,,the ,,atlantic ,,monthly4  ,a         
,,magazine ,,of ,,literature1 ,,art1    
,,and ,,politics4  ,,vol4               
,,iv4--,,september1 #ahei4--,,no4       
,,xxiii4     ,,the ,,life ,,and ,,works 
,,of ,,ary ,,scheffer4   ,no painter of 
this age has made so deep an impression 
on the popular mind of ,america as ,ary 
,scheffer4 ,few1 if any other           
contemporary artists are domesticated at
 our firesides1 and known and loved in  
our remotest villages and towns4 ,only a
 small number1 indeed1 of his original  
works have been exhibited here1--yet    
engravings from them are not only       
familiar to every person of acknowledged
 taste and culture1 but are dear to the 
hearts of many who scarcely know the    
artist's name4 ,young maidens delight in
 their tender pathos1 and the suffering 
heart is consoled and elevated by their 
pure and lofty religious aspiration4 ,an
 effect so great must have an adequate  
and peculiar cause2 and we shall not    
have far to seek for it1 but shall find 

it in the aim and character of the      
artist4 ,scheffer has two prominent     
qualities1 by which he has won his place
 in the popular estimation4 ,the first  
is his sentiment4 ,his works are full of
 simple1 tender pathos4 ,his pictures   
always tell their story1 first to the   
eye1 next to the heart and soul of the  
beholder4 ,his admirable knowledge of   
composition is always subordinate to    
expression4 ,his meaning is not merely  
historical or poetical1 but is true to  
life and every-day experience4 ,mignon  
regrettant sa ,patrie is felt and       
appreciated by those who have never     
sung1      ,kennst du das ,land wo die  
,citronen     bluehen1--  and ,faust and
 ,margaret tell their story to all who  
have felt life's struggles and          
temptations1 whether they have read them
 in ,goethe's version or not4 ,added to 
this power of pathos and sentiment is   
the deep religious feeling which        
pervades every work of his pencil1      
whatever be its outward form4 ,his      

religion is of no dogma or sect1 but the
 inflowing of a life which makes all    
things holy and full of infinite        
meaning4 ,whether he paint the legends  
of the ,catholic ,church1 as in ,st4    
,augustine and ,st4 ,monica1 or         
illustrate the life-poem of the         
,protestant ,goethe1 or tell a simple   
story of childhood1 the same feelings   
are kindled1 in our heart's faith in    
,god1 love to man1 the sure hope of     
immortality4 ,it is this genuine and    
earnest religion of humanity which has  
made his works familiar to every lover  
of ,art and sentiment1 and given us a   
feeling of personal love and reverence  
for the made artist4  ,it is now nearly 
a year since his labors on earth        
terminated1 and yet no adequate account 
of his life and labors has appeared4 ,it
 is very difficult to satisfy the       
craving desire to know more of the      
personal life and character of him who  
has been a household friend so long4    
,yet it is rather the privilege of      

succeeding generations1 than of         
contemporaries1 to draw aside the veil  
from the sanctuary1 and to behold the   
works of a man in his greatest art1--the
 art of life4 ,but the cold waters of   
the ,atlantic1 like the river of ,death1
 make the person of a ,european artist  
sacred to us2 and it is hard for us to  
realize that those whom we have         
surrounded with a halo of classic       
reverence were partakers of the daily   
jar and turmoil of our busy age1--that  
the good physician who tended our sick  
children so faithfully had lived in     
familiar intercourse with ,goethe1 and  
might have listened to the first        
performance of those symphonies of      
,beethoven which seem to us as eternal  
as the mountains4 ,losing the effluence 
of his personal presence1 which his     
neighbors and countrymen enjoyed1 we    
demand the privilege of posterity to    
hear and tell all that can be told of   
him4 ,we can wait fifty years more for a
 biography of ,allston1 because         

something of his gracious presence yet  
lingers among us2 but we can touch      
,scheffer only with the burin or the    
pen4 ,so we shall throw in our mite to  
fill up this chasm4 ,a few gleanings    
from current ,french literature1 a few  
anecdotes familiarly told of the great  
artist1 and the vivid recollection of   
one short interview are all the aids we 
can summon to enable our readers to call
 up in their own minds a living image   
which will answer to the name that has  
so long been familiar to our lips and   
dear to our hearts4  ,ary ,scheffer was 
born about the year #agie1 in the town  
of ,dordrecht1 in ,holland2 but1 as at  
that period ,holland belonged to the    
,french ,empire1 the child was entitled 
by birth to those privileges of a       
,french citizen which opened to him     
important advantages in his artistic    
career4 ,french by this accident of     
birth1 and still more so by his         
education and long residence at ,paris1 
he yet always retained traces of his    

