Project Gutenberg 2015-11-20 Public domain in the USA. 177 Ashton, John 1834 1911 04018720 Eighteenth Century Waifs 18th Century Waifs Produced by Chris Curnow and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) "Eighteenth Century Waifs" by John Ashton is a collection of historical essays and biographical sketches written in the late 19th century. The book delves into various phases of social life and notable figures from the 18th century, presenting stories that largely remain lesser-known and have not previously appeared in magazines. The topics are diverse, likely appealing to readers interested in history, biography, and the nuanced details of past cultures. The opening of the book features a captivating introductory chapter that discusses the phenomenon of religious fanaticism, exemplified through the story of Roderick, a charismatic yet misguided leader on the remote island of St. Kilda. The chapter outlines how Roderick gained influence over the island's inhabitants under the guise of divine inspiration, promoting rigorous and often bizarre religious practices that led to societal upheaval. Ashton paints a vivid picture of the superstitious and somewhat isolated life of the St. Kildans as they navigate their belief in this deceptive figure, setting the stage for a deeper exploration of social dynamics and historical context throughout the rest of the work. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 62.4 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. en Great Britain -- Social life and customs -- 18th century DA Text Category: Biographies Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches Category: History - Other Category: History - Modern (1750+) 783560 2025-07-20T09:43:28.682517 text/html 765963 2024-10-22T23:29:03 text/html 587539 2025-07-20T09:43:41.421443 application/epub+zip 592269 2025-07-20T09:43:31.431516 application/epub+zip 363112 2025-07-20T09:43:30.035494 application/epub+zip 819282 2025-07-20T09:43:47.709500 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 652756 2025-07-20T09:43:39.319444 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 527277 2022-09-22T20:29:50.099840 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 677836 2025-07-20T09:43:27.075546 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 657994 2024-10-22T23:29:03 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17369 2025-07-20T09:43:47.861401 application/rdf+xml 10754 2025-07-20T09:43:30.213486 image/jpeg 1711 2025-07-20T09:43:30.107517 image/jpeg 495992 2025-07-20T09:43:28.757537 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog