,illustration3 ,maria ,mitchell ,,maria ,,mitchell ,,life1 ,,letters1 ,,and ,,journals ,compiled ,by ,,phebe ,,mitchell ,,kendall ,illustrated #ahif ,,contents ,,chapter ,i ,the parents--,home life--,education1 teachers1 books--,astronomical instruments--,solar eclipse of #ahca--,teaching--,appointment as librarian of ,nantucket ,atheneum--,friendships for young people--,extracts from diary1 #ahee--,music--,the piano--,society--,story-telling--,housew ork--,extract from diary1 #ahed ,,chapter ,,ii ,sweeping the heavens--,discovery of the comet1 #ahdg--;,frederick ,,vi4 and the comet--,letters from ,g4 ,p4 ,bond and ,hon4 ,edward ,everett--,admiral ,smyth--,american ,academy--,american ,association for the ,advancement of ,science--,extract from diary1 #ahee--;,dorothea ,dix--,esther--,divers extracts from diary1 #ahec1 #ahed--;,comet of #ahed--;,computations for comet--,visit to ,cape ,cod--,sandwich and ,plymouth--,pilgrim ,hall--,rev4 ,james ,freeman ,clarke--,accidents in observing ,,chapter ,,iii ,wires in the transit instrument--,deacon ,greele--,smithsonian fund--,doing--,rachel in ,phdre and ,adrienne--,emerson--,the hard winter ,,chapter ,,iv ,southern tour--,chicago--,st4 ,louis--,scientific ,academy of ,st4 ,louis--,dr4 ,pope--,dr4 ,seyffarth--,mississippi river--,sand-bars--,cherry blossoms--,eclipse of sun--,natchez--,new ,orleans--,slave market--,negro church--,the peculiar institution--,bible--,judge ,smith--,travelling without escort--,savannah--,rice plantations--,negro children--,miss ,murray--,charleston--,drive--,condition of slaves--,old buildings--,miss ,rutledge--,mr4 ,capers--,class meeting--,hospitality--,mrs4 ,holbrook--,miss ,pinckney--,manners--,portraits--,miss ,pinckney's father--,george ,washington--,augusta--,nashville--,mrs4 ,fogg--,mrs4 ,polk--,charles ,sumner--,mammoth cave--,chattanooga ,,chapter ,v ,first ,european tour--,liverpool--,london--,rev4 ,james ,martineau--,mr4 ,john ,taylor--,mr4 ,lassell--,liverpool observatory--,the ,hawthornes--,shop-keepers and waiters--,greenwich observatory--,sir ,george ,airy--,visits to ,greenwich--,herr ,struv's mission to ,england--,dinner party--,general ,sabine--,westminster ,abbey--,newton's monument--,british museum--,four great men--,st4 ,paul's--,dr4 ,johnson--,opera--,aylesbury--,admiral ,smyth's family--,amateur astronomers--,hartwell house--,dr4 ,lee ,,chapter ,,vi ,cambridge--,dr4 ,whewell--,table conversation--,professor ,challis--,professor ,adams--,customs--,professor ,sedgwick--,caste--,king's ,chapel--,fellows-- ,ambleside--,coniston waters--,the lakes--,miss ,southey--,collingwood--,letter to her father--,herschels--,london rout--,professor ,stokes--,dr4 ,arnott--,edinboro'--,observatory--,glas gow observatory--,professor ,nichol--,dungeon ,ghyll--,english language--,english and ,americans--,boys and beggars ,,chapter ,,vii ,adams and ,leverrier--,the discovery of the planet ,neptune--,extract from papers--,professor ,bond1 of ,cambridge1 ,mass4--,paris--,imperial observatory--,mons4 and ,mme4 ,leverrier--,reception at ,leverrier's--,rooms in observatory--,rome--,impressions--,apart ments in ,rome and ,paris--,customs--,holy week--,vespers at ,st4 ,peter's--,women--,frederika ,bremer--,paul ,akers--,harriet ,hosmer--,collegio ,romano--,father ,secchi--,galileo--,visit to the ,roman observatory--,permission from ,cardinal ,antonelli--,spectroscope ,,chapter ,,viii ,mrs4 ,somerville--,berlin--,humboldt--,mrs4 ,mitchell's illness and death--,removal to ,lynn1 ,mass4--,telescope presented to ,miss ,mitchell by ,elizabeth ,peabody and others--,letters from ,admiral ,smyth--,colors of stars--,extract from letter to a friend--,san ,marino medal--,other extracts ,,chapter ,,ix ,life at ,vassar ,college--,anxious mammas--,faculty meetings--,president ,hill--,professor ,peirce--,burlington1 ,ia41 and solar eclipse--,classes at ,vassar--,professor ,mitchell and her pupils--,extracts from diary--,aids --,scholarships--,address to her students--,imagination in science--,i am but a woman--,maria ,mitchell endowment fund--,emperor of ,brazil--,president ,raymond's death--,dome parties--,comet1 #ahha--,the apple-tree--,honor girls--,mr4 ,matthew ,arnold ,,chapter ,x ,second visit to ,europe--,russia--,extracts from diary and letters--,custom-house peculiarities--,russian railways--,domes--,russian thermometers and calendars--,the drosky and drivers--,observatory at ,pulkova--,herr ,struv--,scientific position of ,russia--,language-- ,religion--,democracy of the ,church--,government--,a ,russian family--,london1 #ahgc--;,frances ,power ,cobbe--,bookstores in ,london--,glasgow ,college for ,girls ,,chapter ,,xi ,papers--,science--,eclipse of #ahgh1 ,denver1 ,colorado--,colors of stars ,,chapter ,,xii ,religious matters--,president ,taylor's remarks--,sermons--,george ,mac,donald--,rev4 ,dr4 ,peabody--,dr4 ,lyman ,abbott--,professor ,henry--,meeting of the ,american ,scientific ,association at ,saratoga--,professor ,peirce-- ,concord ,school of ,philosophy--,emerson--,miss ,peabody--,dr4 ,harris--,easter flowers--,whittier--,rich days--,cooking schools--,anecdotes ,,chapter ,,xiii ,letter-writing--,woman suffrage--,membership in various societies4--,women's ,congress at ,syracuse1 ,n4,y4--,picnic at ,medfield1 ,mass4--,degrees from different colleges--,published papers4--,failure in health--,resigns her position at ,vassar ,college--,letters from various persons--,death--,conclusion ,,appendix ,introductory note by ,hon4 ,edward ,everett ,correspondence relative to the ,danish medal ,,chapter ,i #ahah-ahdf ,,birth--,,parents--,,home ,,surroundings ,,and ,,early ,,life ,maria ,mitchell was born on the island of ,nantucket1 ,mass41 ,aug4 #a1 #ahah4 ,she was the third child of ,william and ,lydia ,coleman ,mitchell4 ,her ancestors1 on both sides1 were ,quakers for many generations2 and it was in consequence of the intolerance of the early ,puritans that these ancestors had been obliged to flee from the ,state of ,massachusetts1 and to settle upon this island1 which1 at that time1 belonged to the ,state of ,new ,york4 ,for many years the ,quakers1 or ,friends1 as they called themselves1 formed much the larger part of the inhabitants of ,nantucket1 and thus were enabled to crystallize1 as it were1 their own ideas of what family and social life should be2 and although in course of time many world's people swooped down and helped to swell the number of islanders1 they still continued to hold their own methods1 and to bring up their children in accordance with their own conceptions of ,divine light4 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,mitchell were married during the war of #ahab2 the former lacking one week of being twenty-one years old1 and the latter being a few months over twenty4 ,the people of ,nantucket by their situation endured many hardships during this period2 their ships were upon the sea a prey to privateers1 and communication with the mainland was exposed to the same danger1 so that it was difficult to obtain such necessaries of life as the island could not furnish4 ,there were still to be seen1 a few years ago1 the marks left on the moors1 where fields of corn and potatoes had been planted in that trying time4 ,so the young couple began their housekeeping in a very simple way4 ,mr4 ,mitchell used to describe it as being very delightful2 it was noticed that ,mrs4 ,mitchell never expressed herself on the subject1--it was she1 probably1 who had the planning to do1 to make a little money go a great way1 and to have everything smooth and serene when her husband came home4 ,mrs4 ,mitchell was a woman of strong character1 very dignified1 honest almost to an extreme1 and perfectly self-controlled where control was necessary4 ,she possessed very strong affections1 but her self-control was such that she was undemonstrative4 ,she kept a close watch over her children1 was clearheaded1 knew their every fault and every merit1 and was an indefatigable worker4 ,it was she who looked out for the education of the children and saw what their capacities were4 ,mr4 ,mitchell was a man of great suavity and gentleness2 if left to himself he would never have denied a single request made to him by one of his children4 ,his first impulse was to gratify every desire of their hearts1 and if it had not been for the clear head of the mother1 who took care that the household should be managed wisely and economically1 the results might have been disastrous4 ,the father had wisdom enough to perceive this1 and when a child came to him1 and in a very pathetic and winning way proffered some request for an unusual indulgence1 he generally replied1 ,yes1 if mother thinks best4 ,mr4 ,mitchell was very fond of bright colors2 as they were excluded from the dress of ,friends1 he indulged himself wherever it was possible4 ,if he were buying books1 and there was a variety of binding1 he always chose the copies with red covers4 ,even the wooden framework of the reflecting telescope which he used was painted a brilliant red4 ,he liked a gay carpet on the floor1 and the walls of the family sitting-room in the house on ,vestal street were covered with paper resplendent with bunches of pink roses4 ,suspended by a cord from the ceiling in the centre of this room was a glass ball1 filled with water1 used by ,mr4 ,mitchell in his experiments on polarization of light1 flashing its dancing rainbows about the room4 ,at the back of this house was a little garden1 full of gay flowers3 so that if the garb of the young ,mitchells was rather sombre1 the setting was bright and cheerful1 and the life in the home was healthy and wide-awake4 ,when the hilarity became excessive the mother would put in her little check1 from time to time1 and the father would try to look as he ought to1 but he evidently enjoyed the whole4 ,as ,mr4 ,mitchell was kind and indulgent to his children1 so he was the sympathetic friend and counsellor of many in trouble who came to him for help or advice4 ,as he took his daily walk to the little farm about a mile out of town1 where1 for an hour or two he enjoyed being a farmer1 the people would come to their doors to speak to him as he passed1 and the little children would run up to him to be patted on the head4 ,he treated animals in the same way4 ,he generally kept a horse4 ,his children complained that although the horse was good when it was bought1 yet as ,mr4 ,mitchell never allowed it to be struck with a whip1 nor urged to go at other than a very gentle trot1 the horse became thoroughly demoralized1 and was no more fit to drive than an old cow6 ,there was everything in the home which could amuse and instruct children4 ,the eldest daughter was very handy at all sorts of entertaining occupations2 she had a delicate sense of the artistic1 and was quite skilful with her pencil4 ,the present kindergarten system in its practice is almost identical with the home as it appeared in the first half of this century1 among enlightened people4 ,there is hardly any kind of handiwork done in the kindergarten that was not done in the ,mitchell family1 and in other families of their acquaintance4 ,the girls learned to sew and cook1 just as they learned to read1--as a matter of habit rather than of instruction4 ,they learned how to make their own clothes1 by making their dolls' clothes1--and the dolls themselves were frequently home-made1 the eldest sister painting the faces much more prettily than those obtained at the shops2 and there was a great delight in gratifying the fancy1 by dressing the dolls1 not in ,quaker garb1 but in all of the most brilliant colors and stylish shapes worn by the ultra-fashionable4 ,there were always plenty of books1 and besides those in the house there was the ,atheneum ,library1 which1 although not a free library1 was very inexpensive to the shareholders4 ,there was another very striking difference between that epoch and the present4 ,the children of that day were taught to value a book and to take excellent care of it2 as an instance it may be mentioned that one copy of ,colburn's ,algebra was used by eight children in the ,mitchell family1 one after the other4 ,the eldest daughter's name was written on the inside of the cover2 seven more names followed in the order of their ages1 as the book descended4 ,with regard to their reading1 the mother examined every book that came into the house4 ,of course there were not so many books published then as now1 and the same books were read over and over4 ,miss ,edgeworth's stories became part of their very lives1 and ,young's ,night ,thoughts1 and the poems of ,cowper and ,bloomfield were conspicuous objects on the bookshelves of most houses in those days4 ,mr4 ,mitchell was very apt1 while observing the heavens in the evening1 to quote from one or the other of these poets1 or from the ,bible4 ,an undevout astronomer is mad was one of his favorite quotations4 ,among the poems which ,maria learned in her childhood1 and which was repeatedly upon her lips all through her life1 was1 ,the spacious firmament on high4 ,in her latter years if she had a sudden fright which threatened to take away her senses she would test her mental condition by repeating that poem2 it is needless to say that she always remembered it1 and her nerves instantly relapsed into their natural condition4 ,the lives of ,maria ,mitchell and her numerous brothers and sisters were passed in simplicity and with an entire absence of anything exciting or abnormal4 ,the education of their children is enjoined upon the parents by the ,discipline1 and in those days at least the parents did not give up all the responsibility in that line to the teachers4 ,in ,maria ,mitchell's childhood the children of a family sat around the table in the evenings and studied their lessons for the next day1--the parents or the older children assisting the younger if the lessons were too difficult4 ,the children attended school five days in the week1--six hours in the day1--and their only vacation was four weeks in the summer1 generally in ,august4 ,the idea that children over-studied and injured their health was never promulgated in that family1 nor indeed in that community2 it seems to be a notion of the present half-century4 ,maria's first teacher was a lady for whom she always felt the warmest affection1 and in her diary1 written in her later years1 occurs this allusion to her3 ,i count in my life1 outside of family relatives1 three aids given me on my journey2 they are prominent to me3 the woman who first made the study-book charming2 the man who sent me the first hundred dollars ,i ever saw1 to buy books with2 and another noble woman1 through whose efforts ,i became the owner of a telescope2 and of these1 the first was the greatest4 ,as a little girl1 ,maria was not a brilliant scholar2 she was shy and slow2 but later1 under her father's tuition1 she developed very rapidly4 ,after the close of the war of #ahab1 when business was resumed and the town restored to its normal prosperity1 ,mr4 ,mitchell taught school1--at first as master of a public school1 and afterwards in a private school of his own4 ,maria attended both of these schools4 ,mr4 ,mitchell's pupils speak of him as a most inspiring teacher1 and he always spoke of his experiences in that capacity as very happy4 ,when her father gave up teaching1 ,maria was put under the instruction of ,mr4 ,cyrus ,peirce1 afterwards principal of the first normal school started in the ,united ,states4 ,mr4 ,peirce took a great interest in ,maria1 especially in developing her taste for mathematical study1 for which she early showed a remarkable talent4 ,the books which she studied at the age of seventeen1 as we know by the date of the notes1 were ,bridge's ,conic ,sections1 ,hutton's ,mathematics1 and ,bowditch's ,navigator4 ,at that time ,prof4 ,benjamin ,peirce had not published his ,explanations of the ,navigator and ,almanac1 so that ,maria was obliged to consult many scientific books and reports before she could herself construct the astronomical tables4 ,mr4 ,mitchell1 on relinquishing school-teaching1 was appointed cashier of the ,pacific ,bank2 but although he gave up teaching1 he by no means gave up studying his favorite science1 astronomy1 and ,maria was his willing helper at all times4 ,mr4 ,mitchell from his early youth was an enthusiastic student of astronomy1 at a time1 too1 when very little attention was given to that study in this country4 ,his evenings1 when pleasant1 were spent in observing the heavens1 and to the children1 accustomed to seeing such observations going on1 the important study in the world seemed to be astronomy4 ,one by one1 as they became old enough1 they were drafted into the service of counting seconds by the chronometer1 during the observations4 ,some of them took an interest in the thing itself1 and others considered it rather stupid work1 but they all drank in so much of this atmosphere1 that if any one had asked a little child in this family1 ,who was the greatest man that ever lived8 the answer would have come promptly1 ,herschel4 ,maria very early learned the use of the sextant4 ,the chronometers of all the whale ships were brought to ,mr4 ,mitchell1 on their return from a voyage1 to be rated1 as it was called4 ,for this purpose he used the sextant1 and the observations were made in the little back yard of the ,vestal-street home4 ,there was also a clumsy reflecting telescope made on the ,herschelian plan1 but of very great simplicity1 which was put up on fine nights in the same back yard1 when the neighbors used to flock in to look at the moon4 ,afterwards ,mr4 ,mitchell bought a small ,dolland telescope1 which thereafter1 as long as she lived1 his daughter used for sweeping purposes4 ,after their removal to the bank building there were added to these an altitude and azimuth circle1 loaned to ,mr4 ,mitchell by ,west ,point ,academy1 and two transit instruments4 ,a little observatory for the use of the first was placed on the roof of the bank building1 and two small buildings were erected in the yard for the transits4 ,there was also a much larger and finer telescope loaned by the ,coast ,survey1 for which service ,mr4 ,mitchell made observations4 ,at the time when ,maria ,mitchell showed a decided taste for the study of astronomy there was no school in the world where she could be taught higher mathematics and astronomy4 ,harvard ,college1 at that time1 had no telescope better than the one which her father was using1 and no observatory except the little octagonal projection to the old mansion in ,cambridge occupied by the late ,dr4 ,a4,p4 ,peabody4 ,however1 every one will admit that no school nor institution is better for a child than the home1 with an enthusiastic parent for a teacher4 ,at the time of the annular eclipse of the sun in #ahca the totality was central at ,nantucket4 ,the window was taken out of the parlor on ,vestal street1 the telescope1 the little ,dolland1 mounted in front of it1 and with ,maria by his side counting the seconds the father observed the eclipse4 ,maria was then twelve years old4 ,at sixteen ,miss ,mitchell left ,mr4 ,peirce's school as a pupil1 but was retained as assistant teacher2 she soon relinquished that position and opened a private school on ,traders' ,lane4 ,this school too she gave up for the position of librarian of the ,nantucket ,atheneum1 which office she held for nearly twenty years4 ,this library was open only in the afternoon1 and on ,saturday evening4 ,the visitors were comparatively few in the afternoon1 so that ,miss ,mitchell had ample leisure for study1--an opportunity of which she made the most4 ,her visitors in the afternoon were elderly men of leisure1 who enjoyed talking with so bright a girl on their favorite hobbies4 ,when they talked ,miss ,mitchell closed her book and took up her knitting1 for she was never idle4 ,with some of these visitors the friendship was kept up for years4 ,it was in this library that she found ,la ,place's ,mcanique ,cleste1 translated by her father's friend1 ,dr4 ,bowditch2 she also read the ,theoria ,motus1 of ,gauss1 in its original ,latin form4 ,in her capacity as librarian ,miss ,mitchell to a large extent controlled the reading of the young people in the town4 ,many of them on arriving at mature years have expressed their gratitude for the direction in which their reading was turned by her advice4 ,miss ,mitchell always had a special friendship for young girls and boys4 ,many of these intimacies grew out of the acquaintance made at the library1--the young girls made her their confidante and went to her for sympathy and advice4 ,the boys1 as they grew up1 and went away to sea1 perhaps1 always remembered her1 and made a point1 when they returned in their vacations1 of coming to tell their experiences to such a sympathetic listener4 ,april #ah1 #ahee4 ,a young sailor boy came to see me to-day4 ,it pleases me to have these lads seek me on their return from their first voyage1 and tell me how much they have learned about navigation4 ,they always say1 with pride1 ',i can take a lunar1 ,miss ,mitchell1 and work it up6' ,this boy ,i had known only as a boy1 but he has suddenly become a man and seems to be full of intelligence4 ,he will go once more as a sailor1 he says1 and then try for the position of second mate4 ,he looked as if he had been a good boy and would make a good man4 ,he said that he had been ill so much that he had been kept out of temptation2 but that the forecastle of a ship was no place for improvement of mind or morals4 ,he said the captain with whom he came home asked him if he knew me1 because he had heard of me4 ,i was glad to find that the captain was a man of intelligence and had been kind to the boy4 ,miss ,mitchell was an inveterate reader4 ,she devoured books on all subjects4 ,if she saw that boys were eagerly reading a certain book she immediately read it2 if it were harmless she encouraged them to read it2 if otherwise1 she had a convenient way of losing the book4 ,in ,november1 when the trustees made their annual examination1 the book appeared upon the shelf1 but the next day after it was again lost4 ,at this time ,nantucket was a thriving1 busy town4 ,the whale-fishery was a very profitable business1 and the town was one of the wealthiest in the ,state4 ,there was a good deal of social and literary life4 ,in a ,friend's family neither music nor dancing was allowed4 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,mitchell were by no means narrow sectarians1 but they believed it to be best to conform to the rules of ,friends as laid down in the ,discipline4 ,george ,fox himself1 the founder of the society1 had blown a blast against music1 and especially instrumental music in churches4 ,it will be remembered that the ,methodists have but recently yielded to the popular demand in this respect1 and have especially favored congregational singing4 ,it is most likely that ,george ,fox had no ear for music himself1 and thus entailed upon his followers an obligation from which they are but now freeing themselves4 ,there was plenty of singing in the ,mitchell family1 and the parents liked it1 especially the father1 who1 when he sat down in the evening with the children1 would say1 ,now sing something4 ,but there could be no instruction in singing2 the children sang the songs that they picked up from their playmates4 ,however1 one of the daughters bought a piano1 and ,maria's purse opened to help that cause along4 ,it would not have been proper for ,mr4 ,mitchell to help pay for it1 but he took a great interest in it1 nevertheless4 ,so indeed did the mother1 but she took care not to express herself outwardly4 ,the piano was kept in a neighboring building not too far off to be heard from the house4 ,maria had no ear for music herself1 but she was always to be depended upon to take the lead in an emergency1 so the sisters put their heads together and decided that the piano must be brought into the house4 ,when they had made all the preparations the father and mother were invited to take tea with their married daughter1 who lived in another part of the town and had been let into the secret4 ,the piano was duly removed and placed in an upper room called the hall1 where ,mr4 ,mitchell kept the chronometers1 where the family sewing was done1 and where the larger part of the books were kept1--a beautiful room1 overlooking the square1 and a great gathering-place for all their young friends4 ,when the piano was put in place1 the sisters awaited the coming of the parents4 ,maria stationed herself at the foot of the stairs1 ready to meet them as they entered the front door2 another1 half-way between1 was to give the signal to a third1 who was seated at the piano4 ,the footsteps were heard at the door1 the signal was given2 a lively tune was started1 and ,maria confronted the parents as they entered4 ,what's that8 was the exclamation4 ,well1 said ,maria1 soothingly1 we've had the piano brought over4 ,why1 of all things6 exclaimed the mother4 ,the father laid down his hat1 walked immediately upstairs1 entered the hall1 and said1 ,come1 daughter1 play something lively6 ,so that was all4 ,but that was not all for ,mr4 ,mitchell2 he had broken the rules accepted by the ,friends1 and it was necessary for some notice to be taken of it1 so a dear old ,friend and neighbor came to deal with him4 ,now1 to be under dealings1 as it is called1 was a very serious matter1--to be spoken of only under the breath1 in a half whisper4 ,i hear that thee has a piano in thy house1 said the old ,friend4 ,yes1 my daughters have1 was the reply4 ,but it is in thy house1 pursued the ,friend4 ,yes2 but my home is my children's home as well as mine1 said ,mr4 ,mitchell1 and ,i propose that they shall not be obliged to go away from home for their pleasures4 ,i don't play on the piano4 ,it so happened that ,mr4 ,mitchell held the property of the monthly meeting in his hands at the time1 and it was a very improper thing for the accredited agent of the society to be under dealings1 as ,mr4 ,mitchell gently suggested4 ,this the ,friend had not thought of1 and so he said1 ,well1 ,william1 perhaps we'd better say no more about it4 ,when the father came home after this interview he could not keep it to himself4 ,if it had been the mother who was interviewed she would have kept it a profound secret1--because she would not have liked to have her children get any fun out of the proceedings of the old ,friend4 ,but ,mr4 ,mitchell told the story in his quiet way1 the daughters enjoyed it1 and declared that the piano was placed upon a firm foothold by this proceeding4 ,the news spread abroad1 and several other young ,quaker girls eagerly seized the occasion to gratify their musical longings in the same direction4 ,footnote3 ,it is pleasant to note that this objection to music among ,friends is a thing of the past1 and that the ,friends' ,school at ,providence1 ,r4,i41 which is under the control of the ,new ,england ,yearly ,meeting of ,friends1 has music in its regular curriculum4 ,few women with scientific tastes had the advantages which surrounded ,miss ,mitchell in her own home4 ,her father was acquainted with the most prominent scientific men in the country1 and in his hospitable home at ,nantucket she met many persons of distinction in literature and science4 ,she cared but little for general society1 and had always to be coaxed to go into company4 ,later in life1 however1 she was much more socially inclined1 and took pleasure in making and receiving visits4 ,she could neither dance nor sing1 but in all amusements which require quickness and a ready wit she was very happy4 ,she was very fond of children1 and knew how to amuse them and to take care of them4 ,as she had half a dozen younger brothers and sisters1 she had ample opportunity to make herself useful4 ,she was a capital story-teller1 and always had a story on hand to divert a wayward child1 or to soothe the little sister who was lying awake1 and afraid of the dark4 ,she wrote a great many little stories1 printed them with a pen1 and bound them in pretty covers4 ,most of them were destroyed long ago4 ,maria took her part in all the household work4 ,she knew how to do everything that has to be done in a large family where but one servant is kept1 and she did everything thoroughly4 ,if she swept a room it became clean4 ,she might not rearrange the different articles of furniture in the most artistic manner1 but everything would be clean1 and there would be nothing left crooked4 ,if a chair was to be placed1 it would be parallel to something2 she was exceedingly sensitive to a line out of the perpendicular1 and could detect the slightest deviation from that rule4 ,she had also a sensitive eye in the matter of color1 and felt any lack of harmony in the colors worn by those about her4 ,maria was always ready to bear the brunt1 and could at any time be coaxed by the younger children to do the things which they found difficult or disagreeable4 ,the two youngest children in the family were delicate1 and the special care of the youngest sister devolved upon ,maria1 who knew how to be a good nurse as well as a good playfellow4 ,she was especially careful of a timid child2 she herself was timid1 and1 throughout her life1 could never witness a thunder-storm with any calmness4 ,on one of those occasions so common in an ,american household1 when the one servant suddenly takes her leave1 or is summarily dismissed1 ,miss ,mitchell describes her part of the family duties3 ,oct4 #ba1 #ahed4 ,this morning ,i arose at six1 having been half asleep only for some hours1 fearing that ,i might not be up in time to get breakfast1 a task which ,i had volunteered to do the preceding evening4 ,it was but half light1 and ,i made a hasty toilet4 ,i made a fire very quickly1 prepared the coffee1 baked the graham bread1 toasted white bread1 trimmed the solar lamp1 and made another fire in the dining-room before seven o'clock4 ,i always thought that servant-girls had an easy time of it1 and ,i still think so4 ,i really found an hour too long for all this1 and when ,i rang the bell at seven for breakfast ,i had been waiting fifteen minutes for the clock to strike4 ,i went to the ,atheneum at #i4cj1 and having decided that ,i would take the ,newark and ,cambridge places of the comet1 and work them up1 ,i did so1 getting to the three equations before ,i went home to dinner at #ab4cj4 ,i omitted the corrections of parallax and aberrations1 not intending to get more than a rough approximation4 ,i find to my sorrow that they do not agree with those from my own observations4 ,i shall look over them again next week4 ,at noon ,i ran around and did up several errands1 dined1 and was back again at my post by #a4cj4 ,then ,i looked over my morning's work1--,i can find no mistake4 ,i have worn myself thin trying to find out about this comet1 and ,i know very little now in the matter4 ,i saw1 in looking over ,cooper1 elements of a comet of #ahbe which resemble what ,i get out for this1 from my own observations1 but ,i cannot rely upon my own4 ,i saw also1 to-day1 in the ',monthly ,notices1' a plan for measuring the light of stars by degrees of illumination1--an idea which had occurred to me long ago1 but which ,i have not practised4 ,october #bc4 ,yesterday ,i was again reminded of the remark which ,mrs4 ,stowe makes about the variety of occupations which an ,american woman pursues4 ,she says it is this1 added to the cares and anxieties1 which keeps them so much behind the daughters of ,england in personal beauty4 ,and to-day ,i was amused at reading that one of her party objected to the introduction of waxed floors into ,american housekeeping1 because she could seem to see herself down on her knees doing the waxing4 ,but of yesterday4 ,i was up before six1 made the fire in the kitchen1 and made coffee4 ,then ,i set the table in the dining-room1 and made the fire there4 ,toasted bread and trimmed lamps4 ,rang the breakfast bell at seven4 ,after breakfast1 made my bed1 and 'put up' the room4 ,then ,i came down to the ,atheneum and looked over my comet computations till noon4 ,before dinner ,i did some tatting1 and made seven button-holes for ,k4 ,i dressed and then dined4 ,came back again to the ,atheneum at #a4cj1 and looked over another set of computations1 which took me until four o'clock4 ,i was pretty tired by that time1 and rested by reading ',cosmos4' ,lizzie ,e4 came in1 and ,i gossiped for half an hour4 ,i went home to tea1 and that over1 ,i made a loaf of bread4 ,then ,i went up to my room and read through 7partly writing7 two exercises in ,german1 which took me thirty-five minutes4 ,it was stormy1 and ,i had no observing to do1 so ,i sat down to my tatting4 ,lizzie ,e4 came in and ,i took a new lesson in tatting1 so as to make the pearl-edged4 ,i made about half a yard during the evening4 ,at a little after nine ,i went home with ,lizzie1 and carried a letter to the post-office4 ,i had kept steadily at work for sixteen hours when ,i went to bed4 ,,chapter ,,ii #ahdg-ahed ,,miss ,,mitchell',s ,,comet--,,extracts ,,from ,,diary--,,the ,,comet ,miss ,mitchell spent every clear evening on the house-top sweeping the heavens4 ,no matter how many guests there might be in the parlor1 ,miss ,mitchell would slip out1 don her regimentals as she called them1 and1 lantern in hand1 mount to the roof4 ,on the evening of ,oct4 #a1 #ahdg1 there was a party of invited guests at the ,mitchell home4 ,as usual1 ,maria slipped out1 ran up to the telescope1 and soon returned to the parlor and told her father that she thought she saw a comet4 ,mr4 ,mitchell hurried upstairs1 stationed himself at the telescope1 and as soon as he looked at the object pointed out by his daughter declared it to be a comet4 ,miss ,mitchell1 with her usual caution1 advised him to say nothing about it until they had observed it long enough to be tolerably sure4 ,but ,mr4 ,mitchell immediately wrote to ,professor ,bond1 at ,cambridge1 announcing the discovery4 ,on account of stormy weather1 the mails did not leave ,nantucket until ,october #c4 ,frederick ,,vi41 ,king of ,denmark1 had offered1 ,dec4 #ag1 #ahca1 a gold medal of the value of twenty ducats to the first discoverer of a telescopic comet4 ,the regulations1 as revised and amended1 were republished1 in ,april1 #ahdj1 in the ,astronomische ,nachrichten4 ,when this comet was discovered1 the king who had offered the medal was dead4 ,the son1 ,frederick ,,vii41 who had succeeded him1 had not the interest in science which belonged to his father1 but he was prevailed upon to carry out his father's designs in this particular case4 ,the same comet had been seen by ,father de ,vico at ,rome1 on ,october #c1 at #g4cj ,p4,m41 and this fact was immediately communicated by him to ,professor ,schumacher1 at ,altona4 ,on the #gth of ,october1 at #i4bj ,p4,m41 the comet was observed by ,mr4 ,w4,r4 ,dawes1 at ,kent1 ,england1 and on the #aath it was seen by ,madame ,rmker1 the wife of the director of the observatory at ,hamburg4 ,the following letter from the younger ,bond will show the cordial relations existing between the observatory at ,cambridge and the smaller station at ,nantucket3 ,,cambridge1 ,oct4 #bj1 #ahdg4 ,,dear ,,maria3 ,there6 ,i think that is a very amiable beginning1 considering the way in which ,i have been treated by you6 ,if you are going to find any more comets1 can you not wait till they are announced by the proper authorities8 ,at least1 don't kidnap another such as this last was4 ,if my object were to make you fear and tremble1 ,i should tell you that on the evening of the #cjth ,i was sweeping within a few degrees of your prize4 ,i merely throw out the hint for what it is worth4 ,it has been very interesting to watch the motion of this comet among the stars with the great refractor2 we could almost see it move4 ,an account of its passage over the star mentioned by your father when he was here1 would make an interesting notice for one of the foreign journals1 which we would readily forward4444 ,here follow ,mr4 ,bond's observations4 ,respectfully1 ,your obedient servant1 ,g4 ,p4 ,,bond4 ,hon4 ,edward ,everett1 who at that time was president of ,harvard ,college1 took a great interest in the matter1 and immediately opened a correspondence with the proper authorities1 and sent a notice of the discovery to the ,astronomische ,nachrichten4 ,the priority of ,miss ,mitchell's discovery was immediately admitted throughout ,europe4 ,the ,king of ,denmark very promptly referred the matter to ,professor ,schumacher1 who reported in favor of granting the medal to ,miss ,mitchell1 and the medal was duly struck off and forwarded to ,mr4 ,everett4 ,among ,european astronomers who urged ,miss ,mitchell's claim was ,admiral ,smyth1 whom she knew through his ,celestial ,cycle1 and who later1 on her visit to ,england1 became a warm personal friend4 ,madame ,rmker1 also1 sent congratulations4 ,mr4 ,everett announced the receipt of the medal to ,miss ,mitchell in the following letter3 ,,cambridge1 ,march #bi1 #ahdi4 ,,my ,,dear ,,miss ,,mitchell3 ,i have the pleasure to inform you that your medal arrived by the last steamer2 it reached me by mail1 yesterday afternoon4 ,i went to ,boston this morning1 hoping to find you at the ,adams ,house1 to put it into your own hand4 ,as your return to ,nantucket prevented this1 ,i1 of course1 retain it1 subject to your orders1 not liking to take the risk again of its transmission by mail4 ,having it in this way in my hand1 ,i have taken the liberty to show it to some friends1 such as ,w4,c4 ,bond1 ,professor ,peirce1 the editors of the ,transcript1 and the members of my family1--which ,i hope you will pardon4 ,i remain1 my dear ,miss ,mitchell1 with great regard1 ,very faithfully yours1 ,,edward ,,everett4,footnote3 ,see ,appendix4 ,in #ahdh ,miss ,mitchell was elected to membership by the ,american ,academy of ,arts and ,sciences1 unanimously2 she was the first and only woman ever admitted4 ,in the diploma the printed word ,fellow is erased1 and the words ,honorary ,member inserted by ,dr4 ,asa ,gray1 who signed the document as secretary4 ,some years later1 however1 her name is found in the list of ,fellows of this ,academy1 also of the ,american ,institute and of the ,american ,association for the ,advancement of ,science4 ,for many years she attended the annual conventions of this last-mentioned association1 in which she took great interest4 ,the extract below refers to one of these meetings1 probably that of #ahee3 ,august #bc4 ,it is really amusing to find one's self lionized in a city where one has visited quietly for years2 to see the doors of fashionable mansions open wide to receive you1 which never opened before4 ,i suspect that the whole corps of science laughs in its sleeves at the farce4 ,the leaders make it pay pretty well4 ,my friend ,professor ,bache makes the occasions the opportunities for working sundry little wheels1 pulleys1 and levers2 the result of all which is that he gets his enormous appropriations of #djj1jjj out of ,congress1 every winter1 for the maintenance of the ,united ,states ,coast ,survey4 ,for a few days ,science reigns supreme1--we are fted and complimented to the top of our bent1 and although complimenters and complimented must feel that it is only a sort of theatrical performance1 for a few days and over1 one does enjoy acting the part of greatness for a while6 ,i was tired after three days of it1 and glad to take the cars and run away4 ,the descent into a commoner was rather sudden4 ,i went alone to ,boston1 and when ,i reached out my free pass1 the conductor read it through and handed it back1 saying in a gruff voice1 ',it's worth nothing2 a dollar and a quarter to ,boston4' ,think what a downfall6 the night before1 and ',one blast upon my bugle horn ,were worth a hundred men6' ,now one man alone was my dependence1 and that man looked very much inclined to put me out of the car for attempting to pass a ticket that in his eyes was valueless4 ,of course ,i took it quietly1 and paid the money1 merely remarking1 ',you will pass a hundred persons on this road in a few days on these same tickets4' ,when ,i look back on the paper read at this meeting by ,mr4 ,j---- in his uncouth manner1 ,i think when a man is thoroughly in earnest1 how careless he is of mere words6 ,in #ahdi ,miss ,mitchell was asked by the late ,admiral ,davis1 who had just taken charge of the ,american ,nautical ,almanac1 to act as computer for that work1--a proposition to which she gladly assented1 and for nineteen years she held that position in addition to her other duties4 ,this1 of course1 made a very desirable increase to her income1 but not necessarily to her expenses4 ,the tables of the planet ,venus were assigned to her4 ,in this year1 too1 she was employed by ,professor ,bache1 of the ,united ,states ,coast ,survey1 in the work of an astronomical party at ,mount ,independence1 ,maine4 #ahec4 ,i was told that ,miss ,dix wished to see me1 and ,i called upon her4 ,it was dusk1 and ,i did not at once see her2 her voice was low1 not particularly sweet1 but very gentle4 ,she told me that she had heard ,professor ,henry speak of me1 and that ,professor ,henry was one of her best friends1 the truest man she knew4 ,when the lights were brought in ,i looked at her4 ,she must be past fifty1 she is rather small1 dresses indifferently1 has good features in general1 but indifferent eyes4 ,she does not brighten up in countenance in conversing4 ,she is so successful that ,i suppose there must be a hidden fire somewhere1 for heat is a motive power1 and her cold manners could never move ,legislatures4 ,i saw some outburst of fire when ,mrs4 ,hale's book was spoken of4 ,it seems ,mrs4 ,hale wrote to her for permission to publish a notice of her1 and was decidedly refused2 another letter met with the same answer1 yet she wrote a ',life' which ,miss ,dix says is utterly false4 ,in her general sympathy for suffering humanity1 ,miss ,dix seems neglectful of the individual interest4 ,she has no family connection but a brother1 has never had sisters1 and she seemed to take little interest in the persons whom she met4 ,i was surprised at her feeling any desire to see me4 ,she is not strikingly interesting in conversation1 because she is so grave1 so cold1 and so quiet4 ,i asked her if she did not become at times weary and discouraged2 and she said1 wearied1 but not discouraged1 for she had met with nothing but success4 ,there is evidently a strong will which carries all before it1 not like the sweep of the hurricane1 but like the slow1 steady1 and powerful march of the molten lava4 ,it is sad to see a woman sacrificing the ties of the affections even to do good4 ,i have no doubt ,miss ,dix does much good1 but a woman needs a home and the love of other women at least1 if she lives without that of man4 ,the following entry was made many years after3-- ,august1 #ahga4 ,i have just seen ,miss ,dix again1 having met her only once for a few minutes in all the eighteen years4 ,she listened to a story of mine about some girls in need1 and then astonished me by an offer she made me4 ,feb4 #ae1 #ahec4 ,i think ,dr4 ,hall in his ',life of ,mary ,ware' does wrong when he attempts to encourage the use of the needle4 ,it seems to me that the needle is the chain of woman1 and has fettered her more than the laws of the country4 ,once emancipate her from the 'stitch1 stitch1 stitch1 the industry of which would be commendable if it served any purpose except the gratification of her vanity1 and she would have time for studies which would engross as the needle never can4 ,i would as soon put a girl alone into a closet to meditate as give her only the society of her needle4 ,the art of sewing1 so far as men learn it1 is well enough2 that is1 to enable a person to take the stitches1 and1 if necessary1 to make her own garments in a strong manner2 but the dressmaker should no more be a universal character than the carpenter4 ,suppose every man should feel it is his duty to do his own mechanical work of all kinds1 would society be benefited8 would the work be well done8 ,yet a woman is expected to know how to do all kinds of sewing1 all kinds of cooking1 all kinds of any woman's work1 and the consequence is that life is passed in learning these only1 while the universe of truth beyond remains unentered4 ,may #aa1 #ahec4 ,i could not help thinking of ,esther a much-loved cousin who had recently died a few evenings since when ,i was observing4 ,a meteor flashed upon me suddenly1 very bright1 very short-lived2 it seemed to me that it was sent for me especially1 for it greeted me almost the first instant ,i looked up1 and was gone in a second1--it was as fleeting and as beautiful as the smile upon ,esther's face the last time ,i saw her4 ,i thought when ,i talked with her about death that1 though she could not come to me visibly1 she might be able to influence my feelings2 but it cannot be1 for my faith has been weaker than ever since she died1 and my fears have been greater4 ,a few pages farther on in the diary appears this poem3 ,,esther ,living1 the hearts of all around ,sought hers as slaves a throne2 ,dying1 the reason first we found-- ,the fulness of her own4 ,she gave unconsciously the while ,a wealth we all might share-- ,to me the memory of the smile ,that last ,i saw her wear4 ,earth lost from out its meagre store ,a bright and precious stone2 ,heaven could not be so rich before1 ,but it has richer grown4 ,sept4 #ai1 #ahec4 ,i am surprised to find the verse which ,i picked up somewhere and have always admired-- ',oh1 reader1 had you in your mind ,such stores as silent thought can bring1 ,oh1 gentle reader1 you would find ,a tale in everything'-- belonging to ,wordsworth and to one of ,wordsworth's simple1 ,i am almost ready to say silly1 poems4 ,i am in doubt what to think of ,wordsworth4 ,i should be ashamed of some of his poems if ,i had written them myself1 and yet there are points of great beauty1 and lines which once in the mind will not leave it4 ,oct4 #ca1 #ahec4 ,people have to learn sometimes not only how much the heart1 but how much the head1 can bear4 ,my letter came from ,cambridge the ,harvard ,observatory1 and ,i had some work to do over4 ,it was a wearyful job1 but by dint of shutting myself up all day ,i did manage to get through with it4 ,the good of my travelling showed itself then1 when ,i was too tired to read1 to listen1 or to talk2 for the beautiful scenery of the ,west was with me in the evening1 instead of the tedious columns of logarithms4 ,it is a blessed thing that these pictures keep in the mind and come out at the needful hour4 ,i did not call them1 but they seemed to come forth as a regulator for my tired brain1 as if they had been set sentinel-like to watch a proper time to appear4 ,november1 #ahec4 ,there is said to be no up or down in creation1 but ,i think the world must be low1 for people who keep themselves constantly before it do a great deal of stooping6 ,dec4 #h1 #ahec4 ,last night we had the first meeting of the class in elocution4 ,it was very pleasant1 but my deficiency of ear was never more apparent to myself4 ,we had exercises in the ascending scale1 and ,i practised after ,i came home1 with the family as audience4 ,h4 says my ear is competent only to vulgar hearing1 and ,i cannot appreciate nice distinctions4444 ,i am sure that ,i shall never say that if ,i had been properly educated ,i should have made a singer1 a dancer1 or a painter--,i should have failed less1 perhaps1 in the last4 444 ,coloring ,i might have been good in1 for ,i do think my eyes are better than those of any one ,i know4 ,feb4 #ah1 #ahed4 ,if ,i should make out a calendar by my feelings of fatigue1 ,i should say there were six ,saturdays in the week and one ,sunday4 ,mr4 ---- somewhat ridicules my plan of reading ,milton with a view to his astronomy1 but ,i have found it very pleasant1 and have certainly a juster idea of ,milton's variety of greatness than ,i had before4 ,i have filled several sheets with my annotations on the ',paradise ,lost1' which ,i may find useful if ,i should ever be obliged to teach1 either as a schoolma'am or a lecturer4 ,footnote3 ,this paper has been printed since ,miss ,mitchell's death in ,poet-lore1 ,june-,july1 #ahid4 ,march #b1 #ahed4 ,i 'swept' last night two hours1 by three periods4 ,it was a grand night--not a breath of air1 not a fringe of a cloud1 all clear1 all beautiful4 ,i really enjoy that kind of work1 but my back soon becomes tired1 long before the cold chills me4 ,i saw two nebulae in ,leo with which ,i was not familiar1 and that repaid me for the time4 ,i am always the better for open-air breathing1 and was certainly meant for the wandering life of the ,indian4 ,sept4 #ab1 #ahed4 ,i am just through with a summer1 and a summer is to me always a trying ordeal4 ,i have determined not to spend so much time at the ,atheneum another season1 but to put some one in my place who shall see the strange faces and hear the strange talk4 ,how much talk there is about religion6 ,giles ,footnote3 ,rev4 ,henry ,giles4 ,i like the best1 for he seems1 like myself1 to have no settled views1 and to be religious only in feeling4 ,he says he has no piety1 but a great sense of infinity4 ,yesterday ,i had a ,shaker visitor1 and to-day a ,catholic2 and the more ,i see and hear1 the less do ,i care about church doctrines4 ,the ,catholic1 a priest1 ,i have known as an ,atheneum visitor for some time4 ,he talked to-day1 on my asking him some questions1 and talked better than ,i expected4 ,he is plainly full of intelligence1 full of enthusiasm for his religion1 and1 ,i suspect1 full of bigotry4 ,i do not believe he will die a ,catholic priest4 ,a young man of his temperament must find it hard to live without family ties1 and ,i shall expect to hear1 if ,i ever hear of him again1 that some good little ,irish girl has made him forget his vows4 ,my visitors1 in other respects1 have been of the average sort4 ,four women have been delighted to make my acquaintance--three men have thought themselves in the presence of a superior being2 one offered me twenty-five cents because ,i reached him the key of the museum4 ,one woman has opened a correspondence with me1 and several have told me that they knew friends of mine2 two have spoken of me in small letters to small newspapers2 one said he didn't see me1 and one said he did6 ,i have become hardened to all2 neither compliment nor quarter-dollar rouses any emotion4 ,my fit of humility1 which has troubled me all summer1 is shaken1 however1 by the first cool breeze of autumn and the first walk taken without perspiration4 ,sept4 #bb1 #ahed4 ,on the evening of the #ahth1 while 'sweeping1' there came into the field the two nebulae in ,ursa ,major1 which ,i have known for many a year1 but which to my surprise now appeared to be three4 ,the upper one1 as seen from an inverting telescope1 appeared double-headed1 like one near the ,dolphin1 but much more decided than that1 the space between the two heads being very plainly discernible and subtending a decided angle4 ,the bright part of this object was clearly the old nebula--but what was the appendage8 ,had the nebula suddenly changed8 ,was it a comet1 or was it merely a very fine night8 ,father decided at once for the comet2 ,i hesitated1 with my usual cowardice1 and forbade his giving it a notice in the newspaper4 ,i watched it from #h4cj to #aa4cj almost without cessation1 and was quite sure at #aa4cj that its position had changed with regard to the neighboring stars4 ,i counted its distance from the known nebula several times1 but the whole affair was difficult1 for there were flying clouds1 and sometimes the nebula and comet were too indistinct to be definitely seen4 ,the #aith was cloudy and the #bjth the same1 with the variety of occasional breaks1 through which ,i saw the nebula1 but not the comet4 ,on the #bast came a circular1 and behold ,mr4 ,van ,arsdale had seen it on the #acth1 but had not been sure of it until the #aeth1 on account of the clouds4 ,i was too well pleased with having really made the discovery to care because ,i was not first4 ,let the ,dutchman have the reward of his sturdier frame and steadier nerves6 ,especially could ,i be a ,christian because the #acth was cloudy1 and more especially because ,i dreaded the responsibility of making the computations1 nolens volens1 which ,i must have done to be able to call it mine4444 ,i made observations for three hours last night1 and am almost ill to-day from fatigue2 still ,i have worked all day1 trying to reduce the places1 and mean to work hard again to-night4 ,sept4 #be1 #ahed4 ,i began to recompute for the comet1 with observations of ,cambridge and ,washington1 to-day4 ,i have had a fit of despondency in consequence of being obliged to renounce my own observations as too rough for use4 ,the best that can be said of my life so far is that it has been industrious1 and the best that can be said of me is that ,i have not pretended to what ,i was not4 ,october #aj4 ,as soon as ,i had run through the computations roughly for the comet1 so as to make up my mind that by my own observations 7which were very wrong7 the ,perihelion was passed1 and nothing more to be hoped for from observations1 ,i seized upon a pleasant day and went to the ,cape for an excursion4 ,we went to ,yarmouth1 ,sandwich1 and ,plymouth1 enjoying the novelty of the new car-route4 ,it really seemed like railway travelling on our own island1 so much sand and so flat a country4 ,the little towns1 too1 seemed quaint and odd1 and the old gray cottages looked as if they belonged to the last century1 and were waked from a long nap by the railway whistle4 ,i thought ,sandwich a beautiful1 and ,plymouth an interesting1 town4 ,i would fain have gone off into some poetical quotation1 such as ',the breaking waves dashed high' or ',the ,pilgrim fathers1 where are they8' but ,k41 who had been there before1 desired me not to be absurd1 but to step quietly on to the half-buried rock and quietly off4 ,younger sisters know a deal1 so ,i did as ,i was bidden to do1 and it was just as well not to make myself hoarse without an appreciative audience4 ,i liked the picture by ,sargent in ,pilgrim ,hall1 but seeing ,plymouth on a mild1 sunny day1 with everything looking bright and pleasant1 it was difficult to conceive of the landing of the ,pilgrims as an event1 or that the settling of such a charming spot required any heroism4 ,the picture1 of course1 represents the dreariness of winter1 and my feelings were moved by the chilled appearance of the little children1 and the pathetic countenance of little ,peregrine ,white1 who1 considering that he was born in the harbor1 is wonderfully grown up before they are welcomed by ,samoset4 ,according to history little ,peregrine was born about ,december #f and ,samoset met them about ,march #af2 so he was three months old1 but he is plainly a forward child1 for he looks up very knowingly4 ,such a child had immortality thrust upon him from his birth4 ,it must have had a deadening influence upon him to know that he was a marked man whether he did anything worthy of mark or not4 ,he does not seem to have made any figure after his entrance into the world1 though he must have created a great sensation when he came4 ,october #ag4 ,i have just gone over my comet computations again1 and it is humiliating to perceive how very little more ,i know than ,i did seven years ago when ,i first did this kind of work4 ,to be sure1 ,i have only once in the time computed a parabolic orbit2 but it seems to me that ,i know no more in general4 ,i think ,i am a little better thinker1 that ,i take things less upon trust1 but at the same time ,i trust myself much less4 ,the world of learning is so broad1 and the human soul is so limited in power6 ,we reach forth and strain every nerve1 but we seize only a bit of the curtain that hides the infinite from us4 ,will it really unroll to us at some future time8 ,aside from the gratification of the affections in another world1 that of the intellect must be great if it is enlarged and its desires are the same4 ,nov4 #bd1 #ahed4 ,yesterday ,james ,freeman ,clarke1 the biographer of ,margaret ,fuller1 came into the ,atheneum4 ,it was plain that he came to see me and not the institution4444 ,he rushed into talk at once1 mostly on people1 and asked me about my astronomical labors4 ,as it was a kind of flattery1 ,i repaid it in kind by asking him about ,margaret ,fuller4 ,he said she did not strike any one as a person of intellect or as a student1 for all her faculties were kept so much