,teutonic origin in the form of his     
head1 in his general appearance1 and in 
his earnest and religious character4 ,he
 always cherished a warm affection for  
his native land4  ,many distinguished   
artists have been the sons of painters  
or designers of superior note4          
,raffaello1 ,albert ,duerer1 ,alonzo    
,cano1 ,vandyck1 ,luca ,giordano are    
familiar instances4 ,it seems as if the 
accumulation of two generations of      
talent were necessary to produce the    
fine flower of genius4 ,the father of   
,ary ,scheffer was an artist of         
considerable ability1 and promised to   
become an eminent painter1 when he was  
cut off by an early death4 ,he left a   
widow1 many unfinished pictures1 and    
three sons1 yet very young4 ,the        
character of the mother we infer only   
from her influence on her son1 from the 
devoted affection he bore to her1 and   
from the wisdom with which she guided   
his early education2 but these show her 
to have been a true woman1--brave1      

loving1 and always loyal to the highest4
 ,the three sons all lived to middle    
age1 and all became distinguished men4  
,ary1 the eldest1 very early gave       
unequivocal signs of his future destiny4
 ,his countrymen still remember a large 
picture painted by him at ,amsterdam    
when only twelve years old1 indicating  
extraordinary talent1 even at that early
 age4 ,his mother did not1 however1     
overrate this boyish success1 as        
stamping him a prodigy1 but regarded it 
only as a motive for giving him a       
thorough artistic education4 ,he went1  
accordingly1 to ,paris1 and entered the 
atelier of ,guerin1 the teacher then    
most in vogue4  ,it was in the latter   
days of the ,empire that ,ary ,scheffer 
commenced his studies1--a period of     
great stagnation in ,art4 ,the whole    
force of the popular mind had for many  
years been turned to politics and war2  
and if ,french ,art had striven to      
emancipate itself from slavish          
dependence on the ,greek1 it still clung

 to the ,roman models1 which are far    
less inspiring4 ,the autocrat ,david1   
with his correct1 but soulless          
compositions1 was more absolute than his
 master1 the ,emperor4 ,only in the     
,saloon of #ahai did the ,revolution1   
which had already affected every other  
department of thought and life1 reach   
the ateliers4 ,it commenced in that of  
,guerin4 ,the very weakness of the      
master1 who himself halted between two  
opinions1 left the pupils in freedom to 
pursue their own course4 ,scheffer did  
not esteem this a fortunate circumstance
 for himself4 ,his own nature was too   
strong and living to be crushed by a    
severe master or exact study1 and he    
felt the want of that thorough early    
training which would have saved him much
 struggle in after life4 ,he used to    
speak of ,ingres as such a teacher as he
 would have chosen for himself4 ,from   
the pupil of ,david1 the admirer of     
,michel ,angelo1 the conservator of the 
sacred traditions of ,art1 the student  

might learn all the treasured wisdom of 
antiquity1--while the influences around 
him1 and his own genius1 would impel him
 towards prophesying the hope of the    
future4 ,his favorite companions of the 
atelier at this time were ,eugene       
,delacroix and ,gericault4 ,delacroix   
ranks among the greatest living ,french 
artists2 and if death early closed the  
brilliant career of ,gericault1 it has  
not yet shrouded his name in oblivion4  
,the trio made their first appearance   
together in the ,saloon of #ahai4       
,gericault sent his ,wreck of the       
,medusa1 ,delacroix ,the ,barque of     
,dante1 and ,ary ,scheffer ,the         
,citizens of ,calais4#a  ,the works of  
these friends may be considered as the  
commencement of the modern ,french      
school of ,art1 still so little known1  
and so ill appreciated by us1 but which 
is really an expression of the new ideas
 of ,art and ,humanity which have       
agitated ,france to its centre for half 
a century4 ,their hour of triumph has   

not yet come2 but as the poet sings most
 touchingly of his love1 neither when he
 rejoices in its happy consummation1 nor
 in the hour of utter despair1 but when 
doubt still tempers hope1--so does the  
artist labor with prophetic zeal to     
express those sentiments of humanity and
 brotherhood which are not yet organized
 into institutions4 ,a careless eye     
might have perceived little departure   
from the old models in these pictures1  
but a keener one would have already     
discovered that ,scheffer and his       
friends worked with a different aim from
 that of their predecessors4 ,not merely
 to paint a well-composed picture on a  
classical theme1 but to give expression 
to thought and feeling1 was now the     
object4 ,the ,wreck of the ,medusa of   
,gericault is full of earnest1 if       
niggling life4 ,delacroix has followed  
his own bent with such independent zeal 
as has made him the object of intense   
admiration to some1 of bitter hatred to 
others4 ,but ,ary ,scheffer has taken   

his rank at the head of the             
,spiritualist school1 and has awakened a
 wider love and obtained a fuller       
appreciation than either of them4 ,the  
spirit which found in them its first    
expression is continually increasing in 
power1 and developing into richer life4 
,the living artists of ,france are the  
exponents of her genuine ,christian     
democracy4  ,the entire collection of   
,rosa ,bonheur's works1 says a ,french  
writer1 might be called the ,hymn to    
,labor4 ,here she shows us the          
ploughing1 there the reaping1 farther on
 the gathering in of the hay1 then of   
the harvests1 elsewhere the             
vintage1--always and everywhere labor4  
,edouard ,frere1 in his scenes from     
humble life1 which the skilful          
lithographer places within the means of 
all1 represents the incidents of        
domestic existence among the poor4 ,the 
,prayer at the ,mother's ,knee1 ,the    
,woman at her ,ironing ,table1 ,the     
,child shelling ,peas1 ,the ,walk to    

