Cover of The Rising of the Tide: The Story of Sabinsport

The Rising of the Tide: The Story of Sabinsport

  • Free to read
  • 6 hours to read
  • 11 chapters
  • Reading level: 7th grade

"The Rising of the Tide: The Story of Sabinsport" by Ida M. Tarbell is a historical account written in the early 20th century. The book revolves around the fictional town of Sabinsport during a tumultuous period, capturing themes of social justice, political corruption, and the effects of war. The opening introduces key characters such as Ralph Gardner, an ambitious young editor, and the Reverend Richard Ingraham, who grapple with the challenges facing their community and the impending First World War. At the start of the narrative, Ralph Gardner is disillusioned with the state of his town, which he believes is plagued by corruption, represented by the unscrupulous politicians Jake Mulligan and Reuben Cowder. While Ralph is determined to expose their misdeeds through his newspaper, he struggles to garner the support of the townspeople, who seem indifferent to his cause. Meanwhile, Richard Ingraham tries to counsel him to adopt a more strategic approach. The conversation foreshadows the complexities of societal change as they learn that Austria has declared war on Serbia, marking the beginning of a larger conflict that will ripple through their personal lives and community. The characters' conflicting views set the stage for a deeper exploration of duty, ethical leadership, and the impact of external events on local concerns.

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  • World War, 1914-1918

Read the opening

Chapter I

"The town is going to the Devil, and the worst of it is nobody will admit it. You won't. You sit there and smile at me, as if you didn't mind having Jake Mulligan and Reub Cowder pry open ballot boxes. You know those two birds are robbing this village every hour of the day. Nobody with pep enough to sit up and fight 'em. Rotten selfishness, that's what ails this town. People getting rich here and spending their money in the city. Women won't even buy their hats here—starving the stores. Can't support a decent theater—don't bring a good singer once a year. Everybody goes to the city, and we have to feed on movies.

"Try to raise an issue, and you get laughed at. Treated like a kid. Tell me to 'cut it out,' not disturb things. Nice place for a man who'd like to help a community! I'm going to get out. Can't stand it. Honest, Dick, I'm losing my self-respect."

"Wrong, Ralph. You're spoiling for a fresh turn with the muck rake. You can't make a garden with one tool. You must have several. I'm serious. You're like the men in the mines that will tackle but one job, always swing a pick. The muck rake did its job in Sabinsport for some time. You've got to pass on to the next tool."

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Contents

  1. Chapter I
  2. Chapter II
  3. Chapter III
  4. Chapter IV
  5. Chapter V
  6. Chapter VI
  7. Chapter VII
  8. Chapter VIII
  9. Chapter IX
  10. Chapter X
  11. Chapter XI

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About this edition

This free edition of The Rising of the Tide: The Story of Sabinsport by Ida M. Tarbell comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #46436, released 2014-07-28. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Novels, American Literature.

Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).

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