abreast that none had prominence4 ,i wanted to ask if she was a lovable person1 but ,i did not think he would be an unbiassed judge1 she was so much attached to him4 ,dec4 #e1 #ahed4 ,the love of one's own sex is precious1 for it is neither provoked by vanity nor retained by flattery2 it is genuine and sincere4 ,i am grateful that ,i have had much of this in my life4 ,the comet looked in upon us on the #bith4 ,it made a twilight call1 looking sunny and bright1 as if it had just warmed itself in the equinoctial rays4 ,a boy on the street called my attention to it1 but ,i found on hurrying home that father had already seen it1 and had ranged it behind buildings so as to get a rough position4 ,it was piping cold1 but we went to work in good earnest that night1 and the next night on which we could see it1 which was not until ,april4 ,i was dreadfully busy1 and a host of little annoyances crowded upon me4 ,i had a good star near it in the field of my comet-seeker1 but what star8 ,on that rested everything1 and ,i could not be sure even from the catalogue1 for the comet and the star were so much in the twilight that ,i could get no good neighboring stars4 ,we called it ,arietes1 or #gjg4 ,then came a waxing moon1 and we waxed weary in trying to trace the fainter and fainter comet in the mists of twilight and the glare of moonlight4 ,next ,i broke a screw of my instrument1 and found that no screw of that description could be bought in the town4 ,i started off to find a man who could make one1 and engaged him to do so the next day4 ,the next day was ,fast ,day2 all the world fasted1 at least from labor4 ,however1 the screw was made1 and it fitted nicely4 ,the clouds cleared1 and we were likely to have a good night4 ,i put up my instrument1 but scarcely had the screw-driver touched the new screw than out it flew from its socket1 rolled along the floor of the 'walk1' dropped quietly through a crack into the gutter of the house-roof4 ,i heard it click1 and felt very much like using language unbecoming to a woman's mouth4 ,i put my eye down to the crack1 but could not see it4 ,there was but one thing to be done1--the floor-boards must come up4 ,i got a hatchet1 but could do nothing4 ,i called father2 he brought a crowbar and pried up the board1 then crawled under it and found the screw4 ,i took good care not to lose it a second time4 ,the instrument was fairly mounted when the clouds mounted to keep it company1 and the comet and ,i again parted4 ,in all observations1 the blowing out of a light by a gust of wind is a very common and very annoying accident2 but ,i once met with a much worse one1 for ,i dropped a chronometer1 and it rolled out of its box on to the ground4 ,we picked it up in a great panic1 but it had not even altered its rate1 as we found by later observations4 ,the glaring eyes of the cat1 who nightly visited me1 were at one time very annoying1 and a man who climbed up a fence and spoke to me1 in the stillness of the small hours1 fairly shook not only my equanimity1 but the pencil which ,i held in my hand4 ,he was quite innocent of any intention to do me harm1 but he gave me a great fright4 ,the spiders and bugs which swarm in my observing-houses ,i have rather an attachment for1 but they must not crawl over my recording-paper4 ,rats are my abhorrence1 and ,i learned with pleasure that some poison had been placed under the transit-house4 ,one gets attached 7if the term may be used7 to certain midnight apparitions4 ,the ,aurora ,borealis is always a pleasant companion2 a meteor seems to come like a messenger from departed spirits2 and the blossoming of trees in the moonlight becomes a sight looked for with pleasure4 ,aside from the study of astronomy1 there is the same enjoyment in a night upon the housetop1 with the stars1 as in the midst of other grand scenery2 there is the same subdued quiet and grateful seriousness2 a calm to the troubled spirit1 and a hope to the desponding4 ,even astronomers who are as well cared for as are those of ,cambridge have their annoyances1 and even men as skilled as they are make blunders4 ,i have known one of the ,bonds1,footnote3 ,of the ,harvard ,college ,observatory4 with great effort1 turn that huge telescope down to the horizon to make an observation upon a blazing comet seen there1 and when he had found it in his glass1 find also that it was not a comet1 but the nebula of ,andromeda1 a cluster of stars on which he had spent much time1 and which he had made a special object of study4 ,dec4 #bf1 #ahed4 ,they were wonderful men1 the early astronomers4 ,that was a great conception1 which now seems to us so simple1 that the earth turns upon its axis1 and a still greater one that it revolves about the sun 7to show this last was worth a man's lifetime1 and it really almost cost the life of ,galileo74 ,somehow we are ready to think that they had a wider field than we for speculation1 that truth being all unknown it was easier to take the first step in its paths4 ,but is the region of truth limited8 ,is it not infinite8444 ,we know a few things which were once hidden1 and being known they seem easy2 but there are the flashings of the ,northern ,lights--',across the lift they start and shift2' there is the conical zodiacal beam seen so beautifully in the early evenings of spring and the early mornings of autumn2 there are the startling comets1 whose use is all unknown2 there are the brightening and flickering variable stars1 whose cause is all unknown2 and the meteoric showers--and for all of these the reasons are as clear as for the succession of day and night2 they lie just beyond the daily mist of our minds1 but our eyes have not yet pierced through it4 ,,chapter ,,iii #ahee-aheg ,,extracts ,,from ,,diary--,,rachel--,,emerson--,a ,,hard ,,winter ,jan4 #a1 #ahee4 ,i put some wires into my little transit this morning4 ,i dreaded it so much1 when ,i found yesterday that it must be done1 that it disturbed my sleep4 ,it was much easier than ,i expected4 ,i took out the little collimating screws first1 then ,i drew out the tube1 and in that ,i found a brass plate screwed on the diaphragm which contained the lines4 ,i was at first a little puzzled to know which screws held this diaphragm in its place1 and1 as ,i was very anxious not to unscrew the wrong ones1 ,i took time to consider and found ,i need turn only two4 ,then out slipped the little plate with its three wires where five should have been1 two having been broken4 ,as ,i did not know how to manage a spider's web1 ,i took the hairs from my own head1 taking care to pick out white ones because ,i have no black ones to spare4 ,i put in the two1 after first stretching them over pasteboard1 by sticking them with sealing-wax dissolved in alcohol into the little grooved lines which ,i found4 ,when ,i had1 with great labor1 adjusted these1 as ,i thought1 firmly1 ,i perceived that some of the wax was on the hairs and would make them yet coarser1 and they were already too coarse2 so ,i washed my little camel's-hair brush which ,i had been using1 and began to wash them with clear alcohol4 ,almost at once ,i washed out another wire and soon another and another4 ,i went to work patiently and put in the five perpendicular ones besides the horizontal one1 which1 like the others1 had frizzled up and appeared to melt away4 ,with another hour's labor ,i got in the five1 when a rude motion raised them all again and ,i began over4 ,just at one o'clock ,i had got them all in again4 ,i attempted then to put the diaphragm back into its place4 ,the sealing-wax was not dry1 and with a little jar ,i sent the wires all agog4 ,this time they did not come out of the little grooved lines into which they were put1 and ,i hastened to take out the brass plate and set them in parallel lines4 ,i gave up then for the day1 but1 as they looked well and were certainly in firmly1 ,i did not consider that ,i had made an entire failure4 ,i thought it nice ladylike work to manage such slight threads and turn such delicate screws2 but fine as are the hairs of one's head1 ,i shall seek something finer1 for ,i can see how clumsy they will appear when ,i get on the eyepiece and magnify their imperfections4 ,they look parallel now to the eye1 but with a magnifying power a very little crook will seem a billowy wave1 and a faint star will hide itself in one of the yawning abysses4 ,january #ae4 ,finding the hairs which ,i had put into my instrument not only too coarse1 but variable and disposed to curl themselves up at a change of weather1 ,i wrote to ,george ,bond to ask him how ,i should procure spider lines4 ,he replied that the web from cocoons should be used1 and that ,i should find it difficult at this time of year to get at them4 ,i remembered at once that ,i had seen two in the library room of the ,atheneum1 which ,i had carefully refrained from disturbing4 ,i found them perfect1 and unrolled them4444 ,fearing that ,i might not succeed in managing them1 ,i procured some hairs from ,c4's head4 ,c4 being not quite a year old1 his hair is remarkably fine and sufficiently long4444 ,i made the perpendicular wires of the spider's webs1 breaking them and doing the work over again a great many times4444 ,i at length got all in1 crossing the five perpendicular ones with a horizontal one from ,c4's spinning-wheel4444 ,after twenty-four hours' exposure to the weather1 ,i looked at them4 ,the spider-webs had not changed1 they were plainly used to a chill and made to endure changes of temperature2 but ,c4's hair1 which had never felt a cold greater than that of the nursery1 nor a change more decided than from his mother's arms to his father's1 had knotted up into a decided curl6--,n4,b4 ,c4 may expect ringlets4 ,january #bb4 ,horace ,greeley1 in an article in a recent number of the ',tribune1' says that the fund left by ,smithson is spent by the regents of that institution in publishing books which no publisher would undertake and which do no good to anybody4 ,now in our little town of ,nantucket1 with our little ,atheneum1 these volumes are in constant demand4444 ,i do not suppose that such works as those issued by the ,smithsonian regents are appreciated by all who turn them over1 but the ignorant learn that such things exist2 they perceive that a higher cultivation than theirs is in the world1 and they are stimulated to strive after greater excellence4 ,so ,i steadily advocate1 in purchasing books for the ,atheneum1 the lifting of the people4 ',let us buy1 not such books as the people want1 but books just above their wants1 and they will reach up to take what is put out for them4' ,sept4 #aj1 #ahee4 ,to know what one ought to do is certainly the hardest thing in life4 ',doing' is comparatively easy2 but there are no laws for your individual case--yours is one of a myriad4 ,there are laws of right and wrong in general1 but they do not seem to bear upon any particular case4 ,in chess-playing you can refer to rules of movement1 for the chess-men are few1 and the positions in which they may be placed1 numerous as they are1 have a limit4 ,but is there any limit to the different positions of human beings around you8 ,is there any limit to the peculiarities of circumstances8 ,here a man1 however much of a copyist he may be by nature1 comes down to simple originality1 unless he blindly follows the advice of some friend2 for there is no precedent in anything exactly like his case2 he must decide for himself1 and must take the step alone2 and fearfully1 cautiously1 and distrustingly must we all take many of our steps1 for we see but a little way at best1 and we can foresee nothing at all4 ,september #ac4 ,i read this morning an article in ',putnam's ,magazine1' on ,rachel4 ,i have been much interested in this woman as a genius1 though ,i am pained by the accounts of her career in point of morals1 and ,i am wearied with the glitter of her jewelry4 ,night puts on a jewelled robe which few admire1 compared with the admiration for marketable jewelry4 ,the ,new ,york ',tribune' descends to the rating of the value of those worn by her1 and it is the prominent point1 or rather it makes the multitude of prominent points1 when she is spoken of4 ,the writer in ',putnam' does not go into these small matters1 but he attempts a criticism on acting1 to which ,i am not entirely a convert4 ,he maintains that if an actor should really show a character in such light that we could not tell the impersonation from the reality1 the stage would lose its interest4 ,i do not think so4 ,we should draw back1 of course1 from physical suffering2 but yet we should be charmed to suppose anything real1 which we had desired to see4 ,if we felt that we really met ,cardinal ,wolsey or ,henry ,,viii4 in his days of glory1 would it not be a lifelong memory to us1 very different from the effect of the stage1 and if for a few moments we really felt that we had met them1 would it not lift us into a new kind of being8 ,what would we not give to see ,julius ,caesar and the soothsayer1 just as they stood in ,rome as ,shakspere represents them8 ,why1 we travel hundreds of miles to see the places noted for the doings of these old ,romans2 and if we could be made to believe that we met one of the smaller men1 even1 of that day1 our ecstasy would be unbounded4 ',a tin pan so painted as to deceive is atrocious1' says this writer4 ,of course1 for we are not interested in a tin pan2 but give us a portrait of ,shakspere or ,milton so that we shall feel that we have met them1 and ,i see no atrocity in the matter4 ,we honor the homes of these men1 and we joy in the hope of seeing them4 ,what would be beyond seeing them in life8 ,october #ca4 ,i saw ,rachel in ',phdre' and in ',adrienne4' ,i had previously asked a friend if ,i1 in my ignorance of acting1 and in my inability to tell good from poor1 should really perceive a marked difference between ,rachel and her aids4 ,she thought ,i should4 ,i did indeed6 ,in ',phdre1' which ,i first saw1 she was not aided at all by her troupe2 they were evidently ill at ease in the ,greek dress and in ,greek manners2 while she had assimilated herself to the whole4 ,it is founded on the play of ,euripides1 and even to ,rachel the passion which she represents as ,phdre must have been too strange to be natural4 ,hippolytus refuses the love which ,phdre offers after a long struggle with herself1 and this gives cause for the violent bursts in which ,rachel shows her power4 ,it was an outburst of passion of which ,i have no conception1 and ,i felt as if ,i saw a new order of being2 not a woman1 but a personified passion4 ,the vehemence and strength were wonderful4 ,it was in parts very touching4 ,there was as fine an opportunity for ,aricia to show some power as for ,phdre1 but the automaton who represented ,aricia had no power to show4 ,oenon1 whom ,i took to be the sister ,sarah1 was something of an actress1 but her part was so hateful that no one could applaud her4 ,i felt in reading ',phdre1' and in hearing it1 that it was a play of high order1 and that ,i learned some little philosophy from some of its sentiments2 but for ',adrienne' ,i have a contempt4 ,the play was written by ,scribe specially for ,rachel1 and the ,french acting was better done by the other performers than the ,greek4 ,i have always disliked to see death represented on the stage4 ,rachel's representation was awful6 ,i could not take my eyes from the scene1 and ,i held my breath in horror2 the death was so much to the life4 ,it is said that she changes color4 ,i do not know that she does1 but it looked like a ghastly hue that came over her pale face4 ,i was displeased at the constant standing4 ,neither as ,greeks nor as ,frenchmen did they sit at all2 only when dying did ,rachel need a chair4 ,they made love standing1 they told long stories standing1 they took snuff in that position1 hat in hand1 and ,rachel fainted upon the breast of some friend from the same fatiguing attitude4 ,the audience to hear ',adrienne' was very fine4 ,the ,unitarian clergymen and the divinity students seemed to have turned out4 ,most of the two thousand listeners followed with the book1 and when the last word was uttered on the ,french page1 over turned the two thousand leaves1 sounding like a shower of rain4 ,the applause was never very great2 it is said that ,rachel feels this as a ,boston peculiarity1 but she ought also to feel the compliment of so large an audience in a city where foreigners are so few and the population so small compared to that of ,new ,york4 ,nov4 #ad1 #ahee4 ,last night ,i heard ,emerson give a lecture4 ,i pity the reporter who attempts to give it to the world4 ,i began to listen with a determination to remember it in order1 but it was without method1 or order1 or system4 ,it was like a beam of light moving in the undulatory waves1 meeting with occasional meteors in its path2 it was exceedingly captivating4 ,it surprised me that there was not only no commonplace thought1 but there was no commonplace expression4 ,if he quoted1 he quoted from what we had not read2 if he told an anecdote1 it was one that had not reached us4 ,at the outset he was very severe upon the science of the age4 ,he said that inventors and discoverers helped themselves very much1 but they did not help the rest of the world2 that a great man was felt to the centre of the ,copernican system2 that a botanist dried his plants1 but the plants had their revenge and dried the botanist2 that a naturalist bottled up reptiles1 but in return the man was bottled up4 ,there was a pitiful truth in all this1 but there are glorious exceptions4 ,professor ,peirce is anything but a formula1 though he deals in formulae4 ,the lecture turned at length upon beauty1 and it was evident that personal beauty had made ,emerson its slave many a time1 and ,i suppose every heart in the house admitted the truth of his words4444 ,it was evident that ,mr4 ,emerson was not at ease1 for he declared that good manners were more than beauty of face1 and good expression better than good features4 ,he mentioned that ,sir ,philip ,sydney was not handsome1 though the boast of ,english society2 and he spoke of the astonishing beauty of the ,duchess of ,hamilton1 to see whom hundreds collected when she took a ride4 ,i think in these cases there is something besides beauty2 there was rank in that of the ,duchess1 in the case of ,sydney there was no need of beauty at all4 ,dec4 #af1 #ahee4 ,all along this year ,i have felt that it was a hard year--the hardest of my life4 ,and ,i have kept enumerating to myself my many trials2 to-day it suddenly occurred to me that my blessings were much more numerous4 ,if mother's illness was a sore affliction1 her recovery is a great blessing2 and even the illness itself has its bright side1 for we have joyed in showing her how much we prize her continued life4 ,if ,i have lost some friends by death1 ,i have not lost all4 ,if ,i have worked harder than ,i felt that ,i could bear1 how much better is that than not to have as much work as ,i wanted to do4 ,i have earned more money than in any preceding year2 ,i have studied less1 but have observed more1 than ,i did last year4 ,i have saved more money than ever before1 hoping for ,europe in #ahef4 444 ,miss ,mitchell from her earliest childhood had had a great desire to travel in ,europe4 ,she received a very small salary for her services in the ,atheneum1 but small as it was she laid by a little every year4 ,she dressed very simply and spent as little as possible on herself--which was also true of her later years4 ,she took a little journey every year1 and could always have little presents ready for the birthdays and ,christmas days1 and for the necessary books which could not be found in the ,atheneum library1 and which she felt that she ought to own herself1--all this on a salary which an ordinary school-girl in these days would think too meagre to supply her with dress alone4 ,in this family the children were not ashamed to say1 ,i can't afford it1 and were taught that nothing was cheap that they could not pay for--a lesson that has been valuable to them all their lives4 4444 #ahee4 ,deacon ,greeley1 of ,boston1 urged my going to ,boston and giving some lectures to get money4 ,i told him ,i could not think of it just now1 as ,i wanted to go to ,europe4 ',on what money8' said he4 ',what ,i have earned1' ,i replied4 ',bless me6' said he2 'am ,i talking to a capitalist8 ,what a mistake ,i have made4' ,during the time of the prosperity of the town1 the winters were very sociable and lively2 but when the inhabitants began to leave for more favorable opportunities for getting a livelihood1 the change was felt very seriously1 especially in the case of an exceptionally stormy winter4 ,here is an extract showing how ,miss ,mitchell and her family lived during one of these winters3 ,jan4 #bb1 #aheg4 ,hard winters are becoming the order of things4 ,winter before last was hard1 last winter was harder1 and this surpasses all winters known before4 ,we have been frozen into our island now since the #fth4 ,no one cared much about it for the first two or three days2 the sleighing was good1 and all the world was out trying their horses on ,main street--the racecourse of the world4 ,day after day passed1 and the thermometer sank to a lower point1 and the winds rose to a higher1 and sleighing became uncomfortable2 and even the dullest man longs for the cheer of a newspaper4 ,the ',nantucket ,inquirer' came out for awhile1 but at length it had nothing to tell and nothing to inquire about1 and so kept its peace4 ,after about a week a vessel was seen off ,siasconset1 and boarded by a pilot4 ,her captain said he would go anywhere and take anybody1 as all he wanted was a harbor4 ,two men whose business would suffer if they remained at home took passage in her1 and with the pilot1 ,patterson1 she left in good weather and was seen off ,chatham at night4 ,it was hoped that ,patterson would return and bring at least a few newspapers1 but no more is known of them4 ,our postmaster thought he was not allowed to send the mails by such a conveyance4 ,yesterday we got up quite an excitement because a large steamship was seen near the ,haul-over4 ,she set a flag for a pilot1 and was boarded4 ,it was found that she was out of course1 twenty days from ,glasgow1 bound to ,new ,york4 ,what the ,european news is we do not yet know1 but it is plain that we are nearer to ,europe than to ,hyannis4 ,christians as we are1 ,i am afraid we were all sorry that she did not come ashore4 ,we women revelled in the idea of the rich silks she would probably throw upon the beach1 and the men thought a good job would be made by steamboat companies and wreck agents4 ,last night the weather was so mild that a plan was made for cutting out the steamboat2 all the ,irishmen in town were ordered to be on the harbor with axes1 shovels1 and saws at seven this morning4 ,the poor fellows were exulting in the prospect of a job1 but they are sadly balked1 for this morning at seven a hard storm was raging--snow and a good north-west wind4 ,what has become of the ,english steamer no one knows1 but the wind blows off shore1 so she will not come any nearer to us4 ,inside of the house we amuse ourselves in various ways4 ,f4's family and ours form a club meeting three times a week1 and writing 'machine poetry' in great quantities4 ,occasionally something very droll puts us in a roar of laughter4 ,f41 ,e41 and ,k4 are1 ,i think1 rather the smartest1 though ,mr4 ,m4 has written rather the best of all4 ,at the next meeting1 each of us is to produce a sonnet on a subject which we draw by lot4 ,i have written mine and tried to be droll4 ,k4 has written hers and is serious4 ,i am sadly tried by this state of things4 ,i cannot hear from ,cambridge 7the ,nautical ,almanac office71 and am out of work2 it is cloudy most of the time1 and ,i cannot observe2 and ,i had fixed upon just this time for taking a journey4 ,my trunk has been half packed for a month4 ,january #bc4 ,foreseeing that the thermometer would show a very low point last night1 we sat up until near midnight1 when it stood one and one-half below zero4 ,the stars shone brightly1 and the wind blew freshly from west north-west4 ,this morning the wind is the same1 and the mercury stood at six and one-half below zero at seven o'clock1 and now at ten ,a4,m4 is not above zero4 ,the ,coffin ,school dismissed its scholars4 ,miss ,f4 suffered much from the exposure on her way to school4 ,the ',inquirer' came out this morning1 giving the news from ,europe brought by the steamer which lies off ',sconset4 ,no coal has yet been carried to the steamer1 the carts which started for ',sconset being obliged to return4 ,there are about seven hundred barrels of flour in town2 it is admitted that fresh meat is getting scarce2 the streets are almost impassable from the snow-drifts4 ,k4 and ,i have hit upon a plan for killing time4 ,we are learning poetry--she takes twenty lines of ,goldsmith's ',traveller1' and ,i twenty lines of the ',deserted ,village4' ,it will take us twenty days to learn the whole1 and we hope to be stopped in our course by the opening of the harbor4 ,considering that ,k4 has a fianc from whom she cannot hear a word1 she carries herself very amicably towards mankind4 ,she is making herself a pair of shoes1 which look very well2 ,i have made myself a morning-dress since we were closed in4 ,last night ,i took my first lesson in whist-playing4 ,i learned in one evening to know the king1 queen1 and jack apart1 and to understand what my partner meant when she winked at me4 ,the worst of this condition of things is that we shall bear the marks of it all our lives4 ,we are now sixteen daily papers behind the rest of the world1 and in those sixteen papers are items known to all the people in all the cities1 which will never be known to us4 ,how prices have fluctuated in that time we shall not know--what houses have burned down1 what robberies have been committed4 ,when the papers do come1 each of us will rush for the latest dates2 the news of two weeks ago is now history1 and no one reads history1 especially the history of one's own country4 ,i bought a copy of ',aurora ,leigh' just before the freezing up1 and ,i have been careful1 as it is the only copy on the island1 to circulate it freely4 ,it must have been a pleasant visitor in the four or five households which it has entered4 ,we have had ,dr4 ,kane's book and now have the ',japan ,expedition4' ,the intellectual suffering will1 ,i think1 be all4 ,i have no fear of scarcity of provisions or fuel4 ,there are old houses enough to burn4 ,fresh meat is rather scarce because the ,english steamer required so much victualling4 ,we have a barrel of pork and a barrel of flour in the house1 and father has chickens enough to keep us a good while4 ,there are said to be some families who are in a good deal of suffering1 for whom the ,howard ,society is on the lookout4 ,mother gives very freely to ,bridget1 who has four children to support with only the labor of her hands4 ,the ,coffin ,school has been suspended one day on account of the heaviest storm1 and the ,unitarian church has had but one service4 ,no great damage has been done by the gales4 ,my observing-seat came thundering down the roof one evening1 about ten o'clock1 but all the world understood its cry of ',stand from under1' and no one was hurt4 ,several windows were blown in at midnight1 and houses shook so that vases fell from the mantelpieces4 ,the last snow drifted so that the sleighing was difficult1 and at present the storm is so smothering that few are out4 ,a4 has been out to school every day1 and ,i have not failed to go out into the air once a day to take a short walk4 ,january #bd4 ,we left the mercury one below zero when we went to bed last night1 and it was at zero when we rose this morning4 ,but it rises rapidly1 and now1 at eleven ,a4,m41 it is as high as fifteen4 ,the weather is still and beautiful2 the ,english steamer is still safe at her moorings4 ,our little club met last night1 each with a sonnet4 ,i did the best ,i could with a very bad subject4 ,k4 and ,e4 rather carried the honors away1 but ,mr4 ,j4 ,m4's was very taking4 ,our 'crambo' playing was rather dull1 all of us having exhausted ourselves on the sonnets4 ,we seem to have settled ourselves quietly into a tone of resignation in regard to the weather2 we know that we cannot 'get out1' any more than ,sterne's ,starling1 and we know that it is best not to fret4 ,the subject which ,i have drawn for the next poem is ',sunrise1' about which ,i know very little4 ,k4 and ,i continue to learn twenty lines of poetry a day1 and ,i do not find it unpleasant1 though the ',deserted ,village' is rather monotonous4 ,we hear of no suffering in town for fuel or provisions1 and ,i think we could stand a three months' siege without much inconvenience as far as the physicals are concerned4 ,january #bf4 ,the ice continues1 and the cold4 ,the weather is beautiful1 and with the thermometer at fourteen ,i swept with the telescope an hour and a half last night1 comfortably4 ,the ,english steamer will get off to-morrow4 ,it is said that they burned their cabin doors last night to keep their water hot4 ,many people go out to see her2 she lies off ',sconset1 about half a mile from shore4 ,we have sent letters by her which1 ,i hope1 may relieve anxiety4 ,k4 bought a backgammon board to-day4 ,clifford the little nephew came in and spent the morning4 ,january #bi4 ,we have had now two days of warm weather1 but there is yet no hope of getting our steamboat off4 ,day before yesterday we went to ',sconset to see the ,english steamer4 ,she lay so near the shore that we could hear the orders given1 and see the people on board4 ,when we went down the bank the boats were just pushing from the shore1 with bags of coal4 ,they could not go directly to the ship1 but rowed some distance along shore to the north1 and then falling into the ice drifted with it back to the ship4 ,when they reached her a rope was thrown to them1 and they made fast and the coal was raised4 ,we watched them through a glass1 and saw a woman leaning over the side of the ship4 ,the steamer left at five o'clock that day4 ,it was worth the trouble of a ride to ',sconset to see the masses of snow on the road4 ,the road had been cleared for the coal-carts1 and we drove through a narrow path1 cut in deep snow-banks far above our heads1 sometimes for the length of three or four sleighs4 ,we could not1 of course1 turn out for other sleighs1 and there was much waiting on this account4 ,then1 too1 the road was much gullied1 and we rocked in the sleigh as we would on shipboard1 with the bounding over hillocks of snow and ice4 ,now1 all is changed3 the roads are slushy1 and the water stands in deep pools all over the streets4 ,there is a dense fog1 very little wind1 and that from the east4 ,the thermometer above thirty-six4 ,mails arrived ,february #c1 and our steamboat left ,february #e4 ,,chapter ,,iv #aheg ,,southern ,,tour ,in #aheg ,miss ,mitchell made a tour in the ,south1 having under her charge the young daughter of a ,western banker4 ,march #b1 #aheg4 ,i left ,meadville this morning at six o'clock1 in a stage-coach for ,erie4 ,i had1 early in life1 a love for staging1 but it is fast dying out4 ,nine hours over a rough road are enough to root out the most passionate love of that kind4 ,our stage was well filled1 but in spite of the solid base we occasionally found ourselves bumping up against the roof or falling forward upon our opposite neighbors4 ,stage-coaches are1 ,i believe1 always the arena for political debate4 ,to-day we were all on one side1 all ,buchanan men1 and yet all anti-slavery4 ,it seemed reasonable1 as they said1 that the ,south should cease to push the slave question in regard to ,kansas1 now that it has elected its ,president4 ,when ,i took the stage out to ,meadville on the 'mud-road1' it was filled with ,fremont men1 and they seemed to me more able men1 though they were no younger and no more cultivated4 ,march #e4 ,i believe any one might travel from ,maine to ,georgia and be perfectly ignorant of the route1 and yet be well taken care of1 mainly from the good-nature in every one4 ,i found from ,nantucket to ,chicago more attention than ,i desired4 ,i had a short seat in one of the cars1 through the night4 ,i did not think it large enough for two1 and so coiled myself up and went to sleep4 ,there were men standing all around4 ,once one of them came along and said something about there being room for him on my seat4 ,another man said1 ',she's asleep1 don't disturb her4' ,i was too selfish to offer the half of a short seat1 and too tired to reason about the man's being1 possibly1 more tired than ,i4 ,i was invariably offered the seat near the window that ,i might lean against the side of the car1 and one gentleman threw his shawl across my knees to keep me warm 7,i was suffering with heat at the time674 ,another1 seeing me going to ,chicago alone1 warned me to beware of the impositions of hack-drivers2 telling me that ,i must pay two dollars if ,i did not make a bargain beforehand4 ,i found it true1 for ,i paid one dollar for going a few steps only4 ,one peculiarity in travelling from ,east to ,west is1 that you lose the old men4 ,in the cars in ,new ,england you see white-headed men1 and ,i kept one in the train up to ,new ,york1 and one of grayish-tinted hair as far as ,erie2 but after ,cleveland1 no man was over forty years old4 ,for hundreds of miles the prairie land stretches on the ,illinois ,central ,railroad between ,chicago and ,st4 ,louis4 ,it may be pleasant in summer1 but it is a dreary waste in winter4 ,the space is too broad and too uniform to have beauty4 ,the girdle of trees would be pretty1 doubtless1 if seen near1 but in the distance and in winter it is only a black border to a brown plain4 ,the ,state of ,illinois must be capitally adapted to railroads on account of this level1 and but little danger can threaten a train from running off of the track1 as it might run on the soil nearly as well as on the rails4 ,our engine was uncoupled1 and had gone on for nearly half a mile without the cars before the conductor perceived it4 ,the time from ,chicago to ,st4 ,louis is called fifteen hours and a quarter2 we made it twenty-three4 ,if the prairie land is good farming-land1 ,illinois is destined to be a great ,state4 ,if its people will think less of the dollar and more of the refinements of social life and the culture of the mind1 it may become the great ,state of the ,union yet4 ,march #ab4 ,planter's ,hotel1 ,st4 ,louis4 ,we visited ,mercantile ,hall and the ,library4 ,the lecture-room is very spacious and very pretty4 ,no gallery hides the frescoed walls1 and no painful economy has been made of the space on the floor4 #acth4 ,i begin to perceive the commerce of ,st4 ,louis4 ,we went upon the levee this morning1 and for miles the edge was bordered with the pipes of steamboats1 standing like a picket-fence4 ,then we came to the wholesale streets1 and saw the immense stores for dry-goods and crockery4 ,to-day ,i have heard of a scientific association called the ',scientific ,academy of ,st4 ,louis1' which is about a year old1 and which is about to publish a volume of transactions1 containing an account of an artesian well1 and of some inscriptions just sent home from ,nineveh1 which ,mr4 ,gust4 ,seyffarth has deciphered4 ,mr4 ,seyffarth must be a remarkable man2 he has translated a great many inscriptions1 and is said to surpass ,champollion4 ,he has published a work on ,egyptian astronomy1 but no copy is in this country4 ,dr4 ,pope1 who called on me1 and with whom ,i was much pleased1 told me of all these things4 ,western men are so proud of their cities that they spare no pains to make a person from the ,eastern ,states understand the resources1 and hopes1 and plans of their part of the land4 ,rev4 ,dr4 ,eliot ,i have not seen4 ,he is about to establish a university here1 for which he has already #ajj1jjj1 and the academic part is already in a state of activity4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,staples tells me that ,dr4 ,eliot puts his hands into the pockets of his parishioners1 who are rich1 up to the elbows4 ,altogether1 ,st4 ,louis is a growing place1 and the ,west has a large hand and a strong grasp4 ,doctor ,seyffarth is a man of more than sixty years1 gray-haired1 healthy-looking1 and pleasant in manners4 ,he has spent long years of labor in deciphering the inscriptions found upon ancient pillars1 ,egyptian and ,arabic1 dating five thousand years before ,christ4 ,i asked him if he found the observations continuous1 and he said that he did not1 but that they seem to be astrological pictures of the configuration of the planets1 and to have been made at the birth of princes4 ,he has just been reading the slabs sent from ,nineveh by ,mr4 ,marsh2 their date is only about five hundred years ,b4,c4 ,mr4 ,seyffarth's published works amount to seventy1 and he was surprised to find a whole set of them in the ,astor ,library in ,new ,york4 ,march #ai4 ,we came on board of the steamer ',magnolia1' this morning1 in great spirits4 ,we were a little late1 and ,miss ,s4 rushed on board as if she had only ,new ,orleans in view4 ,i followed a little more slowly1 and the brigadier-general came after1 in a sober and dignified manner4 ,we were scarcely on board when the plank was pulled in1 and a few minutes passed and we were afloat on the ,mississippi river4 ,miss ,s4 and myself were the only lady passengers2 we had1 therefore1 the whole range of staterooms from which to choose4 ,each could have a stateroom to herself1 and we talked in admiration of the pleasant times we should have1 watching the scenery from the stateroom windows1 or from the saloon1 reading1 etc4 ,we started off finely4 ,i1 who had been used only to the rough waters of the ,atlantic coast1 was surprised at the steady gliding of the boat4 ,i saw nothing of the mingling of the waters of the ,missouri and the ,mississippi of which ,i had been told4 ,perhaps ,i needed somebody to point out the difference4 ,the two banks of the river were at first much alike1 but after a few hours the left bank became more hilly1 and at intervals presented bluffs and rocks1 rude and irregular in shape1 which we imagined to be ruins of some old castle4 ,at intervals1 too1 we passed steamers going up to ,st4 ,louis1 all laden with passengers4 ,we exulted in our majestic march over the waters4 ,i thought it the very perfection of travelling1 and wished that all my family and all my friends were on board4 ,i wondered at the stupidity of the rest of the world1 and thought that they ought all to leave the marts of business1 to step from the desk1 the counting-room1 and the workshop on board the ',magnolia1' and go down the length of the ',father of ,waters4' ,and so they would1 ,i suppose1 but for sand-bars4 ,here we are five hours out1 and fast aground6 ,we were just at dinner1 the captain making himself agreeable1 the dinner showing itself to be good1 when a peculiar motion of the boat made the captain heave a sigh--he had been heaving the lead all the morning4 ',ah1' he said1 'just what ,i feared2 we've got to one of those bad places1 and we are rubbing the bottom4' ,i asked very innocently if we must wait for the tide1 and was informed that there was no tide felt on this part of the river4 ,miss ,s4 turned a little pale1 and showed a loss of appetite4 ,i was a little bit moved1 but kept it to myself and ate on4 ,as soon as dinner was over1 we went out to look at the prospect of affairs4 ,we were close into the land1 and could be put on shore any minute2 the captain had sent round a little boat to sound the waters1 and the report brought back was of shallow water just ahead of us1 but more on the right and left4 ,while we stood on deck a small boat passed1 and a sailor very gleefully called out the soundings as he threw the lead1 ',eight and a half-nine4' ,but we are still high and dry now at two o'clock ,p4,m4 ,they are shaking the steamer1 and making efforts to move her4 ,they say if she gets over this1 there is no worse place for her to meet4 ,i asked the captain of what the bottom is composed1 and he says1 ',of mud1 rocks1 snags1 and everything4' ,he is now moving very cautiously1 and the boat has an unpleasant tremulous motion4 ,march #bj4 ,latitude about thirty-eight degrees4 ,we are just where we stopped at noon yesterday--there is no change1 and of course no event4 ,one of our crew killed a 'possum yesterday1 and another boat stopped near us this morning1 and seems likely to lie as long as we do on the sand-bar4 ,we read ,shakspere this morning after breakfast1 and then betook ourselves to the wheel-house to look at the scenery again4 ,while there a little colored boy came to us bearing a waiter of oranges1 and telling us that the captain sent them with his compliments4 ,we ate them greedily1 because we had nothing else to do4 #bast4 ,still the sand-bar4 ,no hope of getting off4 ,we heard the pilot hail a steamboat which was going up to ,st4 ,louis1 and tell them to send on a lighter1 and ,i suppose we must wait for that4444 ,it is my private opinion that this great boat will not get off at all1 but will lie here until she petrifies4444 ,march #bd4 ,we left the ',magnolia' after four days and four hours upon the sand-bar near ,turkey island1 upon seeing the ',woodruff' approach4 ,we left in a little rowboat1 and it seemed at first as if we could not overtake the steamer2 but the captain saw us and slackened his speed4 ,miss ,s4 and ,i clutched hands in a little terror as our small boat seemed likely to run under the great steamer1 but our oarsmen knew their duty and we were safely put on board of the ',woodruff4' ,march #be4 ,we stopped at ,cairo at eight o'clock this morning4 ,mr4 ,s4 went on shore and brought newspapers on board4 ,the ,cairo paper ,i do not think of high order4 ,i saw no mention in it of the detention of the ',magnolia'6 ,march #bf4 ,yesterday we count as a day of events4 ,it began to look sunny on the banks1 especially on the ,kentucky side1 and ,miss ,s4 and ,i saw cherry-blossoms4 ,we remembered the eclipse1 and ,mr4 ,s4 having brought with him a piece of broken glass from one of the windows of the ',magnolia1' ,i smoked it over a piece of candle which ,i had brought from ,room ,no4 #bb of the ,planter's ,house at ,st4 ,louis1 and we prepared to see the eclipse4 ,i expected to see the moon on at five o'clock and twenty minutes1 but as ,i had no time ,i could not tell when to look for it4 ,it was not on at that time by my watch1 but in ten minutes after was so far on that ,i think my time cannot be much wrong4 ,it was a little cloudy1 so that we saw the sun only 'all flecked with bars1' and caught sight of the phenomenon at intervals4 ,we were at a coal-landing at the time1 and not far from ,madrid4 ,the boat stopped so long to take in an immense pile of corn-bags that our passengers went on shore--such of them as could climb the slippery bank4 ,when we saw them coming back laden with peach-blossoms1 and saw the little children dressing their hats with them1 we were seized with a longing for them1 and ,mr4 ,s4 offered to go and get us some2 we begged to go too1 but he objected4 ,we were really envious of his good luck when we saw him jump into a country wagon1 drawn by oxen which trotted off like horses1 and1 waving his handkerchief to us1 ride off in great glee4 ,he came back with an armful of peach-tree branches4 ,whose orchard he robbed at our instigation ,i cannot say4 ,a little girl1 the daughter of the captain1 pulled some blossoms open1 and showed us that the fruit germs were not dead1 but would have become peaches if we had not coveted them4 ,the #beth was also our first night steam-boating4 ,after passing ,cairo the river is considered safe for night travel1 and the boat started on her way at #h4cj ,p4,m4 ,we had been out about half an hour when a lady who was playing cards threw down her cards and rushed with a shriek to her stateroom4 ,i perceived then that there had been a peculiar motion to the boat and that it suddenly stopped4 ,we found that one of the paddle-wheels was caught in a snag1 but there was no harm done4 ,it made us a little nervous1 but we slept well enough after it4 ,when ,i look out upon the river1 ,i wonder that boats are not continually snagged4 ,little trees are sticking up on all sides1 and sometimes we seem to be going over a meadow and pushing among rushes4 ,a yawl1 which was sent out yesterday to sound1 was snagged by a stump which was high out of water2 probably they were carried on to it by a current4 ,the little boat whirled round and round1 and the men were plainly frightened1 for they dropped their oars and clutched the sides of the boat4 ,they got control1 however1 in a few minutes1 and had the jeers of the men left on the steamer for their pains4 ,march #cj4 ,we stopped at ,natchez before breakfast this morning1 and1 having half an hour1 we took a carriage and drove through the city4 ,it was like driving through a succession of gardens3 roses were hanging over the fences in the richest profusion1 and the arbor-vitae was ornamenting every little nook1 and adorning every cottage4 ,natchez stands on a high bluff1 very romantic in appearance2 jagged and rugged1 as if volcanoes had been at work in a time long past1 for tall trees grew in the ravines4 ,most of our lady passengers are1 like ourselves1 on a tour of pleasure2 six of them go with us to the ,st4 ,charles ,hotel4 ,some are from ,keokuk1 ,ia41 and ,i think ,i like these the best4 ,one young lady goes ashore to spend some time on a plantation1 as a governess4 ,she looks feeble1 and we all pity her4 ,to-day we pass among plantations on both sides of the river4 ,we begin to see the live-oak--a noble tree4 ,the foliage is so thick and dark that ,i have learned to know it by its color4 ,the magnolia trees1 too1 are becoming fragrant4 ,march #ca4 ,we are at length in ,new ,orleans1 and up three flights at the ,st4 ,charles1 in a dark room4 ,the peculiarities of the city dawn upon me very slowly4 ,i first noticed the showy dress of the children1 then the turbaned heads of the black women in the streets1 and next the bouquet-selling boys with their ,french phrases4 ,april #c4 ,this morning we went to a slave market4 ,it looked on first entrance like an intelligence office4 ,men1 women1 and children were seated on long benches parallel with each other4 ,all rose at our entrance1 and continued standing while we were there4 ,we were told by the traders to walk up and down the passage between them1 and talk with them as we liked4 ,as ,mr4 ,s4 passed the men1 several lifted their hands and said1 ',here's the boy that will suit you2 ,i can do any kind of work4' ,some advertised themselves with a good deal of tact4 ,one woman pulled at my shawl and asked me to buy her4 ,i told her that ,i was not a housekeeper4 ',not married8' she asked4--',no4'--',well1 then1 get married and buy me and my husband4' ,there was a girl among them whiter than ,i1 who roused my sympathies very much4 ,i could not speak to her1 for the past and the future were too plainly told in her face4 ,i spoke to another1 a bright-looking girl of twelve4 ',where were you raised8'--',in ,kentucky4'--',and why are you to be sold8'--',the trader came to ,kentucky1 bought me1 and brought me here4' ,i thought what right had ,i to be homesick1 when that poor girl had left all her kindred for life without her consent4 ,i could hold my tongue and look around without much outward show of disgust1 but to talk pleasantly to the trader ,i could not consent4 ,he told me that he had been brought up in the business1 but he thought it a pity4 ,no buyers were present1 so there was no examination that was painful to look upon4 ,the slaves were intelligent-looking1 and very healthy and neat in appearance4 ,those who belonged to one owner were dressed alike--some in striped pink and white dresses1 others in plaid1 all a little showy4 ,the men were in thick trousers and coarse dark-blue jackets4 ,april #e4 ,we have been this morning to a negro church4 ,we found it a miserable-looking house1 mostly unpainted and unplastered1 but well filled with the swarthy faces4 ,they were singing when we entered2 we were pointed to a good seat4 ,there may have been fifty persons present1 all well dressed2 the women in the fanciful checkered headdresses so much favored by the negro race1 the men in clean collars1 nankin trousers1 and dark coats4 ,all showed that they were well kept and well fed4 ,the audience was increased by new comers frequently1 and these1 whatever the exercise might be1 shook hands with those around them as they seated themselves1 and joined immediately in the services4 ,the singing was by the whole congregation1 the minister lining out the hymns as in the early times in ,new ,england4 ,several persons carried on the exercises from the pulpit1 and in the prayers and sermon the audience took an active part1 responding in groans1 ',oh1 yes1' or ',amen1' sometimes performing a kind of chant to accompany the words4444 ,a negro minister said in his prayer1 ',o ,god1 we are not for much talking4' ,i was delighted at the prospect of a short discourse1 but ,i found his 'not much talking' exactly corresponded to 'a good deal' in my use of words4 ,he talked for a full hour4 ,there was something pleasing in the earnestness of the preacher and the sympathetic feeling of the audience1 but their peculiar condition was not alluded to1 and probably was not felt4 ,the discourse was almost ludicrous at times1 and at times was pathetic4 ,i saved up a few specimens3 ',o ,god1 you have said that where one or two are gathered together in your name1 there will you be2 if anything stands between us that you can't come1 put it aside4' ',god wants a kingdom upon earth with which he can coin-cide1 and that kingdom are your heart4' ',god is near you when you are at the wash-tub or the ironing-table4' ',brethren1 ,i thought last ,sabbath ,i wouldn't live to this2 a man gets such a notion sometimes4' ,april #i1 ,alabama ,river4 ,some lessons we of the ,north might learn from the ,south1 and one is a greater regard for human life4 ,i asked the captain of our boat if they had any accidents in these waters4 ,he said1 ',we don't kill people at the ,south1 we gave that up some years ago2 we leave it to the ,north1 and the ,north seems to be capable of doing it4' ,the reason for this is1 that they are in no hurry4 ,the ,southern character is opposed to haste4 ,safety is of more worth than speed1 and there is no hurry4 ,every one at the ,south introduces its 'peculiar institution' into conversation4 ,they talk as ,i expected ,southern people of intelligence to talk2 they lament the evil1 and say1 ',it is upon us1 what can we do8 ,to give them freedom would be cruel4' ,southerners fall back upon the ,bible at once2 there is more of the old-fashioned religion at the ,south than at the ,north2 that is1 they are not intellectual religionists4 ,they are shocked by the irreligion of ,massachusetts1 and by ,theodore ,parker4 ,they read the ,bible1 and can quote it2 they are ready with it as an argument at every turn4 ,i am of course not used to the warfare1 and so withdraw from the fight4 ,one argument which three persons have brought up to me is the superior condition of the blacks now1 to what it would have been had their parents remained in ,africa1 and they been children of the soil4 ,i make no answer to this1 for if this is an argument1 it would be our duty to enslave the heathen1 instead of attempting to enlighten them4 ,we hear some anecdotes which are amusing4 ,a ,judge ,smith1 of ,south ,carolina1 moved to ,alabama1 and became a prominent man there4 ,he was sent to the ,senate4 ,he was violently opposed by a young man who said that but for his gray hair he would challenge him4 ,judge ,smith said1 ',you are not the first coward who has taken shelter beneath my gray hairs4' ,the same ,judge ,smith1 when a proposition came before the ,senate to build a ,state penitentiary1 said1 ',wall in the city of ,mobile2 you will have your penitentiary and its inmates4' ,so far ,i have found it easier to travel without an escort ,south and ,west than at the ,north2 that is1 ,i have more care taken of me4 ,every one is courteous1 too1 in speech4 ,i know that they cannot love ,massachusetts1 but they are careful not to wound my feelings4 ,they acknowledge it to be the great ,state in education2 they point to a pretty village and say1 ',almost as neat as a ,new ,england village4' ,savannah1 ,april #ae4444 ,to-day we left town at ten o'clock for a drive in any direction that we liked4 ,mr4 ,f4 and ,i went in a buggy1 and ,miss ,s4 cantered behind us on her horse4 ,the road that we took led to some rice plantations ten miles out of the city4 ,our path was ornamented by the live-oaks1 cedar trees1 the dogwood1 and occasionally the mistletoe1 and enlivened sometimes by the whistle of the mocking-bird4 ,down low by the wheels grew the wild azalea and the jessamine4 ,above our heads the ,spanish moss hung from the trees in beautiful drapery4 ,by mistake we drove into the plantation grounds of ,mr4 ,gibbons1 a man of wealth1 who is seldom on his lands1 and where the avenues are therefore a little wild1 and the roads a little rough4 ,we came afterwards upon a road leading under the most magnificent oaks that ,i ever saw4 ,i felt as if ,i were under the arched roof of some ancient cathedral4 ,the trees were irregularly grouped and of immense size1 throwing their hundreds of arms far upon the background of heaven1 and bearing the drapery of the ,spanish moss fold upon fold1 as if they sought to keep their raiment from touching the earth4 ,i was perfectly delighted1 and think it the finest picture ,i have yet seen4 ,retracing our steps1 we sought the plantation of ,mr4 ,potter--a very different one from that of ,mr4 ,gibbons1 as all was finish and neatness2 a fine mansion well stored with books1 and some fine oaks1 some of which ,mr4 ,potter had planted himself4 ,mr4 ,potter walked through the fields with us1 and1 stopping among the negro huts1 he said to a little boy1 ',call the children and give us some singing4' ,the little boy ran off1 shouting1 ',come and sing for massa2' and in a few minutes the little darkies might be seen running through the fields and tumbling over the fences in their anxiety to get to us1 to the number of eighteen4 ,they sat upon the ground around us and began their song4 ,the boy who led sang ',early in the ,morning1' and the other seventeen brought in a chorus of ',let us think of ,jesus4' ,then the leader set up something about ',god ,almicha1' to which the others brought in another chorus4 ,they were a dirty and shabby looking set1 but as usual fat1 even to the little babies1 whom the larger boys were tending4 ,one little girl as she passed ,mr4 ,potter carelessly put her hand in his and said1 ',good morning1 massa4' ,mrs4 ,g4 tells me an anecdote which shows the ,southern sentiment on the one subject4 ,the ladies of ,charleston were much pleased with ,miss ,murray1 and got up for her what they called a ,murray testimonial1 a collection of divers pretty things made by their own hands4 ,the large box was ready to be sent to ,england1 but alas for ,miss ,murray6 ,while they were debating in what way it should be sent to ensure its reaching her without cost to herself1 in an unwise moment she sent twenty-five dollars to ',bleeding ,kansas1' and the fit of good feeling towards her ebbed2 the 'testimonial' remains unsent4 ,april #bc1 ,charleston4 ,this place is somewhat like ,boston in its narrow streets1 but unlike ,boston in being quiet2 as is all the ,south4 ,quiet and moderation seem to be the attributes of ,southern cities4 ,you need not hurry to a boat for fear it will leave at the hour appointed2 it never does4 ,we took a carriage and drove along the ,battery4 ,the snuff of salt air did me good4 ,then we went on to a garden of roses1 owned and cultivated by a colored woman4 ,she has some twenty acres devoted to flowers and vegetables1 and she owns twenty 'niggers4' ,the universal term for slaves is 'niggers4' ',nigger1 bring that horse1' ',nigger1 get out of the way1' will be said by the finest gentleman1 and ',my niggers' is said by every one4 ,i do not believe that the slaves are badly treated2 there may be cases of it1 but ,i have seen them only sleek1 fat1 and lazy4 ,the old buildings of ,charleston please me exceedingly4 ,the houses are built of brick1 standing end to the street1 three stories in