publishing House was a publishing house which advocated personal alcohol temperance and a governmental ban on the personal consumption of alcohol. It was based in New York City. Foundation It was founded in 186 ...

, the ''

Christian Herald The ''Christian Herald'' was an American weekly newspaper reporting on topics relevant to Evangelical Christianity, with an emphasis on engaging with humanitarian causes at home and abroad. It was inspired by the London-based newspaper which cease ...

'', and other religious and temperance papers. She also served as editor of the ''Christian Herald'' Esperanto Column. Craft was the author of: ''Childhood, The Text Book of the Age''; ''Open Letters for Primary Teachers''; ''Primary Normal Outlines''; ''The Infant Class'' (with

Edward Eggleston Edward Eggleston (December 10, 1837 – September 3, 1902) was an American historian and novelist. Biography Eggleston was born in Vevay, Indiana, to Joseph Cary Eggleston and Mary Jane Craig. The author George Cary Eggleston was his brother. A ...

); ''Songs for Little Folks and Little Pilgrim Songs'' (with Jenny B. Merrill); ''Plain Uses of the Blackboard'' (with W. F. Crafts), 1881; ''Course in Esperanto''; ''Intoxicants and Opium'' (with W. F. Crafts); and ''World Book of Temperance'' (with W. F. Crafts), 1908. Crafts served as vice-president of the Woman's Esperanto League of North America. She was also a member of the

National Geographic Society The National Geographic Society (NGS), headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational organizations in the world. Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, and ...

, British Esperanto Association, and the Archaeological Institute of America.

Personal life

Crafts favored

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

. In religion, she was Presbyterian. The Crafts removed to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

in 1896. She died there at Garfield Memorial Hospital, May 2, 1930. Burial was in

Westerly, Rhode Island Westerly is a town on the southwestern shoreline of Washington County, Rhode Island, first settled by English colonists in 1661 and incorporated as a municipality in 1669. It is a beachfront community on the south shore of the state with a popula ...

Selected works

* ''Open Letters to Primary Teachers: With Hints for Intermediate Class Teachers'', 1876
Text
* ''Primary Normal Outlines'' * ''Course in Esperanto''

With W. F. Crafts

* ''Childhood, The Text Book of the Age'', 1874
Text
* ''Plain Uses of the Blackboard'', 1881 * ''Intoxicants and Opium'', 1900
Text
* ''Intoxicants & opium in all lands and times, a twentieth century survey of intemperance, based on a symposium of testimony from one hundred missionaries and travelers'', 1904 * ''World Book of Temperance'', 1908
Text
* ''Intoxicating drinks and, drugs in all lands and times, a twentieth century survey of temperance, based on a symposium of testimony from one hundred missionaries and travelers'', 1911

With Edward Eggleston

* ''The Infant Class: Hints on Primary Religious Instruction.'', 1870

With Jenny B. Merrill

* ''Songs for Little Folks and Little Pilgrim Songs''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crafts, Sara Jane 1845 births 1930 deaths 19th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American non-fiction writers 19th-century American women writers 20th-century American women writers Writers from Cincinnati Educators from Cincinnati American magazine editors Women magazine editors American Esperantists American temperance activists Woman's Christian Temperance Union people People from Washington, D.C. American religious writers