height1 with piazza above piazza at the side2 with flower gardens around1 and magnolias at the gates2 the winding steps to the mansions festooned with roses4 ,i have just called on ,miss ,rutledge1 who lives in the second oldest house in the city2 herself a fine specimen of antiquity1 in her double-ruffled cap and plaided black dress2 she chatted away like a young person1 using the good old ,english4 ,april #bf4 ,to-day ,mr4 ,capers called on me4 ,i was pleased with the account he gave me of his college life1 and of a meeting held by his class thirty years after they graduated4 ,some thirty of them assembled at the ,revere ,house in ,boston2 they spread a table with viands from all sections of the country4 ,mr4 ,capers sent watermelons1 and another gentleman from ,kentucky sent the wines of his ,state4 ,they sat late at table2 they renewed the old friendships and talked over college scenes1 and when it was near midnight some one proposed that each should give a sketch of his life1 so they went through in alphabetical order4 ,adams was the first4 ,he said1 ',you all remember how ,i waited upon table in commons4 ,you know that ,i afterwards went through college1 but you do not know that to this man and he pointed to a classmate ,i was indebted for the money that paid for my college course4' ,anderson was the second1 and he told of his two wives3 of the first1 much2 of the second1 little4 ,bowditch came next1 and he said he would tell of ,anderson's second wife1 who was a ,miss ,lockworth1 of ,lexington1 ,ky4 ,anderson1 a widower1 and his brother went to ,lexington1 carrying with them a letter of introduction to the father of the young lady4 ,while the brother was making an elaborate toilet1 ,anderson strolled out1 and came1 in his walk1 upon a beautiful residence1 and saw1 within the enclosure1 some inviting grounds4 ,he stopped and spoke to the porter1 and found it was ,mr4 ,lockworth's4 ,he told the porter that he had letters to ,mr4 ,lockworth1 and was intending to call upon him4 ,the porter was very communicative1 and told him a good deal4 ,anderson asked if there were not a pretty daughter4 ,the porter asked him to walk around4 ,as he entered the gate he reached a dollar to the man1 and1 being much pleased1 when he came out he reached the porter another dollar4 ,anderson went back to the hotel1 told his brother about it1 and they set out together to deliver the letter4 ,the brother knew ,mr4 ,lockworth1 and as they met him in the parlor1 he walked up1 shook hands with him1 and asked to present his brother1 ,lars ,anderson4 ',no introduction is necessary1' said ,mr4 ,lockworth2 and putting his hand into his pocket1 drawing out the two dollars1 he added1 ',i am already in your debt just this sum6' ,the 'pretty daughter' was sitting upon the sofa4 ,mr4 ,capers told me that their autobiographies drew smiles and tears alternately2 they continued till one o'clock2 then one of the class said1 ',brothers1 do you know that not a wineglass has yet been turned up1 not a drop of wine drunk8 ,and all were at once so impressed with the conviction that they had all been lifted above the needs of the flesh that they refused to drink1 and one of the clergymen of the class kneeling in prayer1 they all knelt at once1 even to some idle spectators who were looking on4 ,april #bh4 ,nothing can exceed the hospitality shown to us4 ,we have several invitations for each day1 and calls without limit4 ,i had heard ,mrs4 ,holbrook described as a wonder1 and ,i found her a very pleasing woman1 all ready to talk1 and talking with a richness of expression which shows a full mind4 ,mrs4 ,holbrook was a ,rutledge1 and it was amusing1 after seeing her1 to open ,miss ,bremer's ',homes of the ,new ,world1' and read her extravagant comments4 ,miss ,bremer was certainly made happy at ,belmont4 ,april #bi4 ,to-day ,i have been to see ,miss ,pinckney4 ,she is the last representative of her name1 is over eighty1 and still retains the animation of youth1 though somewhat shaken in her physical strength by age4 ,i found her sitting in an armchair1 her feet resting upon a cushion1 surrounded by some half-dozen callers4 ,she rose at once when ,i entered1 and insisted upon my occupying her seat1 while she took a less comfortable one4 ,the walls of the room were ornamented with portraits of ,major-,general ,pinckney by ,stuart1 ,stuart's ,washington1 one by ,morris of ,general ,thomas ,pinckney1 and a portrait of ,miss ,pinckney's mother4 ,miss ,pinckney is a very plain woman1 but much beloved for her benevolence4 ,it is said that on looking over her diary which she keeps1 recording the reasons for her many gifts to her friends and to her slaves1 such entries as these will be found3 '---- to ,mary1 because she is married4' '---- to ,julia1 because she has no husband4' ,miss ,pinckney showed me among her centre-table ornaments a miniature of ,washington2 one of her grandmother1 of exceeding beauty2 one of each of the ,pinckneys whose portraits are on the walls4 ,charleston is full of ante-,revolution houses1 and they please me4 ,they were built when there was no hurry2 they were built to last1 and they have lasted1 and will yet last for the children of their present possessors4 ,nothing can be happier in expression than the faces of the colored children4 ,they have what must be the ease of the lower classes in a despotic country4 ,the slaves have no care1 no ambition2 their place is a fixed one--they know it1 and take all the good they can get4 ,the children are fat1 sleek1 and1 inheriting no nervous longings from their parents1 are on a constant grin--at play with loud laughs and high leaps4 ,may #a4 ,it does not follow because the slaves are sleek and fat and really happy--for happy ,i believe they are--that slavery is not an evil2 and the great evil is1 as ,i always supposed1 in the effect upon the whites4 ,the few ,southern gentlemen that ,i know interest me from their courtesy1 agreeable manners1 and ready speech4 ,they also strike me as childlike and fussy4 ,i catch myself feeling that ,i am the man and they are women2 and ,i see this even in the captain of a steamer4 ,then they all like to talk sentiment--their religion is a feeling4 ,may #b4 ,the negroes are remarkable for their courtesy of manner4 ,those who belong to good families seem to pride themselves upon their dress and style4 ,a lady walking in ,charleston is never jostled by black or white man4 ,the white man steps out of her way1 the black man does this and touches his hat4 ,the black woman bows--she is distinguished by her neat dress1 her clean plaid head-dress1 and her upright carriage4 ,it would be well for some of our young ladies to carry burdens on their heads1 even to the risk of flattening the instep1 if by that means they could get the straight back of a slave4 ,mrs4 ,w41 who takes us out to drive1 comes with her black coachman and a little boy4 ,the coachman wears white gloves1 and looks like a gentleman4 ,the little boy rings door-bells when we stop4 ,when it rained the other day1 ,mrs4 ,w4 dropped the window of the carriage1 and desired the two to put on their shawls1 for fear they would take cold4 ,they are plainly a great care to their owners1 for they are like children and cannot take care of themselves2 and yet in another way the masters are like children1 from the constant waiting upon that they receive4 ,one would think1 where one class does all the thinking and the other all the working1 that masters would be active thinkers and slaves ready workers2 but neither result seems to happen--both are listless and inactive4 ,may #c4 ,i asked ,miss ,pinckney to-day if she remembered ,george ,washington4 ,she and ,mrs4 ,poinsett spoke at once4 ',oh1 yes1 we were children1' said ,mrs4 ,poinsett2 'but my father would have him come to see us1 and he took each of us in his arms and kissed us2 and at another time we went to ,mt4 ,vernon and made him a visit4' ,never were more intelligent old ladies than ,mrs4 ,poinsett and ,miss ,pinckney4 ,the latter stepped around like a young girl1 and brought a heavy book to show me the sketch of her sister1 ,marie ,henrietta ,pinckney1 who1 in the nullification time of #ahcj1 wrote a pamphlet in defence of the ,state4 ,miss ,pinckney's father was the originator of the celebrated maxim1 ',millions for defence1 but not one cent for tribute4' ,their house was the headquarters for the nullifiers1 and they had serenades1 she said1 without number4 ,it was pleasant to hear the old ladies chatter away1 and it was interesting to think of the distinguished men who had been under that roof1 and of the cultivated and beautiful women who had adorned the mansion4 ,miss ,pinckney1 when ,i left1 followed me to the door1 and put into my hands an elegant little volume of poems1 called ',reliquiai4' ,they seem to be simple effusions of some person who died early4 ,may #i4 ,we left ,charleston1 its old houses and its good people1 on ,monday1 and reached ,augusta the same day4 ,augusta is prettily laid out1 but the place is of little interest2 and for the hotel where we stayed1 ,i can only give this advice to its inmates3 ',don't examine a black spot upon your pillow-case2 go to sleep at once1 and keep asleep if you can4' ,when we were on the road from ,augusta to ,atlanta1 the conductor said1 ',if you are going on to ,nashville1 you will be on the road in the night2 people don't love to go on that road in the night4 ,i don't know why4' ,when we came to the ,nashville road1 ,i thought that ,i knew 'why4' ,the road runs around the base of a mountain1 while directly beneath it1 at a great depth1 runs a river4 ,a dash off the track on one side would be against the mountain1 on the other side would be into the river1 while the sharp turns seem to invite such a catastrophe4 ,when we were somewhat wrought up to a nervous excitement1 the cars would plunge into the darkness of a tunnel--darkness such as ,i almost felt4 ,it was a picturesque but weary ride1 and we were tired and hungry when we reached ,nashville4 ,may #aa4 ,to-day we have been out for a two-hours' drive4 ,it is warm1 cloudy1 and looks like a tempest2 we are too tired for much effort4 ,mrs4 ,fogg1 of ,nashville1 took us to call on the widow of ,president ,polk4 ,we found her at home1 though apparently just ready for a walk4 ,she is still in mourning1 and tells me that she has not travelled fifty miles from home in the last eight years4 ,she spoke to me of ,governor ,briggs 7of ,massachusetts71 an old friend2 of ,professor ,hare2 and said that among her cards1 on her return from a journey some years ago1 she found ,charles ,sumner's2 and forgetting at the moment who he was1 she asked the servant who he was4 ',the ,abolitionist ,senator from ,massachusetts--,i asked him in1' was the reply4 ,mrs4 ,polk talks readily1 is handsome1 elegant in figure1 and shows at once that she is well read4 ,she told me that she reads all the newspaper reports of the progress of science4 ,she lives simply1 as any ,new ,england woman would1 though her house is larger than most private residences4 ,mrs4 ,fogg told me many anecdotes of ,dorothea ,dix4 ,that lady was1 at one time1 travelling alone1 and was obliged to stop at some little village tavern4 ,as she lay half asleep upon the sofa1 the driver of the stage in which she was to take passage came into the room1 approached her1 and held a light to her closed eyes4 ,she did not dare to move nor utter a sound1 but when he turned away she opened her eyes and watched him4 ,he went to the mail-bags1 opened them1 took out the letters1 hastily broke the seals1 took out money enclosed1 put it into his pocket1 closed the bags1 and again approached her with his lamp4 ,she shut her eyes and pretended to sleep again2 then at the proper time entered the stage and pursued her journey4 ,at the end of the journey she reported his conduct to the proper authorities4 ,i was a little doubtful about the propriety of going to the ,mammoth ,cave without a gentleman escort1 but if two ladies travel alone they must have the courage of men4 ,so ,i called the landlord as soon as we arrived at the ,cave ,house1 and asked if we could have ,mat1 who ,i had been told was the best guide now that ,stephen is ill4 ,the landlord promised ,mat to me for two days4 ,after dinner we made our first attempt4 ,the ground descends for some two hundred feet towards the mouth of the cave2 then you come to a low hill1 and you descend through a small aperture not at all imposing1 in front of which trickles a little stream4 ,for some little while we needed no light1 but soon the guide lighted and gave to each of us a little lamp4 ,mat took the lead1 ,i came next1 ,miss ,s4 followed1 and an old slave brought up in the rear4 ,i confess that ,i shuddered as ,i came into the darkness4 ,our lamps1 of course1 gave but feeble light2 we barely saw at first where our feet must step4 ,i looked up1 trying in vain to find the ceiling or the walls4 ,all was darkness4 ,in about an hour we saw more clearly4 ,the chambers are1 many of them1 elliptical in shape2 the ceiling is of mixed dark and white color1 and looks much like the sky on a cloudy moonlight evening4 ,a friend of ours1 who has been much in the cave1 says1 ',if the top were lifted off1 and the whole were exposed to view1 no woman would ever enter it again4' ,we clambered over heaps of rocks1 we descended ladders1 wound through narrow passages1 passed along chambers so low that we crouched for the whole length1 entered upon lofty halls1 ascended ladders1 and crossed a bridge over a yawning abyss4 ,every nightmare scene that ,i had ever dreamed of seemed to be realized4 ,i shuddered several times1 and was obliged to reason with myself to assure me of safety4 ,occasionally we sat down and rested upon some flat rock4 ,miss ,s41 who has a great taste for costuming1 wound her plaid shawl about her shoulders1 turbaned her head with a green veil1 swung her lamp upon a stick which she rested upon her shoulder1 and then threw herself upon a rock in a most picturesque attitude4 ,the guide took a lower seat1 and his dirty tin cup1 swung across his breast1 looked like an ornament as the light struck it2 his swarthy face was bright1 and ,i wondered what our friends at home would give for a picture4 ,one of these elliptical halls has its ceiling immensely far off1 and of the deepest black1 until our feeble little lights strike upon innumerable points1 when it shines forth like a dark starlight night4 ,the stars are faint1 but they look so exceedingly like the heavens that one easily forgets that it is not reality4 ,the guide asked us to be seated1 while he went behind down a descent with the lights1 to show us the creeping over of the shadows of the rocks1 as if a dark cloud passed over the starlit vault4 ,the black cloud crept on and on as the guide descended1 until a fear came over us1 and we cried out together to him to come back1 not to leave us in total darkness4 ,he begged that he might go still lower and show us entire darkness1 but we would not permit it4 ,guin's ,dome4 ,what the name means ,i can't say4 ,the guide tells you to pause in your scrambling over loose stones and muddy soil1--which you are always willing to do1--and to put your head through a circular aperture1 and to look up while he lights the ,bengal light2 you obey1 and look up upon columns of fluted1 snowy whiteness2 he tells you to look down1 and you follow the same pillars down--up to heights which the light cannot climb1 down to depths on which it cannot fall4 ,you shudder as you look up1 and you shudder as you look down4 ,indeed1 the march of the cave is a series of shudders4 ,geologists may enjoy it1 a large party may be merry in it2 but if the 'underground railroad' of the slaves is of that kind1 ,i should rather remain a slave than undertake a runaway trip6 ,may #ah4 ,to-day we retraced our steps from ,nashville to ,chattanooga4 ,it had been raining nearly all night1 and we found1 when not far from the latter place1 that the streams were pouring down from the high lands upon the car-track1 so that we came through rivers4 ,when we dashed into the dark tunnel it was darker than ever from the darkness of the day1 and it seemed to me that the darkness pressed upon me4 ,i am sure ,i should keep my senses a very little while if ,i were confined in a dark place4 ,as we came out of the tunnel1 the water from the hill above dashed upon the cars2 and although it did not break the panes of glass1 it forced its way through and sprinkled us4 ,the route1 with all its terrors1 is beautiful1 and the trees are now much finer than they were ten days ago4 ,may #bg4 ,there is this great difference between ,niagara and other wonders of the world3 that of it you get no idea from descriptions1 or even from paintings4 ,of the ',mammoth ,cave' you have a conception from what you are told2 of the ,natural ,bridge you get a really truthful impression from a picture4 ,but cave and bridge are in still life4 ,niagara is all activity and change4 ,no picture gives you the varying form of the water or the change of color2 no description conveys to your mind the ceaseless roar4 ,so1 too1 the ocean must be unrepresentable to those who have not looked upon it4 ,the ,natural ,bridge stands out bold and high1 just as you expect to see it4 ,you are agreeably disappointed1 however1 on finding that you can go under the arch and be completely in the coolness of its shade while you look up for two hundred feet to the rocky black and white ceiling above4 ,one of the prettiest peculiarities is the fringing above of the trees which hang over the edge1 and looking out past the arch the wooded banks of the ravine are very pleasant4 ,from above1 one has the pain always attendant to me upon looking down into an abyss1 but at the same time one obtains a better conception of the depth of the valley4 ,it is well worth seeing1 partly for itself1 partly because it can be reached only by a ride among the hills of the ,blue ,ridge4 ,,chapter ,v #aheg ,,first ,,european ,,tour--,,liverpool--,,the ,,hawthornes--,,london--,,greenwich ,,observatory--,,admiral ,,smyth--,,dr4 ,,lee ,shortly after her return from the ,south1 ,miss ,mitchell started again for a tour in ,europe with the same young girl4 ,miss ,mitchell carried letters from eminent scientific people in this country to such persons as it would be desirable for her to know in ,europe2 especially to astronomers and mathematicians4 ,when ,miss ,mitchell went to ,europe she took her ,almanac work with her1 and what time she was not sight-seeing she was continuing that work4 ,her wisdom in this respect was very soon apparent4 ,she had not been in ,england many weeks when a great financial crisis took place in the ,united ,states1 and the father of her young charge succumbed to the general failure4 ,the young lady was called home1 but after considering the matter seriously ,miss ,mitchell decided to remain herself1 putting the young lady into careful hands for the return passage from ,liverpool4 ,miss ,mitchell enjoyed the society of the scientific people whom she met in ,england to her heart's content4 ,she was very cordially received1 and the astronomers not only opened their observatories to her1 but welcomed her into their family life4 ,on arriving at ,liverpool1 ,miss ,mitchell delivered the letters to the astronomers living in or near that city1 and visited their observatories4 ,aug4 #c1 #aheg4 ,i brought a letter from ,professor ,silliman to ,mr4 ,john ,taylor1 cotton merchant and astronomer2 and to-day ,i have taken tea with him4 ,he is an old man1 nearly eighty ,i should think1 but full of life1 and talks by the hour on heathen mythology4 ,he was the principal agent in the establishment of the ,liverpool ,observatory1 but disclaims the honor1 because it was established on so small a scale1 compared with his own gigantic plan4 ,mr4 ,taylor has invented a little machine1 for showing the approximate position of a comet1 having the elements4 ,he has also made additions to the globes made by ,de ,morgan1 so that they can be used for any year and show the correct rising and setting of the stars4 ,he struck me as being a man of taste1 but of no great profundity4 ,he has a painting which he believes to be by ,guido2 it seemed to me too fresh in its coloring for the sixteenth century4 ,august #d1 #c ,p4,m4 ,i put down my pen1 because old ,mr4 ,taylor called1 and while he was here ,rev4 ,james ,martineau came4 ,mr4 ,martineau is one of the handsomest men ,i ever saw4 ,he cannot be more than thirty1 or if he is he has kept his dark hair remarkably4 ,he has large1 bluish-gray eyes1 and is tall and elegant in manner4 ,he says he is just packed to move to ,london4 ,he gave me his ,london address and hoped he should see me there2 but ,i doubt if he does1 for ,i did not like to tell him my address unless he asked for it1 for fear of seeming to be pushing4 ,august1444 ,i have been to visit ,mr4 ,lassell4 ,he called yesterday and asked me to dine with him to-day4 ,he has a charming place1 about four miles out of ,liverpool2 a pretty house and grounds4 ,mr4 ,lassell has constructed two telescopes1 both on the ,newtonian plan2 one of ten1 the other of twenty1 feet in length4 ,each has its separate building1 and in the smaller building is a transit instrument4 ,mr4 ,lassell must have been a most indefatigable worker as well as a most ingenious man2 for1 besides constructing his own instruments1 he has found time to make discoveries4 ,he is1 besides1 very genial and pleasant1 and told me some good anecdotes connected with astronomical observations4 ,one story pleased me very much4 ,our ,massachusetts astronomer1 ,alvan ,clark1 has long been a correspondent of ,mr4 ,dawes1 but has never seen him4 ,wishing to have an idea of his person1 and being a portrait painter1 ,mr4 ,clark sent to ,mr4 ,dawes for his daguerreotype1 and from that painted a likeness1 which he has sent out to ,liverpool1 and which is said to be excellent4 ,mr4 ,lassell looks in at the side of his reflecting telescopes by means of a diagonal eye-piece2 when the instrument is pointed at objects of high altitude he hangs a ladder upon the dome and mounts2 the ladder moves around with the dome4 ,mr4 ,lassell works only for his own amusement1 and has been to ,malta1--carrying his larger telescope with him1--for the sake of clearer skies4 ,neither ,mr4 ,lassell nor ,mr4 ,hartnup ,footnote3 ,of the ,liverpool ,observatory4 makes regular observations4 ,the ,misses ,lassell1 four in number1 seem to be very accomplished4 ,they take photographs of each other which are beautiful1 make their own picture-frames1 and work in the same workshop with their father4 ,one of them told me that she made observations on my comet1 supposing it to belong to ,mr4 ,dawes1 who was a friend of hers4 ,they keep an album of the autographs of their scientific visitors1 and among them ,i saw those of ,professor ,young1 of ,dartmouth1 and of ,professor ,loomis4 ,august #d4 ,i have just returned from a visit to the ,liverpool ,observatory1 under the direction of ,mr4 ,hartnup4 ,it is situated on ,waterloo dock1 and the pier of the observatory rests upon the sandstone of that region1 ,the telescope is an equatorial2 like many good instruments in our country1 it is almost unused4 ,mr4 ,hartnup's observatory is for nautical purposes4 ,i found him a very gentlemanly person1 and very willing to show me anything of interest about the observatory2 but they make no regular series of astronomical observations1 other than those required for the commerce of ,liverpool4 ,mr4 ,hartnup has a clock which by the application of an electric current controls the action of other clocks1 especially the town clock of ,liverpool--distant some miles4 ,the current of electricity is not the motive power1 but a corrector4 ,much attention is paid to meteorology4 ,the pressure of the wind1 the horizontal motion1 and the course are recorded upon sheets of paper running upon cylinders and connected with the clock2 the instrument which obeys the voice of the wind being outside4 ,aug4 #e1 #aheg4 ,i did not send my letter to ,mr4 ,hawthorne until yesterday1 supposing that he was not in the city2 but yesterday when ,rev4 ,james ,martineau called on me1 he said that he had not yet left4 ,mr4 ,martineau said that it would be a great loss to ,liverpool when ,mr4 ,hawthorne went away4 ,i sent my letter at once2 from all that ,i had heard of ,mr4 ,hawthorne's shyness1 ,i thought it doubtful if he would call1 and ,i was therefore very much pleased when his card was sent in this morning4 ,mr4 ,hawthorne was more chatty than ,i had expected1 but not any more diffident4 ,he remained about five minutes1 during which time he took his hat from the table and put it back once a minute1 brushing it each time4 ,the engravings in the books are much like him4 ,he is not handsome1 but looks as the author of his books should look2 a little strange and odd1 as if not of this earth4 ,he has large1 bluish-gray eyes2 his hair stands out on each side1 so much so that one's thoughts naturally turn to combs and hair-brushes and toilet ceremonies as one looks at him4 ,later1 when ,miss ,mitchell was in ,paris1 alone1 on her way to ,rome1 she sent to the ,hawthornes1 who were also in ,paris1 asking for the privilege of joining them1 as they too were journeying in the same direction4 ,she says in her diary3 ,mrs4 ,hawthorne was feeble1 and she told me that she objected1 but that ,mr4 ,hawthorne assured her that ,i was a person who would give no trouble2 therefore she consented4 ,we were about ten days on the journey to ,rome1 and three months in ,rome2 living1 however1 some streets asunder4 ,i saw them nearly every day4 ,like everybody else1 ,i found ,mr4 ,hawthorne very taciturn4 ,his few words were1 however1 very telling4 ,when ,i talked ,french1 he told me it was capital3 ',it came down like a sledge-hammer4' ,his little satirical remarks were such as these3 ,it was ,march and ,i took a bunch of violets to ,rosa2 notched white paper was wound around them1 and ,mr4 ,hawthorne said1 ',they have on a cambric ruffle4 ,generally he sat by an open fire1 with his feet thrust into the coals1 and an open volume of ,thackeray upon his knees4 ,he said that ,thackeray was the greatest living novelist4 ,i sometimes suspected that the volume of ,thackeray was kept as a foil1 that he might not be talked to4 ,he shrank from society1 but rode and walked4 ,,extract ,,from ,a ,,letter4 ,,rome1 ,feb4 #af1 #aheh4 444 ,the ,hawthornes are invaluable to me1 because the little ones come to my room every day and ,i go there when ,i like4 ,mrs4 ,hawthorne sometimes walks with us1 ,mr4 ,h4 never4 ,he has a horror of sight-seeing and of emotions in general1 but ,i like him very much1 and when ,i say ,i like him it only means that ,i like her a little more4 ,julian1 the boy1 is in love with me4 ,when ,i was last there ,mr4 ,h4 came home with me2 as he put on his coat he turned to ,julian and said1 ,julian1 ,i should think with your tender interest in ,miss ,mitchell you wouldn't let me escort her home4 ,we arrived in ,rome in the evening4 ,mrs4 ,h4 was somewhat of an invalid1 and ,mr4 ,hawthorne tried in vain to make the servant understand that she must have a fire in her room4 ,he spoke no word of ,french1 ,german1 or ,italian1 but he said emphatically1 ',make a fire in ,mrs4 ,hawthorne's room4' ,worn out with his efforts1 he turned to me and said1 ',do1 ,miss ,mitchell1 tell the servant what ,i want2 your ,french is excellent6 ,englishmen and ,frenchmen understand it equally well4' ,so ,i said in execrable ,french1 ',make a fire1' and pointed to the grate2 of course the gesture was understood4 ,mr4 ,hawthorne was minutely and scrupulously honest2 ,i should say that he was a rigid temperance man4 ,once ,i heard ,mrs4 ,hawthorne say to the clerk1 ',send some brandy to ,mr4 ,hawthorne at once4' ,we were six in the party4 ,when ,i paid my bill ,i heard ,mr4 ,hawthorne say to ,miss ,s41 the teacher1 who took all the business cares1 ',don't let ,miss ,mitchell pay for one-sixth of my brandy4' ,so if we ordered tea for five1 and six partook of it1 he called the waiter and said1 ',six have partaken of the tea1 although there was no tea added2 to the amount4' ,i told ,mr4 ,hawthorne that a friend of mine1 ,miss ,w41 desired very much to see him1 as she admired him very much4 ,he said1 ',don't let her see me1 let her keep her little lamp burning4' ,he was a sad man2 ,i could never tell why4 ,i never could get at anything of his religious views4 ,he was wonderfully blest in his family4 ,mrs4 ,hawthorne almost worshipped him4 ,she was of a very serious and religious turn of mind4 ,i dined with them the day that ,una was sixteen years old4 ,we drank her health in cold water4 ,mr4 ,hawthorne said1 ',may you live happily1 and be ready to go when you must4' ,he joined in the family talk very pleasantly4 ,one evening we made up a story4 ,one said1 ',a party was in ,rome2' another said1 ',it was a pleasant day2' another said1 ',they took a walk4' ,it came to ,hawthorne's turn1 and he said1 ',do put in an incident2' so ,rosa said1 ',then a bear jumped from the top of ,st4 ,peter's6' ,the story went no further4 ,i was with the family when they first went to ,st4 ,peter's4 ,hawthorne turned away saying1 ',the ,st4 ,peter's of my imagination was better4' ,i think he could not have been well1 he was so very inactive4 ,if he walked out he took ,rosa1 then a child of six1 with him4 ,he once came with her to my room1 but he seemed tired from the ascent of the stairs4 ,i was on the fifth floor4 ,i have been surprised to see that he made severe personal remarks in his journal1 for in the three months that ,i knew him ,i never heard an unkind word2 he was always courteous1 gentle1 and retiring4 ,mrs4 ,hawthorne said she took a wifely pride in his having no small vices4 ,mr4 ,hawthorne said to ,miss ,s41 ',i have yet to find the first fault in ,mrs4 ,hawthorne4' ,one day ,mrs4 ,hawthorne came to my room1 held up an inkstand1 and said1 ',the new book will be begun to-night4' ,this was ',the ,marble ,faun4' ,she said1 ',mr4 ,hawthorne writes after every one has gone to bed4 ,i never see the manuscript until it is what he calls clothed'4444 ,mrs4 ,h4 says he never knows when he is writing a story how the characters will turn out2 he waits for them to influence him4 ,i asked her if ,zenobia was intended for ,margaret ,fuller1 and she said1 ',no2' but ,mr4 ,hawthorne admitted that ,margaret ,fuller seemed to be around him when he was writing it4 ,london1 ,august4 ,we went out for our first walk as soon as breakfast was over1 and we walked on ,regent street for hours1 looking in at the shop windows4 ,the first view of the street was beautiful1 for it was a misty morning1 and we saw its length fade away as if it had no end4 ,i like it that in our first walk we came upon a crowd standing around ',punch4' ,it is a ridiculous affair1 but as it is as much a 'peculiar institution' as is ,southern slavery1 ,i stopped and listened1 and after we came into the house ,miss ,s4 threw out some pence for them4 ,we rested after the shop windows of ,regent street1 took dinner1 and went out again1 this time to ,piccadilly4 ,the servility of the shopkeepers is really a little offensive4 ',what shall ,i have the honor of showing you8' they say4 ,our chambermaid1 at our lodgings1 thanks us every time we speak to her4 ,i feel ashamed to reach a four-penny piece to a stout coachman who touches his hat and begs me to remember him4 ,sometimes ,i am ready to say1 ',how can ,i forget you1 when you have hung around me so closely for half an hour8' ,our waiter at the ,adelphi ,hotel1 at ,liverpool1 was a very respectable middle-aged man1 with a white neck-cloth2 he looked like a ,methodist parson4 ,he waited upon us for five days with great gravity1 and then another waiter told us that we could give our waiter what we pleased4 ,we were charged #a for 'attendance' in the bill1 but ,i very innocently gave half as much more1 as fee to the 'parson1' ,august #ad4 ,to-day we took a brougham and drove around for hours4 ,of course we didn't see ,london1 and if we stay a month we shall still know nothing of it1 it is so immense4 ,i keep thinking1 as ,i go through the streets1 of ',the rats and the mice1 they made such a strife1 he had to go to ,london1' etc41 and especially ',the streets were so wide1 and the lanes were so narrow2' for ,i never saw such narrow streets1 even in ,boston4 ,we have begun to send out letters1 but as it is 'out of season' ,i am afraid everybody will be at the watering-places4 ,,the ,,greenwich ,,observatory4 ,the observatory was founded by ,charles ,,ii4 ,the king that 'never said a foolish thing and never did a wise one' was yet sagacious enough to start an institution which has grown to be a thing of might1 and this1 too1 of his own will1 and not from the influence of courtiers4 ,one of the hospital buildings of ,greenwich1 then called the ',house of ,delights1' was the residence of ,henrietta ,maria1 and the young prince probably played on the little hill now the site of the observatory4 ,but ,charles1 though he started an observatory1 did not know very well what was needed4 ,the first building consisted of a large1 octagonal room1 with windows all around2 it was considered sufficiently firm without any foundation1 and sufficiently open to the heavens with no opening higher than windows4 ,this room is now used as a place of deposit for instruments1 and busts and portraits of eminent men1 and also as the dancing-hall for the director's family4 ,under ,mr4 ,airy's ,footnote3 ,the late ,sir ,george ,airy4 direction1 the walls of the observing-room have become pages of its history4 ,the transit instruments used by ,halley1 ,bradley1 and ,pond hang side by side2 the zenith sector with which ,bradley discovered the 'aberration of light1' now moving rustily on its arc1 is the ornament of another room2 while the shelves of the computing-room are filled with volumes of unpublished observations of ,flamstead and others4 ,the observatory stands in ,greenwich ,park1 the prettiest park ,i have yet seen2 being a group of small hills4 ,they point out oaks said to belong to ,elizabeth's time--noble oaks of any time4 ,the observatory is one hundred and fifty feet above the sea level4 ,the view from it is1 of course1 beautiful4 ,on the north the river1 the little ,thames1 big with its fleet1 is winding around the ,isle of ,dogs2 on the left ,london1 always overhung with a cloud of smoke1 through which ,st4 ,paul's and the ,houses of ,parliament peep4 ,mr4 ,airy was exceedingly kind to me1 and seemed to take great interest in showing me around4 ,he appeared to be much gratified by my interest in the history of the observatory4 ,he is naturally a despot1 and his position increases this tendency4 ,sitting in his chair1 the zero-point of longitude for the world1 he commands not only the little knot of observers and computers around him1 but when he says to ,london1 ',it is one o'clock1' ,london adopts that time1 and her ships start for their voyages around the globe1 and continue to count their time from that moment1 wherever the ,english flag is borne4 ,it is singular what a quiet motive-power ,science is1 the breath of a nation's progress4 ,mr4 ,airy is not favorable to the multiplication of observatories4 ,he predicted the failure of that at ,albany4 ,he says that he would gladly destroy one-half of the meridian instruments of the world1 by way of reform4 ,i told him that my reform movement would be to bring together the astronomers who had no instruments and the instruments which had no astronomers4 ,mr4 ,airy is exceedingly systematic4 ,in leading me by narrow passages and up steep staircases1 from one room to another of the irregular collection of rooms1 he was continually cautioning me about my footsteps1 and in one place he seemed to have a kind of formula3 ',three steps at this place1 ten at this1 eleven at this1 and three again4' ,so1 in descending a ladder to the birthplace of the galvanic currents1 he said1 ',turn your back to the stairs1 step down with the right foot1 take hold with the right hand2 reverse the operation in ascending2 do not1 on coming out1 turn around at once1 but step backwards one step first4' ,near the throne of the astronomical autocrat is another proof of his system1 in a case of portfolios4 ,these contain the daily bills1 letters1 and papers1 as they come in and are answered in order4 ,when a portfolio is full1 the papers are removed and are sewed together4 ,each year's accumulation is bound1 and the bound volumes of ,mr4 ,airy's time nearly cover one side of his private room4 ,mr4 ,airy replies to all kinds of letters1 with two exceptions3 those which ask for autographs1 and those which request him to calculate nativities4 ,both of these are very frequent4 ,in the drawing-room ,mr4 ,airy is cheery2 he loves to recite ballads and knows by heart a mass of verses1 from ',a1 ,apple ,pie1' to the ',lady of the ,lake4' ,a lover of ,nature and a close observer of her ways1 as well in the forest walk as in the vault of heaven1 ,mr4 ,airy has roamed among the beautiful scenery of the ,lake region until he is as good a mountain guide as can be found4 ,he has strolled beside ,grassmere and ascended ,helvellyn4 ,he knows the height of the mountain peaks1 the shingles that lie on their sides1 the flowers that grow in the valleys1 the mines beneath the surface4 ,at one time the ,government ,survey planted what is called a ',man' on the top of one of the hills of the ,lake region4 ,in a dry season they built up a stone monument1 right upon the bed of a little pond4 ,the country people missed the little pond1 which had seemed to them an eye of ,nature reflecting heaven's blue light4 ,they begged for the removal of the surveyor's pile1 and ,mr4 ,airy at once changed the station4 ,the established observatories of ,england do not step out of their beaten path to make discoveries--these come from the amateurs4 ,in this respect they differ from ,america and ,germany4 ,the amateurs of ,england do a great deal of work1 they learn to know of what they and their instruments are capable1 and it is done4 ,the library of ,greenwich ,observatory is large4 ,the transactions of learned societies alone fill a small room2 the whole impression of the thirty volumes of printed observations fills a wall of another room1 and the unpublished papers of the early directors make of themselves a small manuscript library4 ,october #bb1 #aheg4 ,we have just returned from our fourth visit to ,greenwich1 like the others twenty-four hours in length4 ,we go again to-morrow to meet the ,sabines4 ,herr ,struve1 the director of the ,pulkova ,observatory1 is at ,greenwich1 with his son ,karl4 ,the old gentleman is a magnificent-looking fellow1 very large and well proportioned2 his great head is covered with white hair1 his features are regular and handsome4 ,when he is introduced to any one he thrusts both hands into the pockets of his pantaloons1 and bows4 ,i found that the son considered this position of the hands particularly ,english4 ,however1 the old gentleman did me the honor to shake hands with me1 and when ,i told him that ,i brought a letter to him from a friend in ,america1 he said1 ',it is quite unnecessary1 ,i know you without4' ,he speaks very good ,english4 ,herr ,struve's mission in ,england is to see if he can connect the trigonometrical surveys of the two countries4 ,it is quite singular that he should visit ,england for this purpose1 so soon after ,russia and ,england were at war4 ,one of his sons was an army surgeon at the ,crimea4 ,five visitors remained all night at the observatory4 ,i slept in a little round room and ,miss ,s4 in another1 at the top of a little jutting-out1 curved building4 ,mrs4 ,airy says1 ',mr4 ,airy got permission of the ,board of ,visitors to fit up some of the rooms as lodging-rooms4' ,mr4 ,airy said1 ',my dear love1 ,i did as ,i always do3 ,i fitted them up first1 and then ,i reported to the ,board that ,i had done it4' ,october #bc4 ,another dinner-party at the observatory1 consisting of the ,struves1 ,general and ,mrs4 ,sabine1 ,professor and ,mrs4 ,powell1 ,mr4 ,main1 and ourselves2 more guests coming to tea4 ,mrs4 ,airy told me that she should arrange the order of the guests at table to please herself2 that properly all of the married ladies should precede me1 but that ,i was really to go first1 with ,mr4 ,airy4 ,to effect this1 however1 she must explain it to ,mrs4 ,sabine1 the lady of highest rank4 ,so we went out1 ,professor ,airy and myself1 ,professor ,powell and ,mrs4 ,sabine1 ,general ,sabine and ,mrs4 ,powell1 ,mr4 ,charles ,struve and ,miss ,s41 ,mr4 ,main1 ,mrs4 ,airy1 and ,professor ,struve4 ,general ,sabine is a small man1 gray haired and sharp featured1 about seventy years old4 ,he smiles very readily1 and is chatty and sociable at once4 ,he speaks with more quickness and ease than most of the ,englishmen ,i have met4 ,mrs4 ,sabine is very agreeable and not a bit of a blue-stocking4 ,the chat at table was general and very interesting4 ,mr4 ,airy says1 ',the best of a good dinner is the amount of talk4' ,he talked of the great ',leviathan' which he and ,struve had just visited1 then anecdotes were told by others1 then they went on to comic poetry4 ,mr4 ,airy repeated ',the ,lost ,heir1' by ,hood4 ,general ,sabine told droll anecdotes1 and the point was often lost upon me1 because of the local allusions4 ,one of his anecdotes was this3 ',archbishop ,whately did not like a professor named ,robert ,daly2 he said the ,irish were a very contented people1 they were satisfied with one bob daily4' ,i found that a 'bob' is a shilling4 ,when the dinner was over1 the ladies left the room1 and the gentlemen remained over their wine2 but not for long1 for ,mr4 ,airy does not like it1 and ,struve hates it4 ,then1 before tea1 others dropped in from the neighborhood1 and the tea was served in the drawing-room1 handed round informally4 ,august #ae4 ,westminster ,abbey interested me more than ,i had expected4 ,we went into the chapels and admired the sculpture when the guide told us we ought1 and stopped with interest sometimes over some tomb which he did not point out4 ,i stepped aside reverently when ,i found ,i was standing on the stone which covers the remains of ,dr4 ,johnson4 ,it is cracked across the middle4 ,garrick lies by the side of ,johnson1 and ,i thought at first that ,goldsmith lay near2 but it is only a monument--the body is interred in ,temple churchyard4 ,you are continually misled in this way unless you refer at every minute to your guide-book1 and to go through ,europe reading a guide-book which you can read at home seems to be a waste of time4 ,on the stone beneath which ,addison lies is engraved the verse from ,tickell's ode3 ',ne'er to these chambers where the mighty rest1' etc4 ,the base of ,newton's monument is of white marble1 a solid mass large enough to support a coffin2 upon that a sarcophagus rests4 ,the remains are not enclosed within4 ,as ,i stepped aside ,i found ,i had been standing upon a slab marked ',isaac ,newton1' beneath which the great man's remains lie4 ,on the side of the sarcophagus is a white marble slab1 with figures in bas-relief4 ,one of these imaginary beings appears to be weighing the planets on a steel-yard4 ,they hang like peas6 ,another has a pair of bellows and is blowing a fire4 ,a third is tending a plant4 ,on this sarcophagus reclines a figure of ,newton1 of full size4 ,he leans his right arm upon four thick volumes1 probably ',the ,principia1' and he points his left hand to a globe above his head on which the goddess ,urania sits2 she leans upon another large book4 ,newton's head is very fine1 and is probably a portrait4 ,the left hand1 which is raised1 has lost two fingers4 ,i thought at first that this had been the work of some 'undevout astronomer1' but when ,i came to 'read up' ,i found that at one time soldiers were quartered in the abbey1 and probably one of them wanted a finger with which to crowd the tobacco into his pipe1 and so broke off one4 ,august #ag4 ,to-day we have been to the far-famed ,british ,museum4 ,i carried an 'open sesame' in the form of a letter given to me by ,professor ,henry1 asking for me special attention from all societies with which the ',smithsonian' at ,washington is connected4 ,i gave the paper first to a police officer2 a police officer is met at every turn in ,london4 ,he handed it to another official1 who said1 ',you'd better go to the secretary4' ,i walked in the direction towards which he pointed1 a long way1 until ,i found the secretary4 ,he called another man1 and asked him to show me whatever ,i wanted to see4 ,this man took me into another room1 and consigned me to still another man--the fifth to whom ,i had been referred4 ,no4 #e was an intelligent and polite person1 and he began to talk about ,america at once4 ,i asked to see anything which had belonged to ,newton1 and he told me they had one letter only1--from ,newton to ,leibnitz1--which he showed me4 ,it was written in ,latin1 with diagrams and formulae interspersed4 ,the reply of ,leibnitz1 copied by ,newton1 was also in their collection1 and an order from ,newton written while he was director of the mint4 ,no4 #e also showed me the illuminated manuscripts of the collection2 they are kept locked in glass-topped cases1 and a curtain protects them from the light4 ,we saw also the oldest copy of the ,bible in the world4 ,the art of printing has brought incalculable blessings2 but as ,i looked at a neat manuscript book by ,queen ,elizabeth1 copied from another as a present to her father1 ,i could not help thinking it was much better than worsted work6 ,a much-worn prayer-book was shown me1 said to be the one used by ,lady ,jane ,grey when on the scaffold4 ,nothing makes me more conscious that ,i am on foreign soil than the constant recurrence of associations connected with the executioner's block4 ,we hung the ,quakers and we burned the witches1 but we are careful not to remember the localities of our barbarisms2 we show instead the ,plymouth ,rock or the ,washington ,elm4 ,among other things1 we were shown the ',magna ,charta'--a few fragments of worn-out paper on which some words could be traced2 now carefully preserved in a frame1 beneath a glass4 ,thus far ,england has impressed me seriously2 ,i cannot imagine how it has ever earned the name of ',merrie ,england4' ,august #ai4 ,there are four great men whose haunts ,i mean to seek1 and on whose footsteps ,i mean to stand3 ,newton1 ,shakspere1 ,milton1 and ,johnson4 ,to-day ,i told the driver to take me to ,st4 ,martin's1 where the guide-book says that ,newton lived4 ,he put me down at the ,newton ,hotel1 but ,i looked in vain to its top to see anything like an observatory4 ,i went into a wine-shop near1 and asked a girl1 who was pouring out a dram1 in which house ,newton lived4 ,she pointed1 not to the hotel1 but to a house next to a church1 and said1 ',that's it--don't you see a place on the top8 ,that's where he used to study nights4' ,it is a little1 oblong-shaped observatory1 built apparently of wood1 and blackened by age4 ,the house is a good-looking one--it seems to be of stone4 ,the girl said the rooms were let for shops4 ,next ,i told the driver to take me to ,fleet street1 to ,gough square1 and to ,bolt court1 where ,johnson lived and died4 ,bolt court lies on ,fleet street1 and it is but few steps along a narrow passage to the house1 which is now a hotel1 where ,johnson died2 but you must walk on farther through the narrow passage1 a little fearful to a woman1 to see the place where he wrote the dictionary4 ,the house is so completely within a court1 in which nothing but brick walls could be seen1 that one wonders what the charm of ,london could be1 to induce one to live in that place4 ,but a great city always draws to itself the great minds1 and there ,johnson probably found his enjoyment4 ,august #bg4 ,we took ,st4 ,paul's ,church to-day4 ,we took tickets for the vaults1 the bell1 the crypt1 the whispering-gallery1 the clock and all4 ,we did not know what was before us4 ,it was a little tiresome as far as the library and the room of ,nelson's trophies1 but to my surprise1 when the guide said1 ',go that way for the clock1' he did not take the lead1 but pointed up a staircase1 and ,i found myself the pioneer in the narrowest and darkest staircase ,i ever ascended4 ,it was really perfect darkness in some of the places1 and we had to feel our way4 ,we all took a long breath when a gleam of light came in at some narrow windows scattered along4 ,at the top1 in front of the clock works1 stood a woman1 who began at once to tell us the statistics of the pendulum1 to which recital ,i did not choose to listen4 ,she was not to go down with us1 and1 panting with fatigue and trembling with fright1 we groped our way down again4 ,there was another long1 but easy1 ascent to the 'whispering-gallery1' which is a fine place from which to look down upon the interior of the church4 ,the man in attendance looked like a respectable elderly gentleman4 ,he told us to go to the opposite side of the gallery1 and he would whisper to us4 ,we went around1 and1 worn out with fatigue1 dropped upon a bench4 ,the man began to whisper1 putting his mouth to an opening in the wall2 we heard noises1 but could not tell what he said4 ,to my amazement1 this very respectable-looking elderly gentleman1 as we passed him in going out1 whispered again1 and as this time he put his mouth close to my ear1 ,i understood6 ,he said1 ',if you will give anything for the whisper1 it will be gratefully received4' ,there are notices all over the church forbidding fees1 and ,i felt that the man was a beggar at best--more properly a pickpocket4 ,a figure of ,dr4 ,johnson stands in one of the aisles of the church4 ,it must be like him1 for it is exceedingly ugly4 ,september #c4 ,we have been three weeks in ,london 'out of season1' but with plenty of letters4 ,at present we have as many acquaintances as we desire4 ,last night we were at the opera1 to-night we go out to dine1 and to-morrow evening to a dance1 the next day to ,admiral ,smyth's4 ,the opera fatigued me1 as it always does4 ,i tired my eyes and ears in the vain effort to appreciate it4 ,mario was the great star of the evening1 but ,i knew no difference4 ,one little circumstance showed me how an ,american1 with the best intentions1 may offend against good manners4 ,american-like we had secured very good seats1 were in good season1 and as comfortable as the very narrow seats would permit us to be1 before most of the audience arrived4 ,the house filled1 and we sat at our ease1 feeling our importance1 and quite unconscious that we were guilty of any impropriety4 ,while the curtain was down1 ,i heard a voice behind me say to the gentleman who was with us1 ',is the lady on your left with you8'--',yes1' said ,mr4 ,r4--',she wears a bonnet1 which is not according to rule4'--',too late now1' said ,mr4 ,r4--',it is my fault1' said the attendant2 ',i ought not to have admitted her2 ,i thought it was a hood4' ,i was really in hopes that ,i should be ordered out1 for ,i was exceedingly fatigued and should have been glad of some fresh air4 ,on looking around1 ,i saw that only the 'pit' wore bonnets4 ,september #f4 ,we left ,london yesterday for ,aylesbury4 ,it is two hours by railroad4 ,like all railroads in ,england1 it runs seemingly through a garden4 ,in many cases flowers are cultivated by the roadside4 ,from ,aylesbury to ,stone1 the residence of ,admiral ,smyth1 it is two miles of stage-coach riding4 ,stage-coaches are now very rare in ,england1 and ,i was delighted with the chance for a ride4 ,we found the stage-coach crowded4 ,the driver asked me if we were for ,st4 ,john's ,lodge1 and on my replying in the affirmative gave me a note which ,mrs4 ,smyth had written to him1 to ask for inside seats4 ,the note had reached him too late1 and he said we must go on the outside4 ,he brought a ladder and we got up4 ,for a minute ,i thought1 ',what a height to fall from6' but the afternoon was so lovely that ,i soon forgot the danger and enjoyed the drive4 ,there were six passengers on top4 ,aylesbury is a small town1 and ,stone is a very small village4 ,the driver stopped at what seemed to be a cultivated field1 and told me that ,i was at my journey's end4 ,on looking down ,i saw a wheelbarrow near the fence1 and ,i remembered that ,mrs4 ,smyth had said that one would be waiting for our luggage1 and ,i soon saw ,mrs4 ,smyth and her daughter coming towards us4 ,it was a walk of about an eighth of a mile to the ',lodge'--a pleasant cottage surrounded by a beautiful garden4 ,admiral ,smyth's family go to a little church seven hundred years old1 standing in the midst of tombstones and surrounded by thatched cottages4 ,english scenery seems now 7,september7 much like our ,southern scenery in ,april--rich and lovely1 but wanting mountains and water4 ,an ,english village could never be mistaken for an ,american one3 the outline against the sky differs2 a thatched cottage makes a very wavy line on the blue above4 ,we find enough in ,st4 ,john's ,lodge1 in the admiral's library1 and in the society of the cultivated members of his family to interest us for a long time4 ,the admiral himself is upwards of sixty years of age1 noble-looking1 loving a good joke1 an antiquarian1 and a good astronomer4 ,i picked up many an anecdote from him1 and many curious bits of learning4 ,he tells a good story1 illustrative of his enthusiasm when looking at a crater in the moon4 ,he says the night was remarkably fine1 and he applied higher and higher powers to his glass until he seemed to look down into the abyss1 and imagining himself standing on its verge he felt himself falling in1 and drew back with a shudder which lasted even after the illusion was over4 ,in speaking of ,stratford-upon-,avon1 the admiral told me that the ,lucy family1 one of whose ancestors drove ,shakspere from his grounds1 and who is caricatured in ,justice ,shallow1 still resides on the same spot as in ,shakspere's time4 ,he says no family ever retained their characteristics more decidedly4 ,some years ago one of this family was invited to a ,shakspere dinner4 ,he resented the well-meant invitation1 saying they must surely have forgotten how that person treated his ancestor6 ,the amateur astronomers of ,england are numerous1 but they are not like those of ,america4 ,in ,america a poor schoolmaster1 who has some bright boys who ask questions1 buys a glass and becomes a star-gazer1 without time and almost without instruments2 or a watchmaker must know the time1 and therefore watches the stars as time-keepers4 ,in almost all cases they are hard-working men4 ,in ,england it is quite otherwise4 ,a wealthy gentleman buys a telescope as he would buy a library1 as an ornament to his house4 ,admiral ,smyth says that no family is quite civilized unless it possesses a copy of some encyclopaedia and a telescope4 ,the ,english gentleman uses both for amusement4 ,if he is a man of philosophical mind he soon becomes an astronomer1 or if a benevolent man he perceives that some friend in more limited circumstances might use it well1 and he offers the telescope to him1 or if an ostentatious man he hires some young astronomer of talent1 who comes to his observatory and makes a name for him4 ,then the queen confers the honor of knighthood1 not upon the young man1 but upon the owner of the telescope4 ,sir ,james ,south was knighted for this reason4 ,we have been visiting ,hartwell ,house1 an old baronial residence1 now the property of ,dr4 ,lee1 a whimsical old man4 ,this house was for years the residence of ,louis ,,xviii41 and his queen died here4 ,the drawing-room is still kept as in those days2 the blue damask on the walls has been changed by time to a brown4 ,the rooms are spacious and lofty1 the chimney-pieces of richly carved marble4 ,the ceiling of one room has fine bas-relief allegorical figures4 ,books of antiquarian value are all around--one whole floor is covered with them4 ,they are almost never opened4 ,in some of the rooms paintings are on the walls above the doors4 ,dr4 ,lee's modern additions are mostly paintings of himself and a former wife1 and are in very bad taste4 ,he has1 however1 two busts of ,mrs4 ,somerville1 from which ,i received the impression that she is handsome1 but ,mrs4 ,smyth tells me she is not so2 certainly she is sculpturesque4 ,the royal family1 on their retreat from ,hartwell ,house1 left their prayer-book1 and it still remains on its stand4 ,the room of the ladies of the bedchamber is papered1 and the figure of a pheasant is the prevailing characteristic of the paper4 ,the room is called ',the ,pheasant ,room4' ,one of the birds has been carefully cut out1 and1 it is said1 was carried away as a memento by one of the damsels4 ,dr4 ,lee is second cousin to ,sir ,george ,lee1 who died childless4 ,he inherits the estate1 but not the title4 ,the estate has belonged to the ,lees for four hundred years4 ,as the doctor was a ,lee only through his mother1 he was obliged to take her name on his accession to the property4 ,he applied to ,parliament to be permitted to assume the title1 and1 being refused1 from a strong ,tory he became a ,liberal1 and delights in currying favor with the lowest classes2 he has twice married below his rank4 ,being remotely connected with the ,hampdens1 he claims ,john ,hampden as one of his family1 and keeps a portrait of him in a conspicuous place4 ,a summer-house on the grounds was erected by ,lady ,elizabeth ,lee1 and some verses inscribed on its walls1 written by her1 show that the ,lees have not always been fools4 ,but ,dr4 ,lee has his way of doing good4 ,being fond of astronomy1 he has bought an eight and a half feet equatorial telescope1 and with a wisdom which one could scarcely expect1 he employed ,admiral ,smyth to construct an observatory4 ,he has also a fine transit instrument1 and the admiral1 being his near neighbor1 has the privilege of using the observatory as his own4 ,in the absence of the ,lees he has a private key1 with which he admits himself and ,mrs4 ,smyth4 ,they make the observations 7,mrs4 ,smyth is a very clever astronomer71 sleep in a room called ',the ,admiral's ,room1' find breakfast prepared for them in the morning1 and return to their own house when they choose4 ,i saw in the observatory a timepiece with a double second-hand2 one of these could be stopped by a touch1 and would1 in that way1 show an observer the instant when he thought a phenomenon1 as an occultation for instance1 had occurred1 and yet permit him to go on with his count of the seconds1 and1 if necessary1 correct his first impression4 ,admiral ,smyth is a hard worker1 but ,i suspect that many of the amateur astronomers of ,england are ,dr4 ,lees--rich men who1 as a hobby1 ride astronomy and employ a good astronomer4 ,dr4 ,lee gives the use of a good instrument to the curate2 another to ,mr4 ,payson1 of ,cambridge1 who has lately found a little planet4 ,i saw at ,admiral ,smyth's some excellent photographs of the moon1 but in ,england they have not yet photographed the stars4 ,,chapter ,,vi #aheg ,,first ,,european ,,tour ,,continued--,,cambridge ,,university--,,ambleside--,,miss ,,southey---,,the ,,herschels--,a ,,london ,,rout--,,edinboro' ,,and ,,glasgow ,,observatories--,,reflections ,,and ,,mutterings ,if any one wishes to know the customs of centuries ago in ,england1 let him go to ,cambridge4 ,sitting at the window of the hotel1 he will see the scholars1 the fellows1 the masters of arts1 and the masters of colleges passing along the streets in their different gowns4 ,very unbecoming gowns they are1 in all cases2 and much as the wearers must be accustomed to them1 they seem to step awkwardly1 and to have an ungraceful feminine touch in their motions4 ,everything that you see speaks of the olden time4 ,even the images above the arched entrance to the courts around which the buildings stand are crumbling slowly1 and the faces have an unearthly expression4 ,if the visitor is fortunate enough to have an introduction to one of the college professors1 he will be taken around the buildings1 to the libraries1 the ',combination' room to which the fellows retire to chat over their wine1 and perhaps even to the kitchen4 ,our first knowledge of ,cambridge was the entrance to ,trinity ,college and the ,master's ,lodge4 ,we arrived in ,cambridge just about at lunch time--one o'clock4 ,mrs4 ,airy said to me1 ',although we are invited to be guests of ,dr4 ,whewell1 he is quite too mighty a man to come to meet us4 ,her sons1 however1 met us1 and we walked with them to ,dr4 ,whewell's4 ,the ,master's ,lodge1 where ,dr4 ,whewell lives1 is one of the buildings composing the great pile of ,trinity ,college4 ,one of the rooms in the lodge still remains nearly as in the time of ,henry ,,viii4 ,it is immense in size1 and has two oriel windows hung with red velvet4 ,in this room the queen holds her court when she is in ,cambridge2 for the lodge then becomes a palace1 and the 'master' retires to some other apartments1 and comes to dinner only when asked4 ,it is said that the present master does not much like to submit to this position4 ,in this great room hang full-length portraits of ,henry and ,elizabeth4 ,on another wall is a portrait of ,newton1 and on a third the sweet face of a young girl1 ,dr4 ,whewell's niece1 of whom ,i heard him speak as ',kate4' ,dr4 ,whewell received us in this room1 standing on a rug before an open fireplace2 a wood fire was burning cheerily4 ,mrs4 ,airy's daughter1 a young girl1 was with us4 ,dr4 ,whewell shook hands with us1 and we stood4 ,i was very tired1 but we continued to stand4 ,in an ,american gentleman's house ,i should have asked if ,i might sit1 and should have dropped upon a chair2 here1 of course1 ,i continued to stand4 ,after1 perhaps1 fifteen minutes1 ,dr4 ,whewell said1 ',will you sit8' and the four of us dropped upon chairs as if shot6 ,the master is a man to be noted1 even physically4 ,he is much above ordinary size1 and1 though now gray-haired1 would be extraordinarily handsome if it were not for an expression of ill-temper about the mouth4 ,an ,englishmen is proud2 a ,cambridge man is the proudest of ,englishmen2 and ,dr4 ,whewell1 the proudest of ,cambridge men4 ,in the opinion of a ,cambridge man1 to be master of ,trinity is to be master of the world6 ,at lunch1 to which we stayed1 ,dr4 ,whewell talked about ,american writers1 and was very severe upon them2 some of them were friends of mine1 and it was not pleasant4 ,but ,i was especially hurt by a remark which he made afterwards4 ,americans are noted in ,england for their use of slang4 ,the ,english suppose that the language of ,sam ,slick or of ,nasby is the language used in cultivated society4 ,they do not seem to understand it1 and ,i have no doubt to-day that ,lowell's comic poems are taken seriously4 ,so at this table1 ,dr4 ,whewell1 wishing to say that we would do something in the way of sight-seeing very thoroughly1 turning to me1 said1 ',we'll go the whole hog1 ,miss ,mitchell1 as you say in ,america4' ,i turned to the young ,american girl who sat next to me1 and said1 ',miss ,s41 did you ever hear that expression except on the street8' ',never1' she replied4 ,afterwards he said to me1 ',you in ,america think you know something about the ,english language1 and you get out your ,webster's dictionary1 and your ,worcester's dictionary1 but we here in ,cambridge think we know rather more about ,english than you do4' ,after lunch we went to the observatory4 ,the ,cambridge ,observatory has the usual number of meridian instruments1 but it has besides a good equatorial telescope of twenty feet in length1 mounted in the ,english style2 for ,mr4 ,airy was in ,cambridge at the time of its establishment4 ,in this pretty observatory1 overlooking the peaceful plains1 with some small hills in the distance1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,airy passed the first year of their married life4 ,professor ,challis1 the director1 is exceedingly short1 thick-headed 7in appearance71 and1 like many of the ,english1 thick-tongued4 ,while ,i was looking at the instruments1 ,mrs4 ,airy came into the equatorial house1 bringing ,mr4 ,adams1 the rival of ,leverrier1 ,footnote3 ,see ,chapter ,,vii4--another short man1 but bright-looking1 with dark hair and eyes1 and again the thick voice1 this time with a nasal twang4 ,he is a fellow of ,pembroke ,college1 and master of arts4 ,if ,mr4 ,adams had become a fellow of his own college1 ,st4 ,john1 he must have gone into holy orders1 as it is called2 this he was not willing to do2 he accepted a fellowship from ,pembroke4 ,mr4 ,adams is a merry little man1 loves games with children1 and is a favorite with young ladies4 ,at #f4cj we went again to the lodge to dine4 ,we were a little late1 and the servant was in a great hurry to announce us2 but ,i made him wait until my gloves were on1 though not buttoned4 ,he announced us with a loud voice1 and ,dr4 ,whewell came forward to receive us4 ,being announced in this way1 the other guests do not wait for an introduction4 ,there was a group of guests in the drawing-room1 and those nearest me spoke to me at once4 ,dinner was announced immediately1 and ,dr4 ,whewell escorted me downstairs1 across an immense hall1 to the dining-room1 outside of which stood the waiters1 six in number1 arranged in a straight line1 in livery1 of course4 ,one of them had a scarlet vest1 short clothes1 and drab coat4 ,as ,i sat next to the master1 ,i had a good deal of talk with him4 ,he was very severe upon ,americans2 he said that ,emerson did not write good ,english1 and copied ,carlyle6 ,i thought his severity reached really to discourtesy1 and ,i think he perceived it when he asked me if ,i knew ,emerson personally1 and ,i replied that ,i did1 and that ,i valued my acquaintance with him highly4 ,i got a little chance to retort1 by telling him that we had outgrown ,mrs4 ,hemans in ,america1 and that we now read ,mrs4 ,browning more4 ,he laughed at it1 and said that ,mrs4 ,browning's poetry was so coarse that he could not tolerate it1 and he was amused to hear that any people had got above ,mrs4 ,hemans2 and he asked me if we had outgrown ,homer6 ,to which ,i replied that they were not similar cases4 ,altogether1 there was a tone of satire in ,dr4 ,whewell's remarks which ,i did not think amiable4 ,there were1 as there are very commonly in ,english society1 some dresses too low for my taste2 and the wine-drinking was universal1 so that ,i had to make a special point of getting a glass of water1 and was afraid ,i might drink all there was on the table6 ,before the dessert came on1 saucers were placed before each guest1 and a little rose-water dipped into them from a silver basin2 then each guest washed his face thoroughly1 dipping his napkin into the saucer4 ,professor ,willis1 who sat next to me1 told me that this was a custom peculiar to ,cambridge1 and dating from its earliest times4 ,the finger bowls came on afterwards1 as usual4 ,it is customary for the lady of the house or the 'first lady' to turn to her nearest neighbor at the close of dinner and say1 ',shall we retire to the drawing-room8' ,now1 there was no lady of the house1 and ,i was in the position of first lady4 ,they might have sat there for a thousand years before ,i should have thought of it4 ,i drew on my gloves when the other ladies drew on theirs1 and then we waited4 ,mrs4 ,airy saw the dilemma1 made the little speech1 and the gentlemen escorted us to the door1 and then returned to their wine4 ,we went back to the drawing-room and had coffee2 after coffee new guests began to come1 and we went into the magnificent room with the oriel windows4 ,professor ,sedgwick came early--an old man of seventy-four1 already a little shattered and subject to giddiness4 ,he is said to be very fond of young ladies even now1 and when younger made some heartaches2 for he could not give up his fellowship and leave ,cambridge for a wife2 which1 to me1 is very unmanly4 ,he is considered the greatest geologist in ,england1 and of course they would say 'in the world1' and is much loved by all who know him4 ,he came to ,cambridge a young man1 and the elms which he saw planted are now sturdy trees4 ,it is pleasant to hear him talk of ,cambridge and its growth2 he points to the stately trees and says1 ',those trees don't look as old as ,i1 and they are not4' ,i did not see ,professor ,adams at that time1 but ,i spent the whole of ,monday morning walking about the college with him4 ,i asked him to show me the place where he made his computations for ,neptune1 and he was evidently well pleased to do so4 ,we laughed over a roll1 which we saw in the ,college library1 containing a list of the ancestors of ,henry ,,viii42 among them was ,jupiter4 ,professor ,adams tells me that in ,wales genealogical charts go so far back that about half-way between the beginning and the present day you find this record3 ',about this time the world was created'6 ,november #b4 ,at lunch to-day ,dr4 ,whewell was more interesting than ,i had seen him before4 ,he asked me about ,laura ,bridgman1 and said that he knew a similar case4 ,he contended1 in opposition to ,mrs4 ,airy and myself1 that loss of vision was preferable to loss of hearing1 because it shut one out less from human companionship4 ,dr4 ,whewell's self-respect and immense self-esteem led him to imperiousness of manner which touches the border of discourtesy4 ,he loves a good joke1 but his jests are serious4 ,he writes verses that are touchingly beautiful1 but it is difficult to believe1 in his presence1 that he writes them4 ,mrs4 ,airy said that ,dr4 ,whewell and ,i riled each other6 ,i was at an evening party1 and the ,airy boys1 young men of eighteen and twenty1 were present4 ,they stood the whole time1 occasionally leaning against a table or the piano1 in their blue silk gowns4 ,i urged them to sit4 ',of course not1' they said2 'no undergraduate sits in the master's presence6' ,i went to three services on ',scarlet ,sunday1' for the sake of seeing all the sights4 ,the costumes of ,cambridge and ,oxford are very amusing1 and show1 more than anything ,i have seen1 the old-fogyism of ,english ways4 ,dr4 ,whewell wore1 on this occasion1 a long gown reaching nearly to his feet1 of rich scarlet1 and adorned with flowing ribands4 ,the ribands did not match the robe1 but were more of a crimson4 ,i wondered that a strong-minded man like ,dr4 ,whewell could tolerate such trappings for a moment2 but it is said that he is rather proud of them1 and loves all the etiquette of the olden time1 as also1 it is said1 does the queen4 ,in these robes ,dr4 ,whewell escorted me to church--and of course we were a great sight6 ,before dinner1 on this ,scarlet ,sunday1 there was an interval when the master was evidently tried to know what to do with me4 ,at length he hit upon an expedient4 ',boys1' he said to the young ,airys1 'take ,miss ,mitchell on a walk6' ,i was a little surprised to find myself on a walk1 'nolens volens2' so as soon as we were out of sight of the master of ,trinity1 ,i said1 ',now1 young gentlemen1 as ,i do not want to go to walk1 we won't go6' ,it was hard for me to become accustomed to ,english ideas of caste4 ,i heard ,professor ,sedgwick say that ,miss ,herschel1 the daughter of ,sir ,john and niece to ,caroline1 married a ,gordon4 ',such a great match for her6' he added2 and when ,i asked what match could be great for a daughter of the ,herschels1 ,i was told that she had married one of the queen's household1 and was asked to sit in the presence of the queen6 ,when ,i hear a missionary tell that the pariah caste sit on the ground1 the peasant caste lift themselves by the thickness of a leaf1 and the next rank by the thickness of a stalk1 it seems to me that the heathen has reached a high state of civilization--precisely that which ,victoria has reached when she permits a ,herschel to sit in her presence6 ,the ,university of ,cambridge consists of sixteen colleges4 ,i was told that1 of these1 ,trinity leads and ,st4 ,john comes next4 ,trinity has always led in mathematics2 it boasts of ,newton and ,byron among its graduates4 ,milton belonged to ,christ ,church ,college2 the mulberry tree which he planted still flourishes4 ,even to-day1 a young scholar of ,trinity expressed his regret to me that ,milton did not belong to the college in which he himself studied4 ,he pointed out the rooms occupied by ,newton1 and showed us ',newton's ,bridge1' 'which will surely fall when a greater man than he walks over it'6 ,milton first planned the great poem1 ',paradise ,lost1' as a drama1 and this manuscript1 kept within a glass case1 is opened to the page on which the dramatis personae are planned and replanned4 ,on the opposite page is a part of ',lycidas1' neatly written and with few corrections4 ,the most beautiful of the college buildings is ,king's ,chapel4 ,a ,cambridge man is sure to take you to one of the bridges spanning the wretched little stream called the ',silver ,cam1' that you may see the architectural beauties of this building4 ,it is well to attend service in one or the other of the chapels1 to see assembled the young men1 who are almost all the sons of the nobility or gentry4 ,the propriety of their conduct struck me4 ,the fellows of the colleges are chosen from the 'scholars' who are most distinguished1 as the 'scholars' are chosen from the undergraduates4 ,they receive an income so long as they remain connected with the college and unmarried4 ,they have also the use of rooms in the college2 they dine in the same hall with the undergraduates1 but their tables are placed upon a raised dais2 they have also little garden-places given them4 ',what are their duties8' ,i asked ,mr4 ,airy4 ',none at all2 they are the college4 ,it would not be a seat of learning without them4' ,they say in ,cambridge that ,dr4 ,whewell's book1 ',plurality of ,worlds1' reasons to this end3 ,the planets were created for this world2 this world for man2 man for ,england2 ,england for ,cambridge2 and ,cambridge for ,dr4 ,whewell6 ,ambleside1 ,september #ac4 ,we have spent the ,sunday in ascending a mountain1 ,i have a minute route marked out for me by ,professor ,airy1 who has rambled among the lakes and mountains of ,cumberland and ,westmoreland for months1 and says that no man lives who knows them better than he4 ,in accordance with these directions1 ,i took a one-horse carriage this morning for ,coniston ,waters1 in order to ascend the ',old ,man4' ,the waiter at the ',salutation' at ,ambleside1 which we made headquarters1 told me that ,i could not make the ascent1 as the day would not be fine2 but ,i have not travelled six months for nothing1 and ,i knew he was saying1 ',you are fine ,american geese2 you are not to leave my house until you have been well plucked6'--which threat he will of course keep1 but ,i shall see all the ',old ,men' that ,i choose4 ,so ,i borrowed the waiter's umbrella1 when he said it would rain1 and off we went in an open carriage1 a drive of seven miles1 up hill and down dale1 among mountains and around ponds 7lakes they called them71 in the midst of rich lands and pretty mansions1 with occasionally a castle1 and once a ruin1 to diversify the scenery4 ,arrived at ,coniston ,hotel1 the waiter said the same thing3 ',it's too cloudy to ascend the ,old ,man2' but as soon as it was found that if it was too cloudy we did not intend to stay1 it cleared off amazingly fast1 and the ponies were ordered4 ,i thought at first of walking up1 but1 having a value for my feet and not liking to misuse them1 ,i mounted a pony and walked him4 ,he was beautifully stupid1 but ,i could not help thinking of ,henry ,colman1 the agriculturist1 who1 when in ,england1 went on a fox-hunt4 ,he said1 ',think of my poor wife's old husband leaping a fence6' ,but ,i soon forgot any fear1 for the pony needed nothing from me or the guide1 but scrambled about any way he chose2 and the scenery was charming1 for although the mountains are not very high1 they are thrown together very beautifully and remind me of those of the ,hudson ,highlands4 ,then the little lakes were lovely1 and occasionally we came to a tarn or pond1 and exceedingly small waterfalls were rushing about everywhere1 without any apparent object in view1 but evidently looking for something4 ,and spite of the weatherwise head-waiter of the ',salutation' and of him of ,coniston ,inn1 the day was beautiful4 ,we had to give up the ponies when we were half a mile from the top1 and clamber up ourselves4 ,the guide was very intelligent1 and pointed out the lakes1 ,windermere1 ,coniston2 and the mountains1 ,helvellyn1 ,skiddaw1 and ,saddleback2 but at one time he spoke a name that ,i couldn't understand1 and forgetting that ,i was in ,england and not in ,america1 ,i asked him to spell it4 ,he replied1 ',theys call it so always4' ,he did not fail1 however1 to ask questions like a ,yankee1 if he couldn't spell like one4 ',which way be ye coming8'--',from ,america4'--',ye'll be going to ,scotland like8'--',yes4'--',ye'll be spending much money before ye are home again4' ,when we were quite on top of the mountain ,i asked what the white glimmering was in the distance1 and he said it was1 what ,i supposed1 an arm of the sea4 ,the shadows of the flying clouds were very pretty falling on the hills around us1 and the villages in the valleys beneath looked like white dots on the green4 ,sunday1 ,sept4 #bj1 #aheg4 ,we have been to see ,miss ,southey to-day4 ,i sent the letter which ,mrs4 ,airy gave me yesterday1 and with it a note saying that ,i would call to-day if convenient4 ,miss ,southey replied at once1 saying that she should be happy to see me4 ,she lives in a straggling1 irregular cottage1 like most of the cottages around ,keswick1 but beautifully situated1 though far from the lake4 ,southey himself lived at ,greta ,hall1 a much finer place1 for many years1 but he never owned it1 and the gentleman who bought it will permit no one to see it4 ,miss ,southey's house is overgrown with climbing plants1 has windows opening to the ground1 and is really a summer residence1 not a good winter home4 ,when ,southey1 in his decline1 married a second wife1 the family scattered1 and this daughter1 the only unmarried one1 left him4 ,we were shown into a pleasant parlor comfortably furnished1 especially with books and engravings1 portraits of ,southey1 ,wordsworth1 and others4 ,miss ,southey soon came down2 she is really pretty1 having the fresh ,english complexion and fair hair4 ,she seems to be a very simple1 pleasant person2 chatty1 but not too much so4 ,she is much engrossed by the care of three of her brother's children1 an old aunt1 and a servant1 who1 having been long in the family1 has become a dependant4 ,miss ,southey spoke at once of the ,americans whom she had known1 ,ticknor being one4 ,the old aunt asked after a ,new ,york lady who had visited ,southey at ,greta ,hall1 but her niece reminded her that it must have been before ,i was born6 ,miss ,southey said that her father felt that he knew as many ,americans as ,englishmen1 and that she wanted very much to go to ,america4 ,i told her that she would be in danger of being 'lionized2' she said1 ',oh1 ,i should like that1 for of course it is gratifying to know how much my father was valued there4 ,i asked after the children1 and ,miss ,southey said that the little boy had called out to her1 ',oh6 ,aunt ,katy1 the ,ameriky ladies have come6 ,the three children were called in2 the boy1 about six years old1 of course wouldn't speak to me4 ,the best portrait of ,southey in his daughter's collection is a profile in wax--a style that ,i have seen several times in ,england1 and which ,i think very pretty4 ,we went down to ,lodore1 the scene of the poem1 ',how does the ,water come ,down1' etc41 and found it about as large as the other waterfalls around here--a little dripping of water among the stones4 ,,collingwood1 ,nov4 #ad1 #aheg4 ,,my ,,dear ,,father3 ,this is ,sir ,john ,herschel's place4 ,i came last night just at dusk4 ,according to ,english ways1 ,i ought to have written a note1 naming the hour at which ,i should reach ,etchingham1 which is four miles from ,collingwood2 but when ,i left ,liverpool ,i went directly on1 and a letter would have arrived at the same time that ,i did4 ,i stopped in ,london one night only1 changed my lodging-house1 that ,i might pay a pound a week only for letting my trunk live in a room1 instead of two pounds1 and started off again4 ,i reached ,etchingham at ten minutes past four1 took a cab1 and set off for ,sir ,john's4 ,it is a large brick house1 no way handsome1 but surrounded by fine grounds1 with beautiful trees and a very large pond4 ,the family were at dinner1 and ,i was shown into the drawing-room4 ,there was just the light of a coal fire1 and as ,i stood before it ,sir ,john bustled in1 an old man1 much bent1 with perfectly white hair standing out every way4 ,he reached both hands to me1 and said1 ,we had no letter and so did not expect you1 but you are always welcome in this house4 ,lady ,herschel followed--very noble looking2 she does not look as old as ,i1 but of course must be2 but ,english women1 especially of her station1 do not wear out as we do1 who are ,jacks at all trades4 ,i found a fire in my room1 and a cup of tea and crackers were immediately sent up4 ,the ,herschels have several children2 ,i have not seen ,caroline1 ,louise1 ,william1 and ,alexander1 but ,belle1 and ,amelie1 and ,marie1 and ,julie1 and ,rosa1 and ,francesca1 and ,constance1 and ,john are at home6 ,the children are not handsome1 but are good-looking1 and well brought up of course1 and highly educated4 ,the children all come to table1 which is not common in ,england4 ,think what a table they must set when the whole twelve are at home6 ,the first object that struck me in the house was ,borden's map of ,massachusetts1 hanging in the hall opposite the entrance4 ,over the mantelpiece in the dining-room is a portrait of ,sir ,william ,herschel4 ,in the parlor is a portrait of ,caroline ,herschel1 and busts of ,sir ,william1 ,sir ,john1 and the eldest daughter4 ,i spent the evening in looking at engravings1 sipping tea1 and talking4 ,sir ,john is like the elder ,mr4 ,bond1 except that he talks more readily2 but he is womanly in his nature1 not a tyrant like ,whewell4 ,sir ,john is a better listener than any man ,i have met in ,england4 ,he joins in all the chit-chat1 is one of the domestic circle1 and tells funny little anecdotes4 7,so do ,whewell and ,airy47 ,the ,herschels know ,abbot ,lawrence and ,edward ,everett--and everywhere these two have left a good impression4 ,but ,i am certainly mortified by anecdotes that ,i hear of pushing ,americans4 ,mrs4 ---- sought an introduction to ,sir ,john ,herschel to tell him about an abridgment of his ,astronomy which she had made1 and she intimated to him that in consequence of her abridgment his work was1 or would be1 much more widely known in ,america4 ,lady ,herschel told me of it1 and she remarked1 ,i believe ,sir ,john was not much pleased1 for he does not like abridgments4 ,i told her that ,i had never heard of the abridgment4 ,there are other guests in the house3 a lady whose sister was among those killed in ,india2 and her husband1 who is an officer in the army4 ,we have all been playing at ,spelling this evening1 with the letters1 as we did at home last winter4 ,sunday1 #aeth4 ,i thought of going to ,london to-day1 but was easily persuaded to stay and go with ,lady ,herschel to-morrow4 ,all this afternoon ,i have spent listening to ,sir ,john1 who has shown me his father's manuscript1 his aunt's1 beautifully neat1 and he told me about his ,cape observations4 ,the telescope used at the ,cape of ,good ,hope lies in the barn 7the glass1 of course1 taken care of7 unused2 and ,sir ,john now occupies himself with writing only4 ,he made many drawings at the ,cape1 which he showed me1 and very good ones they are4 ,lady ,herschel offers me a letter to ,mrs4 ,somerville1 who is godmother to one of her children4 ,i am afraid ,i shall have no letter to ,leverrier1 for every one seems to dislike him4 ,lady ,herschel says he is one of the few persons whom she ever asked for an autograph2 he was her guest1 and he refused6 ,just as ,i was coming away1 ,sir ,john bustled up to me with a sheet of paper1 saying that he thought ,i would like some of his aunt's handwriting and he would give it to me4 ,he had before given me one of his own calculations2 he says if there were no war1 pestilence1 or famine1 and one pair of human beings had been put upon the globe at the time of ,cheops1 they would not only now fill the earth1 but if they stood upon each other's heads1 they would reach a hundred times the distance to ,neptune6 ,i turned over their scrap-books1 and ,sir ,john's poetry is much better than many of the specimens they had carefully kept1 by ,sir ,william ,hamilton4 ,sir ,william ,hamilton's sister had some specimens in the book1 and also ,lady ,herschel and her brother4 ,lady ,herschel is the head of the house--so is ,mrs4 ,airy--so1 ,i suspect1 is the wife in all well-ordered households6 ,i perceived that ,sir ,john did not take a cup of tea until his wife said1 ,you can have some1 my dear4 ,mr4 ,airy waits and waits1 and then says1 ,my dear1 ,i shall lose all my flesh if ,i don't have something to eat and drink4 ,i am hoping to get to ,paris next week1 about the #bc;d4 ,i have had just what ,i wanted in ,england1 as to society4 ,november #bf4 ,a few days ago ,i received a card1 ',mrs4 ,baden ,powell1 at home ,november #be4' ,of course ,i did not know if it was a tea party or a wedding reception4 ,so ,i appealed to ,mrs4 ,airy4 ,she said1 ',it is a ,london rout4 ,i never went to one1 but you'll find a crowd and a good many interesting people4' ,i took a cab1 and went at nine o'clock4 ,the servant who opened the door passed me to another who showed me the cloak-room4 ,the girl who took my shawl numbered it and gave me a ticket1 as they would at a public exhibition4 ,then she pointed to the other end of the room1 and there ,i saw a table with tea and coffee4 ,i took a cup of coffee1 and then the servant asked my name1 yelled it up the stairs to another1 and he announced it at the drawing-room door just as ,i entered4 ,mrs4 ,powell and the professor were of course standing near1 and ,mrs4 ,admiral ,smyth just behind4 ,to my delight1 ,i met four ,english persons whom ,i knew1 and also ,prof4 ,henry ,b4 ,rogers1 who is a great society man4 ,people kept coming until the room was quite full4 ,i was very glad to be introduced to ,professor ,stokes1 who is called the best mathematician in ,england1 and is a friend of ,adams4 ,he is very handsome--almost all ,englishmen are handsome1 because they look healthy2 but ,professor ,stokes has fine black eyes and dark hair and good features4 ,he looks very young and innocent4 ,stokes is connected with ,cambridge1 but lives in ,london1 just as ,professor ,powell is connected with ,oxford1 but also lives in ,london4 ,several gentlemen spoke to me without a special introduction--one told me his name was ,dr4 ,townby ,qy41 ,toynbie1 and he was a great admirer of ,emerson--the first case of the sort ,i have met4 ,dr4 ,townby is a young man not over thirty1 full of enthusiasm and progress1 like an ,american4 ,he really seemed to me all alive1 and is either a genius or crazy--the shade between is so delicate that ,i can't always tell to which a person belongs6 ,i asked him if ,babbage was in the room1 and he said1 ',not yet1' so ,i hoped he would come4 ,he told me that a fine-looking1 white-headed1 good-featured old man was ,roget1 of the ',thesaurus2' and another old man in the corner was ,dr4 ,arnott1 of the ',elements of ,physics4' ,i had supposed he was dead long ago4 ,afterwards ,i was introduced to him4 ,he is an old man1 but not much over sixty2 his hair is white1 but he is full of vigor1 short and stout1 like almost all ,englishmen and ,englishwomen4 ,i have met only two women taller than myself1 and most of them are very much shorter4 ,dr4 ,arnott told me he was only now finishing the ',elements1' which he first published in #ahbg4 ,he intends now to publish the more mathematical portions with the other volumes4 ,he was very sociable1 and ,i told him he had twenty years ago a great many readers in ,america4 ,he said he supposed he had more there than in ,england1 and that he believed he had made young men study science in many instances4 ,i asked him if ,babbage was in the room1 and he too said1 ',not yet4' ,dr4 ,arnott asked me if ,i wore as many stockings when ,i was observing as the ,herschels--he said ,sir ,william put on twelve pairs and ,caroline fourteen6 ,i stayed until eleven o'clock1 then ,i said ',good-by1' and just as ,i stepped upon the threshold of the drawing-room to go out1 a broad old man stepped upon it1 and the servant announced ',mr4 ,babbage1' and of course that glimpse was all ,i shall ever have6 ,edinboro'1 ,september #cj4 ,the people of ,edinboro'1 having a passion for ,grecian architecture1 and being very proud of the ,athenian character of their city1 seek to increase the resemblance by imitations of ancient buildings4 ,grecian pillars are seen on ,calton ,hill in great numbers1 and the observatory would delight an old ,greek2 its four fronts are adorned by ,grecian pillars1 and it is indeed beautiful as a structure2 but the ,greeks did not build their temples for astronomical observations2 they probably adapted their architecture to their needs4 ,this beautiful building was erected by an association of gentlemen1 who raised a good deal of money1 but1 of course1 not enough4 ,they built the ,grecian temple1 but they could not supply it with priests4 ,about a hundred years ago ,colin ,maclaurin had laid the foundation of an observatory1 and the curious ,gothic building1 which still stands1 is the first germ4 ,we laugh now at the narrow ideas of those days1 which seemed to consider an observatory a lookout only2 but the first step in a work is a great step--the others are easily taken4 ,there was added to the building of ,maclaurin a very small transit room1 and then the present edifice followed4 ,when the builders of the observatory found that they could not support it1 they presented it to the ,british government2 so that it is now a government child1 but it is not petted1 like the first-born of ,greenwich4 ,there are three instruments2 an excellent transit instrument of six and a half inches' aperture1 resting on its y's of solid granite4 ,the corrections of the errors of the instrument by means of little screws are given up1 and the errors which are known to exist are corrected in the computations4 ,professor ,smyth finds that although the two pillars upon which the instrument rests were cut from the same quarry1 they are unequally affected by changes of temperature2 so that the variation of the azimuth error1 though slight1 is irregular4 ,the collimation plate they correct with the micrometer1 so that they consider some position-reading of the micrometer-head the zero point1 and correct that for the error1 which they determine by reflection in a trough of mercury4 ,with this instrument they observe on certain stars of the ,british ,catalogue1 whose places are not very well determined1 and with a mural circle of smaller power they determine declinations4 ,the observatory possesses an equatorial telescope1 but it is of mixed composition4 ,the object glass was given by ,dr4 ,lee1 the eye-pieces by some one else1 and the two are put together in a case1 and used by ,professor ,smyth for looking at the craters in the moon2 of these he has made fine drawings1 and has published them in color prints4 ,the whole staff of the observatory consists of ,professor ,smyth1 ,mr4 ,wallace1 an old man1 and ,mr4 ,williamson1 a young man4 ,the city of ,edinboro' has no amateur astronomers1 and there are two only1 of note1 in ,scotland3 ,sir ,william ,bisbane and ,sir ,william ,keith ,murray4 ,from the observatory1 the view of ,edinboro' is lovely4 ',auld ,reekie1' as the ,scotch call it1 always looks her best through a mist1 and a ,scotch mist is not a rare event--so we saw the city under its most becoming veil4 ,october1 #aheg4 ,i stopped in ,glasgow a few hours1 and went to the observatory1 which is also the private residence of ,professor ,nichol4 ,miss ,nichol received me1 and was a very pleasant1 blue-eyed young lady4 ,i found that the observatory boasts of two good instruments3 a meridian circle1 which must be good1 from its appearance1 and a ,newtonian telescope1 differently mounted from any ,i had seen2 cased in a composition tube which is painted bright blue--rather a striking object4 ,the iron mounting seemed to me good4 ,it was of the ,german kind1 but modified4 ,it seemed to me that it could be used for observations far from the meridian4 ,the iron part was hollow1 so that the clock was inside1 as was the azimuth circle1 and thus space was saved4 ,they have a wind and rain self-register1 and a self-registering barometer1 marking on a cylinder turned by a clock1 the paper revolving once an hour4 ,when ,i was at ,dungeon ,ghyll1 a little ravine among the ,english lakes1 down which trickles an exceedingly small stream of water1 but which is1 nevertheless1 very picturesque1--as ,i followed the old man who shows it for a sixpence1 he asked if we had come a long way4 ',from ,america1' ,i replied4 ',we have many ,americans here1' said he2 'it is much easier to understand their language than that of other foreigners2 they speak very good ,english1 better than the ,french or ,germans4' ,i felt myself a little annoyed and a good deal amused4 ,i supposed that ,i spoke the language that ,addison wrote1 and here was a ,westmoreland guide1 speaking a dialect which ,i translated into ,english before ,i could understand it1 complimenting me upon my ability to speak my own tongue4 ,i learned afterwards1 as ,i journeyed on1 to expect no appreciation of my country or its people4 ,the ,english are strangely deficient in curiosity4 ,i can scarcely imagine an ,englishwoman a gossip4 ,i found among all classes a knowledge of the extent of ,america2 by the better classes its geography was understood1 and its physical peculiarities4 ,one astronomer had bound the scientific papers from ,america in green morocco1 as typical of a country covered by forests4 ,among the most intelligent men whom ,i met ,i found an appreciation of the different characters of the ,states4 ,everywhere ,massachusetts was honored2 everywhere ,i met the horror of the honest ,englishman at the slave system2 but anything like a discriminating knowledge of our public men ,i could not meet4 ,webster had been heard of everywhere4 ,they assured me that our really great men were known1 our really great deeds appreciated2 but this is not true4 ,they make mistakes in their measure of our men2 second-rate men who have travelled are of course known to the men whom they have met2 these travellers have not perhaps thought it necessary to mention that they represent a secondary class of people1 and they are considered our 'first men4' ,the ,english forget that all ,americans travel4 ,i was vexed when ,i saw some of our most miserable novels1 bound in showy yellow and red1 exposed for sale4 ,a friend told me that they had copied from the cheap publications of ,america4 ,it may be so1 but they have outdone us in the cheapness of the material and the showy covers4 ,i never saw yellow and red together on any ,american book4 ,the ,english are far beyond us in their highest scholarship1 but why should they be ignorant of our scholars8 ,the ,englishman is proud1 and not without reason2 but he may well be proud of the ,american offshoot4 ,it is not strange that ,england produces fine scholars1 when we consider that her colleges confer fellowships on the best undergraduates4 ,england differs from ,america in the fact that it has a past4 ,well may the great men of the present be proud of those who have gone before them2 it is scarcely to be hoped that the like can come after them2 and yet ,i suppose we must admit that even now the strong minds are born across the water4 ,at the same time ,england has a class to which we have happily no parallel in our country--a class to which even ,english gentlemen liken the ,sepoys1 and who would1 they admit1 under like circumstances be guilty of like enormities4 ,but the true ,englishman shuts his eyes for a great part of the time to the steps in the social scale down which his race descends1 and looks only at the upper walks4 ,he has therefore a glance of patronizing kindness for the people of the ,united ,states1 and regards us of ,new ,england as we regard our rich brethren of the ,west4 ,i wondered what was to become of the ,english people6 ,their island is already crowded with people1 the large towns are numerous and are very large4 ,suppose for an instant that her commerce is cut off1 will they starve8 ,it is an illustration of moral power that1 little island as that of ,great ,britain is1 its power is the great power of the world4 ,crowded as the people are1 they are healthy4 ,i never saw1 ,i thought1 so many ruddy faces as met me at once in ,liverpool4 ,dirty children in the street have red cheeks and good teeth4 ,nowhere did ,i see little children whose minds had outgrown their bodies4 ,they do not live in the school-room1 but in the streets4 ,one continually meets little children carrying smaller ones in their arms2 little girls hand in hand walk the streets of ,london all day4 ,there are no free schools1 and they have nothing to do4 ,beggars are everywhere1 and as importunate as in ,italy4 ,for a well-behaved common people ,i should go to ,paris2 for clean working-women ,i should look in ,paris4 ,i saw a little boy in ,england tormenting a smaller one4 ,he spat upon his cap1 and then declared that the little one did it4 ,the little one sobbed and said he didn't4 ,i gave the little one a penny2 he evidently did not know the value of the coin1 and appealed to the bigger boy4 ',is it a penny8' he asked1 with a look of amazement4 ',yes1' said the bigger4 ,off ran the smaller one triumphant1 and the bigger began to cry1 which ,i permitted him to do4 ,,chapter ,,vii #aheg-aheh ,,first ,,european ,,tour ,,continued--,,leverrier ,,and ,,the ,,paris ,,observatory--,,rome--,,harriet ,,hosmer--,,observatory ,,of ,,the ,,collegio ,,romano--,,secchi ,at this time1 the feeling between astronomers of ,great ,britain and those of the ,united ,states was not very cordial4 ,it was the time when ,adams and ,leverrier were contending to which of them belonged the honor of the discovery of the planet ,neptune1 and each side had its strong partisans4 ,among ,miss ,mitchell's papers we find the following with reference to this subject3 444 ,adams1 a graduate of ,cambridge1 made the calculations which showed how an unseen body must exist whose influences were felt by ,uranus4 ,it was a problem of great difficulty1 for he had some half-dozen quantities touching ,uranus which were not accurately known1 and as many wholly unknown concerning the unseen planet4 ,we think it a difficult question which involves three or four unknown quantities with too few circumstances1 but this problem involved twelve or thirteen1 so that x1 y1 z reached pretty high up into the alphabet4 ,but ,adams1 having worked the problem1 carried his work to ,airy1 the ,astronomer ,royal of ,england1 and awaited his comments4 ,a little later ,leverrier1 the ,french astronomer1 completed the same problem1 and waiting for no authority beyond his own1 flung his discovery out to the world with the self-confidence of a ,frenchman4444 444 ,when the news of the discovery of ,neptune reached this country1 ,i happened to be visiting at the observatory in ,cambridge1 ,mass4 ,professor ,bond 7the elder7 had looked for the planet the night before ,i arrived at his house1 and he looked again the evening that ,i came4 ,his observatory was then a small1 round building1 and in it was a small telescope2 he had drawn a map of a group of stars1 one of which he supposed was not a star1 but the planet4 ,he set the telescope to this group1 and asking his son to count the seconds1 he allowed the stars to pass by the motion of the earth across the field4 ,if they kept the relative distance of the night before1 they were all stars2 if any one had approached or receded from the others1 it was a planet2 and when the father looked at his son's record he said1 ',one of those has moved1 and it is the one which ,i thought last night was the planet4' ,he looked again at the group1 and the son said1 ',father1 do give me a look at the new planet--you are the only man in ,america that can do it6' ,and then we both looked2 it looked precisely like a small star1 and ,george and ,i both asked1 ',what made you think last night that it was the new planet8' ,mr4 ,bond could only say1 ',i don't know1 it looked different from the others4' ,it is always so--you cannot get a man of genius to explain steps1 he leaps4 ,after the discovery of this planet1 ,professor ,peirce1 in our own country1 declared that it was not the planet of the theory1 and therefore its discovery was a happy accident4 ,but it seemed to me that it was the planet of the theory1 just as much if it varied a good deal from its prescribed place as if it varied a little4 ,so you might have said that ,uranus was not the ,uranus of the theory4 ,sir ,john ,herschel said1 ',its movements have been felt trembling along the far-reaching line of our analysis1 with a certainty hardly inferior to ocular demonstration4' ,i consider it was superior to ocular demonstration1 as the action of the mind is above that of the senses4 ,adams1 in his study at ,cambridge1 ,england1 and ,leverrier in his closet at ,paris1 poring over their logarithms1 knew better the locus of that outside planet than all the practical astronomers of the world put together4444 ,of course in ,paris ,i went to the ,imperial ,observatory1 to visit ,leverrier4 ,i carried letters from ,professor ,airy1 who also sent a letter in advance by post4 ,leverrier called at my hotel1 and left cards2 then came a note1 and ,i went to tea4 ,leverrier had succeeded ,arago4 ,arago had been a member of the ,provisional ,government1 and had died4 ,leverrier took exactly opposite ground1 politically1 to that of ,arago2 he stood high with the emperor4 ,he took me all over the observatory4 ,he had a large room for a ballroom1 because in the ballroom science and politics were discussed2 for where a press is not free1 salons must give the tone to public opinion4 ,both ,leverrier and ,madame ,leverrier said hard things about the ,english1 and the ,english said hard things about ,leverrier4 ,the ,astronomical ,observatory of ,paris was founded on the establishment of the ,academy of ,sciences1 in the reign of ,louis ,,xiv4 ,the building was begun in #affg and finished in #afgb2 like other observatories of that time1 it was quite unfit for use4 ,john ,dominie ,cassini came to it before it was finished1 saw its defects1 and made alterations2 but the whole building was afterwards abandoned4 ,m4 ,leverrier showed me the transit instrument and the mural circle4 ,he has1 like ,mr4 ,airy1 made the transit instrument incapable of mechanical change for its corrections of error1 so that it depends for accuracy upon its faults being known and corrected in the computations4 ,all the early observatories of ,europe seem to have been built as temples to ,urania1 and not as working-chambers of science4 ,the ,royal ,observatory at ,greenwich1 the ,imperial ,observatory of ,paris1 and the beautiful structure on ,calton ,hill1 ,edinboro'1 were at first wholly useless as observatories4 ,that of ,greenwich had no steadiness1 while every pillar in the astronomical temple of ,edinboro'1 though it may tell of the enlightenment of ,greece1 hides the light of the stars from the ,scottish observer4 ,well might ,struve say that ',an observatory should be simply a box to hold instruments4' ,the ,leverriers speak ,english about as well as ,i do ,french1 and we had a very awkward time of it4 ,m4 ,leverrier talked with me a little1 and then talked wholly to one of the gentlemen present4 ,madame was very chatty4 ,leverrier is very fine-looking2 he is fair-haired full-faced1 altogether very healthy-looking4 ,his wife is really handsome1 the children beautiful4 ,i was glad that ,i could understand when ,leverrier said to the children1 ',if you make any more noise you go to bed4' ,while ,i was there1 a woman as old as ,i rushed in1 in bonnet and shawl1 and flew around the room1 kissed madame1 jumped the children about1 and shook hands with monsieur2 and there was a great amount of screaming and laughing1 and all talked at once4 ,as ,i could not understand a word1 it seemed to me like a theatre4 ,i asked monsieur when ,i could see the observatory1 and he answered1 ',whenever it suits your convenience4' ,december #ae4 ,i went to ,leverrier's again last evening by special invitation4 ,four gentlemen and three ladies received me1 all standing and bowing without speaking4 ,monsieur was1 however1 more sociable than before1 and shrieked out to me in ,french as though ,i were deaf4 ,the ladies were in blue dresses2 a good deal of crinoline1 deep flounces1 high necks1 very short1 flowing sleeves1 and short undersleeves2 the dresses were brocade and the flounces much trimmed1 madame's with white plush4 ,the room was cold1 of course1 having no carpet1 and a wood fire in a very small fireplace4 ,the gentlemen continued standing or promenading1 and taking snuff4 ,except ,leverrier1 no one of them spoke to me4 ,the ladies all did1 and all spoke ,french4 ,the two children were present again--the little girl five years old played on the piano1 and the boy of nine played and sang like a public performer4 ,he promenaded about the room with his hands in his pockets1 like a man4 ,i think his manners were about equal to -----'s1 as occasionally he yelled and was told to be quiet4 ,about ten o'clock ,m4 ,leverrier asked me to go into the observatory1 which connects with the dwelling4 ,they are building immense additional rooms1 and are having a great telescope1 twenty-seven feet in focal length1 constructed4 ,with ,leverrier's bad ,english and my bad ,french we talked but little1 but he showed me the transit instrument1 the mural circle1 the computing-room1 and the private office4 ,he put on his cloak and cap1 and said1 ',voila le directeur6' ,one room1 he told me1 had been ,arago's1 and ,arago had his bed on one side4 ,m4 ,leverrier said1 ',i do not wish to have it for my room4' ,he is said to be much opposed to ,arago1 and to be merciless towards his family4 ,he showed me another room1 intended for a reception-room1 and explained to me that in ,france one had to make science come into social life1 for the government must be reached in order to get money4 ,there were huge globes in one room that belonged to ,cassini4 ,if what he showed me is not surpassed in the other rooms1 ,i don't think much of their instruments4 ,m4 ,leverrier said he had asked ,m4 ,chacornac to meet me1 but he was not there4 ,i felt that we got on a little better1 but not much1 and it was evident that he did not expect me to understand an observatory4 ,we did not ascend to the domes4 ,leverrier has telegraphic communication with all ,europe except ,great ,britain4 ,it was quite singular that they made such different remarks to me4 ,leverrier said that they had to make science popular4 ,airy said1 ',in ,england there is no astronomical public1 and we do not need to make science popular4' ,jan4 #bd1 #aheh4 ,i am in ,rome6 ,i have been here four days1 and already ,i feel that ,i would rather have that four days in ,rome than all the other days of my travels6 ,i have been uncomfortable1 cold1 tired1 and subjected to all the evils of travelling2 but for all that1 ,i would not have missed the sort of realization that ,i have of the existence of the past of great glory1 if ,i must have a thousand times the discomfort4 ,i went alone yesterday to ,st4 ,peter's and the ,vatican1 and today1 taking ,murray1 ,i went alone to the ,roman ,forum1 and stood beside the ruined porticos and the broken columns of the ,temple4 ,then ,i pushed on to the ,coliseum1 and walked around its whole circumference4 ,i could scarcely believe that ,i really stood among the ruins1 and was not dreaming6 ,i really think ,i had more enjoyment for going alone and finding out for myself4 ,afterwards the ,hawthornes called1 and ,i took ,mrs4 ,h4 to the same spot4444 ,i really feel the impressiveness of ,rome4 ,all ,europe has been serious to me2 ,rome is even sad in its seriousness4 ,you cannot help feeling1 in the ,coliseum1 some little of the influence of the scenes that have been enacted there1 even if you know little about them2 you must remember that the vast numbers of people who have been within its walls for ages have not been common minds1 whether they were ,christian martyrs or travelling artists4444 ,i think if ,i had never heard before of the reputation of the pictures and statues of the ,vatican1 ,i should have perceived their superiority4 ,there is more idea of action conveyed by the statuary than ,i ever received before--they do not seem to be dead4 ,january #be4 ,i have finer rooms than ,i had in ,paris1 but the letting of apartments is better managed in ,paris4 ,there you always find a concierge1 who tells you all you want to know1 and who speaks several languages4 ,in ,rome you enter a narrow1 dark passage1 and look in vain for a door4 ,then you go up a flight of stairs1 and see a door with a string2 you pull the string1 and a woman puts her mouth to a square hole1 covered with tin punctured with holes1 and asks what you want4 ,you tell her1 and she tells you to go up higher2 you repeat the process1 and at last reach the rooms4 ,the higher up the better1 because you get some sun1 and one learns the value of sunlight4 ,i saw no sun in ,paris in my room1 and here ,i have it half of the day1 and it seems very pleasant4 ,all the customs of the people differ from those of ,paris4444 ,a little of ,italian art enters into the ornaments of rooms and furniture1 but anything like mechanical skill seems to be unheard of2 and ,i dare say the pretty stamp used on the butter ,i have1 which represents some antique picture1 was cut by some northern hand4 ,i could make a better cart than those that ,i see on the streets1 and ,i could almost make as good horses as those that draw them6444 ,it is ,holy ,week4 ,i have spent seven hours at a time at ,st4 ,peter's1 in terrible crowds1 for ten days1 and now ,i go no more4 ,the ladies are seated1 but as the ceremonies are in different parts of the immense building1 they rush wildly from one to the other2 with their black veils they look like furies let loose6 ,i stayed five hours to-day to see the ,pope wash feet1 which was very silly2 for ,i saw mother wash them much more effectually twenty years ago6 ,the crowd is better worth seeing than the ceremony1 if one could only see it without being in it4 ,i shall not try to hear the ',miserere'--,i have given up the study of music6 ,since ,i failed to appreciate ,mario1 ,i sha'n't try any more6 ,i go to the ,storys' on ,sunday evening to look at ,st4 ,peter's lighting up4 ,march #ba4 ,i have been to vespers at ,st4 ,peter's4 ,they begin an hour before sunset4 ,when my work is done for the day1 ,i walk to ,st4 ,peter's4 ,this is ,sunday1 and the floor was full of kneeling worshippers1 but that makes no difference4 ,i walk about among them4 ,i was there an hour to-day before ,i saw a person that ,i knew2 then ,i met the ,nicholses and went with them into a side chapel to hear vespers4 ,then ,i saw next the ,waterstons1 then ,miss ,lander2 but ,i was unusually short of friends1 ,i generally meet so many more4 ,there were kneeling women to-day with babies in their arms4 ,the babies of the lower classes have their legs so wrapped up that they cannot move them2 they look like small pillows even when they are six months old4 ,i think it must dwarf them4 ,we ,americans are a tall people4 ,i am a very tall woman here4 ,i think that ,p4's height would cause a sensation in the streets4 ,my servant admires my height very much4 ,march #bb4 ,i called on ,miss ,bremer to-day1 having heard that she desired to see me4 ,she is a 'little woman in black1' but not so plain2 her face is a little red1 but her complexion is fair and the expression very pleasing4 ,she chatted away a good deal2 asked me about astronomy1 and how ,i came to study it4 ,i told her that my father put me to it1 and she said she was just writing a story on the affection of father and daughter4 ,she told me ,i had good eyes4 ,it is a long time now since any one has told me that6 ,miss ,bremer and ,mrs4 ,w4 met in my room and remained an hour4 ,miss ,bremer is quiet and unpretending4 ,mrs4 ,w4 is flashy and brilliant1 and1 as ,i usually say when ,i don't understand a person1 a little insane2 she had the floor all the time after she came in4 ,she gave a sketch of her life from her birth up1 mentioning incidentally that she had been a belle1 surrounded with beaux1 the pride of her parents1 with a reputation for intellect1 etc4 ,i had been urging ,miss ,bremer into an interesting talk before ,mrs4 ,w4 appeared1 and ,i felt what a pity it was that she hadn't the same propensity to talk that the latter had4 ,she talked very pleasantly1 however1 and ,i thought what a pity it was that ,i shall not see her again2 for ,i leave ,rome in three days for ,florence4 ,i was in ,rome for a winter1 an idler by necessity for six weeks4 ,it is the very place of all the world for an idler4 ,on the pleasant days there are the ruins to visit1 the ,campagna to stroll over1 the villas and their grounds to gather flowers in1 the ,forum to muse in1 the ,pincian ,hill or the ,capitoline for a gossiping walk with some friend4 ,on rainy days it is all art4 ,there are the cathedrals1 the galleries1 and the studios of the thousand artists2 for every winter there are a thousand artists in ,rome4 ,a rainy day found me in the studio of ,paul ,akers4 ,as ,i was looking at some of his models1 the studio door opened and a pretty little girl1 wearing a jaunty hat and a short jacket1 into the pockets of which her hands were thrust1 rushed into the room1 seemingly unconscious of the presence of a stranger1 began a rattling1 all-alive talk with ,mr4 ,akers1 of which ,i caught enough to know that a ride over the ,campagna was planned1 as ,i heard ,mr4 ,akers say1 ',oh1 ,i won't ride with you--,i'm afraid to6' after which he turned to me and introduced ,harriet ,hosmer4 ,i was just from old conservative ,england1 and ,i had been among its most conservative people4 ,i had caught something of its old musty-parchment ideas1 and the cricket-like manners of ,harriet ,hosmer rather troubled me4 ,it took some weeks for me to get over the impression of her madcap ways2 they seemed childish4 ,i went to her studio and saw ',puck1' a statue all fun and frolic1 and ,i imagined all was fun to the core of her heart4 ,as a general rule1 people disappoint you as you know them4 ,to know them better and better is to know more and more weaknesses4 ,harriet ,hosmer parades her weaknesses with the conscious power of one who knows her strength1 and who knows you will find her out if you are worthy of her acquaintance4 ,she makes poor jokes--she's a little rude--a good deal eccentric2 but she is always true4 ,in the town where she used to live in ,massachusetts they will tell you a thousand anecdotes of her vagaries--but they are proud of her4 ,she does not start on a false scent2 she knows the royal character of the game before she hunts4 ,a lady who is a great rider said to me a few days since3 ',of course ,i do not ride like ,harriet ,hosmer1 but1 if you will notice1 there is method in ,harriet ,hosmer's madness4 ,she does not mount a horse until she has examined him carefully4' ,at the time when ,i saw her1 she was thinking of her statue of ,zenobia4 ,she was studying the history of ,palmyra1 reading up on the manners and customs of its people1 and examining ,eastern relics and costumes4 ,if she heard that in the sacristy of a certain cathedral1 hundreds of miles away1 were lying robes of ,eastern queens1 she mounted her horse and rode to the spot1 for the sake of learning the lesson they could teach4 ,day after day alone in her studio1 she studied the subject4 ,think what knowledge of the country1 of the history of the people1 must be gathered1 must be moulded1 to bring into the face and bearing of its queen the expression of the race6 ,think what familiar acquaintance with the human form1 to represent a lifelike figure at all6 ,for years after ,i came home ,i read the newspapers to see if ,i could find any notice of the statue of ,zenobia2 and ,i did at length see this announcement3 ',the statue of ,zenobia1 by ,miss ,hosmer1 is on exhibition at ,childs ,jenks'4' ,it was after five years4 ,all through those five years1 ,miss ,hosmer had kept her projects steadily turned in this direction4 ,whatever may be the criticism of art upon her work1 no one can deny that she is above the average artist4 ,but she is herself1 as a woman1 very much above herself in art4 ,if there came to any struggling artist in ,rome the need of a friend1--and of the thousand artists in ,rome very few are successful1--,harriet ,hosmer was that friend4 ,i knew her to stretch out a helping hand to an unfortunate artist1 a poor1 uneducated1 unattractive ,american1 against whom the other ,americans in ,rome shut their houses and their hearts4 ,when the other ,americans turned from the unsuccessful artist1 ,harriet ,hosmer reached forth the helping hand4 ,when ,harriet ,hosmer knew herself to be a sculptor1 she knew also that in all ,america was no school for her4 ,she must leave home1 she must live where art could live4 ,she might model her busts in the clay of her own soil1 but who should follow out in marble the delicate thought which the clay expressed8 ,the workmen of ,massachusetts tended the looms1 built the railroads1 and read the newspapers4 ,the hard-handed men of ,italy worked in marble from the designs put before them2 one copied the leaves which the sculptor threw into the wreaths around the brows of his heroes2 another turned with his tool the folds of the drapery2 another wrought up the delicate tissues of the flesh2 none of them dreamed of ideas3 they were copyists1--the very hand-work that her head needed4 ,and to ,italy she went4 ,for her school she sought the studio of ,gibson--the greatest sculptor of the time4 ,she resolved ',to scorn delights and live laborious days2' and there she has lived and worked for years4 ,she fashions the clay to her ideal--every little touch of her fingers in the clay is a thought2 she thinks in clay4 ,the model finished and cast in the dull1 hard1 inexpressive plaster1 she stands by the workmen while they put it into the marble4 ,she must watch them1 for a touch of the tool in the wrong place might alter the whole expression of the face1 as a wrong accent in the reader will spoil a line of poetry4 ,,collegio ,,romano2 ,,secchi4 ,there was another observatory which had a reputation and was known in ,america4 ,it was the observatory of the ,collegio ,romano1 and was in the monastery behind the ,church of ,st4 ,ignasio4 ,its director was the ,father ,secchi who had visited the ,united ,states1 and was well known to the scientists of this country4 ,i said to myself1 ',this is the land of ,galileo1 and this is the city in which he was tried4 ,i knew of no sadder picture in the history of science than that of the old man1 ,galileo1 worn by a long life of scientific research1 weak and feeble1 trembling before that tribunal whose frown was torture1 and declaring that to be false which he knew to be true4 ,and ,i know of no picture in the history of religion more weakly pitiable than that of the ,holy ,church trembling before ,galileo1 and denouncing him because he found in the ,book of ,nature truths not stated in their own ,book of ,god--forgetting that the ,book of ,nature is also a ,book of ,god4 ,it seems to be difficult for any one to take in the idea that two truths cannot conflict4 ,galileo was the first to see the four moons of ,jupiter2 and when he announced the fact that four such moons existed1 of course he was met by various objections from established authority4 ,one writer declared that as astrologers had got along very well without these planets1 there could be no reason for their starting into existence4 ,but his greatest heresy was this3 ,he was tried1 condemned1 and punished for declaring that the sun was the centre of the system1 and that the earth moved around it2 also1 that the earth turned on its axis4 ,for teaching this1 ,galileo was called before the assembled cardinals of ,rome1 and1 clad in black cloth1 was compelled to kneel1 and to promise never again to teach that the earth moved4 ,it is said that when he arose he whispered1 ',it does move6' ,he was tried at the ,hall of ,sopre ,minerva4 ,in fewer than two hundred years from that time the ,church of ,st4 ,ignasio was built1 and the monastery on whose walls the instruments of the modern observatory stand4 ,it is a very singular fact1 but one which seems to show that even in science 'the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church1' that the spot where ,galileo was tried is very near the site of the present observatory1 to which the pope was very liberal4 ,from the ,hall of ,sopre ,minerva you make but two turns through short streets to the ,fontenelle de ,borghese1 in the rear of which stands the present observatory4 ,indeed1 if a cardinal should1 at the ,hall of ,sopre ,minerva1 call out to ,secchi1 ',watchman1 what of the night8' ,secchi could hear the question2 and no bolder views emanate from any observatory than those which ,secchi sends out4 ,i sent a card to ,secchi1 and awaited a call1 well satisfied to have a little more time for listless strolling among ruins and into the studios4 ,and so we spent many an hour3 picking up land shells from the top of the ,coliseum1 gathering violets in the upper chambers of the ,palace of the ,caesars1--for the overgrown walls made climbing very easy1--or1 resting upon some broken statue on the ,forum1 we admired the arches of the ,temple of ,peace1 thrown upon the rich blue of the sunny skies4 ,returning one day from a drive1 ,i met two priests descending one of the upper flights of stairs in the house where ,i lived4 ,as my rooms had been blessed once1 and holy water sprinkled upon them1 ,i thought perhaps another process of that kind had just been gone through1 and was about to pass them1 when one of them1 accosting me1 asked if ,i were the ,signorine ,mitchell1--changing his ,italian to good ,english as he saw that ,i was1 and introducing himself as ,father ,secchi4 ,he told me that the younger man was a young religieux1 and the two turned and went back with me4 ,i recalled1 as ,i saw ,father ,secchi1 an anecdote ,i had heard1 no way to his credit1--except for ingenious trickery4 ,it was said that coming to ,america he brought with him the object-glass of a telescope1 at a time when scientific apparatus paid a high duty4 ,being asked by some official what the article was1 he replied1 ',my looking-glass1' and in that way passed it off as personal wardrobe1 so escaped the duty4 7,it may have been ,de ,vico47 ,father ,secchi had brought with him1 to show me1 negatives of the planet ,saturn1--the rings showing beautifully1 although the image was not more than half an inch in size4 ,i was ignorant enough of the ways of papal institutions1 and1 indeed1 of all ,italy1 to ask if ,i might visit the ,roman ,observatory4 ,i remembered that the days of ,galileo were days of two centuries since4 ,i did not know that my heretic feet must not enter the sanctuary1--that my woman's robe must not brush the seats of learning4 ,the ,father's refusal was seen in his face at once1 and ,i felt that ,i had done something highly improper4 ,the ,father said that he would have been most happy to have me visit him1 but he had not the power--it was a religious institution--he had already applied to his superior1 who was not willing to grant permission--the power lay with the ,holy ,father or one of his cardinals4 ,i was told that ,mrs4 ,somerville1 the most learned woman in all ,europe1 had been denied admission2 that the daughter of ,sir ,john ,herschel1 in spite of ,english rank1 and the higher stamp of ,nature's nobility1 was at that time in ,rome1 and could not enter an observatory which was at the same time a monastery4 ,if ,i had before been mildly desirous of visiting the observatory1 ,i was now intensely anxious to do so4 ,father ,secchi suggested that ,i should see ,cardinal ,antonelli in person1 with a written application in my hand4 ,this was not to be thought of--to ask an interview with the wily cardinal6 ,,from ,a ,,letter ,,to ,,her ,,father4 444 ,i am working to get admitted to see the observatory1 but it cannot be done without special permission from the pope1 and ,i don't like to be presented4 ,if ,i can get permission without the humbug of putting on a black veil and receiving a blessing from ,pius1 ,i shall2 but ,i shrink from the formality of presentation4 ,i know thou'd say ,be presented4 ,our minister at that time had the reputation of being very careless of the needs and wishes of his countrymen1 and ,i was not surprised to find a long delay4 ,in the course of my waiting1 ,i had told my story to a young ,italian gentleman1 the nephew of a monseigneur2 a monseigneur being next in rank to a cardinal4 ,he assured me that permission would never be obtained by our minister4 ,after a fortnight's waiting ,i received a permit1 written on parchment1 and signed by ,cardinal ,antonelli4 ,when the young ,italian next called1 ,i held the parchment up in triumph1 and boasted that ,minister ---- had at length moved in the matter4 ,the young man coolly replied1 ',yes1 ,i spoke to my uncle last evening1 and asked him to urge the matter with ,cardinal ,antonelli2 but for that it would never have come6' ,there had been 'red tape1' and ,i had not seen it4 ,at the same time that the formal missive was sent to me1 a similar one was sent to ,father ,secchi1 authorizing him to receive me4 ,the ,father called at once to make the arrangements for my visit4 ,i made the most natural mistake6 ,i supposed that the doors which opened to one woman1 opened to all1 and ,i asked to take with me my ,italian servant1 a quick-witted and bright-eyed woman1 who had escorted me to and from social parties in the evening1 and who had learned in these walks the names of the stars1 receiving them from me in ,english1 and giving back to me the sweet ,italian words2 and who had come to think herself quite an astronomer4 ,father ,secchi refused at once4 ,he said ,i was to meet him at the ,church of ,st4 ,ignasio at one and a half hours before ,ave ,marie1 and he would conduct me through the church into the observatory4 ,my servant might come into the church with me4 ,the ,ave ,marie bell rings half an hour after sunset4 ,at the appointed time1 the next fine day1--and all days seem to be fine1--we set out on our mission4 ,when we entered the church we saw1 far in the distance1 ,father ,secchi1 standing just behind a pillar4 ,he slipped out a little way1 as much as to say1 ',i await you1' but did not come forward to meet us2 so the woman and ,i passed along through the rows of kneeling worshippers1 by the strolling students1 and past the lounging tourists--who1 guide-book in hand1 are seen in every foreign church--until we came to the standpoint from which the ,father had been watching us4 ,then the ,italian woman put up a petition1 not one word of which ,i could understand1 but the gestures and the pointing showed that she begged to go on and enter the monastery and see the observatory4 ,father ,secchi said1 ',no1 the ,holy ,father gave permission to one only1' and alone ,i entered the monastery walls4 ,through long halls1 up winding staircases1 occasionally stopped by some priest who touched his broad hat and asked ',parlate ,italiano8' occasionally passed by students1 often stopped by pictures on the walls1--once to be introduced to a professor2 then through the library of the monastery1 full of manuscripts on which monks had worked away their lives2 then through the astronomical library1 where young astronomers were working away theirs1 we reached at length the dome and the telescope4 ,one observatory is so much like another that it does not seem worth while to describe ,father ,secchi's4 ,this observatory has a telescope about the size of that at ,washington 7about twelve inches74 ,secchi had no staff1 and no prescribed duties4 ,the base of the observatory was the solid foundation of the old ,roman building4 ,the church was built in #afej1 and the monastery in part at that time1 certainly the dome of the room in which was the meridian instrument4 ,the staircase is cut out of the old ,roman walls1 which no roll of carriage1 except that of the earthquake chariot1 can shake4 ,having no prescribed duties1 ,secchi could follow his fancies--he could pick up comets as he picked up bits of ,mosaic upon the ,roman forum4 ,he learns what himself and his instruments can do1 and he keeps to that narrow path4 ,he was at that time much interested in celestial photography4 ,italy must be the very paradise of astronomers2 certainly ,i never saw objects so well before2 the purity of the air must be very superior to ours4 ,we looked at ,venus with a power of #aej1 but it was not good4 ,jupiter was beautiful1 and in broad daylight the belts were plainly seen4 ,with low powers the moon was charming1 but the air would not bear high ones4 ,father ,secchi said he had used a power of #b1jjj1 but that #fjj was more common4 ,i have rarely used #djj4 ,saturn was exquisite2 the rings were separated all around2 the dusky ring could be seen1 and1 of course1 the shadow of the ball upon the ring4 ,the spectroscopic method of observing starlight was used by ,secchi as early as by any astronomer4 ,by this method the starlight is analyzed1 and the sunlight is analyzed1 and the two compared4 ,if it does not disclose absolutely what are the peculiarities of starlight and sunlight1 relatively1 it traces the relationship4 ,in order to be successful in this kind of observation1 the telescope must keep very accurately the motion of the earth in its axis2 and so the papal government furnishes nice machinery to keep up with this motion1--the same motion for declaring whose existence ,galileo suffered6 ,the two hundred years had done their work4 ,i should have been glad to stay until dark to look at nebulae1 but the ,father kindly informed me that my permission did not extend beyond the daylight1 which was fast leaving us1 and conducting me to the door he informed me that ,i must make my way home alone1 adding1 ',but we live in a civilized country4' ,i did not express to him the doubt that rose to my thoughts6 ,the ,ave ,marie bell rings half an hour after sunset1 and before that time ,i must be out of the observatory and at my own house4 ,,chapter ,,viii #aheh-ahfe ,,first ,,european ,,tour ,,concluded--,,mrs4 ,,somerville--,,humboldt--,,mrs4 ,,mitchell',s ,,death--,,removal ,,to ,,lynn1 ,,mass4--,,present ,,of ,,an ,,equatorial ,,telescope-,,extracts ,,from ,,letters ,i had no hope1 when ,i went to ,europe1 of knowing ,mrs4 ,somerville4 ,american men of science did not know her1 and there had been unpleasant passages between the savants of ,europe and those of the ,united ,states which made my friends a little reluctant about giving me letters4 ,professor ,henry offered to send me letters1 and said that among them should be one to ,mrs4 ,somerville2 but when his package came1 no such letter appeared1 and ,i did not like to press the matter1--indeed1 after ,i had been in ,england ,i was not surprised at any amount of reluctance4 ,they rarely asked to know my friends1 and yet1 if they were made known to them1 they did their utmost4 ,so ,i went to ,europe with no letter to ,mrs4 ,somerville1 and no letter to the ,herschels4 ,i was very soon domesticated with the ,airys1 and really felt my importance when ,i came to sleep in one of the round rooms of the ,royal ,observatory4 ,i dared give no hint to the ,airys that ,i wanted to know the ,herschels1 although they were intimate friends4 ',what was ,i that ,i should love them1 save for feeling of the pain8' ,but one fine day a letter came to ,mrs4 ,airy from ,lady ,herschel1 and she asked1 ',would not ,miss ,mitchell like to visit us8' ,of course ,miss ,mitchell jumped at the chance6 ,mrs4 ,airy replied1 and probably hinted that ,miss ,mitchell 'could be induced1' etc4 ,if the ,airys were old friends of ,mrs4 ,somerville1 the ,herschels were older4 ,the ,airys were just and kind to me2 the ,herschels were lavish1 and they offered me a letter to ,mrs4 ,somerville4 ,so1 provided with this open sesame to ,mrs4 ,somerville's heart1 ,i called at her residence in ,florence1 in the spring of #aheh4 ,i sent in the letter and a card1 and waited in the large ,florentine parlor4 ,in the open fireplace blazed a wood fire very suggestive of ,american comfort--very deceitful in the suggestion1 for there is little of home comfort in ,italy4 ,after some little delay ,i heard a footstep come shuffling along the outer room1 and an exceedingly tall and very old man entered the room1 in the singular head-dress of a red bandanna turban1 approached me1 and introduced himself as ,dr4 ,somerville1 the husband4 ,he was very proud of his wife1 and very desirous of talking about her1 a weakness quite pardonable in the judgment of one who is desirous to know4 ,he began at once on the subject4 ,mrs4 ,somerville1 he said1 took great interest in the ,americans1 for she claimed connection with the family of ,george ,washington4 ,washington's half-brother1 ,lawrence1 married ,anne ,fairfax1 who was one of the ,scotch family4 ,when ,lieutenant ,fairfax was ordered to ,america1 ,washington wrote to him as a family relative1 and asked him to make him a visit4 ,lieutenant ,fairfax applied to his commanding officer for permission to accept1 and it was refused4 ,they never met1 and much to the regret of the ,fairfax family the letter of ,washington was lost4 ,the ,fairfaxes of ,virginia are of the same family1 and occasionally some member of the ,american branch returns to see his ,scotch cousins4 ,while ,dr4 ,somerville was eagerly talking of these things1 ,mrs4 ,somerville came tripping into the room1 speaking at once with the vivacity of a young person4 ,she was seventy-seven years old1 but appeared twenty years younger4 ,she was not handsome1 but her face was pleasing2 the forehead low and broad2 the eyes blue2 the features so regular1 that in the marble bust by ,chantrey1 which ,i had seen1 ,i had considered her handsome4 ,neither bust nor picture1 however1 gives a correct idea of her1 except in the outline of the head and shoulders4 ,she spoke with a strong ,scotch accent1 and was slightly affected with deafness1 an infirmity so common in ,england and ,scotland4 ,while ,mrs4 ,somerville talked1 the old gentleman1 seated by the fire1 busied himself in toasting a slice of bread on a fork1 which he kept at a slow-toasting distance from the coals4 ,an ,english lady was present1 learned in art1 who1 with a volubility worthy of an ,american1 rushed into every little opening of ,mrs4 ,somerville's more measured sentences with her remarks upon recent discoveries in her specialty4 ,whenever this occurred1 the old man grew fidgety1 moved the slice of bread backwards and forwards as if the fire were at fault1 and when1 at length1 the ,english lady had fairly conquered the ground1 and was started on a long sentence1 he could bear the eclipse of his idol no longer1 but1 coming to the sofa where we sat1 he testily said1 ',mrs4 ,somerville would rather talk on science than on art4' ,mrs4 ,somerville's conversation was marked by great simplicity2 it was rather of the familiar and chatty order1 with no tendency to the essay style4 ,she touched upon the recent discoveries in chemistry or the discovery of gold in ,california1 of the nebulae1 more and more of which she thought might be resolved1 and yet that there might exist nebulous matters1 such as compose the tails of comets1 of the satellites1 of the planets1 the last of which she thought had other uses than as subordinates4 ,she spoke with disapprobation of ,dr4 ,whewell's attempt to prove that our planet was the only one inhabited by reasoning beings2 she believed that a higher order of beings than ourselves might people them4 ,on subsequent visits there were many questions from ,mrs4 ,somerville in regard to the progress of science in ,america4 ,she regretted1 she said1 that she knew so little of what was done in our country4 ,from ,lieutenant ,maury1 alone1 she received scientific papers4 ,she spoke of the late ,dr4 7,nathaniel7 ,bowditch with great interest1 and said she had corresponded with one of his sons4 ,she asked after ,professor ,peirce1 whom she considered a great mathematician1 and of the ,bonds1 of ,cambridge4 ,she was much interested in their photography of the stars1 and said it had never been done in ,europe4 ,at that time photography was but just applied to the stars4 ,i had carried to the ,royal ,astronomical ,society the first successful photograph of a star4 ,it was that of ,mizar and ,alcor1 in the ,great ,bear4 7,since that time all these things have improved47 ,the last time ,i saw ,mrs4 ,somerville1 she took me into her garden to show me her rose-bushes1 in which she took great pride4 ,mrs4 ,somerville was not a mathematician only1 she spoke ,italian fluently1 and was in early life a good musician4 ,i could but admire ,mrs4 ,somerville as a woman4 ,the ascent of the steep and rugged path of science had not unfitted her for the drawing-room circle2 the hours of devotion to close study have not been incompatible with the duties of wife and mother2 the mind that has turned to rigid demonstration has not thereby lost its faith in those truths which figures will not prove4 ',i have no doubt1' said she1 in speaking of the heavenly bodies1 'that in another state of existence we shall know more about these things4' ,mrs4 ,somerville1 at the age of seventy-seven1 was interested in every new improvement1 hopeful1 cheery1 and happy4 ,her society was sought by the most cultivated people in the world4 ,she died at ninety-two4 ,berlin1 ,may #g1 #aheh4 ,humboldt had replied to my letter of introduction by a note1 saying that he should be happy to see me at #b ,p4,m41 ,may #g4 ,of course ,i was punctual4 ,humboldt is one of several residents in a very ordinary-looking house on ,oranienberge strasse4 ,all along up the flight of stairs to his room were printed notices telling persons where to leave packages and letters for ,alexander ,humboldt4 ,the servant showed me at first into a sort of anteroom1 hung with deers' horns and carpeted with tigers' skins1 then into the study1 and asked me to take a seat on the sofa4 ,the room was very warm2 comfort was evidently carefully considered1 for cushions were all around2 the sofa was handsomely covered with worsted embroidery4 ,a long study-table was full of books and papers4 ,i had waited but a few moments when ,humboldt came in2 he was a smaller man than ,i had expected to see4 ,he was neater1 more 'trig1' than the pictures represent him2 in looking at the pictures you feel that his head is too large1--out of proportion to the body1--but you do not perceive this when you see him4 ,he bowed in a most courtly manner1 and told me he was much obliged to me for coming to see him1 then shook hands1 and asked me to sit1 and took a chair near me4 ,there was a clock in sight1 and ,i stayed but half an hour4 ,he talked every minute1 and on all kinds of subjects3 of ,dr4 ,bache1 who was then at the head of the ,u4,s4 ,coast ,survey2 of ,dr4 ,gould1 who had recently returned from long years in ,south ,america2 of the ,washington ,observatory and its director1 ,lieutenant ,maury2 of the ,dudley ,observatory1 at ,albany2 of ,sir ,george ,airy1 of the ,greenwich ,observatory2 of ,professor ,enke's comet reputation2 of ,argelander1 who was there observing variable stars2 of ,mrs4 ,somerville and ,goldschmidt1 and of his brother4 ,it was the period when the subject of admitting ,kansas as a slave ,state was discussed--he touched upon that2 it was during the administration of ,president ,buchanan1 and he talked about that4 ,having been nearly a year in ,europe1 ,i had not kept up my reading of ,american newspapers1 but ,humboldt could tell me the latest news1 scientifically and politically4 ,to my ludicrous mortification1 he told me of the change of position of some scientific professor in ,new ,york ,state1 and when ,i showed that ,i didn't know the location of the town1 which was ,clinton1 he told me if ,i would look at the map1 which lay upon the table1 ,i should find the town somewhere between ,albany and ,buffalo4 ,humboldt was always considered a good-tempered1 kindly-natured man1 but his talk was a little fault-finding4 ,he said3 ',lieutenant ,maury has been useful1 but for the director of an observatory he has put forth some strange statements in the ',geography of the ,sea4' ,he asked me if ,mrs4 ,somerville was now occupied with pure mathematics4 ,he said3 ',there she is strong4 ,i never saw her but once4 ,she must be over sixty years old4' ,in reality she was seventy-seven4 ,he spoke with admiration of ,mrs4 ,somerville's ',physical ,geography1'--said it was excellent because so concise4 ',a ,german woman would have used more words4' ,humboldt asked me if they could apply photography to the small stars--to the eighth or ninth magnitude4 ,i had asked the same question of ,professor ,bond1 of ,cambridge1 and he had replied1 ',give me #ejj1jjj1 and we can do it2 but it is very expensive4' ,humboldt spoke of the fifty-three small planets1 and gave his opinion that they could not be grouped together2 that there was no apparent connection4 ,having lost all his teeth1 ,humboldt's articulation was indistinct--he talked very rapidly4 ,his hair was thin and very white1 his eyes very blue1 his nose too broad and too flat2 yet he was a handsome man4 ,he wore a white necktie1 a black dress-coat1 buttoned up1 but not so much so that it hid a figured dark-blue and white waistcoat4 ,he was a little deaf4 ,he told me that he was eighty-nine years old1 and that he and ,bonpland1 alone1 were living of those who in early life were on expeditions together2 that ,bonpland was eighty-five1 and much the more vigorous of the two4 ,he said that we had gone backwards1 morally1 in ,america since he was there1--that then there were strong men there3 ,jefferson1 and ,hamilton1 and ,madison2 that the three months he spent in ,america were spent almost wholly with ,jefferson4 ,in the course of conversation he told me that the fifth volume of ',cosmos' was in preparation4 ,he urged me to go to see ,argelander on my way to ,london2 he followed me out1 still urging me to do this1 and at the same time assured me that ,kansas would go all right4 ,it was singular that ,humboldt should advise me to use the sextant2 it was the first instrument that ,i ever used1 and it is a very difficult one4 ,no young aspirant in science ever left ,humboldt's presence uncheered1 and no petty animosities come out in his record4 ,you never heard of ,humboldt's complaining that any one had stolen his thunder1--he knew that no one could lift his bolts4 ,when ,i came away1 he thanked me again for the visit1 followed me into the anteroom1 and made a low bow4 ,in #ahee ,mrs4 ,mitchell was taken suddenly ill1 and although partial recovery followed1 her illness lasted for six years1 during which time ,maria was her constant nurse4 ,for most of the six years her mother's condition was such that merely a general care was needed1 but it used to be said that ,maria's eyes were always upon her4 ,when the opportunity to go to ,europe came1 an older sister came with her family to take ,maria's place in the home2 and when ,miss ,mitchell returned she found her mother so nearly in the state in which she had left her1 that she felt justified in having taken the journey4 ,mrs4 ,mitchell died in #ahfa1 and a few months after her death ,mr4 ,mitchell and his daughter removed to ,lynn1 ,mass4--,miss ,mitchell having purchased a small house in that city1 in the rear of which she erected the little observatory brought from ,nantucket4 ,she was very much depressed by her mother's death1 and absorbed herself as much as possible in her observations and in her work for the ,nautical ,almanac4 ,soon after her return from ,europe she had been presented with an equatorial telescope1 the gift of ,american women1 through ,miss ,elizabeth ,peabody4 ,the following letter refers to this instrument3 ,,letter ,,from ,,admiral ,,smyth4 ,,st4 ,,john',s ,,lodge1 ,,near ,,aylesbury1 #be-g-'ei4 ,,my ,,dear ,,miss ,,mitchell3 444 ,we are much pleased to hear of your acquisition of an equatorial instrument under a revolving roof1 for it is a true scientific luxury as well as an efficient implement4 ,the aperture of your object-glass is sufficient for doing much useful work1 but1 if ,i may hazard an opinion to you1 do not attempt too much1 for it is quality rather than quantity which is now desirable4 ,i would therefore leave the multiplication of objects to the larger order of telescopes1 and to those who are given to sweep and ransack the heavens1 of whom there is a goodly corps4 ,now1 for your purpose1 ,i would recommend a batch of neat1 but not over-close1 binary systems1 selected so as to have always one or the other on hand4 ,i1 however1 have been bestirring myself to put amateurs upon a more convenient and1 ,i think1 a better mode of examining double stars than by the wire micrometer1 with its faults of illumination1 fiddling1 jumps1 and dirty lamps4 ,this is by the beautiful method of rock-crystal prisms1 not the ,rochon method of double-image1 but by thin wedges cut to given angles4 ,i have told ,mr4 ,alvan ,clark my experiences4 and ,i hope he will apply his excellent mind to the scheme4 ,i am insisting upon this point in some astronomical twaddle which ,i am now printing1 and of which ,i shall soon have to request your acceptance of a copy4 ,there is a very important department which calls for a zealous amateur or two1 namely1 the colors of double stars1 for these have usually been noted after the eye has been fatigued with observing in illuminated fields4 ,the volume ,i hope to forward--en hommage--will contain all the pros and cons of this branch4 ,there is1 for ultimate utility1 nothing like forming a plan and then steadily following it4 ,those who profess they will attend to everything often fall short of the mark4 ,the division of labor leads to beneficial conclusions as well in astronomy as in mechanics and arts4 ,mrs4 ,smyth and my daughter unite with me in wishing you all happiness and success2 and believe me ,my dear ,miss ,mitchell1 ,yours very faithfully1 ,w4 ,h4 ,,smyth4 ,in regard to the colors of stars1 ,miss ,mitchell had already begun their study1 as these extracts from her diary show3 ,feb4 #ai1 #ahec4 ,i am just learning to notice the different colors of the stars1 and already begin to have a new enjoyment4 ,betelgeuse is strikingly red1 while ,rigel is yellow4 ,there is something of the same pleasure in noticing the hues that there is in looking at a collection of precious stones1 or at a flower-garden in autumn4 ,blue stars ,i do not yet see1 and but little lilac except through the telescope4 ,feb4 #ab1 #ahee4444 ,i swept around for comets about an hour1 and then ,i amused myself with noticing the varieties of color4 ,i wonder that ,i have so long been insensible to this charm in the skies1 the tints of the different stars are so delicate in their variety4 444 ,what a pity that some of our manufacturers shouldn't be able to steal the secret of dyestuffs from the stars1 and astonish the feminine taste by new brilliancy in fashion4 ,footnote3 ,see ,chapter ,,xi4 ,,nantucket1 ,april #ahfj4 ,,my ,,dear3 ,your father just gave me a great fright by tapping at my window 7,i believe ,poe's was a door1 wasn't it87 and holding up your note4 ,i was busy examining some star notices just received from ,russia or ,germany1--,i never knew where ,dorpat is4--and just thinking that my work was as good as theirs4 ,i always noticed that when school-teachers took a holiday in order to visit other institutions they came home and quietly said1 ,no school is better or as good as mine4 ,and then ,i read your note1 and perceive your reading is as good as ,mrs4 ,kemble's4 ,now1 being modest1 ,i always felt afraid the reason ,i thought you such a good reader was because ,i didn't know any better1 but if all the world is equally ignorant1 it makes it all right4444 ,i've been intensely busy4 ,i have been looking for the little inferior planet to cross the sun1 which it hasn't done1 and ,i got an article ready for the paper and then hadn't the courage to publish--not for fear of the readers1 but for fear that ,i should change my own ideas by the time 'twas in print4 ,i am hoping1 however1 to have something by the meeting of the ,scientific ,association in ,august1--some paper1--not to get reputation for myself1--my reputation is so much beyond me that as policy ,i should keep quiet1--but in order that my telescope may show that it is at work4 ,i am embarrassed by the amount of work it might do--as you do not know which of ,mrs4 ,browning's poems to read1 there are so many beauties4 ,the little republic of ,san ,marino presented ,miss ,mitchell1 in #ahei1 with a bronze medal of merit1 together with the ,ribbon and ,letters ,patent signed by the two captains regent4 ,this medal she prized as highly as the gold one from ,denmark4 ,nantucket1 ,may #ab1 #ahfj4444 ,i send you a notice of an occultation2 the last sentence and the last figures are mine4 ,you and ,i can never occult1 for have we not always helped one another to shine8 ,do you have ,worcester's ,dictionary8 ,i read it continually4 ,did you feast on ',the ,marble ,faun'8 ,i have a charming letter from ,una ,hawthorne1 herself a poet by nature1 all about 'papa's book4' ,ought not ,mr4 ,hawthorne to be the happiest man alive8 ,he isn't1 though6 ,do save all the anecdotes you possibly can1 piquant or not2 starved people are not over-nice4 ,,lynn1 ,jan4 #e #ahfd4 444 ,i very rarely see the ,b----s2 they go to a different church1 and you know with that class of people not to be with us is to be against us4 ,indeed1 ,i know very little of ,lynn people4 ,if ,i can get at ,mr4 ,j41 when you come to see me ,i'll ask him to tea4 ,he has called several times1 but he's in such demand that he must be engaged some weeks in advance6 ,would you1 if you lived in ,lynn1 want to fall into such a mass of idolaters8 ,i was wretchedly busy up to ,december #ca1 but have got into quiet seas again4 ,i have had a great deal of company--not a person that ,i did not want to see1 but ,i can't make the days more than twenty-four hours long1 with all my economy of time4 ,this week ,professor ,crosby1 of ,salem1 comes up with his graduating class and his corps of teachers for an evening4 ,they remained in ,lynn until ,miss ,mitchell was called to ,vassar ,college1 in #ahfe1 as professor of astronomy and director of the observatory4 ,,chapter ,,ix #ahfe-ahhe ,,life ,,at ,,vassar ,,college ,in her life at ,vassar ,college there was a great deal for ,miss ,mitchell to get accustomed to2 if her duties had been merely as director of the observatory1 it would have been simply a continuation of her previous work4 ,but she was expected1 of course1 to teach astronomy2 she was by no means sure that she could succeed as a teacher1 and with this new work on hand she could not confine herself to original investigation--that which had been her great aim in life4 ,but she was so much interested in the movement for the higher education of women1 an interest which deepened as her work went on1 that she gave up1 in a great measure1 her scientific life1 and threw herself heart and soul into this work4 ,for some years after she went to ,vassar1 she still continued the work for the ,nautical ,almanac2 but after a while she relinquished that1 and confined herself wholly to the work in the college4 #ahff4 ,vassar ,college brought together a mass of heterogeneous material1 out of which it was expected that a harmonious whole would evolve--pupils from all parts of the country1 of different habits1 different training1 different views2 teachers1 mostly from ,new ,england1 differing also2 professors1 largely from ,massachusetts1 yet differing much4 ,and yet1 after a year1 we can say that there has been no very noisy jarring of the discordant elements2 small jostling has been felt1 but the president has oiled the rough places1 and we have slid over them4 444 ,miss ---- is a bigot1 but a very sincere one4 ,she is the most conservative person ,i ever met4 ,i think her a very good woman1 a woman of great energy4444 ,she is very kind to me1 but had we lived in the colonial days of ,massachusetts1 and had she been a power1 she would have burned me at the stake for heresy6 ,yesterday the rush began4 ,miss ,lyman the lady principal had set the twenty teachers all around in different places1 and ,i was put into the parlor to talk to 'anxious mothers4' ,miss ,lyman had a hoarse cold1 but she received about two hundred students1 and had all their rooms assigned to them4 ,while she had one anxious mamma1 ,i took two or three1 and kept them waiting until she could attend to them4 ,several teachers were with me4 ,i made a rush at the visitors as they entered1 and sometimes ,i was asked if ,i were lady principal1 and sometimes if ,i were the matron4 ,this morning ,miss ,lyman's voice was gone4 ,she must have seen five hundred people yesterday4 ,among others there was one ,miss ,mitchell1 and1 of course1 that anxious mother put that girl under my special care1 and she is very bright4 ,then there were two who were sent with letters to me1 and several others whose mothers took to me because they were frightened by ,miss ,lyman's style4 ,one lady1 who seemed to be a bright woman1 got me by the button and held me a long time--she wanted this1 that1 and the other impracticable thing for the girl1 and told me how honest her daughter was2 then with a flood of tears she said1 ',but she is not a ,christian4 ,i know ,i put her into good hands when ,i put her here4' 7,then ,i was strongly tempted to avow my ,unitarianism47 ,miss ,w41 who was standing by1 said1 ',miss ,lyman will be an excellent spiritual adviser1' and we both looked very serious2 when the mother wiped her weeping eyes and said1 ',and1 ,miss ,mitchell1 will you ask ,miss ,lyman to insist that my daughter shall curl her hair8 ,she looks very graceful when her hair is curled1 and ,i want it insisted upon1' ,i made a note of it with my pencil1 and as ,i happened to glance at ,miss ,w4 the corners of her mouth were twitching1 upon which ,i broke down and laughed4 ,the mother bore it very good-naturedly1 but went on4 ,she wanted to know who would work some buttonholes in her daughter's dress that was not quite finished1 etc41 and it all ended in her inviting me to make her a visit4 ,oct4 #ca1 #ahff4 ,our faculty meetings always try me in this respect3 we do things that other colleges have done before4 ,we wait and ask for precedent4 ,if the earth had waited for a precedent1 it never would have turned on its axis6 ,sept4 #bb1 #ahfh4 ,i have written to-day to give up the ,nautical ,almanac work4 ,i do not feel sure that it will be for the best1 but ,i am sure that ,i could not hold the almanac and the college1 and father is happy here4 ,i tell ,miss ,lyman that my father is so much pleased with everything here that ,i am afraid he will be immersed6 ,footnote3 ,vassar ,college1 though professedly unsectarian1 was mainly under ,baptist control4 ,only those who knew ,vassar ,college in its earlier days can tell of the life that the father and daughter led there for four years4 ,mr4 ,mitchell died in #ahfi4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,father ,,and ,,daughter ,jan4 #c1 #ahfh4 ,meeting ,dr4 ,hill at a private party1 ,i asked him if ,harvard ,college would admit girls in fifty years4 ,he said one of the most conservative members of the faculty had said1 within sixteen days1 that it would come about in twenty years4 ,i asked him if ,i could go into one of ,professor ,peirce's recitations4 ,he said there was nothing to keep me out1 and that he would let me know when they came4 ,at eleven ,a4,m41 the next ,friday1 ,i stood at ,professor ,peirce's door4 ,as the professor came in ,i went towards him1 and asked him if ,i might attend his lecture4 ,he said ',yes4' ,i said ',can you not say ,i shall be happy to have you8' and he said ',i shall be happy to have you1' but he didn't look happy6 ,it was with some little embarrassment that ,mrs4 ,k4 and ,i seated ourselves4 ,sixteen young men came into the room2 after the first glance at us there was not another look1 and the lecture went on4 ,professor ,peirce had filled the blackboard with formulae1 and went on developing them4 ,he walked backwards and forwards all the time1 thinking it out as he went4 ,the students at first all took notes1 but gradually they dropped off until perhaps only half continued4 ,when he made simple mistakes they received it in silence2 only one1 that one his son 7a tutor in college71 remarked that he was wrong4 ,the steps of his lesson were all easy1 but of course it was impossible to tell whence he came or whither he was going4444 ,the recitation-room was very common-looking--we could not tolerate such at ,vassar4 ,the forms and benches of the recitation-room were better for taking notes than ours are4 ,the professor was polite enough to ask us into the senior class1 but ,i had an engagement4 ,i asked him if a young lady presented herself at the door he could keep her out1 and he said ',no1 and ,i shouldn't4' ,i told him ,i would send some of my girls4 ,oct4 #ae1 #ahfh4 ,resolved1 in case of my outliving father and being in good health1 to give my efforts to the intellectual culture of women1 without regard to salary2 if possible1 connect myself with liberal ,christian institutions1 believing1 as ,i do1 that happiness and growth in this life are best promoted by them1 and that what is good in this life is good in any life4 ,in ,august1 #ahfi1 ,miss ,mitchell1 with several of her ,vassar students1 went to ,burlington1 ,ia41 to observe the total eclipse of the sun4 ,she wrote a popular account of her observations1 which was printed in ,hours at ,home for ,september1 #ahfi4 ,her records were published in ,professor ,coffin's report1 as she was a member of his party4 ,sept4 #bf1 #ahga4 ,my classes came in to-day for the first time2 twenty-five students--more than ever before2 fine1 splendid-looking girls4 ,i felt almost frightened at the responsibility which came into my hands--of the possible twist which ,i might give them4 #ahga4 ,i never look upon the mass of girls going into our dining-room or chapel without feeling their nobility1 the sovereignty of their pure spirit4 ,the following letter from ,miss ,mitchell1 though written at a later date1 gives an idea of the practical observing done by her classes3 ,,my ,,dear ,,miss ----3 ,i reply to your questions concerning the observatory which you propose to establish4 ,and1 first1 let me congratulate you that you begin small4 ,a large telescope is a great luxury1 but it is an enormous expense1 and not at all necessary for teaching4444 ,my beginning class uses only a small portable equatorial4 ,it stands out-doors from #g ,a4,m4 to #i ,p4,m4 ,the girls are encouraged to use it3 they are expected to determine the rotation of the sun on its axis by watching the spots--the same for the planet ,jupiter2 they determine the revolution of ,titan by watching its motions1 the retrograde and direct motion of the planets among the stars1 the position of the sun with reference to its setting in winter and summer1 the phases of ,venus4 ,all their book learning in astronomy should be mathematical4 ,the astronomy which is not mathematical is what is so ludicrously called ,geography of the ,heavens--is not astronomy at all4 ,my senior class1 generally small1 say six1 is received as a class1 but in practical astronomy each girl is taught separately4 ,i believe in small classes4 ,i instruct them separately1 first in the use of the meridian instrument1 and next in that of the equatorial4 ,they obtain the time for the college by meridian passage of stars2 they use the equatorial just as far as they can do with very insufficient mechanism4 ,we work wholly on planets1 and they are taught to find a planet at any hour of the day1 to make drawings of what they see1 and to determine positions of planets and satellites4 ,with the clock and chronograph they determine difference of right ascension of objects by the electric mode of recording4 ,they make1 sometimes1 very accurate drawings1 and they learn to know the satellites of ,saturn 7,titan1 ,rhea1 etc47 by their different physiognomy1 as they would persons4 ,they have sometimes measured diameters4 ,if you add to your observatory a meridian instrument1 ,i should advise a small one4 ,size is not so important as people generally suppose4 ,nicety and accuracy are what is needed in all scientific work2 startling effects by large telescopes and high powers are too suggestive of sensational advertisement4 ,the relation between herself and her pupils was quite remarkable--it was very cordial and intimate2 she spoke of them always as her girls1 but at the same time she required their very best work1 and was intolerant of shirking1 or of an ambition to do what nature never intended the girl in question to do4 ,one of her pupils writes thus3 ,if it were only possible to tell you of what ,professor ,mitchell did for one of her girls6 ',her girls6' ,it meant so much to come into daily contact with such a woman6 ,there is no need of speaking of her ability2 the world knows what that was4 ,but as her class-room was unique1 having something of home in its belongings1 so its atmosphere differed from that of all others4 ,anxiety and nervous strain were left outside of the door4 ,perhaps one clue to her influence may be found in her remark to the senior class in astronomy when '#gf entered upon its last year3 ',we are women studying together4' ,occasionally it happened that work requiring two hours or more to prepare called for little time in the class4 ,then would come one of those treats which she bestowed so freely upon her girls1 and which seemed to put them in touch with the great outside world4 ,letters from astronomers in ,europe or ,america1 or from members of their families1 giving delightful glimpses of home life2 stories of her travels and of visits to famous people2 accounts of scientific conventions and of large gatherings of women1--not so common then as now1--gave her listeners a wider outlook and new interests4 ,professor ,mitchell was chairman of a standing committee of the ,american ,association for the ,advancement of ,women1--that on women's work in science1--and some of her students did their first work for women's organizations in gathering statistics and filling out blanks which she distributed among them4 ,the benefits derived from my college course were manifold1 but time and money would have been well spent had there been no return but that of two years' intercourse with ,maria ,mitchell4 ,another pupil1 and later her successor at ,vassar ,college1 ,miss ,mary ,w4 ,whitney1 has said of her method of teaching3 ,as a teacher1 ,miss ,mitchell's gift was that of stimulus1 not that of drill4 ,she could not drill2 she would not drive4 ,but no honest student could escape the pressure of her strong will and earnest intent4 ,the marking system she held in contempt1 and wished to have nothing to do with it4 ',you cannot mark a human mind1' she said1 'because there is no intellectual unit2' and upon taking up her duties as professor she stipulated that she should not be held responsible for a strict application of the system4 ,july1 #ahhg4 ,my students used to say that my way of teaching was like that of the man who said to his son1 ',there are the letters of the ,english alphabet--go into that corner and learn them4' ,it is not exactly my way1 but ,i do think1 as a general rule1 that teachers talk too much6 ,a book is a very good institution6 ,to read a book1 to think it over1 and to write out notes is a useful exercise2 a book which will not repay some hard thought is not worth publishing4 ,the fashion of lecturing is becoming a rage2 the teacher shows herself off1 and she does not try enough to develop her pupils4 ,the greatest object in educating is to give a right habit of study4444 99 99 99 99 99 444 ,not too much mechanical apparatus--let the imagination have some play2 a cube may be shown by a model1 but let the drawing upon the blackboard represent the cube2 and if possible let ,nature be the blackboard2 spread your triangles upon land and sky4 ,one of my pupils always threw her triangles on the celestial vault above her head4444 ,a small apparatus well used will do wonders4 ,a celebrated chemist ordered his servant to bring in the laboratory--on a tray6 ,newton rolled up the cover of a book2 he put a small glass at one end1 and a large brain at the other--it was enough4 99 99 99 99 99 ,when a student asks me1 ',what specialty shall ,i follow8' ,i answer1 ',adopt some one1 if none draws you1 and wait4' ,i am confident that she will find the specialty engrossing4 ,feb4 #aj1 #ahhg4 ,when ,i came to ,vassar1 ,i regretted that ,mr4 ,vassar did not give full scholarships4 ,by degrees1 ,i learned to think his plan of giving half scholarships better2 and to-day ,i am ready to say1 ',give no scholarships at all4' ,i find a helping-hand lifts the girl as crutches do2 she learns to like the help which is not self-help4 ,if a girl has the public school1 and wants enough to learn1 she will learn4 ,it is hard1 but she was born to hardness--she cannot dodge it4 ,labor is her inheritance4 ,i was born1 for instance1 incapable of appreciating music4 ,i mourn it4 ,should ,i go to a music-school1 therefore8 ,no1 avoid the music-school2 it is a very expensive branch of study4 ,when the public school has taught reading1 writing1 and arithmetic1 the boy or girl has his or her tools2 let them use these tools1 and get a few hours for study every day4 444 ,do not give educational aid to sickly young people4 ,the old idea that the feeble young man must be fitted for the ministry1 because the more sickly the more saintly1 has gone out4 ,health of body is not only an accompaniment of health of mind1 but is the cause2 the converse may be true1--that health of mind causes health of body2 but we all know that intellectual cheer and vivacity act upon the mind4 ,if the gymnastic exercise helps the mind1 the concert or the theatre improves the health of the body4 ,let the unfortunate young woman whose health is delicate take to the culture of the woods and fields1 or raise strawberries1 and avoid teaching4 ,better give a young girl who is poor a common-school education1 a little lift1 and tell her to work out her own career4 ,if she have a distaste to the homely routine of life1 leave her the opportunity to try any other career1 but let her understand that she stands or falls by herself4 444 ,not every girl should go to college4 ,the over-burdened mother of a large family has a right to be aided by her daughter's hands4 ,i would aid the mother and not the daughter4 ,i would not put the exceptionally smart girl from a very poor family into college1 unless she is a genius2 and a genius should wait some years to prove her genius4 ,endow the already established institution with money4 ,endow the woman who shows genius with time4 ,a case at ,johns ,hopkins ,university is an excellent one4 ,a young woman goes into the institution who is already a scholar2 she shows what she can do1 and she takes a scholarship2 she is not placed in a happy valley of do nothing1--she is put into a workshop1 where she can work4 444 ,we are all apt to say1 ',could we have had the opportunity in life that our neighbor had1'--and we leave the unfinished sentence to imply that we should have been geniuses4 ,no one ever says1 ',if ,i had not had such golden opportunities thrust upon me1 ,i might have developed by a struggle'6 ,but why look back at all8 ,why turn your eyes to your shadow1 when1 by looking upward1 you see your rainbow in the same direction8 ,but our want of opportunity was our opportunity--our privations were our privileges--our needs were stimulants2 we are what we are because we had little and wanted much2 and it is hard to tell which was the more powerful factor4444 99 99 99 99 99 ,small aids to individuals1 large aid to masses4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the ,russian ,czar determined to found an observatory1 and the first thing he did was to take a million dollars from the government treasury4 ,he sends to ,america to order a thirty-five inch telescope from ,alvan ,clark1--not to promote science1 but to surpass other nations in the size of his glass4 ',to him that hath shall be given4' ,read it1 ',to him that hath should be given4' 99 99 99 99 99 ,to give wisely is hard4 ,i do not wonder that the millionaire founds a new college--why should he not8 ,millionaires are few1 and he is a man by himself--he must have views1 or he could not have earned a million4 ,but let the man or woman of ordinary wealth seek out the best institution already started1--the best girl already in college1--and give the endowment4 ,i knew a rich woman who wished to give aid to some girls' school1 and she travelled in order to find that institution which gave the most solid learning with the least show4 ,she found it where few would expect it1--in ,tennessee4 ,it was worth while to travel4 ,the aid that comes need not be money2 let it be a careful consideration of the object1 and an evident interest in the cause4 ,when you aid a teacher1 you improve the education of your children4 ,it is a wonder that teachers work as well as they do4 ,i never look at a group of them without using1 mentally1 the expression1 ',the noble army of martyrs'6 ,the chemist should have had a laboratory1 and the observatory should have had an astronomer2 but we are too apt to bestow money where there is no man1 and to find a man where there is no money4 99 99 99 99 99 ,if every girl who is aided were a very high order of scholar1 scholarship would undoubtedly conquer poverty2 but a large part of the aided students are ordinary4 ,they lack1 at least1 executive power1 as their ancestors probably did4 ,poverty is a misfortune2 misfortunes are often the result of blamable indiscretion1 extravagance1 etc4 ,it is one of the many blessings of poverty that one is not obliged to 'give wisely4' #ahff4 ,to her students3 ,i cannot expect to make astronomers1 but ,i do expect that you will invigorate your minds by the effort at healthy modes of thinking4444 ,when we are chafed and fretted by small cares1 a look at the stars will show us the littleness of our own interests4 444 ,but star-gazing is not science4 ,the entrance to astronomy is through mathematics4 ,you must make up your mind to steady and earnest work4 ,you must be content to get on slowly if you only get on thoroughly4444 ,the phrase 'popular science' has in itself a touch of absurdity4 ,that knowledge which is popular is not scientific4 ,the laws which govern the motions of the sun1 the earth1 planets1 and other bodies in the universe1 cannot be understood and demonstrated without a solid basis of mathematical learning4 99 99 99 99 99 ,every formula which expresses a law of nature is a hymn of praise to ,god4 99 99 99 99 99 ,you cannot study anything persistently for years without becoming learned1 and although ,i would not hold reputation up to you as a very high object of ambition1 it is a wayside flower which you are sure to have catch at your skirts4 ,whatever apology other women may have for loose1 ill-finished work1 or work not finished at all1 you will have none4 ,when you leave ,vassar ,college1 you leave it the best educated women in the world4 ,living a little outside of the college1 beyond the reach of the little currents that go up and down the corridors1 ,i think ,i am a fairer judge of your advantages than you can be yourselves2 and when ,i say you will be the best educated women in the world1 ,i do not mean the education of text-books1 and class-rooms1 and apparatus1 only1 but that broader education which you receive unconsciously1 that higher teaching which comes to you1 all unknown to the givers1 from daily association with the noble-souled women who are around you4 #ahga4 ,when astronomers compare observations made by different persons1 they cannot neglect the constitutional peculiarities of the individuals1 and there enters into these computations a quantity called 'personal equation4' ,in common terms1 it is that difference between two individuals from which results a difference in the time which they require to receive and note an occurrence4 ,if one sees a star at one instant1 and records it1 the record of another1 of the same thing1 is not the same4 ,it is true1 also1 that the same individual is not the same at all times2 so that between two individuals there is a mean or middle individual1 and each individual has a mean or middle self1 which is not the man of to-day1 nor the man of yesterday1 nor the man of to-morrow2 but a middle man among these different selves4444 99 99 99 99 99 ,we especially need imagination in science4 ,it is not all mathematics1 nor all logic1 but it is somewhat beauty and poetry4 ,there will come with the greater love of science greater love to one another4 ,living more nearly to ,nature is living farther from the world and from its follies1 but nearer to the world's people2 it is to be of them1 with them1 and for them1 and especially for their improvement4 ,we cannot see how impartially ,nature gives of her riches to all1 without loving all1 and helping all2 and if we cannot learn through ,nature's laws the certainty of spiritual truths1 we can at least learn to promote spiritual growth while we are together1 and live in a trusting hope of a greater growth in the future4 444 ,the great gain would be freedom of thought4 ,women1 more than men1 are bound by tradition and authority4 ,what the father1 the brother1 the doctor1 and the minister have said has been received undoubtingly4 ,until women throw off this reverence for authority they will not develop4 ,when they do this1 when they come to truth through their investigations1 when doubt leads them to discovery1 the truth which they get will be theirs1 and their minds will work on and on unfettered4 #ahgd4 ,i am but a woman6 ,for women there are1 undoubtedly1 great difficulties in the path1 but so much the more to overcome4 ,first1 no woman should say1 ',i am but a woman6' ,but a woman6 ,what more can you ask to be8 ,born a woman--born with the average brain of humanity--born with more than the average heart--if you are mortal1 what higher destiny could you have8 ,no matter where you are nor what you are1 you are a power--your influence is incalculable2 personal influence is always underrated by the person4 ,we are all centres of spheres--we see the portions of the sphere above us1 and we see how little we affect it4 ,we forget the part of the sphere around and before us--it extends just as far every way4 ,another common saying1 ',it isn't the way1' etc4 ,who settles the way8 ,is there any one so forgetful of the sovereignty bestowed on her by ,god that she accepts a leader--one who shall capture her mind8 ,there is this great danger in student life4 ,now1 we rest all upon what ,socrates said1 or what ,copernicus taught2 how can we dispute authority which has come down to us1 all established1 for ages8 ,we must at least question it2 we cannot accept anything as granted1 beyond the first mathematical formulae4 ,question everything else4 ',the world is round1 and like a ball ,seems swinging in the air4'#a ,footnote #a3 ,from ,peter ,parley's ,primary ,geography4 ,no such thing6 the world is not round1 it does not swing1 and it doesn't seem to swing6 ,i know ,i shall be called heterodox1 and that unseen lightning flashes and unheard thunderbolts will be playing around my head1 when ,i say that women will never be profound students in any other department except music while they give four hours a day to the practice of music4 ,i should by all means encourage every woman who is born with musical gifts to study music2 but study it as a science and an art1 and not as an accomplishment2 and to every woman who is not musical1 ,i should say1 ',don't study it at all2' you cannot afford four hours a day1 out of some years of your life1 just to be agreeable in company upon possible occasions4 ,if for four hours a day you studied1 year after year1 the science of language1 for instance1 do you suppose you would not be a linguist8 ,do you put the mere pleasing of some social party1 and the reception of a few compliments1 against the mental development of four hours a day of study of something for which you were born8 ,when ,i see that girls who are required by their parents to go through with the irksome practising really become respectable performers1 ,i wonder what four hours a day at something which they loved1 and for which ,god designed them1 would do for them4 ,i should think that to a real scientist in music there would be something mortifying in this rush of all women into music2 as there would be to me if ,i saw every girl learning the constellations1 and then thinking she was an astronomer6 ,jan4 #h1 #ahgf4 ,at the meeting of graduates at the ,deacon ,house1 the speeches that were made were mainly those of ,dr4 ,r4 and ,professor ,b4 ,i am sorry now that ,i did not at least say that the college is what it is mainly because the early students pushed up the course to a collegiate standard4 ,jan4 #be1 #ahgf4 ,it has become a serious question with me whether it is not my duty to beg money for the observatory1 while what ,i really long for is a quiet life of scientific speculation4 ,i want to sit down and study on the observations made by myself and others4 ,during her later years at ,vassar1 ,miss ,mitchell interested herself personally in raising a fund to endow the chair of astronomy4 ,in ,march1 #ahhf1 she wrote3 ,i have been in ,new ,york quite lately1 and am quite hopeful that ,miss ---- will do something for ,vassar4 ,mrs4 ,c41 of ,newburyport1 is to ask ,whittier1 who is said to be rich1 and ---- told me to get anything ,i could out of her father4 ,but after all ,i am a poor beggar2 my ideas are small6 ,since ,miss ,mitchell's death1 the fund has been completed by the alumnae1 and is known as the ,maria ,mitchell ,endowment ,fund4 ,with #aj1jjj appropriated by the trustees it amounts to #ej1jjj4 ,june #ah1 #ahgf4 ,i had imagined the ,emperor of ,brazil to be a dark1 swarthy1 tall man1 of forty-five years2 that he would not really have a crown upon his head1 but that ,i should feel it was somewhere around1 handy-like1 and that ,i should know ,i was in royal presence4 ,but he turns out to be a large1 old man1--say1 sixty-five1--broad-headed and broad-shouldered1 with a big white beard1 and a very pleasant1 even chatty1 manner4 ,once inside of the dome1 he seemed to feel at home2 to my astonishment he asked if ,alvan ,clark made the glass of the equatorial4 ,as he stepped into the meridian-room1 and saw the instruments1 he said1 ',collimators8' ,i said1 ',you have been in observatories before4' ',oh1 yes1 ,cambridge and ,washington1' he replied4 ,he seemed much more interested in the observatory than ,i could possibly expect4 ,i asked him to go on top of the roof1 and he said he had not time2 yet he stayed long enough to go up several times4 ,i am told that he follows out1 remarkably1 his own ideas as to his movements4 ,in #ahgh1 ,miss ,mitchell went to ,denver1 ,colorado1 to observe the total eclipse of the sun4 ,she was accompanied by several of her former pupils4 ,she prepared an account of this eclipse1 which will be found in ,chapter ,,xi4 ,aug4 #bj1 #ahgh4 ,dr4 ,raymond ,president of ,vassar ,college is dead4 ,i cannot quite take it in4 ,i have never known the college without him1 and it will make all things different4 ,personally1 ,i have always been fond of him2 he was very enjoyable socially and intellectually4 ,officially he was1 in his relations to the students1 perfect4 ,he was cautious to a fault1 and has probably been very wise in his administration of college affairs4 ,he was broad in his religious views4 ,he was not broad in his ideas of women1 and was made to broaden the education of women by the women around him4 ,june #ah1 #ahha4 ,the dome party to-day was sixty-two in number4 ,it was breakfast1 and we opened the dome2 we seated forty in the dome and twenty in the meridian-room4 ,this dome party requires a few words of explanation1 because it was unique among all the ,vassar festivities4 ,the week before commencement1 ,miss ,mitchell's pupils would be informed of the approaching gathering by a notice like the following3 ,,circular4 ,the annual dome party will be held at the observatory on ,saturday1 the #aith1 at #f ,p4,m4 ,you are cordially invited to be present4 ,m4 ,m4 ,as this gathering is highly intellectual1 you are invited to bring poems4 ,it was1 at first1 held in the evening1 but during the last years was a breakfast party1 its character in other respects remaining the same4 ,little tables were spread under the dome1 around the big telescope2 the flowers were roses from ,miss ,mitchell's own garden4 ,the poems were nonsense rhymes1 in the writing of which ,miss ,mitchell was an adept4 ,each student would have a few verses of a more or less personal character1 written by ,miss ,mitchell1 and there were others written by the girls themselves2 some were impromptu2 others were set to music1 and sung by a selected glee-club4 ,june #e1 #ahha4 ,we have written what we call our dome poetry4 ,some nice poems have come in to us4 ,i think the ,vassar girls1 in the main1 are magnificent1 they are so all-alive4444 ,may #bj1 #ahhb4 ,vassar is getting pretty4 ,i gathered lilies of the valley this morning4 ,the young robins are out in a tree close by us1 and the phoebe has built1 as usual1 under the front steps4 ,i am rushing dome poetry1 but so far show no alarming symptoms of brilliancy4 ,a former student writes as follows about the dome poetry3 ,at the time it was read1 though it seemed mere merry nonsense1 it really served a more serious purpose in the work of one who did nothing aimlessly4 ,this apparent nonsense served as the vehicle to convey an expression of approbation1 affection1 criticism1 or disapproval in such a merry mode that even the bitterest draught seemed sweet4 #ahha1 ,july #e4 ,we left ,vassar1 ,june #bd1 on the steamer ',galatea1' from ,new ,york to ,providence4 ,i looked out of my state-room window1 and saw a strange-looking body in the northern sky4 ,my heart sank2 ,i knew instantly that it was a comet1 and that ,i must return to the observatory4 ,calling the young people around me1 and pointing it out to them1 ,i had their assurance that it was a comet1 and nothing but a comet4 ,we went to bed at nine1 and ,i arose at six in the morning4 ,as soon as ,i could get my nieces started for ,providence1 ,i started for ,stonington1--the most easy of the ways of getting to ,new ,york1 as ,i should avoid ,point ,judith4 ,i went to the boat at the ,stonington wharf about noon1 and remained on board until morning--there were few passengers1 it was very quiet1 and ,i slept well4 ,arriving in ,new ,york1 ,i took cars at #i ,a4,m4 for ,poughkeepsie1 and reached the college at dinner-time4 ,i went to work the same evening4 ,as ,i could not tell at what time the comet would pass the meridian1 ,i stationed myself at the telescope in the meridian-room by #aj ,p4,m41 and watched for the comet to cross4 ,as it approached the meridian1 ,i saw that it would go behind a scraggy apple-tree4 ,i sent for the watchman1 ,mr4 ,crumb1 to come with a saw1 and cut off the upper limbs4 ,he came back with an axe1 and chopped away vigorously2 but as one limb after another fell1 and ,i said1 ',i need more1 cut away1' he said1 ',i think ,i must cut down the whole tree4' ,i said1 ',cut it down4' ,i felt the barbarism of it1 but ,i felt more that a bird might have a nest in it4 ,i found1 when ,i went to breakfast the next morning1 that the story had preceded me1 and ,i was called ',george ,washington4' ,but for all this1 ,i got almost no observation2 the fog came up1 and ,i had scarcely anything better than an estimation4 ,i saw the comet blaze out1 just on the edge of the field1 and ,i could read its declination only4 ,on the #bhth1 #bith1 and ,july #ast1 ,i obtained good meridian passages1 and the ,r4,a4 must be very good4 ,jan4 #ab1 #ahhb4 ,there is a strange sentence in the last paragraph of ,dr4 ,jacobi's article on the study of medicine by women1 to the effect that it would be better for the husband always to be superior to the wife4 ,why8 ,and if so1 does not it condemn the ablest women to a single life8 ,march #ac1 #ahhb1 #c ,p4,m4 ,i start for faculty1 and we probably shall elect what are called the 'honor girls4' ,i dread the struggle that is pretty certain to come4 ,each of us has some favorite whom she wishes to put into the highest class1 and whom she honestly believes to be of the highest order of merit4 ,i never have the whole ten to suit me1 but ,i can truly say that at this minute ,i do not care4 ,i should be sorry not to see ,s41 and ,w41 and ,p41 and ,e41 and ,g41 and ,k4 on the list of the ten1 but probably that is more than ,i ought to expect4 ,the whole system is demoralizing and foolish4 ,girls study for prizes1 and not for learning1 when 'honors' are at the end4 ,the unscholarly motive is wearing4 ,if they studied for sound learning1 the cheer which would come with every day's gain would be health-preserving4 444 ,i have seven advanced students1 and to-day1 when ,i looked around to see who should be called to help look out for meteors1 ,i could consider only one of them not already overworked1 and she was the post-graduate1 who took no honors1 and never hurried1 and has always been an excellent student4 444 ,we are sending home some girls already ,november #ad1 and ---- is among them4 ,i am somewhat alarmed at the dropping down1 but ---- does an enormous amount of work1 belongs to every club1 and writes for every club and for the ',vassar ,miscellany1' etc42 of course she has the headache most of the time4 ,sometimes ,i am distressed for fear ,dr4 ,clarke ,footnote3 ,author of ,sex in ,education4 is not so far wrong2 but ,i do not think it is the study--it is the morbid conscientiousness of the girls1 who think they must work every minute4 ,april #bf1 #ahhb4 ,miss ,herschel came to the college on the #aath1 and stayed three days4 ,she is one of the little girls whom ,i saw1 twenty-three years since1 playing on the lawn at ,sir ,john ,herschel's place1 ,collingwood4 444 ,miss ,herschel was just perfect as a guest2 she fitted in beautifully4 ,the teachers gave a reception for her1 ---- gave her his poem1 and ,henry1 the gardener1 found out that the man in whose employ he lost a finger was her brother-in-law1 in ,leeds6 ,jan4 #i1 #ahhd4 ,mr4 ,matthew ,arnold has been to the college1 and has given his lecture on ,emerson4 ,the audience was made up of three hundred students1 and three hundred guests from town4 ,never was a man listened to with so much attention4 ,whether he is right in his judgment or not1 he held his audience by his manly way1 his kindly dissection1 and his graceful ,english4 ,socially1 he charmed us all4 ,he chatted with every one1 he smiled on all4 ,he said he was sorry to leave the college1 and that he felt he must come to ,america again4 ,we have not had such an awakening for years4 ,it was like a new volume of old ,english poetry4 ,march #af1 #ahhe4 ,in ,february1 #ahca1 ,i counted seconds for father1 who observed the annular eclipse at ,nantucket4 ,i was twelve and a half years old4 ,in #ahhe1 fifty-four years later1 ,i counted seconds for a class of students at ,vassar2 it was the same eclipse1 but the sun was only about half-covered4 ,both days were perfectly clear and cold4 ,,chapter ,x #ahgc ,,second ,,european ,,tour--,,russia--,,frances ,,power ,,cobbe--,,the ,,glasgow ,,college ,,for ,,girls ,in #ahgc1 ,miss ,mitchell spent the summer in ,europe1 and availed herself of this opportunity to visit the government observatory at ,pulkova1 in ,russia4 ,eydkuhnen1 ,wednesday1 ,july #cj1 #ahgc4 ,certainly1 ,i never in my life expected to spend twenty-four hours in this small town1 the frontier town of ,prussia4 ,here ,i remembered that our little bags would be examined1 and ,i asked the guard about it1 but he said we need not trouble ourselves2 we should not be examined until we reached the first ,russian town of ,wiersbelow4 ,so1 after a mile more of travel1 we came to ,wiersbelow4 ,knowing that we should keep our little compartment until we got to ,st4 ,petersburg1 we had scattered our luggage about2 gloves were in one place1 veil in another1 shawl in another1 parasol in another1 and books all around4 ,the train stopped4 ,imagine our consternation6 ,two officials entered the carriage1 tall ,russians in full uniform1 and seized everything--shawls1 books1 gloves1 bags2 and then1 looking around very carefully1 espied ,w's poor little ragged handkerchief1 and seized that1 too1 as a contraband article6 ,we looked at one another1 and said nothing4 ,the tall ,russian said something to us2 we looked at each other and sat still4 ,the tall ,russians looked at one another1 and there was almost an official smile between them4 ,then one turned to me1 and said1 very distinctly1 ',passy-port4' ',oh1' ,i said1 'the passports are all right2 where are they8' and we produced from our pockets the passports prepared at ,washington1 with the official seal1 and we delivered them with a sort of air as if we had said1 ',you'll find that they do things all right at ,washington4' ,the tall ,russians got out1 and ,i was about to breathe freely1 when they returned1 and said something else--not a word did ,i understand2 they exchanged a look of amusement1 and ,w4 and ,i1 one of amazement2 then one of them made signs to us to get out4 ,the sign was unmistakable1 and we got out1 and followed them into an immense room1 where were tables all around covered with luggage1 and about a hundred travellers standing by2 and our books1 shawls1 gloves1 etc41 were thrown in a heap upon one of these tables1 and we awoke to the disagreeable consciousness that we were in a custom-house1 and only two out of a hundred travellers1 and that we did not understand one word of ,russian4 ,but1 of course1 it could be only a few minutes of delay1 and if ,german and ,french failed1 there is always left the language of signs1 and all would be right4 ,after1 perhaps1 half an hour1 two or three officials approached us1 and1 holding the passports1 began to talk to us4 ,how did they know that those two passports belonged to us8 ,out of two hundred persons1 how could they at once see that the woman whose age was given at more than half a century1 and the lad whose age was given at less than a score of years1 were the two fatigued and weary travellers who stood guarding a small heap of gloves1 books1 handkerchiefs1 and shawls8 ,two of the officials held up the passports to us1 pointed to the blank page1 shook their heads ominously2 the third took the passports1 put them into his vest pocket1 buttoned up his coat1 and motioned to us to follow him4 ,we followed2 he opened the door of an ordinary carriage1 waved his hand for us to get in1 jumped in himself1 and we found we were started back4 ,we could not cross the line between ,germany and ,russia4 ,we meekly asked where we were to go1 and were relieved when we found that we went back only to the nearest town1 but that the passports must be sent to ,konigsberg1 sixty miles away1 to be endorsed by the ,russian ambassador--it might take some days4 ,w4 was very much inclined to refuse to go back and to attempt a war of words1 but it did not seem wise to me to undertake a war against the ,russian government2 ,i know our country does not lightly go into an 'unpleasantness' of that kind4444 ,so we went back to ,eydkuhnen1--a little miserable ,german village4 ,we took rooms at the only hotel1 and there we stayed twenty-four hours4 ,before the end of that time1 we had visited every shop in the village1 and aired our ,german to most of our fellow-travellers whom we met at the hotel4 ,the landlord took our part1 and declared it was hard enough on simple travellers like ourselves to be stopped in such a way1 and that ,russia was the only country in ,europe which was rigid in that respect4 ,happily1 our passports were back in twenty-four hours1 and we started again2 our trunks had been registered for ,st4 ,petersburg1 and to ,st4 ,petersburg they had gone1 ahead of us2 and of the small heap of things thrown down promiscuously at the custom-house1 the whole had not come back to us--it was not very important4 ,i learned how to wear one glove instead of two1 or to go without4 ,we had the ordeal of the custom-house to pass again2 but once passed1 and told that we were free to go on1 it was like going into a clear atmosphere from a fog4 ,we crossed the custom-house threshold into another room1 and we found ourselves in ,russia1 and in an excellent1 well-furnished1 and cheery restaurant4 ,we lost the ,german smoke and the ,german beer2 we found hot coffee and clean table-cloths4 ,we did not return to our dusty1 red-velvet palace1 but we entered a clean1 comfortable compartment1 with easy sofas1 for the night4 ,we started again for ,st4 ,petersburg2 we were now four days from ,london4 ,i will omit the details of a break-down that night1 and another change of cars4 ,we had some sleep1 and awoke in the morning to enjoy ,russia4 ,and1 first1 of ,russian railroads4 ,when the railroads of ,russia were planned1 the ,emperor ,nicholas allowed a large sum of money for the building4 ,the engineer showed him his plan4 ,the road wound by slight curves from one town to another4 ,this did not suit the emperor at all4 ,he took his ruler1 put it down upon the table1 and said3 ',i choose to have my roads run so4' ,of course the engineer assented--he had his large fund granted2 a straight road was much cheaper to build than a curved one4 ,as a consequence1 he built and furnished an excellent road4 ,at every 'verst1' which is not quite a mile1 a small house is placed at the roadside1 on which1 in very large figures1 the number of versts from ,st4 ,petersburg is told4 ,the train runs very smoothly and very slowly2 twenty miles an hour is about the rate4 ,of course the journey seemed long4 ,for a large part of the way it was an uninhabited1 level plain2 so green1 however1 that it seemed like travelling on prairies4 ,occasionally we passed a dreary little village of small huts1 and as we neared ,st4 ,petersburg we passed larger and better built towns1 which the dome of some cathedral lighted up for miles4 ,the road was enlivened1 too1 by another peculiarity4 ,the restaurants were all adorned by flags of all colors1 and festooned by vines4 ,at one place the green arches ran across the road1 and we passed under a bower of evergreens4 ,i accepted this1 at first1 as a ,russian peculiarity1 and was surprised that so much attention was paid to travellers2 but ,i learned that it was not for us at all4 ,the ,duke of ,edinboro' had passed over the road a few days before1 on his way to ,st4 ,petersburg1 for his betrothal to the only daughter of the czar1 and the decorations were for him2 and so we felt that we were of the party1 although we had not been asked4 ,we approached ,st4 ,petersburg just at night1 and caught the play of the sunlight on the domes4 ,it is a city of domes--blue domes1 green domes1 white domes1 and1 above all1 the golden dome of the ,cathedral of ,st4 ,isaac's4 ,it is almost never a single dome4 ,st4 ,isaac's central1 gilded dome looms up above its fellow domes1 but four smaller ones surround it4 ,it was summer2 the temperature was delightful1 about like our ,october4 ,the showers were frequent1 there was no dust and no sultry air4 ,there must be a great deal of nice mechanical work required in ,st4 ,petersburg1 for on the ,nevsky ,perspective1 the principal street1 there were a great many shops in which graduating and measuring instruments of very nice workmanship were for sale4 ,especially ,i noticed the excellence of the thermometers1 and ,i naturally stopped to read them4 ,figures are a common language1 but it was clear that ,i was in another planet2 ,i could not read the thermometers6 ,i judged that the weather was warm enough for the thermometer to be at #fh4 ,i read1 say1 #af4 ,and then ,i remembered that the ,russians do not put their freezing point at #cb1 as we do1 and ,i was obliged to go through a troublesome calculation before ,i could tell how warm it was4 ,but ,i came to a still stranger experience4 ,i dated my letters ,august #c1 and went to my banker's1 before ,i sealed them1 to see if there were letters for me4 ,the banker's little calendar was hanging by his desk1 and the day of the month was on exhibition1 in large figures4 ,i read1 ,july #bb6 ,this was distressing6 ,was ,i like ,alice in ,wonderland8 ,did time go backward8 ,surely1 ,i had dated ,august #c4 ,could ,i be in error twelve days8 ,and then ,i perceived that twelve days was just the difference of old and new calendars4 ,how many times ,i had taught students that the ,russians still counted their time by the 'old style1' but had never learned it myself6 ,and so ,i was obliged to teach myself new lessons in science4 ,the earth turns on its axis just the same in ,russia as in ,boston1 but you don't get out of the sunlight at the ,boston sunset hour4 ,when the thermometer stands at #cb in ,st4 ,petersburg1 it does not freeze as it does in ,boston4 ,on the contrary1 it is very warm in ,st4 ,petersburg1 for it means what #ajd does in ,boston4 ,and if you leave ,london on the #bb;d of ,july1 and are five days on the way to ,st4 ,petersburg1 a week after you get there it is still the #bb;d of ,july6 ,and we complain that the day is too short6 ,another peculiarity4 ,we strolled over the city all day2 we came back to our hotel tired2 we took our tea2 we talked over the day2 we wrote to our friends2 we planned for the next day2 we were ready to retire4 ,we walked to the window--the sun was striking on all the chimney tops4 ,it doesn't seem to be right even for the lark to go to sleep while the sun shines4 ,we looked at our watches2 but the watches said nine o'clock1 and we went off to our beds in daytime2 and we awoke after the first nap to perceive that the sun still shone into the room4 ,like all careful aunts1 ,i was unwilling that my nephew should be out alone at night4 ,he was desirous of doing the right thing1 but urged that at home1 as a little boy1 he was always allowed to be out until dark1 and he asked if he could stay out until dark6 ,alas for the poor lad6 ,there was no dark at all6 ,i could not consent for him to be out all night1 and the twilight was not over4 ,you may read and read that the summer day at ,st4 ,petersburg is twenty hours long1 but until you see that the sun scarcely sets1 you cannot take it in4 ,i wondered whether the laboring man worked eight or ten hours under my window2 it seemed to me that he was sawing wood the whole twenty-four6 ,w4 came in one night after a stroll1 and described a beautiful square which he had come upon accidentally4 ,i listened with great interest1 and said1 ',i must go there in the morning2 what is the name of it8'--',i don't know1' he replied4--',why didn't you read the sign8' ,i asked4--',i can't read1' was the reply4--',oh1 no2 but why didn't you ask some one8'--',i can't speak1' he answered4 ,neither reading nor speaking1 we had to learn ,st4 ,petersburg by our observation1 and it is the best way4 ,most travellers read too much4 ,there are learned institutions in ,st4 ,petersburg3 universities1 libraries1 picture-galleries1 and museums2 but the first institution with which ,i became acquainted was the drosky4 ,the drosky is a very1 very small phaeton4 ,it has the driver's seat in front1 and a very narrow seat behind him4 ,one person can have room enough on this second seat1 but it usually carries two4 ,invariably the drosky is lined with dark-blue cloth1 and the drosky-driver wears a dark-blue wrapper1 coming to the feet1 girded around the waist by a crimson sash4 ,he also wears a bell-shaped hat1 turned up at the side4 ,you are a little in doubt1 if you see him at first separated from his drosky1 whether he is a market-woman or a serving-man1 the dress being very much like a morning wrapper4 ,but he is rarely six feet away from his carriage1 and usually he is upon it1 sound asleep6 ,the trunks having gone to ,st4 ,petersburg in advance of ourselves1 our first duty was to get possession of them4 ,they were at the custom-house1 across the city4 ,my nephew and ,i jumped upon a drosky--we could not say that we were really in the drosky1 for the seat was too short4 ,the drosky-driver started off his horse over the cobble-stones at a terrible rate4 ,i could not keep my seat1 and ,i clung to ,w4 ,he shouted1 ',don't hold by me2 ,i shall be out the next minute6' ,what could be done8 ,i was sure ,i shouldn't stay on half a minute4 ,blessings on the red sash of the drosky-man--,i caught at that6 ,he drove faster and faster1 and ,i clung tighter and tighter1 but alarmed at two immense dangers3 first1 that ,i should stop his breath by dragging the girdle so tightly2 and1 next1 that when it became unendurable to him1 he would loosen it in front4 ,i could not perceive that he was aware of my existence at all6 ,he had only one object in life1--to carry us across the city to our place of destination1 and to get his copecks in return4 ,in a few days ,i learned to like the jolly vehicles very much4 ,they are so numerous that you may pick one up on any street1 whenever you are tired of walking4 ,my principal object in visiting ,st4 ,petersburg was the astronomical observatory at ,pulkova1 some twelve miles distant4 ,i had letters to the director1 ,otto von ,struve1 but our consul declared that ,i must also have one from him1 for ,struve was a very great man4 ,i1 of course1 accepted it4 ,we made the journey by rail and coach1 but it would be better to drive the whole way4 ,most observatories are temples of silence1 and quiet reigns4 ,as we drove into the grounds at ,pulkova1 a small crowd of children of all ages1 and servants of all degrees1 came out to meet us4 ,they did not come out to do us honor1 but to gaze at us4 ,i could not understand it until ,i learned that the director of the observatory has a large number of aids1 and they1 with all their families1 live in large houses1 connected with the central building by covered ways4 ,all about the grounds1 too1 were small observatories1--little temples1--in which young men were practising for observations on the transit of ,venus4 ,these little buildings1 ,i afterwards learned1 were to be taken down and transported1 instruments and all1 to the coast of ,asia4 ,the director of the observatory is ,otto ,struve--his father1 ,wilhelm ,struve1 preceded him in this office4 ,properly1 the director is ,herr ,von ,struve2 but the old ,russian custom is still in use1 and the servants call him ,wilhelm-vitch2 that is1 'the son of ,william4' ,when ,i bought a photograph of the present emperor1 ,alexander1 ,i saw that he was called ,nicholas-vitch4 ,herr ,struve received us courteously1 and an assistant was called to show us the instruments4 ,all observatories are much alike2 therefore ,i will not describe this1 except in its peculiarities4 ,one of these was the presence of small1 light1 portable rooms1 i4e41 baseless boxes1 which rolled over the instruments to protect them2 two sides were of wood1 and two sides of green silk curtains1 which could1 of course1 be turned aside when the boxes1 or little rooms1 were rolled over the apparatus4 ,being covered in this way1 the heavy shutters can be left open for weeks at a time4 ,everything was on a large scale--the rooms were immense4 ,the director has three assistants who are called 'elder astronomers1' and two who are called 'adjunct astronomers4' ,each of these has a servant devoted to him4 ,i asked one of the elder astronomers if he had rooms in the observatory1 and he answered1 ',yes1 my rooms are #id ft4 by #ej4' ,they seem to be amused at the size of their lodgings1 for ,mr4 ,struve1 when he told me of his apartments1 gave me at once the dimensions1--#bjj ft4 by #ajj ft4 ,the room in which we dined with the family of ,herr ,struve was immense4 ,i spoke of it1 and he said1 ',we cannot open our windows in the winter1--the winters are so severe1--and so we must have good air without it4' ,their drawing-room was also very large2 the chairs 7innumerable1 it seemed to me7 stood stiffly around the walls of the room4 ,the floor was painted and highly varnished1 and flower-pots were at the numerous windows on little stands4 ,it was scrupulously neat everywhere4 ,there was very little ceremony at dinner2 we had the delicious wild strawberries of the country in great profusion2 and the talk1 the best part of the dinner1 was in ,german1 ,russian1 and ,english4 ,madame ,struve spoke ,german1 ,russian1 and ,french1 and complained that she could not speak ,english4 ,she said that she had spent three weeks with an ,english lady1 and that she must be very stupid not to speak ,english4 ,i noticed that in one of the rooms1 which was not so very immense1 there was a circular table1 a small centre-carpet1 and chairs around the table2 ,i have been told that 'in society' in ,russia1 the ladies sit in a circle1 and the gentlemen walk around and talk consecutively with the ladies1--kindly giving to each a share of their attention4 ,they assured me that the winters were charming1 the sleighing constant1 and the social gatherings cheery2 but think of four hours1 only1 of daylight in the depth of the winter4 ,their dread was the spring and the autumn1 when the mud is deep4 ,everything in the observatory which could be was built of wood4 ,they have the fir1 which is very indestructible2 it is supposed to show no mark of change in two hundred years4 ,wood is so susceptible of ornamentation that the pretty villages of ,russia--and there are some that look like ,new ,england villages--struck us very pleasantly1 after the stone and brick villages of ,england4 ,i try1 when ,i am abroad1 to see in what they are superior to us1--not in what they are inferior4 ,our great idea is1 of course1 freedom and self-government2 probably in that we are ahead of the rest of the world1 although we are certainly not so much in advance as we suppose2 but we are sufficiently inflated with our own greatness to let that subject take care of itself when we travel4 ,we travel to learn2 and ,i have never been in any country where they did not do something better than we do it1 think some thoughts better than we think1 catch some inspiration from heights above our own--as in the art of ,italy1 the learning of ,england1 and the philosophy of ,germany4 ,let us take the scientific position of ,russia4 ,when1 half a century ago1 ,john ,quincy ,adams proposed the establishment of an astronomical observatory1 at a cost of #ajj1jjj1 it was ridiculed by the newspapers1 considered ,utopian1 and dismissed from the public mind4 ,when our government1 a few years since1 voted an appropriation of #ej1jjj for a telescope for the ,national ,observatory1 it was considered magnificent4 ,yet1 a quarter of a century since 7#ahch71 ,russia founded an astronomical observatory4 ,the government spent #bjj1jjj on instruments1 #a1ejj1jjj on buildings1 and annually appropriated #ch1jjj for salaries of observers4 ,i naturally thought that a million and a half dollars1 and ,oriental ideas1 combined1 would make the observatory a showy place2 ,i expected that the observatory would be surmounted by a gilded dome1 and that 'pearly gates' would open as ,i approached4 ,there is not even a dome6 ,the central observation-room is a cylinder1 and its doors swing back on hinges4 ,wherever it is possible1 wood is used1 instead of stone or brick4 ,i could not detect1 in the whole structure1 anything like carving1 gilding1 or painting1 for mere show4 ,it was all for science2 and its ornamentations were adapted to its uses1 and came at their demand4 ,in our country1 the man of science leads an isolated life4 ,if he has capabilities of administration1 our government does not yet believe in them4 ,the director of the observatory at ,pulkova has the military rank of general1 and he is privy councillor to the czar4 ,every subordinate has also his military position--he is a soldier4 ,what would you think of it1 if the director of any observatory were one of the ,president's cabinet at ,washington1 in virtue of his position8 ,struve's position is that of a member of the ,president's cabinet4 ,here is another difference3 ,ours is a democratic country4 ,we recognize no caste2 we are born 'free and equal4' ,we honor labor2 work is ennobling4 ,these expressions we are all accustomed to use4 ,do we live up to them8 ,many a rich man1 many a man in fine social position1 has married a school-teacher2 but ,i never heard it spoken of as a source of pride in the alliance until ,i went to despotic ,russia4 ,struve told me1 as he would have told of any other honor which had been his1 that his wife1 as a girl1 had taught school in ,st4 ,petersburg4 ,and then ,madame ,struve joined in the conversation1 and told me how much the subject of woman's education still held her interest4 ,st4 ,petersburg is about the size of ,philadelphia4 ,struve said1 ',there are thousands of women studying science in ,st4 ,petersburg4' ,how many thousand women do you suppose are studying science in the whole ,state of ,new ,york8 ,i doubt if there are five hundred4 ,then again1 as to language4 ,it is rare1 even among the common people1 to meet one who speaks one language only4 ,if you can speak no ,russian1 try your poor ,french1 your poor ,german1 or your good ,english4 ,you may be sure that the shopkeeper will answer in one or another1 and even the drosky-driver picks up a little of some one of them4 ,of late1 the ,russian government has founded a medical school for women1 giving them advantages which are given to men1 and the same rank when they graduate2 the czar himself contributed largely to the fund4 ,one wonders1 in a country so rich as ours1 that so few men and women gratify their tastes by founding scholarships and aids for the tuition of girls--it must be such a pleasant way of spending money4 ,then as regards religion4 ,i am never in a country where the ,catholic or ,greek church is dominant1 but ,i see with admiration the zeal of its followers4 ,i may pity their delusions1 but ,i must admire their devotion4 ,if you look around in one of our churches upon the congregation1 five-sixths are women1 and in some towns nineteen-twentieths2 and if you form a judgment from that fact1 you would suppose that religion was entirely a 'woman's right4' ,in a ,catholic church or ,greek church1 the men are not only as numerous as the women1 but they are as intense in their worship4 ,well-dressed men1 with good heads1 will prostrate themselves before the image of the ,holy ,virgin as many times1 and as devoutly1 as the beggar-woman4 ,i think ,i saw a ,russian gentleman at ,st4 ,isaac's touch his forehead to the floor1 rise and stand erect1 touch the floor again1 and rise again1 ten times in as many minutes2 and we were one day forbidden entrance to a church because the czar was about to say his prayers2 we found he was making the pilgrimage of some seventy churches1 and praying in each one4 ,christians who believe in public prayer1 and who claim that we should be instant in prayer1 would consider it a severe tax upon their energies to pray seventy times a day--they don't care to do it6 ,then there is the democracy of the church4 ,there are no pews to be sold to the highest bidder--no 'reserved seats2' the oneness and equality before ,god are always recognized4 ,a ,russian gentleman1 as he prays1 does not look around1 and move away from the poor beggar next to him4 ,at ,st4 ,peter's the crowd stands or kneels--at ,st4 ,isaac's they stand2 and they stand literally on the same plane4 ,i noticed in the crowd at ,st4 ,isaac's1 one festival day1 young girls who were having a friendly chat2 but their religion was ever in their thoughts1 and they crossed themselves certainly once a minute4 ,their religion is not an affair of ,sunday1 but of every day in the week4 ,the drosky-driver1 certainly the most stupid class of my acquaintance in ,russia1 never forgets his prayers2 if his passenger is never so much in a hurry1 and the bribe never so high1 the drosky-driver will check his horse1 and make the sign of the cross as he passes the little image of the ,virgin1--so small1 perhaps1 that you have not noticed it until you wonder why he slackens his pace4 ,then as to government4 ,we boast of our national freedom1 and we talk about universal suffrage1 the ',home of the ,free1' etc4 ,yet the serfs in ,russia were freed in ,march1 #ahfa1 just before our ,civil war began4 ,they freed their serfs without any war1 and each serf received some acres of land4 ,they freed twenty-three millions1 and we freed four or five millions of blacks2 and all of us1 who are old enough1 remember that one of the fears in freeing the slaves was the number of lawless and ignorant blacks who1 it was supposed1 would come to the ,north4 ,we talk about universal suffrage2 a larger part of the antiquated ,russians vote than of ,americans4 ,just as ,i came away from ,st4 ,petersburg ,i met a ,moscow family1 travelling4 ,we occupied the same compartment car4 ,it was a family consisting of a lady and her three daughters4 ,when they found where ,i had been1 they asked me1 in excellent ,english1 what had carried me to ,st4 ,petersburg1 and then1 why ,i was interested in ,pulkova2 and so ,i must tell them about ,american girls1 and so1 of course1 of ,vassar ,college4 ,they plied me with questions3 ',do you have women in your faculty8 ,do men and women hold the same rank8' ,i returned the questions3 ',is there a girl's college in ,moscow8' ',no1' said the youngest sister1 with a sigh1 'we are always going to have one4' ,the eldest sister asked3 ',do women vote in ,america8' ',no1' ,i said4 ',do women vote in ,russia8' ,she said ',no2' but her mother interrupted her1 and there was a spicy conversation between them1 in ,russian1 and then the mother1 who had rarely spoken1 turned to me1 and said3 ',i vote1 but ,i do not go to the polls myself4 ,i send somebody to represent me2 my vote rests upon my property4' ,have you not read a story1 of late1 in the newspapers1 about some excellent women in a little town in ,connecticut whose pet heifers were taken by force and sold because they refused to pay the large taxes levied upon them by their townsmen1 they being the largest holders of property in the town8 ,that circumstance could not have happened in barbarous ,russia2 there1 the owner of property has a right to say how it shall be used4 ',why do you ask me about our government8' ,i said to the ,russian girls4 ',are you interested in questions of government8' ,they replied1 ',all ,russian women are interested in questions of that sort4' ,how many ,american women are interested in questions concerning government8 ,these young girls knew exactly what questions to ask about ,vassar ,college1--the course of study1 the diploma1 the number of graduates1 etc4 ,the eldest said3 ',we are at once excited when we hear of women studying2 we have longed for opportunities to study all our lives4 ,our father was the engineer of the first ,russian railroad1 and he spent two years in ,america4 ,i confess to a feeling of mortification when one of these girls asked me1 ',did you ever read the translation of a ,russian book8' and ,i was obliged to answer ',no4' ,this girl had read ,american books in the original4 ,they were talking ,russian1 ,french1 ,german1 and ,english1 and yet mourning over their need of education2 and in general education1 especially in that of women1 ,i think we must be in advance of them4 ,one of these sisters1 forgetting my ignorance1 said something to me in ,russian4 ,the other laughed4 ',what did she say8' ,i asked4 ,the eldest replied1 ',she asked you to take her back with you1 and educate her4' ',but1' ,i said1 'you read and speak your languages--the learning of the world is open to you--found your own college6' ,and the young girl leaned back on the cushions1 drew her mantle around her1 and said1 ',we have not the energy of the ,american girl6' ,the energy of the ,american girl6 ,the rich inheritance which has come down to her from men and women who sought1 in the ,new ,world1 a better and higher life4 ,when the ,american girl carries her energy into the great questions of humanity1 into the practical problems of life2 when she takes home to her heart the interests of education1 of government1 and of religion1 what may we not hope for our country6 ,london1 #ahgc4 ,it was the #bfth of ,august1 and ,i had no hope that ,miss ,cobbe could be at her town residence1 but ,i felt bound to deliver ,mrs4 ,howe's letter1 and ,i wished to give her a ,vassar pamphlet2 so ,i took a cab and drove2 it was at an enormous distance from my lodging--she told me it was six miles4 ,i was as much surprised as delighted when the girl said she was at home1 for the house had painters in it1 the carpets were up1 and everything looked uninhabitable4 ,the girl came back1 after taking my card1 and asked me if ,i would go into the studio1 and so took me through a pretty garden into a small building of two rooms1 the outer one filled with pictures and books4 ,i had never heard that ,miss ,cobbe was an artist1 and so ,i looked around1 and was afraid that ,i had got the wrong ,miss ,cobbe4 ,but as ,i glanced at the table ,i saw the ',contemporary ,review1' and ,i took up the first article and read it--by ,herbert ,spencer4 ,i had become somewhat interested in a pretty severe criticism of the modes of reasoning of mathematical men1 and had perceived that he said the problems of concrete sciences were harder than any of the physical sciences 7which ,i admitted was all true71 when a very white dog came bounding in upon me1 and ,i dropped the book1 knowing that the dog's mistress must be coming1--and ,miss ,cobbe entered4 ,she looked just as ,i expected1 but even larger2 but then her head is magnificent because so large4 ,she was very cordial at once1 and told me that ,miss ,davies had told her ,i was in ,london4 ,she said the studio was that of her friend4 ,i could not refrain from thanking her for her books1 and telling her how much we valued them in ,america1 and how much good ,i believed they had done4 ,she colored a very little1 and said1 ',nothing could be more gratifying to me4' ,i had heard that she was not a women's rights woman1 and she said1 ',who could have told you that8 ,i am remarkably so4 ,i write suffrage articles continually--,i sign petitions4' ,i was delighted to find that she had been an intimate friend of ,mrs4 ,somerville2 had corresponded with her for years1 and had a letter from her after she was ninety-two years of age1 when she was reading ,quaternions for amusement4 ,she said that ,mrs4 ,somerville would probably have called herself a ,unitarian1 but that really she was a ,theist1 and that it came out more in her later life4 ,she said she was correcting proof of the ,life by the daughters2 that the ,life was intensely interesting2 that ,mrs4 ,somerville mourned all her life that she had not had the advantages of education4 ,i asked her how ,i could get a photograph of ,mrs4 ,somerville1 and she said they could not be bought4 ,she told me1 without any hint from me1 that she would give ,vassar ,college a plaster cast of the bust of ,mrs4 ,somerville4 ,footnote3 ,this bust always stood in ,miss ,mitchell's parlor at the observatory4 ,she said1 as women grew older1 if they lived independent lives1 they were pretty sure to be 'women's rights women4' ,she said the clergy--the broadest1 who were in harmony with her--were very courteous1 and that since she had grown old 7she's about forty-five7 all men were more tolerant of her and forgot the difference of sex4 ,i felt drawn to her when she was most serious4 ,i told her ,i had suffered much from doubt1 and asked her if she had2 and she said yes1 when she was young2 but that she had had1 in her life1 rare intervals when she believed she held communion with ,god1 and on those rare periods she had rested in the long intermissions4 ,she laughed1 and the tears came to her eyes1 all together2 she was quick1 and all-alive1 and so courteous4 ,when she gave me a book she said1 ',may ,i write your whole name8 and may ,i say from your friend8' ,then she hurried on her bonnet1 and walked to the station with me2 and her round face1 with the blond hair and the light-blue eyes1 seemed to me to become beautiful as she talked4 ,in ,edinburgh ,i asked for a photograph of ,mary ,somerville1 and the young man behind the counter replied1 ',i don't know who it is4' ,in ,london ,i asked at a bookstore1 which the ,murrays recommended1 for a photograph of ,mrs4 ,somerville and of ,sir ,george ,airy1 and the man said if they could be had in ,london he would get them2 and then he asked1 ',are they ,english8' and ,i informed him that ,sir ,george ,airy was the astronomer royal6 99 99 99 99 99 ',the ,glasgow ,college for ,girls4' ,seeing a sign of this sort1 ,i rang the door-bell of the house to which it was attached1 entered1 and was told the lady was at home4 ,as ,i waited for her1 ,i took up the ',prospectus1' and it was enough1--'music1 dancing1 drawing1 needlework1 and ,english' were the prominent features1 and the pupils were children4 ,all well enough1--but why call it a college8 ,when the lady superintendent came in1 ,i told her that ,i had supposed it was for more advanced students1 and she said1 ',oh1 it is for girls up to twenty2 one supposes a girl is finished by twenty4' ,i asked1 as modestly as ,i could1 ',have you any pupils in ,latin and mathematics8' and she said1 ',no1 it's for girls1 you know4 ,dr4 ,m4 hopes we shall have some mathematics next year4' ',and1' ,i asked1 'some ,latin8' ',yes1 ,dr4 ,m4 hopes we shall have some ,latin2 but ,i confess ,i believe ,latin and mathematics all bosh2 give them modern languages and accomplishments4 ,i suppose your school is for professional women4' ,i told her no2 that the daughters of our wealthiest people demand learning2 that it would scarcely be considered 'good society' when the women had neither ,latin nor mathematics4 ',oh1 well1' she said1 'they get married here so soon4' ,when ,i asked her if they had lady teachers1 she said ',oh1 no as if that would ruin the institution2 nothing but first-class masters4' ,it was clear that the women taught the needlework4 ,,chapter ,,xi ,,papers--,,science #ahgd--,,the ,,denver ,,eclipse #ahgh--;,,colors ,,of ,,stars ,the dissemination of information in regard to science and to scientific investigations relieves the scientist from the small annoyances of extreme ignorance4 ,no one to-day will expect to receive a letter such as reached ,sir ,john ,herschel some years ago1 asking for the writer's horoscope to be cast2 or such as he received at another time1 which asked1 ,shall ,i marry8 and ,have ,i seen her8 ,nor can it be long1 if the whole population is somewhat educated1 that ,i shall be likely to receive1 as ,i have done1 applications for information as to the recovery of stolen goods1 or to tell fortunes4 ,when crossing the ,atlantic1 an ,irish woman came to me and asked me if ,i told fortunes2 and when ,i replied in the negative1 she asked me if ,i were not an astronomer4 ,i admitted that ,i made efforts in that direction4 ,she then asked me what ,i could tell1 if not fortunes4 ,i told her that ,i could tell when the moon would rise1 when the sun would rise1 etc4 ,she said1 ',oh1' in a tone which plainly said1 ',is that all8' ,only a few winters since1 during a very mild winter1 a young lad who was driving a team called out to me on the street1 and said he had a question to ask me4 ,i stopped2 and he asked1 ',shall we lose our ice-crop this winter8' ,it was ,january1 and it was ,new ,england4 ,it took very little learning and no alchemy to foretell that the month of ,february and the neighborhood of ,boston would give ice enough2 and ,i told him that the ice-crop would be abundant2 but ,i was honest enough to explain to him that my outlook into the future was no better than his4 ,one of the unfavorable results of the attempt to popularize science is this3 the reader of popular scientific books is very likely to think that he understands the science itself1 when he merely understands what some writer says about science4 ,take1 for example1 the method of determining the distance of the moon from the earth--one of the easiest problems in physical astronomy4 ,the method can be told in a few sentences2 yet it took a hundred years to determine it with any degree of accuracy--and a hundred years1 not of the average work of mankind in science1 but a hundred years during which able minds were bent to the problem4 ,still1 with all the school-masters1 and all the teaching1 and all the books1 the ignorance of the unscientific world is enormous2 they are ignorant both ways--they underrate the scientific people and they overrate them4 ,there is1 on the one hand1 the ,irish woman who is disappointed because you cannot tell fortunes1 and1 on the other hand1 the cultivated woman who supposes that you must know all science4 ,i have a friend who wonders that ,i do not take my astronomical clock to pieces4 ,she supposes that because ,i am an astronomer1 ,i must be able to be a clock-maker1 while ,i do not handle a tool if ,i can help it6 ,she did not expect to take her piano to pieces because she was musical6 ,she was as careful not to tinker it as ,i was not to tinker the clock1 which only an expert in clock-making was prepared to handle4 444 ,only a few weeks since ,i received a letter from a lady who wished to come to make me a visit1 and to 'scan the heavens1' as she termed it4 ,now1 just as she wrote1 the clock1 which ,i was careful not to meddle with1 had been rapidly gaining time1 and ,i was standing before it1 watching it from hour to hour1 and slightly changing its rate by dropping small weights upon its pendulum4 ,time is so important an element with the astronomer1 that all else is subordinate to it4 ,then1 too1 the uneducated assume the unvarying exactness of mathematical results2 while1 in reality1 mathematical results are often only approximations4 ,we say the sun is #ia1jjj1jjj miles from the earth1 plus or minus a probable error2 that is1 we are right1 probably1 within1 say1 #ajj1jjj miles2 or1 the sun is #ia1jjj1jjj minus #ajj1jjj miles1 or it is #ia1jjj1jjj plus #ajj1jjj miles off2 and this probable error is only a probability4 ,if we make one more observation it cannot agree with any one of our determinations1 and it changes our probable error4 ,illustration3 ,,bust ,,of ,,maria ,,mitchell4 ,from ,original made by ,miss ,emma ,f4 ,brigham in #ahgg ,this ignorance of the masses leads to a misconception in two ways2 the little that a scientist can do1 they do not understand1--they suppose him to be godlike in his capacity1 and they do not see results2 they overrate him and they underrate him--they underrate his work4 ,there is no observatory in this land1 nor in any land1 probably1 of which the question is not asked1 ',are they doing anything8 ,why don't we hear from them8 ,they should make discoveries1 they should publish4' ,the one observation made at ,greenwich on the planet ,neptune was not published until after a century or more--it was recorded as a star4 ,the observation had to wait a hundred years1 about1 before the time had come when that evening's work should bear fruit2 but it was good1 faithful work1 and its time came4 ,kepler was years in passing from one of his laws to another1 while the school-boy1 to-day1 rattles off the three as if they were born of one breath4 ,the scientist should be free to pursue his investigations4 ,he cannot be a scientist and a school-master4 ,if he pursues his science in all his intervals from his class-work1 his classes suffer on account of his engrossments2 if he devotes himself to his students1 science suffers2 and yet we all go on1 year after year1 trying to work the two fields together1 and they need different culture and different implements4 #ahgh4 ,in the eclipse of this year1 the dark shadow fell first on the ,united ,states thirty-eight degrees west of ,washington1 and moved towards the south-east1 a circle of darkness one hundred and sixteen miles in diameter2 circle overlapping circle of darkness until it could be mapped down like a belt4 ,the mapping of the dark shadow1 with its limitations of one hundred and sixteen miles1 lay across the country from ,montana1 through ,colorado1 northern and eastern ,texas1 and entered the ,gulf of ,mexico between ,galveston and ,new ,orleans4 ,this was the region of total eclipse4 ,looking along this dark strip on the map1 each astronomer selected his bit of darkness on which to locate the light of science4 ,but for the distance from the large cities of the country1 ,colorado seemed to be a most favorable part of the shadow2 it was little subject to storms1 and reputed to be enjoyable in climate and abundant in hospitality4 ,my party chose ,denver1 ,col4 ,i had a friend who lived in ,denver1 and she was visiting me4 ,i sought her at once1 and with fear and trembling asked1 ',have you a bit of land behind your house in ,denver where ,i could put up a small telescope8' ',six hundred miles1' was the laconic reply6 ,i felt that the hospitality of the ,rocky mountains was at my feet4 ,space and time are so unconnected6 ,for an observation which would last two minutes forty seconds1 ,i was offered six hundred miles1 after a journey of thousands4 ,a journey from ,boston to ,denver makes one hopeful for the future of our country4 ,we had hour after hour and day after day of railroad travel1 over level1 unbroken land on which cattle fed unprotected1 summer and winter1 and which seemed to implore the traveller to stay and to accept its richness4 ,it must be centuries before the now unpeopled land of western ,kansas and ,colorado can be crowded4 ,we started from ,boston a party of two2 at ,cincinnati a third joined us2 at ,kansas ,city we came upon a fourth who was ready to fall into our ranks1 and at ,denver two more awaited us2 so we were a party of six--',all good women and true4' ,all along the road it had been evident that the country was roused to a knowledge of the coming eclipse2 we overheard remarks about it2 small telescopes travelled with us1 and our landlord at ,kansas ,city1 when ,i asked him to take care of a chronometer1 said he had taken care of fifty of them in the previous fortnight4 ,our party had three telescopes and one chronometer4 ,we had travelled so comfortably all along the ,santa ,f road1 from ,kansas ,city to ,pueblo1 that we had forgotten the possibility of other railroad annoyances than those of heat and dust until we reached ,pueblo4 ,at ,pueblo all seemed to change4 ,we left the ,santa ,f road and entered upon that of the ,rio ,grande4 ,which road was to blame1 it is not for me to say1 but there was trouble at once about our 'round-trip ticket4' ,that settled1 we supposed all was right4 ,in sending out telescopes so far as from ,boston to ,denver1 ,i had carefully taken out the glasses1 and packed them in my trunks4 ,i carried the chronometer in my hand4 ,it was only five hours' travel from ,pueblo to ,denver1 and we went on to that city4 ,the trunks1 for some unexplained reason1 or for no reason at all1 chose to remain at ,pueblo4 ,one telescope-tube reached ,denver when we did2 but a telescope-tube is of no value without glasses4 ,we learned that there was a war between the two railroads which unite at ,pueblo1 and war1 no matter where or when it occurs1 means ignorance and stupidity4 ,the unit of measure of value which the railroad man believes in is entirely different from that in which the scientist rests his faith4 ,a war between two railroads seemed very small compared with two minutes forty seconds of observation of a total eclipse4 ,one was terrestrial1 the other cosmic4 ,it was ,wednesday when we reached ,denver4 ,the eclipse was to occur the following ,monday4 ,we haunted the telegraph-rooms1 and sent imploring messages4 ,we placed ourselves at the station1 and watched the trains as they tossed out their freight2 we listened to every express-wagon which passed our door without stopping1 and just as we were trying to find if a telescope could be hired or bought in ,denver1 the glasses arrived4 ,it was now ,friday2 we must put up tents and telescopes1 and test the glasses4 ,it rained hard on ,friday--nothing could be done4 ,it rained harder on ,saturday4 ,it rained hardest of all on ,sunday1 and hail mingled with the rain4 ,but ,monday morning was clear and bright4 ,it was strange enough to find that we might camp anywhere around ,denver4 ,our hostess suggested to us to place ourselves on ',mc,cullough's ,addition4' ,in ,new ,york or ,boston1 if ,i were about to camp on private grounds ,i should certainly ask permission4 ,in the far ,west you choose your spot of ground1 you dig post-holes and you pitch tents1 and you set up telescopes and inhabit the land2 and then the owner of the land comes to you1 and asks if he may not put up a fence for you1 to keep off intruders1 and the nearest residents come to you and offer aid of any kind4 ,our camping-place was near the house occupied by sisters of charity1 and the black-robed1 sweet-faced women came out to offer us the refreshing cup of tea and the new-made bread4 ,all that we needed was 'space1' and of that there was plenty4 ,our tents being up and the telescopes mounted1 we had time to look around at the view4 ,the space had the unlimitedness that we usually connect with sea and sky4 ,our tents were on the slope of a hill1 at the foot of which we were about six thousand feet above the sea4 ,the plain was three times as high as the hills of the ,hudson-river region1 and there arose on the south1 almost from west to east1 the peaks upon peaks of the ,rocky mountains4 ,one needs to live upon such a plateau for weeks1 to take in the grandeur of the panorama4 ,it is always difficult to teach the man of the people that natural phenomena belong as much to him as to scientific people4 ,camping parties who put up telescopes are always supposed to be corporations with particular privileges1 and curious lookers-on gather around1 and try to enter what they consider a charmed circle4 ,we were remarkably free from specialists of this kind4 ,camping on the south-west slope of the hill1 we were hidden on the north and east1 and another party which chose the brow of the hill was much more attractive to the crowd4 ,our good serving-man was told to send away the few strollers who approached2 even our friends from the city were asked to remove beyond the reach of voice4 ,there is always some one to be found in every gathering who will not submit to law4 ,at the time of the total eclipse in ,iowa1 in #ahfi1 there passed in and out among our telescopes and observers an unknown1 closely veiled woman4 ,the remembrance of that occasion never comes to my mind without the accompaniment of a fluttering green veil4 ,this time it was a man4 ,how he came among us and why he remained1 no one can say4 ,each one supposed that the others knew1 and that there was good reason for his presence4 ,if ,i was under the tent1 wiping glasses1 he stood beside me2 if the photographer wished to make a picture of the party1 this man came to the front2 and when ,i asked the servant to send off the half-vagrant boys and girls who stood gazing at us1 this man came up and said to me in a confidential tone1 ',they do not understand the sacredness of the occasion1 and the fineness of the conditions4' ,there was something regal in his audacity1 but he was none the less a tramp4 ,persons who observe an eclipse of the sun always try to do the impossible4 ,they seem to consider it a solemn duty to see the first contact of sun and moon4 ,the moon1 when seen in the daytime1 looks like a small faint cloud2 as it approaches the sun it becomes wholly unseen2 and an observer tries to see when this unseen object touches the glowing disc of the sun4 ,when we look at any other object than the sun1 we stimulate our vision4 ,a good observer will remain in the dark for a short time before he makes a delicate observation on a faint star1 and will then throw a cap over his head to keep out strong lights4 ,when we look at the sun1 we at once try to deaden its light4 ,we protect our eyes by dark glasses--the less of sunlight we can get the better4 ,we calculate exactly at what point the moon will touch the sun1 and we watch that point only4 ,the exact second by the chronometer when the figure of the moon touches that of the sun1 is always noted4 ,it is not only valuable for the determination of longitude1 but it is a check on our knowledge of the moon's motions4 ,therefore1 we try for the impossible4 ,one of our party1 a young lady from ,california1 was placed at the chronometer4 ,she was to count aloud the seconds1 to which the three others were to listen4 ,two others1 one a young woman from ,missouri1 who brought with her a fine telescope1 and another from ,ohio1 besides myself1 stood at the three telescopes4 ,a fourth1 from ,illinois1 was stationed to watch general effects1 and one special artist1 pencil in hand1 to sketch views4 ,absolute silence was imposed upon the whole party a few minutes before each phenomenon4 ,of course we began full a minute too soon1 and the constrained position was irksome enough1 for even time is relative1 and the minute of suspense is longer than the hour of satisfaction4 ,footnote3 ,as the computed time for the first contact drew near1 the breath of the counter grew short1 and the seconds were almost gasped and threatened to become inaudible1 when ,miss ,mitchell1 without moving her eye from the tube of the telescope1 took up the counting1 and continued until the young lady recovered herself1 which she did immediately4 ,the moon1 so white in the sky1 becomes densely black when it is closely ranging with the sun1 and it shows itself as a black notch on the burning disc when the eclipse begins4 ,each observer made her record in silence1 and then we turned and faced one another1 with record in hand--we differed more than a second2 it was a large difference4 ,between first contact and totality there was more than an hour1 and we had little to do but look at the beautiful scenery and watch the slow motion of a few clouds1 on a height which was cloud-land to dwellers by the sea4 ,our photographer begged us to keep our positions while he made a picture of us4 ,the only value to the picture is the record that it preserves of the parallelism of the three telescopes4 ,you would say it was stiff and unnatural1 did you not know that it was the ordering of ,nature herself--they all point to the centre of the solar system4 ,as totality approached1 all again took their positions4 ,the corona1 which is the 'glory' seen around the sun1 was visible at least thirteen minutes before totality2 each of the party took a look at this1 and then all was silent1 only the count1 on and on1 of the young woman at the chronometer4 ,when totality came1 even that ceased4 ,how still it was6 ,as the last rays of sunlight disappeared1 the corona burst out all around the sun1 so intensely bright near the sun that the eye could scarcely bear it2 extending less dazzlingly bright around the sun for the space of about half the sun's diameter1 and in some directions sending off streamers for millions of miles4 ,it was now quick work4 ,each observer at the telescopes gave a furtive glance at the un-sunlike sun1 moved the dark eye-piece from the instrument1 replaced it by a more powerful white glass1 and prepared to see all that could be seen in two minutes forty seconds4 ,they must note the shape of the corona1 its color1 its seeming substance1 and they must look all around the sun for the 'interior planet4' ,there was certainly not the beauty of the eclipse of #ahfi4 ,then immense radiations shot out in all directions1 and threw themselves over half the sky4 ,in #ahfi1 the rosy prominences were so many1 so brilliant1 so fantastic1 so weirdly changing1 that the eye must follow them2 now1 scarcely a protuberance of color1 only a roseate light around the sun as the totality ended4 ,but if streamers and prominences were absent1 the corona itself was a great glory4 ,our special artist1 who made the sketch for my party1 could not bear the light4 ,when the two minutes forty seconds were over1 each observer left her instrument1 turned in silence from the sun1 and wrote down brief notes4 ,happily1 some one broke through all rules of order1 and shouted out1 ',the shadow6 the shadow6' ,and looking toward the southeast we saw the black band of shadow moving from us1 a hundred and sixty miles over the plain1 and toward the ,indian ,territory4 ,it was not the flitting of the closer shadow over the hill and dale3 it was a picture which the sun threw at our feet of the dignified march of the moon in its orbit4 ,and now we looked around4 ,what a strange orange light there was in the north-east6 what a spectral hue to the whole landscape6 ,was it really the same old earth1 and not another planet8 ,great is the self-denial of those who follow science4 ,they who look through telescopes at the time of a total eclipse are martyrs2 they severely deny themselves4 ,the persons who can say that they have seen a total eclipse of the sun are those who rely upon their eyes4 ,my aids1 who touched no glasses1 had a season of rare enjoyment4 ,they saw ,mercury1 with its gleam of white light1 and ,mars1 with its ruddy glow2 they saw ,regulus come out of the darkening blue on one side of the sun1 ,venus shimmer and ,procyon twinkle near the horizon1 and ,arcturus shine down from the zenith4 ,we saw the giant shadow as it left us and passed over the lands of the untutored ,indian2 they saw it as it approached from the distant west1 as it fell upon the peaks of the mountain-tops1 and1 in the impressive stillness1 moved directly for our camping-ground4 ,the savage1 to whom it is the frowning of the ,great ,spirit1 is awe-struck and alarmed2 the scholar1 to whom it is a token of the inviolability of law1 is serious and reverent4 ,there is a dialogue in some of the old school-readers1 and perhaps in some of the new1 between a tutor and his two pupils who had been out for a walk4 ,one pupil complained that the way was long1 the road was dusty1 and the scenery uninteresting2 the other was full of delight at the beauties he had found in the same walk4 ,one had walked with his eyes intellectually closed2 the other had opened his eyes wide to all the charms of nature4 ,in some respects we are all1 at different times1 like each of these boys3 we shut our eyes to the enjoyments of nature1 or we open them4 ,but we are capable of improving ourselves1 even in the use of our eyes--we see most when we are most determined to see4 ,the will has a wonderful effect upon the perceptive faculties4 ,when we first look up at the myriads of stars seen in a moonless evening1 all is confusion to us2 we admire their brilliancy1 but we scarcely recognize their grouping4 ,we do not feel the need of knowing much about them4 ,a traveller1 lost on a desert plain1 feels that the recognition of one star1 the ,pole star1 is of itself a great acquisition2 and all persons who1 like mariners and soldiers1 are left much with the companionship of the stars1 only learn to know the prominent clusters1 even if they do not know the names given to them in books4 ,the daily wants of the body do not require that we should say ',give me the ways of wandering stars to know ,the depths of heaven above and earth below4' ,but we have a hunger of the mind which asks for knowledge of all around us1 and the more we gain1 the more is our desire2 the more we see1 the more are we capable of seeing4 ,besides learning to see1 there is another art to be learned1--not to see what is not4 ,if we read in to-day's paper that a brilliant comet was seen last night in ,new ,york1 we are very likely to see it to-night in ,boston2 for we take every long1 fleecy cloud for a splendid comet4 ,when the comet of #afhj was expected1 a few years ago1 to reappear1 some young men in ,cambridge told ,professor ,bond that they had seen it2 but ,professor ,bond did not see it4 ,continually are amateurs in astronomy sending notes of new discoveries to ,bond1 or some other astronomers1 which are no discoveries at all6 ,astronomers have long supposed the existence of a planet inferior to ,mercury2 and ,m4 ,leverrier has1 by mathematical calculation1 demonstrated that such a planet exists4 ,he founded his calculations upon the supposed discovery of ,m4 ,lesbarcault1 who declares that it crossed the sun's disc1 and that he saw it and made drawings4 ,the internal evidence1 from the man's account1 is that he was an honest enthusiast4 ,i have no doubt that he followed the path of a solar spot1 and as the sun turned on its axis he mistook the motion for that of the dark spot2 or perhaps the spot changed and became extinct1 and another spot closely resembling it broke out and he was deceived2 his wishes all the time being 'father to the thought4' ,the eye is as teachable as the hand4 ,every one knows the most prominent constellations1--the ,pleiades1 the ,great ,bear1 and ,orion4 ,many persons can draw the figures made by the most brilliant stars in these constellations1 and very many young people look for the 'lost ,pleiad4' ,but common observers know these stars only as bright objects2 they do not perceive that one star differs from another in glory2 much less do they perceive that they shine with differently colored rays4 ,those who know ,sirius and ,betel do not at once perceive that one shines with a brilliant white light and the other burns with a glowing red1 as different in their brilliancy as the precious stones on a lapidary's table1 perhaps for the same reason4 ,and so there is an endless variety of tints of paler colors4 ,we may turn our gaze as we turn a kaleidoscope1 and the changes are infinitely more startling1 the combinations infinitely more beautiful2 no flower garden presents such a variety and such delicacy of shades4 ,but beautiful as this variety is1 it is difficult to measure it2 it has a phantom-like intangibility--we seem not to be able to bring it under the laws of science4 ,we call the stars garnet and sapphire2 but these are1 at best1 vague terms4 ,our language has not terms enough to signify the different delicate shades2 our factories have not the stuff whose hues might make a chromatic scale for them4 ,in this dilemma1 we might make a scale of colors from the stars themselves4 ,we might put at the head of the scale of crimson stars the one known as ,hind's1 which is four degrees west of ,rigel2 we might make a scale of orange stars1 beginning with ,betel as orange red2 then we should have ,betelgeuze1 ,aldebaran1 ,ursae ,minoris1 ,altair and a ,canis1 a ,lyrae1 the list gradually growing paler and paler1 until we come to a ,lyrae1 which might be the leader of a host of pale yellow stars1 gradually fading off into white4 ,most of the stars seen with the naked eye are varieties of red1 orange1 and yellow4 ,the reds1 when seen with a glass1 reach to violet or dark purple4 ,with a glass1 there come out other colors3 very decided greens1 very delicate blues1 browns1 grays1 and white4 ,if these colors are almost intangible at best1 they are rendered more so by the variations of the atmosphere1 of the eye1 and of the glass4 ,but after these are all accounted for1 there is still a real difference4 ,two stars of the class known as double stars1 that is1 so little separated that considerable optical power is necessary to divide them1 show these different tints very nicely in the same field of the telescope4 ,then there comes in the chance that the colors are complementary2 that the eye1 fatigued by a brilliant red in the principal star1 gives to the companion the color which would make up white light4 ,this happens sometimes2 but beyond this the reare innumerable cases of finely contrasted colors which are not complementary1 but which show a real difference of light in the stars2 resulting1 perhaps1 from distance1--for some colors travel farther than others1 and all colors differ in their order of march1--perhaps from chemical differences4 ,single blue or green stars are never seen2 they are always given as the smaller companion of a pair4 ,out of several hundred observed by ,mr4 ,bishop1 forty-five have small companions of a bluish1 or greenish1 or purplish color4 ,almost all of these are stars of the eighth to tenth magnitude2 only once are both seen blue1 and only in one case is the large one blue4 ,in almost every case the large star is yellow4 ,the color most prevailing is yellow2 but the varieties of yellow are very great4 ,we may assume1 then1 that the blue stars are faint ones1 and probably distant ones4 ,but as not all faint stars or distant ones are blue1 it shows that there is a real difference4 ,in the star called #ce ,piscium1 the small star shows a peculiar snuffy-brown tinge4 ,of two stars in the constellation ,ursa ,minoris1 not double stars1 one is orange and the other is green1 both very vivid in color4 ,from age to age the colors of some prominent stars have certainly changed4 ,this would seem more likely to be from change of place than of physical constitution4 ,nothing comes out more clearly in astronomical observations than the immense activity of the universe4 ',all change1 no loss1 'tis revolution all4' ,observations of this kind are peculiarly adapted to women4 ,indeed1 all astronomical observing seems to be so fitted4 ,the training of a girl fits her for delicate work4 ,the touch of her fingers upon the delicate screws of an astronomical instrument might become wonderfully accurate in results2 a woman's eyes are trained to nicety of color4 ,the eye that directs a needle in the delicate meshes of embroidery will equally well bisect a star with the spider web of the micrometer4 ,routine observations1 too1 dull as they are1 are less dull than the endless repetition of the same pattern in crochet-work4 ,professor ,chauvenet enumerates among 'accidental errors in observing1' those arising from imperfections in the senses1 as 'the imperfection of the eye in measuring small spaces2 of the ear1 in estimating small intervals of time2 of the touch1 in the delicate handling of an instrument4' ,a girl's eye is trained from early childhood to be keen4 ,the first stitches of the sewing-work of a little child are about as good as those of the mature man4 ,the taking of small stitches1 involving minute and equable measurements of space1 is a part of every girl's training2 she becomes skilled1 before she is aware of it1 in one of the nicest peculiarities of astronomical observation4 ,the ear of a child is less trained1 except in the case of a musical education2 but the touch is a delicate sense given in exquisite degree to a girl1 and her training comes in to its aid4 ,she threads a needle almost as soon as she speaks2 she touches threads as delicate as the spider-web of a micrometer4 ,then comes in the girl's habit of patient and quiet work1 peculiarly fitted to routine observations4 ,the girl who can stitch from morning to night would find two or three hours in the observatory a relief4 ,,chapter ,,xii ,,religious ,,beliefs--,,comments ,,on ,,sermons--,,concord ,,school--,,whittier--,,cooking ,,schools--,,anecdotes ,partly in consequence of her ,quaker training1 and partly from her own indifference towards creeds and sects1 ,miss ,mitchell was entirely ignorant of the peculiar phrases and customs used by rigid sectarians2 so that she was apt to open her eyes in astonishment at some of the remarks and sectarian prejudices which she met after her settlement at ,vassar ,college4 ,she was a good learner1 however1 and after a while knew how to receive in silence that which she did not understand4 ,miss ,mitchell1 asked one good missionary1 what is your favorite position in prayer8 ,flat upon my back6 the answer came1 swift as lightning4 ,in #ahed she wrote in her diary3 ,there is a ,god1 and he is good1 ,i say to myself4 ,i try to increase my trust in this1 my only article of creed4 ,miss ,mitchell never joined any church1 but for years before she left ,nantucket she attended the ,unitarian church1 and her sympathies1 as long as she lived1 were with that denomination1 especially with the more liberally inclined portion4 ,there were always a few of the teachers and' some of the students who sympathized with her in her views2 but she usually attended the college services on ,sunday4 ,president ,taylor1 of ,vassar ,college1 in his remarks at her funeral1 stated that all her life ,professor ,mitchell had been seeking the truth1--that she was not willing to accept any statement without studying into the matter herself1--,and1 he added1 ,i think she has found the truth she was seeking4 ,miss ,mitchell never obtruded her views upon others1 nor did she oppose their views4 ,she bore in silence what she could not believe1 but always insisted upon the right of private judgment4 ,miss ,w41 a teacher at ,vassar1 was fretting at being obliged to attend chapel exercises twice a day when she needed the time for rest and recreation1 and applied to ,miss ,mitchell for help in getting away from it4 ,after some talk ,miss ,mitchell said3 ,oh1 well1 do as ,i do--sit back folding your arms1 and think of something pleasant6 ,sunday1 ,dec4 #ah1 #ahff4 ,we heard two sermons3 the first in the afternoon1 by ,rev4 ,mr4 ,a41 ,baptist1 the second in the evening1 by ,rev4 ,mr4 ,b41 ,congregationalist4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,a4 took a text from ,deuteronomy1 about ',moses2' ,rev4 ,mr4 ,b4 took a text from ,exodus1 about ',moses2' and ,i am told that the sermon on the preceding ,sunday was about ,moses4 ,it seems to me strange that since we have the history of ,christ in the ,new ,testament1 people continue to preach about ,moses4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,a4 was a man of about forty years of age4 ,he chanted rather than read a hymn4 ,he chanted a sermon4 ,his description of the journey of ,moses towards ,canaan had some interesting points1 but his manner was affected2 he cried1 or pretended to cry1 at the pathetic points4 ,i hope he really cried1 for a weakness is better than an affectation of weakness4 ,he said1 ',the unbeliever is already condemned4' ,it seems to me that if anything would make me an infidel1 it would be the threats lavished against unbelief4 ,mr4 ,b4 is a self-made man1 the son of a blacksmith4 ,he brought the anvil1 the hammer1 and bellows into the pulpit1 and he pounded and blew1 for he was in earnest4 ,i felt the more respect for him because he was in earnest4 ,but when he snapped his fingers and said1 ',i don't care that for the religion of a man which does not begin with prayer1' ,i was provoked at his forgetfulness of the character of his audience4 #ahfg4 ,i am more and more disgusted with the preaching that ,i hear6444 ,why cannot a man act himself1 be himself1 and think for himself8 ,it seems to me that naturalness alone is power2 that a borrowed word is weaker than our own weakness1 however small we may be4 ,if ,i reach a girl's heart or head1 ,i know ,i must reach it through my own1 and not from bigger hearts and heads than mine4 ,march1 #ahgc4 ,there was something so genuine and so sincere in ,george ,macdonald that he took those of us who were emotional completely--not by storm so much as by gentle breezes4444 ,what he said wasn't profound except as it reached the depths of the heart4444 ,he gave us such broad theological lessons6 ,in his sermon he said1 ',don't trouble yourself about what you believe1 but do the will of ,god4' ,his consciousness of the existence of ,god and of his immediate supervision was felt every minute by those who listened4444 ,he stayed several days at the college1 and the girls will never get over the good effects of those three days--the cheerier views of life and death4 444 ,rev4 ,dr4 ,peabody preached for us yesterday1 and was lovely4 ,everyone was charmed in spite of his old-fashioned ways4 ,his voice is very bad1 but it was such a simple1 common-sense discourse6 ,mr4 ,vassar said if that was ,unitarianism1 it was just the right thing4 ,aug4 #bi1 #ahge4 ,went to a ,baptist church1 and heard ,rev4 ,mr4 ,f4 ',christ the way1 the only way4' ,the sermon was wholly without logic1 and yet he said1 near its close1 that those who had followed him must be convinced that this was true4 ,he said a traveller whom he met on the cars admitted that we all desired heaven1 but believed that there were as many ways to it as to ,boston4 ,mr4 ,f4 said that ,god had prepared but one way1 just as the government in those countries of the ,old ,world whose cities were upon almost inaccessible pinnacles had prepared one way of approach4 7,it occurred to me that if those governments possessed godlike powers1 they would have made a great many ways47 ,mr4 ,f4 was very severe upon those who expect to be saved by their own deserts4 ,he said1 ',you tender a farthing1 when you owe a million4' ,i could not see what they owed at all6 ,at this point he might well have given some attention to 'good works2' and if he must mention 'debt1' he might well remind them that they sat in an unpaid-for church6 ,it was plain that he relied upon his anecdotes for the hold upon his audience1 and the anecdotes were attached to the main discourse by a very slender thread of connection4 ,i felt really sad to know that not a listener would lead a better life for that sermon--no man or woman went out cheered1 or comforted1 or stimulated4 ,on the whole1 it is strange that people who go to church are no worse than they are6 ,sept4 #bf1 #ahhj4 ,a clergyman said1 in his sermon1 ',i do not say with the ,frenchman1 if there were no ,god it would be well to invent one1 but ,i say1 if there were no future state of rewards and punishments1 it would be better to believe in one4' ,did he mean to say1 ',better to believe a lie'8 ,march #bg1 #ahha4 ,dr4 ,lyman ,abbott preached4 ,i was surprised to find how liberal ,congregational preaching had become1 for he said he hoped and expected to see women at the bar and in the pulpit1 although he believed they would always be exceptional cases4 ,he preached mainly on the motherhood of ,god1 and his whole sermon was a tribute to womanhood4444 ,i rejoice at the ideal womanhood of purity which he put before the girls4 ,i wish some one would preach purity to young men4 ,july #a1 #ahhc4 ,i went to hear ,rev4 ,mr4 ---- at the ,universalist church4 ,he enumerated some of the dangers that threaten us3 one was ',the doctrines of scientists1' and he named ,tyndale1 ,huxley1 and ,spencer4 ,i was most surprised at his fear of these men4 ,can the study of truth do harm8 ,does not every true scientist seek only to know the truth8 ,and in our deep ignorance of what is truth1 shall we dread the search for it8 ,i hold the simple student of nature in holy reverence2 and while there live sensualists1 despots1 and men who are wholly self-seeking1 ,i cannot bear to have these sincere workers held up in the least degree to reproach4 ,and let us have truth1 even if the truth be the awful denial of the good ,god4 ,we must face the light and not bury our heads in the earth4 ,i am hopeful that scientific investigation1 pushed on and on1 will reveal new ways in which ,god works1 and bring to us deeper revelations of the wholly unknown4 ,the physical and the spiritual seem to be1 at present1 separated by an impassable gulf2 but at any moment that gulf may be overleaped--possibly a new revelation may come4444 ,april1 #ahgh4 ,i called on ,professor ,henry at the ,smithsonian ,institute4 ,he must be in his eightieth year2 he has been ill and seems feeble1 but he is still the majestic old man1 unbent in figure and undimmed in eye4 ,i always remember1 when ,i see him1 the remark of ,dorothy ,dix1 ',he is the truest man that ever lived4' ,we were left alone for a little while1 and he introduced the subject of his nearness to death4 ,he said1 ',the ,national ,academy has raised #dj1jjj1 the interest of which is for myself and family as long as any of us live he has daughters only1 and in view of my death it is a great comfort to me4' ,i ventured to ask him if he feared death at all4 ,he said1 ',not in the least2 ,i have thought of it a great deal1 and have come to feel it a friend4 ,i cherish the belief in immortality2 ,i have suffered much1 at times1 in regard to that matter4' ,scientifically considered1 only1 he thought the probability was on the side of continued existence1 as we must believe that spirit existed independent of matter4 ,he went to a desk and pulled out from a drawer an old copy of ',gregory's ,astronomy1' and said1 ',that book changed my whole life--,i read it when ,i was sixteen years old2 ,i had read1 previously1 works of the imagination only1 and at sixteen1 being ill in bed1 that book was near me2 ,i read it1 and determined to study science4' ,i asked him if a life of science was a good life1 and he said that he felt that it was so4 444 ,when ,i was travelling with ,miss ,s41 who was near-sighted and kept her eyes constantly half-shut1 it seemed to me that every other young lady ,i met had wide1 staring eyes4 ,now1 after two years sitting by a person who never reasons1 it strikes me that every other person whom ,i meet has been thinking hard1 and his logic stands out a prominent characteristic4 ,aug4 #bg1 #ahgi4 ,scientific ,association met at ,saratoga4 444 ,professor ,peirce1 now over seventy years old1 was much the same as ever4 ,he went on in the cars with us1 and was reading ,mallock's ',is ,life ,worth ,living8' and ,i asked1 ',is it8' to which ,professor ,peirce replied1 ',yes1 ,i think it is4' ,then ,i asked1 ',if there is no future state1 is life worth living8' ,he replied1 ',indeed it is not2 life is a cruel tragedy if there is no immortality4' ,i asked him if he conceived of the future life as one of embodiment1 and he said ',yes2 ,i believe with ,st ,paul that there is a spiritual body4444' ,professor ,peirce's paper was on the ',heat of the ,sun2' he considers the sun fed not by impact of meteors1 but by the compression of meteors4 ,i did not think it very sound4 ,he said some good things3 ',where the truth demands1 accept2 what the truth denies1 reject4' ,concord1 ,mass41 #ahgi4 ,to establish a school of philosophy had been the dream of ,alcott's life2 and there he sat as ,i entered the vestry of a church on one of the hottest days in ,august4 ,he looked full as young as he did twenty years ago1 when he gave us a 'conversation' in ,lynn4 ,elizabeth ,peabody came into the room1 and walked up to the seat of the rulers2 her white hair streamed over her shoulders in wild carelessness1 and she was as careless as ever about her whole attire1 but it was beautiful to see the attention shown to her by ,mr4 ,alcott and ,mr4 ,sanborn4 ,emerson entered1--pale1 thin1 almost ethereal in countenance1--followed by his daughter1 who sat beside him and watched every word that he uttered4 ,on the whole1 it was the same ,emerson--he stumbled at a quotation as he always did2 but his thoughts were such as only ,emerson could have thought1 and the sentences had the ,emersonian pithiness4 ,he made his frequent sentences very emphatic4 ,it was impossible to see any thread of connection2 but it always was so--the oracular sentences made the charm4 ,the subject was ,memory4' ,he said1 ',we remember the selfishness or the wrong act that we have committed for years4 ,it is as it should be--,memory is the police-officer of the universe4' ',architects say that the arch never rests1 and so the past never rests4' 7,was it1 never sleeps87 ',when ,i talk with my friend who is a genealogist1 ,i feel that ,i am talking with a ghost4' ,the little vestry1 fitted perhaps for a hundred people1 was packed with two hundred1--all people of an intellectual cast of face1--and the attention was intense4 ,the thermometer was ninety in the shade6 ,i did not speak to ,mr4 ,emerson2 ,i felt that ,i must not give him a bit of extra fatigue4 ,july #ab1 #ahhj4 ,the school of philosophy has built a shanty for its meetings1 but it is a shanty to be proud of1 for it is exactly adapted to its needs4 ,it is a long but not low building1 entirely without finish1 but water-tight4 ,a porch for entrance1 and a recess similar at the opposite end1 which makes the place for the speakers4 ,there was a small table upon the platform on which were pond lilies1 some shelves around1 and a few busts--one of ,socrates1 ,i think4 ,i went in the evening to hear ,dr4 ,harris on ',philosophy4' ,the rain began to come down soon after ,i entered1 and my philosophy was not sufficient to keep me from the knowledge that ,i had neither overshoes nor umbrella2 ,i remembered1 too1 that it was but a narrow foot-path through the wet grass to the omnibus4 ,but ,i listened to ,dr4 ,harris1 and enjoyed it4 ,he lauded ,fichte as the most accurate philosopher following ,kant--he said not of the greatest breadth1 but the most acute4 ,after ,dr4 ,harris' address1 ,mr4 ,alcott made a few remarks that were excellent1 and said that when we had studied philosophy for fifteen years1 as the lecturer had done1 we might know something2 but as it was1 he had pulled us to pieces and then put us together again4 ,the audience numbered sixty persons4 ,may1 #ahhj4 ,i have just finished ,miss ,peabody's account of ,channing4 ,i have been more interested in ,miss ,peabody than in ,channing1 and have felt how valuable she must have been to him4 ,how many of ,channing's sermons were instigated by her questions6 444 ,miss ,peabody must have been very remarkable as a young woman to ask the questions which she asked at twenty4 ,april1 #ahha4 ,the waste of flowers on ,easter ,sunday distressed me4 ,something is due to the flowers themselves4 ,they are massed together like a bushel of corn1 and look like red and white sugar-plums as seen in a confectioner's window4 ,a pillow of flowers is a monstrosity4 ,a calla lily in a vase is a beautiful creation2 so is a single rose4 ,but when the rose is crushed by a pink on each side of it1 and daisies crush the pinks1 and azaleas surround the daisies1 there is no beauty and no fitness4 ,the cathedral had no flowers4 ,aug4 #bb1 #ahhb4 ,we visited ,whittier2 we found him at lunch1 but he soon came into the parlor4 ,he was very chatty1 and seemed glad to see us4 ,mrs4 ,l4 was with me1 and ,whittier was very ready to write in the album which she brought with her1 belonging to her adopted son4 ,we drifted upon theological subjects1 and ,i asked ,mr4 ,whittier if he thought that we fell from a state of innocence2 he replied that he thought we were better than ,adam and ,eve1 and if they fell1 they 'fell up4' ,his faith seems to be unbounded in the goodness of ,god1 and his belief in moral accountability4 ,he said1 ',i am a good deal of a ,quaker in my conviction that a light comes to me to dictate to me what is right4' ,we stayed about an hour1 and we were afraid it would be too much for him2 but ,miss ,johnson1 his cousin1 who lives with him1 assured us that it was good for him2 and he himself said that he was sorry to have us go4 ,one thing that he said1 ,i noted3 that his fancy was for farm-work1 but he was not strong enough2 he had as a young man some literary ambition1 but never thought of attaining the reputation which had come to him4 ,july #ca1 #ahhc4 ,i have had two or three rich days6 ,on ,friday last ,i went to ,holderness1 ,n4,h41 to the ,asquam ,house2 ,i had been asked by ,mrs4 ,t4 to join her party4 ,there were at this house ,mr4 ,whittier1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,cartland1 ,professor and ,mrs4 ,johnson1 of ,yale1 ,mr4 ,williams1 the ,chinese scholar1 his brother1 an ,episcopal clergyman1 and several others4 ,the house seemed full of fine1 cultivated people4 ,we stayed two days and a half4 ,and first of the scenery4 ,the road up to the house is a steep hill1 and at the foot of the hill it winds and turns around two lakes4 ,the panorama is complete one hundred and eighty degrees4 ,beyond the lakes lie the mountains4 ,we do not see ,mt4 ,washington4 ,the house has a piazza nearly all around it4 ,we had a room on the first floor--large1 and with two windows opening to the floor4 ,the programme of the day's work was delightfully monotonous4 ,for an hour or so after breakfast we sat in the ladies' parlor1 we sewed1 and we told anecdotes4 ,whittier talked beautifully1 almost always on the future state and his confidence in it4 ,occasionally he touched upon persons4 ,he seems to have loved ,lydia ,maria ,child greatly4 ,when the cool of the morning was over1 we went out upon the piazza1 and later on we went under the trees1 where1 it is said1 ,whittier spends most of the time4 ,there was little of the old-time theology in his views2 his faith has been always very firm4 ,mr4 ,cartland asked me one day if ,i really felt there was any doubt of the immortality of the soul4 ,i told him that on the whole ,i believed it more than ,i doubted it1 but ,i could not say that ,i felt no doubt4 ,whittier asked me if there were no immortality if ,i should be distressed by it1 and ,i told him that ,i should be exceedingly distressed2 that it was the only thing that ,i craved4 ,he said that 'annihilation was better for the wicked than everlasting punishment1' and to that ,i assented4 ,he said that he thought there might be persons so depraved as not to be worth saving4 ,i asked him if ,god made such4 ,nobody seemed ready to reply4 ,besides myself there was another of the party to whom a dying friend had promised to return1 if possible1 but had not come4 ,whittier believed that they did sometimes come4 ,he said that of all whom he had lost1 no one would be so welcome to him as ,lydia ,maria ,child4 ,we held a little service in the parlor of the hotel1 and ,mrs4 ,c4 read the fourteenth chapter of ,john4 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,w4 read a sermon from ',the pure in heart shall see ,god1 written by ,parkhurst1 of ,new ,york4 ,he thought the child should be told that in heaven he should have his hobby-horse4 ,after the service1 when we talked it over1 ,i objected to telling the child this4 ,whittier did not object2 he said that ,luther told his little boy that he should have a little dog with a golden tail in heaven4 ,aug4 #bf1 #ahhf4 ,i have been to see an exhibition of a cooking school4 ,i found sixteen girls in the basement of a school-house4 ,they had long tables1 across which stretched a line of gas-stoves and jets of gas4 ,some of the girls were using saucepans2 they set them upon the stove1 and then sat down where they could see a clock while the boiling process went on4 ,at one table a girl was cutting out doughnuts2 at another a girl was making a pudding--a layer of bits of bread followed by a layer of fruit4 ,each girl had her rolling-pin1 and moulding-board or saucepan4 ,the chief peculiarity of these processes was the cleanliness4 ,the rolling-pins were clean1 the knives were clean1 the aprons were clean1 the hands were clean4 ,not a drop was spilled1 not a crumb was dropped4 ,if into the kitchen of the crowded mother there could come the utensils1 the commodities1 the clean towels1 the ample time1 there would come1 without the lessons1 a touch of the millennium4 ,i am always afraid of manual-labor schools4 ,i am not afraid that these girls could not read1 for every ,american girl reads1 and to read is much more important than to cook2 but ,i am afraid that not all can write--some of them were not more than twelve years old4 ,and what of the boys8 ,must a common cook always be a girl8 and must a boy not cook unless on the top of the ladder1 with the pay of the president of ,harvard ,college8 ,i am jealous for the schools2 ,i have heard a gentleman who stands high in science declare that the cooking schools would eventually kill out every literary college in the land--for women4 ,but why not for men8 ,if the food for the body is more important than the food for the mind1 let us destroy the latter and accept the former1 but let us not continue to do what has been tried for fifteen hundred years1--to keep one half of the world to the starvation of the mind1 in order to feed better the physical condition of the other half4 ,let us have cooks2 but let us leave it a matter of choice1 as we leave the dressmaking and the shoe-making1 the millinery and the carpentry1--free to be chosen6 ,there are cultivated and educated women who enjoy cooking2 so there are cultivated men who enjoy ,kensington embroidery4 ,who objects8 ,but take care that some rousing of the intellect comes first1--that it may be an enlightened choice1--and do not so fill the day with bread and butter and stitches that no time is left for the appreciation of ,whittier1 letting at least the simple songs of daily life and the influence of rhythm beautify the dreary round of the three meals a day4 ,miss ,mitchell had a stock of conundrums on hand1 and was a good guesser4 ,she told her stories at all times when they happened to come into her mind4 ,she would arrive at her sister's house1 just from ,poughkeepsie on a vacation1 and after the threshold was crossed and she had said ,good morning1 in a clear voice to be heard by all within her sight1 she would1 perhaps1 say1 ,well1 ,i have a capital story which ,i must tell before ,i take my bonnet off1 or ,i shall forget it6 ,and there went with her telling an action1 voice1 and manner which added greater point to the story1 but which cannot be described4 ,one of her associates at ,vassar1 in recalling some of her anecdotes1 writes3 ,professor ,mitchell was quite likely to stand and deliver herself of a bright little speech before taking her seat at breakfast4 ,it was as though the short walk from the observatory had been an inspiration to thought4 ,she was quick at repartee4 ,on one occasion ,charlotte ,cushman and her friend ,miss ,stebbins were visiting ,miss ,mitchell at ,vassar4 ,miss ,mitchell took them out for a drive1 and pointed out the different objects of interest as they drove along the banks of the ,hudson4 ,what is that fine building on the hill8 asked ,miss ,cushman4--,that1 said ,miss ,mitchell1 was a boys' school1 originally1 but it is now used as a hotel1 where they charge five dollars a day6--,five dollars a day8 exclaimed ,miss ,cushman2 ,jupiter ,ammon6--,no1 said ,miss ,stebbins1 ,jupiter ,mammon6--,not at all1 said ,miss ,mitchell1 ,jupiter gammon6 ,farewell1 ,maria1 said an old ,friend1 ,i hope the ,lord will be with thee4 ,good-by1 she replied1 ,i know he will be with you4 ,a characteristic trait in ,miss ,mitchell was her aversion to receiving unsolicited advice in regard to her private affairs4 ,a suggestion is an impertinence1 she would often say4 ,the following anecdote shows how she received such counsel3 ,a literary man of more than national reputation said to one of her admirers1 ,i1 for one1 cannot endure your ,maria ,mitchell4 ,at her solicitation he explained why2 and his reason was1 as she had anticipated1 founded on personal pique4 ,it seems he had gone up from ,new ,york to ,poughkeepsie especially to call upon ,professor ,mitchell4 ,during the course of conversation1 with that patronizing condescension which some self-important men extend to all women indiscriminately1 he proceeded to inform her that her manner of living was not in accordance with his ideas of expediency4 ,now1 he said1 instead of going for each one of your meals all the way from your living-rooms in the observatory over to the dining-hall in the college building1 ,i should think it would be far more convenient and sensible for you to get your breakfast1 at least1 right in your own apartments4 ,in the morning you could make a cup of coffee and boil an egg with almost no trouble4 ,at which ,professor ,mitchell drew herself up with the air of a tragic queen1 saying1 ,and is my time worth no more than to boil eggs8 ,,chapter ,,xiii ,,miss ,,mitchell',s ,,letters--,,woman ,,suffrage--,,membership ,,in ,,various ,,societies--,,published ,,articles--,,death--,,conclusion ,miss ,mitchell was a voluminous letter writer and an excellent correspondent1 but her letters are not essays1 and not at all in the approved style of the ,complete ,letter ,writer4 ,if she had any particular thing to communicate1 she rushed into the subject in the first line4 ,in writing to her own family and intimate friends1 she rarely signed her full name2 sometimes she left it out altogether1 but ordinarily ,m4,m4 was appended abruptly when she had expressed all that she had to say4 ,she wrote as she talked1 with directness and promptness4 ,no one1 in watching her while she was writing a letter1 ever saw her pause to think what she should say next or how she should express the thought4 ,when she came to that point1 the ,m4,m4 was instantly added4 ,she had no secretiveness1 and in looking over her letters it has been almost impossible to find one which did not contain too much that was personal1 either about herself or others1 to make it proper2 especially as she herself would be very unwilling to make the affairs of others public4 ,oct4 #bb1 #ahfj4 ,i have spent #ajj on dress this year4 ,i have a very pretty new felt bonnet of the fashionable shape1 trimmed with velvet2 it cost only #g1 which1 of course1 was pitifully cheap for ,broadway4 ,if thou thinks after #ajj it wouldn't be extravagant for me to have a waterproof cloak and a linsey-woolsey morning dress1 please to send me patterns of the latter material and a description of waterproofs of various prices4 ,they are so ugly1 and ,i am so ditto1 that ,i feel if a few dollars1 more or less1 would make me look better1 even in a storm1 ,i must not mind it4 ,my orthodoxy is settled beyond dispute1 ,i trust1 by the following circumstance3 ,the editor of a ,new ,york magazine has written to me to furnish an article for the ,christmas number on ',the ,star in the ,east4' ,i have ventured1 in my note of declination1 to mention that if ,i investigated that subject ,i might decide that there was no star in the case1 and then what would become of me1 and where should ,i go8 ,since that he has not written1 so ,i may have hung myself6 #ahgi4 ,april #be4 ,i have 'done' ,new ,york very much as we did it thirty years ago4 ,on ,saturday ,i went to ,miss ,booth's reception1 and it was like ,miss ,lynch's1 only larger than ,miss ,lynch's was when ,i was there4444 ,miss ,booth and a friend live on ,fifty-ninth street1 and have lived together for years4 ,miss ,booth is a nice-looking woman4 ,she says she has often been told that she looked like me2 she has gray hair and black eyes1 but is fair and well-cut in feature4 ,i had a very nice time4 ,on ,sunday ,i went to hear ,frothingham1 and he was at his very best4 ,the subject was ',aspirations of ,man1' and the sermon was rich in thought and in word4 444 ,frothingham's discourse was more cheery than usual2 he talked about the wonderful idea of personal immortality1 and he said if it be a dream of the imagination let us worship the imagination4 ,he spoke of ,mrs4 ,child's book on ',aspirations1' and ,i shall order it at once4 ,the only satire was such a sentence as this3 on speaking of a piece of ,egyptian sculpture he said1 ',the gates of heaven opened to the good1 not to the orthodox4' ,to-day1 ,monday1 ,i have been to a public school 7a primary7 and to ,stewart's mansion4 ,i asked the majordomo to take us through the rooms on the lower floor1 which he did4 ,i know of no palace which comes up to it4 ,the palaces always have a look as if at some point they needed refurbishing up4 ,i suppose that ,mrs4 ,stewart uses that dining-room1 but it did not look as if it was made to eat in4 ,i still like ,grme's ',chariot ,race' better than anything else of his4 ,the ',horse ,fair' was too high up for me to enjoy it1 and a little too mixed up4 #ahgc4 ,st4 ,petersburg is another planet1 and1 strange to say1 is an agreeable planet4 ,some of these ,europeans are far ahead of us in many things4 ,i think we are in advance only in one universal democracy of freedom4 ,but then1 that is everything4 ,nov4 #ag1 #ahge4 ,i think you are right to decide to make your home pleasant at any sacrifice which involves only silence4 ,and you are so all over a radical1 that it won't hurt you to be toned down a little1 and in a few years1 as the world moves1 your family will have moved one way and you the other a little1 and you will suddenly find yourself on the same plane4 ,it is much the way that has been between ,miss ---- and myself4 ,to-day she is more of a women's rights woman than ,i was when ,i first knew her1 while ,i begin to think that the girls would better dress at tea-time1 though ,i think on that subject we thought alike at first1 so ,i'll take another example4 ,i have learned to think that a young girl would better not walk to town alone1 even in the daytime4 ,when ,i came to ,vassar ,i should have allowed a child to do it4 ,but ,i never knew much of the world--never shall--nor will you4 ,and as we were both born a little deficient in worldly caution and worldly policy1 let us receive from others those1 lessons1--do as well as we can1 and keep our heart unworldly if our manners take on something of those ways4 ,oct4 #be1 #ahge4444 ,i have scarcely got over the tire of the congress ,footnote3 ,the annual meeting of the ,association for the ,advancement of ,women1 of which ,miss ,mitchell was president4 ,it was held at ,syracuse1 ,n4,y41 in #ahge4 yet1 although it is a week since ,i returned4 ,i feel as if a great burden was lifted from my soul4 ,you will see my 'speech' in the ',woman's ,journal1' but in the last sentence it should be 'eastward' and not 'earthward4' ,it was a grand affair1 and babies came in arms4 ,school-boys stood close to the platform1 and school-girls came1 books in hand4 ,the hall was a beautiful opera-house1 and could hold at least one thousand seven hundred4 ,it was packed and jammed1 and rough men stood in the aisles4 ,when ,i had to speak to announce a paper ,i stood very still until they became quiet4 ,once1 as ,i stood in that way1 a man at the extreme rear1 before ,i had spoken a word1 shouted out1 ',louder6' ,we all burst into a laugh4 ,then1 of course1 ,i had to make them quiet again4 ,i lifted the little mallet1 but ,i did not strike it1 and they all became still4 ,i was surprised at the good breeding of such a crowd4 ,in the evening about half was made up of men4 ,i could not have believed that such a crowd would keep still when ,i asked them to4 ,they say ,i did well4 ,think of my developing as a president of a social science society in my old age6 ,miss ,mitchell took no prominent part in the woman suffrage movement1 but she believed in it firmly1 and its leaders were some of her most highly valued friends4 ,sept4 #g1 #ahge4 ,went to a picnic for woman suffrage at a beautiful grove at ,medfield1 ,mass4 ,it was a gathering of about seventy-five persons 7mostly from ,needham71 whose president seemed to be vigorous and good-spirited4 ,the main purpose of the meeting was to try to affect public sentiment to such an extent as to lead to the defeat of a man who1 when the subject of woman suffrage was before the ,legislature1 said that the women had all they wanted now--that they could get anything with 'their eyes as bright as the buttons on an angel's coat4' ,lucy ,stone1 ,mr4 ,blackwell1 ,rev4 ,mr4 ,bush1 ,miss ,eastman1 and ,william ,lloyd ,garrison spoke4 ,garrison did not look a day older than when ,i first saw him1 forty years ago2 he spoke well--they said with less fire than he used in his younger days4 ,garrison said what every one says--that the struggle for women was the old anti-slavery struggle over again2 that as he looked around at the audience beneath the trees1 it seemed to be the same scene that he had known before4 444 ,we had a very good bit of missionary work done at our table 7at ,vassar7 to-day4 ,a man whom we all despise began to talk against voting by women4 ,i felt almost inclined to pay him something for his remarks4 ,a group from the ,washington ,women ,suffrage ,association stopped here to-day4444 ,i liked ,susan ,b4 ,anthony very much4 ,she seemed much worn1 but was all alive4 ,she is eighteen months younger than ,i1 but seems much more alert4 ,i suppose brickbats are livelier than logarithms6 ,miss ,mitchell was a member of several learned societies4 ,she was the first woman elected to membership of the ,american ,academy of ,arts and ,sciences1 whose headquarters are at ,boston4 ,in #ahfi she was chosen a member of the ,american ,philosophical ,society1 a society founded by ,benjamin ,franklin1 in ,philadelphia4 ,the ,american ,association for the ,advancement of ,science made her a member in the early part of its existence4 ,miss ,mitchell was one of the earliest members of the ,american ,association for the ,advancement of ,women4 ,at one period she was president of the association1 and for many years served as chairman of the committee on science4 ,in this latter capacity she reached1 through circulars and letters1 women studying science in all parts of the country2 and the reports1 as shown from year to year1 show a wonderful increase in the number of such women4 ,she was a member1 also1 of the ,new ,england ,women's ,club1 of ,boston1 and after her annual visit at ,christmas she entertained her students at ,vassar with descriptions of the receptions and meeting of that body4 ,she was also a member of the ,new ,york ,sorosis4 ,she received the degree of ,ph4,d4 from ,rutgers ,female ,college in #ahgj1 her first degree of ,,ll4,d4 from ,hanover ,college in #ahcb1 and her last ,,ll4,d4 from ,columbia ,college in #ahhg4 ,miss ,mitchell had no ambition to appear in print1 and most of her published articles were in response to applications from publishers4 ,a paper entitled ,mary ,somerville appeared in the ,atlantic ,monthly for ,may1 #ahfj4 ,there were several articles in ,silliman's ,journal1--mostly results of observations on ,jupiter and ,saturn1--a few popular science papers in ,hours at ,home1 and one on the ,herschels1 printed in ,the ,century just after her death4 ,miss ,mitchell also read a few lectures to small societies1 and to one or two girls' schools2 but she never allowed such outside work to interfere with her duties at ,vassar ,college1 to which she devoted herself heart and soul4 ,when the failure of her health became apparent to the members of her family1 it was with the utmost difficulty that ,miss ,mitchell could be prevailed upon to resign her position4 ,she had fondly hoped to remain at ,vassar until she should be seventy years old1 of which she lacked about six months4 ,it was hoped that complete rest might lead to several years more of happy life for her2 but it was not to be so--she died in ,lynn1 ,june #bh1 #ahhi4 ,it was one of ,miss ,mitchell's boasts that she had earned a salary for over fifty years1 without any intermission4 ,she also boasted that in ,july1 #ahhc1 when she slipped and fell1 spraining herself so that she was obliged to remain in the house a day or two1 it was the first time in her memory when she had remained in the house a day4 ,in fact1 she made a point of walking out every day1 no matter what the weather might be4 ,a serious fall1 during her illness in ,lynn1 stopped forever her daily walks4 ,she had resigned her position in ,january1 #ahhh4 ,the resignation was laid on the table until the following ,june1 at which time the trustees made her ,professor ,emeritus1 and offered her a home for life at the observatory4 ,this offer she did not accept1 preferring to live with her family in ,lynn4 ,the following extracts from letters which she received at this time show with what reverence and love she was regarded by faculty and students4 ,jan4 #i1 #ahhh4444 ,you may be sure that we shall be glad to do all we can to honor one whose faithful service and honesty of heart and life have been among the chief inspirations of ,vassar ,college throughout its history4 ,of public reputation you have doubtless had enough1 but ,i am sure you cannot have too much of the affection and esteem which we feel toward you1 who have had the privilege of working1 with you4 ,jan4 #aj1 #ahhh4 ,you will consent1 you must consent1 to having your home here1 and letting the work go4 ,it is not astronomy that is wanted and needed1 it is ,maria ,mitchell4444 ,the richest part of my life here is connected with you4444 ,i cannot picture ,vassar without you4 ,there's nothing to point to6 ,may #e1 #ahhi4 ,in all the great wonder of life1 you have given me more of what ,i have wanted than any other creature ever gave me4 ,i hoped ,i should amount to something for your sake4 ,dr4 ,eliza ,m4 ,mosher1 at one time resident physician at the college1 said of her3 ,she was quick to withdraw objections when she was convinced of error in her judgment4 ,i well remember her opposition to the ground ,i took in my 'maiden speech' in faculty meeting1 and how1 at supper1 she stood1 before sitting down1 to say1 ',you were right this afternoon4 ,i have thought the matter over1 and1 while ,i do not like to believe it1 ,i think it is true4' ,of her rooms at the observatory1 ,miss ,grace ,anna ,lewis1 who had been a guest1 wrote thus3 ,her furniture was plain and simple1 and there was a frank simplicity corresponding therewith which made me believe she chose to have it so4 ,it looked natural for her4 ,i think ,i should have been disappointed had ,i found her rooms fitted up with undue elegance4 ,professor ,mitchell's position at ,vassar gave astronomy a prominence there that it has never had in any other college for women1 and in but few for men4 ,i suppose it would have made no difference what she had taught4 ,doubtless she never suspected how many students endured the mathematical work of junior ,astronomy in order to be within range of her magnetic personality4 7,from ,wide ,awake1 ,september1 #ahhi47 ,a graduate writes3 ,her personality was so strong that it was felt all over the college1 even by those who were not in her department1 and who only admired her from a distance4 ,extract from a letter written after her death by a former pupil3 ,i count ,maria ,mitchell's services to ,vassar and her pupils infinitely valuable1 and her character and attainments great beyond anything that has yet been told4444 ,i was one of the pupils upon whom her freedom from all the shams and self-deceptions made an impression that elevated my whole standard1 mental and moral4444 ,the influence of her own personal character sustains its supreme test in the evidence constantly accumulating1 that it strengthens rather than weakens with the lapse of time4 ,her influence upon her pupils who were her daily companions has been permanent1 character-moulding1 and unceasingly progressive4 ,president ,taylor1 in his address at her funeral1 said3 ,if ,i were to select for comment the one most striking trait of her character1 ,i should name her genuineness4 ,there was no false note in ,maria ,mitchell's thinking or utterance4444 ,one who has known her kindness to little children1 who has watched her little evidences of thoughtful care for her associates and friends1 who has seen her put aside her own long-cherished rights that she might make the way of a new and untried officer easier1 cannot forget the tenderer side of her character4444 ,but if would be vain for me to try to tell just what it was in ,miss ,mitchell that attracted us who loved her4 ,it was this combination of great strength and independence1 of deep affection and tenderness1 breathed through and through with the sentiment of a perfectly genuine life1 which has made for us one of the pilgrim-shrines of life the study in the observatory of ,vassar ,college where we have known her at home1 surrounded by the evidences of her honorable professional career4 ,she has been an impressive figure in our time1 and one whose influence lives4 ,,introductory ,,note ,on the #agth of ,december1 #ahca1 a gold medal of the value of twenty ducats was founded1 at the suggestion of ,professor ,schumacher1 of ,altona1 by his ,majesty ,frederic ,,vi41 at that time king of ,denmark1 to be awarded to any person who should first discover a telescopic comet4 ,this foundation and the conditions on which the medal would be awarded were announced to the public in the ,astronomische ,nachrichten for the #bjth of ,march1 #ahcb4 ,the regulations underwent a revision after a few years1 and in ,april1 #ahdj 7,astronomische ,nachrichten1 ,no4 #djj71 were republished as follows3 #a4 ,the medal will be given to the first discoverer of any comet1 which1 at the time of its discovery1 is invisible to the naked eye1 and whose periodic time is unknown4 #b4 ,the discoverer1 if a resident of any part of ,europe except ,great ,britain1 is to make known his discovery to ,mr4 ,schumacher at ,altona4 ,if a resident in ,great ,britain1 or any other quarter of the globe except the continent of ,europe1 he is to make his discovery known directly to ,mr4 ,francis ,baily1 ,london4 ,since ,mr4 ,baily's decease1 ,g4,b4 ,airy1 ,esq41 ,astronomer ,royal1 has been substituted in this and in the #gth and #hth articles of the regulations4 #c4 ,this communication must be made by the first post after the discovery4 ,if there is no regular mail at the place of discovery1 the first opportunity of any other kind must be made use of1 without waiting for other observations4 ,exact compliance with this condition is indispensable4 ,if this condition is not complied with1 and only one person discovers the comet1 no medal will be given for the discovery4 ,otherwise1 the medal will be assigned to the discoverer who earliest complies with the condition4 #d4 ,the communication must not only state as exactly as possible the time of the discovery1 in order to settle the question between rival claims1 but also as near as may be the place of the comet1 and the direction in which it is moving1 as far as these points can be determined from the observations of one night4 #e4 ,if the observations of one night are not sufficient to settle these points1 the enunciation of the discovery must still be made1 in compliance with the third article4 ,as soon as a second observation is made1 it must be communicated in like manner with the first1 and with it the longitude of the place where the discovery is made1 unless it take place at some known observatory4 ,the expectation of obtaining a second observation will never be received as a satisfactory reason for postponing the communication of the first4 #f4 ,the medal will be assigned twelve months after the discovery of the comet1 and no claim will be admitted after that period4 #g4 ,messrs4 ,baily and ,schumacher are to decide if a discovery has been made4 ,if they differ1 ,mr4 ,gauss1 of ,gttingen1 is to decide4 #h4 ,messrs4 ,baily and ,schumacher have agreed to communicate mutually to each other every announcement of a discovery4 ,altona1 ,april1 #ahdj4 ,on the #ast of ,october1 #ahdg1 at half-past ten o'clock1 ,p4,m41 a telescopic comet was discovered by ,miss ,maria ,mitchell1 of ,nantucket1 nearly vertical above ,polaris about five degrees4 ,the further progress and history of the discovery will sufficiently appear from the following correspondence4 ,on the #c;d of ,october the same comet was seen at half-past seven1 ,p4,m41 at ,rome1 by ,father de ,vico1 and information of the fact was immediately communicated by him to ,professor ,schumacher at ,altona4 ,on the #gth of ,october1 at twenty minutes past nine1 ,p4,m41 it was observed by ,mr4 ,w4,r4 ,dawes1 at ,camden ,lodge1 ,cranbrook1 ,kent1 in ,england1 and on the #aath it was seen by ,madame ,rmker1 the wife of the director of the observatory at ,hamburg4 ,mr4 ,schumacher1 in announcing this last discovery1 observes3 ,footnote3 ,astronomische ,nachrichten1 ,no4 #faf4 ,madame ,rmker has for several years been on the lookout for comets1 and her persevering industry seemed at last about to be rewarded1 when a letter was received from ,father de ,vico1 addressed to the editor of this journal1 from which it appeared that the same comet had been observed by him on the #c;d instant at ,rome4 ,not deeming it probable that his daughter had anticipated the observers of this country and ,europe in the discovery of this comet1 no steps were taken by ,mr4 ,mitchell with a view to obtaining the king of ,denmark's medal4 ,prompt information1 however1 of the discovery was transmitted by ,mr4 ,mitchell to his friend1 ,william ,c4 ,bond1 ,esq41 director of the observatory at ,cambridge4 ,the observations of the ,messrs4 ,bond upon the comet commenced on the #gth of ,october2 and on the #cjth were transmitted by me to ,mr4 ,schumacher1 for publication in the ,astronomische ,nachrichten4 ,it was stated in the memorandum of the ,messrs4 ,bond that the comet was seen by ,miss ,mitchell on the #ast instant4 ,this notice appeared in the ,nachrichten of ,dec4 #i1 #ahdg1 and the priority of ,miss ,mitchell's discovery was immediately admitted throughout ,europe4 ,my attention had been drawn to the subject of the king of ,denmark's comet medal by some allusion to it in my correspondence with ,professor ,schumacher1 in reference to the discovery of telescopic comets by ,mr4 ,george ,p4 ,bond1 of the observatory at ,cambridge4 ,having learned some weeks after ,miss ,mitchell's discovery that no communication had been made on her behalf to the trustees of the medal1 and aware that the regulations in this respect were enforced with strictness1 ,i was apprehensive that it might be too late to supply the omission4 ,still1 however1 as the spirit of the regulations had been complied with by ,mr4 ,mitchell's letter to ,mr4 ,bond of the #c;d of ,october1 it seemed worth while at least to make the attempt to procure the medal for his daughter4 ,although the attempt might be unsuccessful1 it would at any rate cause the priority of her discovery to be more authentically established than it might otherwise have been4 ,i accordingly wrote to ,mr4 ,mitchell for information on the subject1 and applied for1 and obtained from ,mr4 ,bond1 ,mr4 ,mitchell's original letter to him of the #c;d of ,october1 with the ,nantucket postmark4 ,these papers were transmitted to ,professor ,schumacher1 with a letter dated #aeth and #bdth ,january4 ,on the #hth of ,february ,i wrote a letter to my much esteemed friend1 ,captain ,w4,h4 ,smyth1 ,r4,n41 formerly president of the ,astronomical ,society at ,london1 requesting him to interest himself with ,professor ,schumacher to obtain the medal for ,miss ,mitchell4 ,captain ,smyth entered with great readiness into the matter1 and addressed a note on the subject to ,mr4 ,airy1 the ,astronomer ,royal1 at ,greenwich4 ,mr4 ,airy kindly wrote to ,professor ,schumacher without loss of time2 but it was their united opinion that a compliance with the condition relative to immediate notice of a discovery was indispensable1 and that it was consequently out of their power to award the medal to ,miss ,mitchell4 ,mr4 ,schumacher suggested1 as the only means by which this difficulty could be overcome1 an application to the ,danish government1 through the ,american legation at ,copenhagen4 ,conceiving that the correspondence could be carried on more promptly through the ,danish legation at ,washington1 ,i addressed a letter on the #bjth of ,april to ,mr4 ,steene-,bill1 ,charg d',affaires of the king of ,denmark in this country1 and sent with it copies of the documents which had been forwarded to ,professor ,schumacher4 ,mr4 ,steene-,bill1 however1 was of opinion that the application1 if made at all1 should be made through the ,american legation at ,copenhagen2 but he expressed at the same time a confident opinion that1 owing to the condition and political relations of ,denmark1 the application would necessarily prove unavailing4 ,it was at this time that the difficulties in ,schleswig-,holstein were at their height1 and it seemed hopeless at such a moment1 and in face of the opinion of the official representative of the ,danish government in this country1 to engage its attention to an affair of this kind4 ,no further attempt was accordingly made by me1 for some weeks1 to pursue the matter4 ,in fact1 a report reached the ,united ,states that the medal had actually been awarded to ,father de ,vico4 ,although this was believed by me to be an unfounded rumor1 the regulations allowing one year for the presentation of claims1 there was reason to apprehend that it proceeded from some quarter well informed as to what would probably take place at the expiration of the twelvemonth4 ,on the #eth of ,august1 ,father de ,vico1 who had left ,rome in the spring in consequence of the troubles there1 made a visit to ,cambridge1 in company with the ,right ,rev4 ,bishop ,fitzpatrick1 of ,boston1 and on this occasion informed me that he had received an intimation from ,professor ,schumacher that the comet-medal would be awarded to ,miss ,mitchell4 ,i was disposed to think that ,father de ,vico labored under some misapprehension as to the purport of ,professor ,schumacher's communications1 as afterwards appeared to be the case4 ,i felt encouraged1 however1 by his statement not only to renew my correspondence on the subject with ,professor ,schumacher1 but ,i determined1 on the #hth of ,august1 to address a letter to ,r4,p4 ,fleniken1 ,esq41 ,charg d',affaires of the ,united ,states at ,copenhagen4 ,this letter was accompanied with copies of the original papers4 ,mr4 ,fleniken entered with great zeal and interest into the subject4 ,he lost no time in bringing it before the ,danish government by means of a letter to the ,count de ,knuth1 the ,minister at that time for ,foreign ,affairs1 and of another to the king of ,denmark himself4 ,his ,majesty1 with the most obliging promptness1 ordered a reference of the case to ,professor ,schumacher1 with directions to report thereon without delay4 ,mr4 ,schumacher had been for a long time in possession of the documents establishing ,miss ,mitchell's priority1 which was1 indeed1 admitted throughout scientific ,europe4 ,professor ,schumacher immediately made his report in favor of granting the medal to ,miss ,mitchell1 and this report was accepted by the king4 ,the result was forthwith communicated by the ,count de ,knuth to ,mr4 ,fleniken1 with the gratifying intelligence that the king had ordered the medal to be awarded to ,miss ,mitchell1 and that it would be delivered to him for transmission as soon as it could be struck off4 ,this has since been done4 ,it must be regarded as a striking proof of an enlightened interest for the promotion of science1 not less than of a kind regard for the rights and feelings of the individual most concerned in this decision1 that the king of ,denmark should have bestowed his attention upon this subject1 at a period of so much difficulty and alarm for ,europe in general and his own kingdom in particular4 ,it would not have been possible to act more promptly in a season of the profoundest tranquillity4 ,his ,majesty has on this occasion shown that he is animated by the same generous zeal for the encouragement of astronomical research which led his predecessor to found the medal2 while he has performed an act of gracious courtesy toward a stranger in a distant land which must ever be warmly appreciated by her friends and countrymen4 ,nor ought the obliging agency of the ,count de ,knuth1 the ,minister of ,foreign ,affairs1 to be passed without notice4 ,the slightest indifference on his part1 even the usual delays of office1 would have prevented the application from reaching the king before the expiration of the twelvemonth within which all claims must1 by the regulations1 be presented4 ,no one can reflect upon the pressure of business which must have existed in the foreign office at ,copenhagen during the past year1 without feeling that the ,count de ,knuth must largely share his sovereign's zeal for science1 as well as his love of justice4 ,nothing else will account for the attention bestowed at such a political crisis on an affair of this kind4 ,the same attention appears to have been given to the subject by his successor1 ,count ,moltka4 ,it was quite fortunate for the success of the application that the office of charg d'affaires of the ,united ,states at ,copenhagen happened to be filled by a gentleman disposed to give it his prompt and persevering support4 ,a matter of this kind1 of course1 lay without the province of his official duties4 ,but no subject officially committed to him by the instructions of his government could have been more zealously pursued4 ,on the very day on which my communication of the #hth of ,august reached him1 ,mr4 ,fleniken addressed his letters to the minister of foreign affairs and to the king1 and he continued to give his attention to the subject till the object was happily effected1 and the medal placed in his hands4 ,the event itself1 however insignificant in the great world of politics and business1 is one of pleasing interest to the friends of ,american science1 and it has been thought proper that the following record of it should be preserved in a permanent form4 ,i have regretted the frequent recurrence of my own name in the correspondence1 and have suppressed several letters of my own which could be spared1 without rendering less intelligible the communications of the other parties1 to whom the interest and merit of the transaction belong4 ,,edward ,,everett4 ,,cambridge1 #ast ,february1 #ahdi4 ,,correspondence ,,hon4 ,,william ,,mitchell ,,to ,,william ,c4 ,,bond1 ,,esq41 ,,cambridge4 ,nantucket1 #aj mo4 #c;d1 #ahdg4 ,,my ,,dear ,,friend3 ,i write now merely to say that ,maria discovered a telescopic comet at half-past ten on the evening of the first instant1 at that hour nearly vertical above ,polaris five degrees4 ,last evening it had advanced westwardly2 this evening still further1 and nearing the pole4 ,it does not bear illumination1 but ,maria has obtained its right ascension and declination1 and will not suffer me to announce it4 ,pray tell me whether it is one of ,george's2 if not1 whether it has been seen by anybody4 ,maria supposes it may be an old story4 ,if quite convenient1 just drop a line to her2 it will oblige me much4 ,i expect to leave home in a day or two1 and shall be in ,boston next week1 and ,i would like to have her hear from you before ,i can meet you4 ,i hope it will not give thee much trouble amidst thy close engagements4 ,our regards are to all of you1 most truly1 ,,william ,,mitchell4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,hon4 ,,edward ,,everett ,,to ,,hon4 ,,william ,,mitchell4 ,cambridge1 #ajth ,january1 #ahdh4 ,,dear ,,sir3 ,i take the liberty to inquire of you whether any steps have been taken by you1 on behalf of your daughter1 by way of claiming the medal of the king of ,denmark for the first discovery of a telescopic comet4 ,the regulations require that information of the discovery should be transmitted by the next mail to ,mr4 ,airy1 the ,astronomer ,royal1 if the discovery is made elsewhere than on the continent of ,europe4 ,if made in the ,united ,states1 ,i understand from ,mr4 ,schumacher that information may be sent to the ,danish minister at ,washington1 who will forward it to ,mr4 ,airy1--but it must be sent by next mail4 ,in consequence of non-compliance with these regulations1 ,mr4 ,george ,bond has on one occasion lost the medal4 ,i trust this may not be the case with ,miss ,mitchell4 ,i am1 dear sir1 with much respect1 faithfully yours1 ,,edward ,,everett4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,extract ,,from ,a ,,letter ,,of ,,the ,,hon4 ,,william ,,mitchell ,,to ,,hon4 ,,edward ,,everett4 ,nantucket1 #ast mo4 #aeth1 #ahdh4 ,,esteemed ,,friend3 ,thy kind letter of the #ajth instant reached me duly4 ,no steps were taken by my daughter in claim of the medal of the ,danish king4 ,on the night of the discovery1 ,i was fully satisfied that it was a comet from its location1 though its real motion at this time was so nearly opposite to that of the earth 7the two bodies approaching each other7 that its apparent motion was scarcely appreciable4 ,i urged very strongly that it should be published immediately1 but she resisted it as strongly1 though she could but acknowledge her conviction that it was a comet4 ,she remarked to me1 ',if it is a new comet1 our friends1 the ,bonds1 have seen it4 ,it may be an old one1 so far as relates to the discovery1 and one which we have not followed4' ,she consented1 however1 that ,i should write to ,william ,c4 ,bond1 which ,i did by the first mail that left the island after the discovery4 ,this letter did not reach my friend till the #fth or #gth1 having been somewhat delayed here and also in the post-office at ,cambridge4 ,referring to my journal ,i find these words3 ',maria will not consent to have me announce it as an original discovery4' ,the stipulations of ,his ,majesty have1 therefore1 not been complied with1 and the peculiar circumstances of the case1 her sex1 and isolated position1 may not be sufficient to justify a suspension of the rules4 ,nevertheless1 it would gratify me that the generous monarch should know that there is a love of science even in this to him remote corner of the earth4 ,i am thine1 my dear friend1 most truly1 ,,william ,,mitchell4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,hon4 ,,edward ,,everett ,,to ,,professor ,,schumacher1 ,,at ,,altona4 ,cambridge1 #aeth ,january1 #ahdh4 ,,dear ,,sir3 ,your letter of the #bgth ,october1 accompanying the ',planeten-,circulr1' reached me but a few days since4 ,if you would be so good as to forward to the care of ,john ,miller1 ,esq41 #bf ,henrietta street1 ,covent ,garden1 ,london1 any letter you may do me the favor to write to me1 it would reach me promptly4 ,the regulations relative to the king of ,denmark's medal have not hitherto been understood in this country4 ,i shall take care to give publicity to them4 ,not only has ,mr4 ,bond lost the medal to which you think he would have been entitled1 ,footnote3 ,mr4 ,schumacher had remarked to me1 in his letter of the #bgth of ,october1 that ,mr4 ,george ,p4 ,bond would have received the medal for the comet first seen by him as a nebulous object on the #ahth of ,february1 #ahdf1 if his observation made at that time had been communicated1 according to the regulations1 to the trustees of the medal4 but ,i fear the same has happened to ,miss ,mitchell1 of ,nantucket1 who discovered the comet of last ,october on the first day of that month4 ,i think it was not seen in ,europe till the third4 ,i remain1 dear sir1 with great respect1 faithfully yours1 ,,edward ,,everett4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,hon4 ,,edward ,,everett ,,to ,,hon4 ,,william ,,mitchell4 ,cambridge1 #ahth ,january1 #ahdh4 ,,dear ,,sir3 ,i have your esteemed favor of the #aeth1 which reached me this day4 ,i am fearful that the rigor deemed necessary in enforcing the regulations relative to the king of ,denmark's prize may prevent your daughter from receiving it4 ,i learn from ,mr4 ,schumacher's letter1 that1 besides ,mr4 ,george ,bond1 ,dr4 ,bremeker lost the medal because he allowed a single post-day to pass before he announced his discovery4 ,there could1 in his case1 be no difficulty in establishing the fact of his priority1 nor any doubt of the good faith with which it was asserted4 ,but inasmuch as ,miss ,mitchell's discovery was actually made known to ,mr4 ,bond by the next mail which left your island1 it is possible--barely possible--that this may be considered as a substantial compliance with the regulation4 ,at any rate1 it is worth trying2 and if we can do no more we can establish the lady's claim to all the credit of the prior discovery4 ,i shall therefore apply to ,mr4 ,bond for the letter which you wrote1 and if it contains nothing improper to be seen by others we will forward it to the ,danish minister at ,washington with a certified extract from your journal4 ,i will have a certified copy of all these papers prepared and sent to ,mr4 ,schumacher2 and if any departure from the letter of the regulations is admissible1 this would seem to be a case for it4 ,i trust ,miss ,mitchell's retiring disposition will not lead her to oppose the taking of these steps4 ,i am1 dear sir1 with great respect1 faithfully yours1 ,signed ,,edward ,,everett4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,postscript ,,to ,,mr4 ,,everett',s ,,letter ,,to ,,professor ,,schumacher ,,of ,,the #ae,,th ,,january1 #ahdh4 ,p4,s4--,the foregoing was written to go by the steamer of the #aeth1 but was a few hours too late4 ,i have since received some information in reference to the comet of ,october which leads me to hope that you may feel it in your power to award the medal to ,miss ,maria ,mitchell4 ,miss ,mitchell saw the comet at half-past ten o'clock on the evening of ,october #ast4 ,her father1 a skilful astronomer1 made an entry in his journal to that effect4 ,on the third day of ,october he wrote a letter to ,mr4 ,bond1 the director of our observatory1 announcing the discovery4 ,this letter was despatched the following day1 being the first post-day after the discovery of the comet4 ,this letter ,i transmit to you1 together with letters from ,mr4 ,mitchell and ,mr4 ,bond to myself4 ,nantucket1 as you are probably aware1 is a small1 secluded island1 lying off the extreme point of the coast of ,massachusetts4 ,mr4 ,mitchell is a member of the executive council of ,massachusetts and a most respectable person4 ,as the claimant is a young lady of great diffidence1 the place a retired island1 remote from all the high-roads of communication2 as the conditions have not been well understood in this country2 and especially as there was a substantial compliance with them--,i hope ,his ,majesty may think ,miss ,maria ,mitchell entitled to the medal4 ,cambridge1 #bdth ,january1 #ahdh4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,extract ,,from ,a ,,letter ,,from ,,mr4 ,,everett ,,to ,,captain ,w4,h4 ,,smyth1 ,r4,n41 ,,late ,,president ,,of ,,the ,,royal ,,astronomical ,,society1 ,,london1 ,,dated ,,cambridge1 #h,,th ,,february1 #ahdh4 ,i have lately been making interest with ,mr4 ,schumacher to cause the king of ,denmark's medal to be given to ,miss ,mitchell for the discovery of the comet to which her name has been given1 if ,i mistake not1 in the journal of your society as well as in the ',nachrichten4' ,she unquestionably discovered it at half-past ten on the evening of the #ast of ,october2 it was not1 ,i think1 seen in ,europe till the #c;d4 ,her father1 on the #c;d1 wrote a letter to ,mr4 ,bond1 the director of our observatory1 informing him of this discovery2 and this letter was sent by the first mail that left the little out-of-the-way island 7,nantucket7 after the discovery4 ,the spirit of the regulations was therefore complied with4 ,but as the letter requires that the notice should be given either to the ,danish minister resident in the country or to ,mr4 ,airy1 if the discovery is made elsewhere than on the continent of ,europe1 it is possible that some demur may be made4 ,the precise terms of the regulations have not been sufficiently made known in this country4 ,as the claim in this case is really a just one1 the claimant a lady1 industrious1 vigilant1 a good astronomer and mathematician1 ,i cannot but hope she will succeed2 and if you have the influence with ,schumacher which you ought to have1 ,i would take it kindly if you would use it in her favor4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,captain ,,smyth ,,to ,,mr4 ,,everett4 #c ,cheyne ,walk1 ,chelsea1 #ajth ,march1 #ahdh4 ,,my ,,dear ,,sir3 ,on the receipt of your last letter1 ,i forthwith wrote to the astronomer royal1 urging the claims of ,miss ,mitchell1 of ,nantucket1 and he immediately replied1 saying that he would lose no time in consulting his official colleague1 ,mr4 ,schumacher1 on the subject4 ,i have just received the accompanying letter from ,greenwich1 by which you will perceive how the matter stands at present2 ,i say at present1 because1 however the claim may be considered as to the technical form of application1 there is no doubt whatever of her fully meriting the award4 ,i am1 my dear sir1 very faithfully yours1 ,signed ,w4,h4 ,,smyth4 99 99 99 99 99 ,g4,b4 ,,airy1 ,,esq41 ,,to ,,captain ,,smyth4 ,royal ,observatory1 ,greenwich1 #ajth ,march1 #ahdh4 ,,my ,,dear ,,sir3 ,i have received ,mr4 ,schumacher's answer in regard to ,miss ,mitchell's supposed claims for the king of ,denmark's medal4 ,we agree1 without the smallest hesitation1 that we cannot award the medal4 ,we have in all cases acted strictly in conformity with the published rules2 and ,i am convinced1 and ,i believe that ,mr4 ,schumacher is convinced1 that it is absolutely necessary that we do not depart from them4 ,mr4 ,schumacher suggests1 as the only way in which ,miss ,mitchell's claim in equity could be urged1 that application might be made on her part1 through the ,american legation1 to the king of ,denmark2 and the king can1 if he pleases1 make exception to the usual rules4 ,i am1 my dear sir1 yours most truly1 ,signed ,g4,b4 ,,airy4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,hon4 ,,edward ,,everett ,,to ,r4,p4 ,,fleniken4 ,cambridge1 ,mass41 #hth ,august1 #ahdh4 ,,dear ,,sir3 ,without the honor of your personal acquaintance1 ,i take the liberty of addressing you on a subject which ,i am confident will interest you as a friend of ,american science4 ,you are doubtless aware that by the liberality of one of the kings of ,denmark1 the father1 ,i believe1 of his late ,majesty1 a foundation was made for a gold medal to be given to the first discoverer of a telescopic comet4 ,mr4 ,schumacher1 of ,altona1 and ,mr4 ,baily1 of ,london 7and since his decease ,mr4 ,airy1 ,astronomer ,royal at ,greenwich71 were made the trustees of this foundation4 ,among the regulations established for awarding the medal was this3 that the discoverer should1 by the first mail which leaves the place of his residence after the discovery1 give notice thereof to ,mr4 ,schumacher if the discovery is made on the continent of ,europe1 and to ,mr4 ,airy if made in any other part of the world2 provided that1 if the discovery be made in ,america1 the notice may be given to the ,danish minister at ,washington4 ,it has been deemed necessary to adhere with great strictness to this regulation1 in order to prevent fraudulent claims4 ,on the first day of ,october last1 at about half-past ten o'clock in the evening1 a telescopic comet was discovered1 in the island of ,nantucket1 by ,miss ,maria ,mitchell1 daughter of ,hon4 ,w4 ,mitchell1 one of the executive council of this ,state4 ,mr4 ,mitchell made an entry of the discovery at the time in his journal4 ,in consequence of ,miss ,mitchell's diffidence1 she would not allow any publicity to be given to her discovery till its reality was ascertained4 ,her father1 however1 by the first mail that left ,nantucket for the mainland1 addressed a letter to ,mr4 ,w4,c4 ,bond1 director of the observatory in this place1 acquainting him with his daughter's discovery4 ,a copy of this letter ,i herewith transmit to you4 ,the comet was not discovered in ,europe till the #c;d of ,october1 when it was seen by ,father de ,vico1 the celebrated astronomer at ,rome4 ,you perceive from this statement that1 if ,mr4 ,mitchell had addressed his letter to the ,danish minister at ,washington instead of ,mr4 ,bond1 his daughter would have been entitled to the medal1 under the strict terms of the regulations4 ,but these regulations have not been generally understood in this country2 and as the fact of ,miss ,mitchell's prior discovery is undoubted1 and recognized throughout ,europe1 it would be a pity that she should lose the medal on a mere technical punctilio4 ,the comet is constantly called ',miss ,mitchell's comet' in the monthly journal of the ,royal ,astronomical ,society at ,london1 and in the ',astronomische ,nachrichten1' the well-known astronomical journal1 edited by ,mr4 ,schumacher himself1 at ,altona4 ,father de ,vico 7who1 with his brothers of the ,society of ,jesuits1 has left ,rome since the revolution there7 was at this place 7,cambridge7 three days ago1 and spoke of ,miss ,mitchell's priority as an undoubted fact4 ,last winter ,i addressed a letter to ,mr4 ,schumacher1 acquainting him with the foregoing facts relative to the discovery1 and transmitting to him the original letter of ,mr4 ,mitchell to ,mr4 ,bond1 dated #c;d ,october1 bearing the original ,nantucket postmark of the #dth4 ,i also wrote to ,capt4 ,w4 ,h4 ,smyth1 late president of the ,royal ,astronomical ,society of ,england1 desiring him to speak to ,mr4 ,airy on the subject4 ,he did so1 and ,mr4 ,airy wrote immediately to ,mr4 ,schumacher4 ,mr4 ,schumacher in his reply expressed the opinion1 in which ,mr4 ,airy concurs1 that under the regulations it is not in their power to award the medal to ,miss ,mitchell4 ,they suggest1 however1 that an application should be made1 through the ,american legation at the ,danish court1 to ,his ,majesty the ,king of ,denmark1 for authority1 under the present circumstances1 to dispense with the literal fulfilment of the conditions4 ,it is on this subject that ,i take the liberty to ask your good offices4 ,i accompany my letter with copies of a portion of the correspondence which has been had on the subject1 and ,i venture to request you to address a note to the proper department of the ,danish government1 to the end that authority should be given to ,messrs4 ,schumacher and ,airy to award the medal to ,miss ,mitchell1 provided they are satisfied that she first discovered the comet4 ,i will only add that1 should you succeed in effecting this object1 you will render a very acceptable service to all the friends of science in ,america4 ,i remain1 dear sir1 with high consideration1 your obedient1 faithful servant1 ,signed ,,edward ,,everett4 ,to ,r4 ,p4 ,,fleniken1 ,,esq41 ,charg d',affaires of the ,united ,states of ,america at ,copenhagen4 99 99 99 99 99 ,r4,p4 ,,fleniken1 ,,esq41 ,,to ,,the ,,count ,,de ,,knuth4 ,lgation des ,etats ,unis d',amrique1 ,copenhague1 le #f ,septembre1 #ahdh4 ,,monsieur ,,le ,,ministre3 ,j'ai l'honneur de remettre sous ce pli votre ,excellence une lettre que j'ai reue d'un de mes concitoyens les plus distingus1 avec une correspondance touchant une matire laquelle il me semble que le ,danemark ne soit gure moins intress que ne le sont les ,etats ,unis2 le premier y ayant contribu le digne motif1 l'autre en ayant heureusement accompli l'objet4 ,je recommande ces documents l'examination attentive de votre ,excellence1 sachant bien l'intrt profond qu'elle ne manque jamais de prendre de tels sujets1 et la rputation minente de cultivateur des sciences et de la littrature1 dont elle jouit avec tant de justice4 ,j'y ai joint une lettre de moi-mme1 adresse sa ,majest le ,roi de ,danemark4 ,la matire dont il est question1 ,monsieur1 sera d'autant plus intressante votre ,excellence1 qu'on peut la regarder comme une voix de rponse adresse l'ancienne ,scandinavie1 proclaimant les prodiges merveilleux de la science moderne1 des bords mmes du ,vinland des ,vikinger hardis et entreprenants du dixime et de l'onzime sicles4 ,je prie votre ,excellence de vouloir bien soumettre tous les documents ci-joints l'oeil de sa ,majest1 et dans le cas heureux ou vous seriez d'avis que ma compatriote1 ,mlle4 ,mitchell1 puisse avec justice revendiquer la rcompense gnereuse institue par le ,roi ,frdric ,,vi41 alors1 ,monsieur1 je prie votre ,excellence de vouloir bien appuyer de ses propres estimables et puissantes recommandations l'application des amis de la jeune demoiselle4 ,je m'empresse cette occasion1 ,monsieur1 de renouveler votre ,excellence l'assurance de ma considration trs distingue4 ,r4,p4 ,,fleniken4 ,a ,son ,excellence ,m4 ,,le ,,comte ,,de ,,knuth1 ,ministre d',etat1 et ,chef du ,dpartement des ,affaires ,etrangres4 ,,translation4 ,footnote3 ,this and the other translations of the ,french letters are printed as received in this country4 ,legation of the ,united ,states of ,america1 ,city of ,copenhagen1 ,september #fth1 #ahdh4 ,sir3 ,i have the honor to communicate to you a letter from a distinguished citizen of my own country1 together with a correspondence relating to a subject in which ,denmark and the ,united ,states appear somewhat equally interested1 the former in furnishing a laudable motive1 and the latter as happily achieving the object4 ,i commend these papers to your careful examination1 being well aware of the deep interest you take in all such subjects1 and of the eminent reputation you so justly enjoy as a gentleman of science and of literature4 ,they are accompanied by a letter from myself addressed to ,his ,majesty the ,king of ,denmark4 ,this subject will not be the less interesting to you1 sir1 as it would appear to be a returning voice addressed to ancient ,scandinavia1 speaking of the wonderful achievements of modern science1 from the ',vinland' of the hardy and enterprising ',northmen' of the tenth and the eleventh centuries4 ,i beg1 therefore1 that you will obligingly lay them all before ,his ,majesty1 and should they happily impress you that my countrywoman1 ,miss ,mitchell1 is fairly entitled to the generous offering of ,king ,frederic ,,vi41 be pleased1 sir1 to accompany the application of her friends in her behalf by your own very valuable and potent recommendation4 ,i avail myself of this occasion to renew to your ,excellency the assurance of my most distinguished consideration4 ,signed4 ,r4,p4 ,,fleniken4 ,to ,his ,excellency ,,the ,,count ,,de ,,knuth1 ,minister of ,state and ,chief of the ,department of ,foreign ,affairs4 99 99 99 99 99 ,r4 ,p4 ,,fleniken1 ,,esq41 ,,to ,,the ,,king ,,of ,,denmark4 ,lgation des ,etats ,unis d',amrique1 ,copenhague1 le #f ,septembre1 #ahdh4 ,,sire3 ,le soussign a l'honneur1 par l'intermdiaire de ,m4 votre ministre d'tat et chef du dpartement des affaires trangres1 de soumettre votre ,majest une lettre d'un citoyen trs distingu des ,etats ,unis1 accompagne de la copie d'une correspondance concernant une matire a laquelle votre ,majest1 souverain galement distingu par la libralit gnreuse qu'elle fait voir dans ses rapports sociaux et politiques1 et par l'admiration ardente qu'elle manifeste envers la science et la littrature1 ne peut manquer de prendre un vif intrt4 ,le soussign se flicite beaucoup d'tre l'intermdiaire par les mains duquel ces documents arrivent sous l'oeil de votre ,majest1 tant persuad que la lecture en fournira votre ,majest l'occasion de recourir avec une grande satisfaction patriotique1 comme protecteur minent des sciences1 l'institution d'un de ses illustres prdcesseurs2 et ce souvenir de la haute position laquelle le ,danemark s'est lev dans les arts et les sciences1 ne lui sera peut-tre pas moins doux quand elle songe que c'est justement sur cette mme cte1 o dj au dixime sicle l'intrpidit et l'esprit hardi de ses anctres ,scandinaves les avaient amens la dcouverte du grand continent occidental et la fondation d'une colonie1 que vient de s'accomplir cette conqute de la science1 dont parlent les dits papiers4 ,le soussign ose donc esprer1 qu' la suite d'une examination attentive des lettres ci-jointes1 et desquelles il paratrait tre gnralement reconnu qu' ,mlle4 ,mitchell des ,etats ,unis est d l'honneur d'avoir la premire dcouvert la comte tlescopique qui aujourd'hui porte son nom1 que votre ,majest ne trouvera point dans la rserve louable qui empcha cette jeune demoiselle de se prcipiter la poursuite d'une renomme publique1 une cause suffisante de lui refuser le prix de sa brilliante dcouverte2 mais qu'au contraire elle donnera l'ordre de lui expdier la mdaille1 autant comme une rcompense due ses minents talents scientifiques1 que pour tmoigner combien votre ,majest sait apprcier cette modestie charmante qui s'opposa ce que ,mlle4 ,mitchell rechercht une clbrit publique et scientifique1 avec le seul but de remplir une forme tout--fait technique4 ,le soussign1 charg d'affaires des ,etats ,unis de l',amrique1 saisit avec empressement cette occasion d'offrir votre ,majest l'expression de sa considration la plus haute et la plus distingue4 ,r4,p4 ,,fleniken4 ,sa ,majest ,,frederic ,,vii41 ,roi de ,danemark1 ,duc de ,slesvig et de ,holstein4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,translation4 ,legation of the ,united ,states of ,america1 ,city of ,copenhagen1 ,september #dth1 #ahdh4 ,,sire3 ,the undersigned has the honor1 through your ,majesty's minister of state and chief of the department of foreign affairs1 to communicate to you a letter from a very distinguished citizen of the ,united ,states1 together with copies of a correspondence relating to a subject in which your ,majesty1 alike distinguished for generous liberality in social and political affairs as a sovereign1 as well as an ardent admirer of science and of literature1 will doubtless feel a lively interest4 ,the undersigned is happy to be the medium through which those papers reach the eye of your ,majesty1 feeling sensible that their perusal will furnish occasion to your ,majesty to recur with much national pleasure to the act of one of your illustrious predecessors as a distinguished patron of science2 and this recurrence to the eminent position that ,denmark has attained in the arts and the sciences may perhaps not be the less pleasurable from the fact that the trophy of science to which the papers allude was achieved on the very coast where1 as far back as the tenth century1 the intrepidity and enterprise of your ,majesty's ,scandinavian ancestors first discovered and planted a colony upon the great western continent4 ,the undersigned therefore hopes that1 after a careful examination of the accompanying papers1 from which it would seem to be admitted that ,miss ,mitchell1 of the ,united ,states1 is entitled to the honor of first discovering the telescopic comet bearing her name1 your ,majesty will not be able to perceive in that commendable delicacy which forbade her hastily seeking public notoriety a sufficient motive for withholding from her the reward of her eminent discovery2 but1 on the contrary1 will direct the medal to be awarded to her1 not only as a suitable encouragement to her distinguished scientific attainments1 but also as evincing your ,majesty's appreciation of that beautiful virtue which withheld her from rushing into public and scientific renown merely to comply with a purely technical condition4 ,the undersigned1 ,american charg d'affaires1 gladly improves this very pleasant occasion to tender to your ,majesty the expression of his high and most distinguished consideration4 ,signed ,r4 ,p4 ,,fleniken4 ,to his ,majesty ,,frederic ,,vii41 ,king of ,denmark1 ,duke of ,schleswig and ,holstein4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,the ,,count ,,de ,,knuth ,,to ,,mr4 ,,fleniken4 ,copenhague1 ce #f ,octobre1 #ahdh4 ,,monsieur3 ,j'ai eu l'honneur de recevoir votre office du #f du pass1 par lequel vous avez exprim le dsir que la mdaille institue par feu le ,roi ,frdric ,,vi41 en rcompense de la dcouverte de comtes tlescopiques1 ft accorde ,mlle4 ,maria ,mitchell1 de ,nantucket dans les ,etats ,unis d',amrique4 ,aprs avoir examin les pices justificatives que vous avez bien voulu me communiquer relativement cette rclamation1 je ne saurais que partager votre avis1 ,monsieur1 qu'il parat hors de doute que la dcouverte de la comte en question est effectivement de aux savantes recherches de ,mlle4 ,mitchell2 et que ce n'est que faute de n'avoir pas observ les formalits prescrites1 qu'elle n'a point jusqu'ici reu une marque de distinction laquelle elle parat avoir de si justes titres4 ,le savant astronome1 le ,professeur ,schumacher1 ayant galement recommand ,mlle4 ,mitchell la faveur qu'elle sollicite maintenant1 je me suis empress de rfrer cette question au roi1 mon auguste matre1 en mettant en mme temps sous les yeux de sa ,majest la lettre que vous lui avez adresse ce sujet2 et c'est avec bien du plaisir que je me vois aujourd'hui mme de vous faire part1 ,monsieur1 que sa ,majest n'a point hsit satisfaire votre demande1 en accordant ,mlle4 ,mitchell la mdaille qu'elle ambitionne4 ,aussitt que cette mdaille sera frappe1 je m'empresserai de vous la faire parvenir4 ,en attendant je saisis avec bien du plaisir cette occasion pour vous renouveler1 ,monsieur1 les assurances de ma considration trs distingue4 ,f4,w4 ,,knuth4 ,,monsieur ,,fleniken1 ,charg d',affaires des ,etats ,unis d',amrique4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,translation4 ,copenhagen1 #fth ,october1 #ahdh4 ,,sir3 ,i have had the honor to receive your communication of the #fth ultimo1 in which you express the desire that the medal instituted by his late ,majesty1 ,frederic ,,vi41 as a reward for the discovery of telescopic comets1 should be granted to ,miss ,maria ,mitchell1 of ,nantucket1 in the ,united ,states of ,america4 ,on examination of the justificatory pieces which you have been good enough to forward me1 relating to her claim1 ,i cannot do otherwise than participate in your opinion1 sir1 that it would appear to admit of no doubt that the discovery of the comet in question was really due to ,miss ,mitchell's learned researches2 and that her not having as yet received a mark of distinction to which she seems to have such a just claim was entirely owing to her not having observed the prescribed forms4 ,the learned astronomer1 ,professor ,schumacher1 having likewise recommended ,miss ,mitchell to the favor which she now solicits1 ,i hasten to refer this question to the king1 my august master1 at the same time laying before ,his ,majesty the letter which you have addressed to him on this subject2 and ,i have much pleasure in being now enabled to inform you1 sir1 that ,his ,majesty has not hesitated to grant your request by awarding to ,miss ,mitchell the medal which she desires4 ,as soon as this medal is struck1 ,i will have it forwarded to you1 and meanwhile have much pleasure in availing myself of this occasion to renew to you1 sir1 the assurances of my most distinguished consideration4 ,signed ,f4,w4 ,,knuth4 ,to ,,mr4 ,,fleniken1 ,charg d',affaires of the ,united ,states of ,america4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,mr4 ,,fleniken ,,to ,,the ,,count ,,de ,,knuth4 ,lgation des ,etats ,unis d',amrique1 ,copenhague1 le #g ,octobre1 #ahdh4 ,,monsieur3 ,le soussign a eu l'honneur de recevoir l'office que votre ,excellence lui a address en date d'hier pour lui faire part de la nouvelle heureuse que sa ,majest1 aprs avoir examin les documents que vous avez bien voulu lui soumettre1 ayant pour objet d'tablir le fait que ,mlle4 ,mitchell ait la premire dcouvert la comte tlescopique d',octobre de l'an dernier1 a bien voulu trouver ces preuves suffisantes1 et a ordonn qu'on frappe une mdaille1 afin de la lui faire prsenter comme une marque de distinction que sa ,majest croit qu'elle mrite en effet1 quoiqu'elle n'ait pas rigoureusement observ les formalits prescrites par le ,roi ,frdric ,,vi41 fondateur de ce don4 ,le soussign s'empresse donc d'assurer votre ,excellence et en mme temps de vous prier1 ,monsieur1 de vouloir bien faire parvenir cette assurance sa ,majest1 que cet acte signal de libralit ne peut manquer d'tre dignement et hautement apprci par les institutions scientifiques des ,etats ,unis1 par ,mlle4 ,mitchell qui est l'objet de cette distinction gnreuse1 et par les nombreux amis scientifiques de cette dame2 enfin1 par tous ceux qui prennent de l'intrt la russite heureuse des recherches astronomiques4 ,le soussign ne peut terminer cette communication sans exprimer votre ,excellence 7en la priant de porter aussi ses sentiments la connaissance de sa ,majest7 sa vive apprciation de ce noble et clatant acte de justice1 si promptement et si gnreusement rendu sa jeune compatriote par le roi de ,danemark1 et il saisit avec empressement cette occasion de renouveler votre ,excellence les assurances de sa considration trs distingue4 ,r4,p4 ,,fleniken4 ,son ,excellence ,m4 ,,le ,,comte ,,de ,,knuth1 ,ministre d',etat et ,chef du ,dpartement des ,affaires ,etrangres4 99 99 99 99 99 ,,translation4 ,legation of the ,united ,states1 ,copenhagen1 ,october #gth1 #ahdh4 ,,sir3 ,the undersigned has the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your ,excellency's communication of yesterday's date1 conveying to him the gratifying intelligence that ,his ,majesty1 from an examination of the evidence which you obligingly laid before him1 tending to establish the fact of ,miss ,mitchell's having discovered the telescopic comet of ,october1 last1 has been pleased to consider it quite satisfactory1 and has ordered a medal to be struck for her as a mark of distinction to which his ,majesty deems her entitled1 notwithstanding her omission to comply with the prescribed conditions of ,frederic ,,vi41 who instituted the donation4 ,the undersigned1 therefore1 begs to express to you1 sir1 and through you to ,his ,majesty1 the assurance that this eminent act of liberality cannot fail to be duly and highly appreciated by the scientific institutions of his own country1 by ,miss ,mitchell herself1 who is the object of this generous distinction1 and by her numerous scientific friends1 as well as by all who feel an interest in successful astronomical achievements4 ,the undersigned cannot close this communication without expressing to you and to the king his own unaffected appreciation of this noble and distinguished act of justice1 so promptly and so generously bestowed upon his unobtrusive countrywoman by the king of ,denmark1 and avails himself of the occasion to renew to your ,excellency the assurance of his most distinguished consideration4 ,signed ,r4,p4 ,,fleniken4 ,to ,his ,excellency ,,the ,,count ,,de ,,knuth1 ,minister of ,state1 etc41 etc41 etc4