,school amid ,rain and ,sleet1 are all  
charming idyls of every-day life4 ,with 
yet greater skill and deeper pathos does
 the peasant ,millet tell the story of  
his neighbors4 ,the washerwomen1 as the 
sun sets upon their labors1 and they go 
wearily homeward2 the digger1 at his    
lonely task1 who can pause but an       
instant to wipe the sweat from his brow2
 the sewing-women bending over their    
work1 while every nerve and muscle are  
strained by the unremitting toil2 the   
girl tending her geese2 the woman her   
cows3--such are the subjects of his     
masterly pencil4 ,do not all these facts
 point to the realization of ,christian 
democracy8 ,if the king is now but the  
servant of the people1 so the artist who
 is royal in the kingdom of the mind    
finds his true glory in serving         
humanity4 ,what a change from the       
classic subjects or monkish legends     
which occupied the pencils of ,david and
 his greater predecessors1 ,le ,sueur   
and ,poussin6  ,and yet those students  

of the antique have done ,french ,art   
good service2 they have furnished it    
with admirable tools1 so that to them we
 are indebted for the thorough drawing1 
the masterly knowledge1 which render    
,paris the great school for all         
beginners in ,art4 ,such men as we have 
named do not scorn the past1 but use it 
in the service of the present4 ,while   
,scheffer always subordinated the       
material part of ,art to its expression1
 he was never afraid of knowing too     
much1 but often regretted the loss of   
valuable time in youth from incompetent 
instruction4  ,encouraged by the success
 of his first essay1 ,scheffer continued
 to paint a series of small pictures1   
representing simple and affecting scenes
 from common life1 some of which are    
familiar to all4 ,the ,soldier's ,widow1
 ,the ,conscript's ,return1 ,the        
,orphans at their ,mother's ,tomb1 ,the 
,sister of ,charity1 ,the ,fishermen    
before a ,storm1 ,the ,burning of the   
,farm1 and ,the ,scene of the ,invasion 

in #ahad1 are titles which give an idea 
of the range of his subjects and the    
tenor of his thoughts at this time4 ,the
 ,french have long excelled in the art  
of composition4 ,it is this quality     
which gives the greatest value to the   
works of ,le ,sueur and ,poussin4       
,scheffer possessed this power in a     
remarkable degree1 but it was united to 
a directness and truth of feeling which 
made his art the perfection of natural  
expression4 ,a very charming little     
engraving1 entitled ,the ,lost          
,children1 which appeared in ,the ,token
 for #ahcj1 is probably from a picture  
of this period4 ,a little boy and girl  
are lost in a wood4 ,wearied with their 
fruitless attempts to find a path1 the  
boy has at length sunk down upon a log  
and buried his face in his hands2 while 
the little girl1 still patient1 still   
hopeful1 stands1 with folded hands1     
looking earnestly into the wood1 with a 
sweet1 sad look of anxiety1 but not of  
despair4 ,the contrast in the expression

 of the two figures is very touching and
 very true to ,nature2--the boy was     
hopeful so long as his own exertions    
offered a chance of escape1 but the     
courage of the girl appears when earthly
 hope is most dim and faint4 ,the sweet 
unconsciousness of this early picture   
has hardly been surpassed by any        
subsequent work4 ,naturalness and the   
charm of composition1 says a ,french    
critic1 are the secrets of ,scheffer's  
success in these early pictures1 to     
which may be added a third1--the        
distinction of the type of his faces1   
and especially of his female heads1--a  
kind of suave and melancholy ideal1     
which gave so new a stamp to his works4 
,these small pictures were very         
successful in winning popular favor2 but
 this success1 far from intoxicating the
 young artist1 only opened his eyes to  
his own faults4 ,he applied himself     
diligently to repairing the deficiencies
 which he recognized in his work1 by    
severe studies and labors4 ,he knew the 

danger of working too long on           
small-sized pictures1 in which faults   
may be so easily hidden4 ,about the year
 #ahbf he turned resolutely from his    
pretty jewels1 as he called them1 and   
commenced his ,femmes ,suliotes1 on a   
large canvas1 with figures the size of  
life4 ,m4 ,vitet describes the          
appearance of the canvas when ,scheffer 
had already spent eight days in the fire
 of his first thought4 ,it seemed to him
 rather like a vision than a picture1 as
 he saw the dim outlines of those heroic
 women1 who cast themselves from the    
rock to escape slavery by death4 ,he    
confesses that the finished picture     
never moved him as did the sketch4      
,three years earlier ,scheffer had sent 
to the ,saloon of #ahbd1 in company with
 three or four small pictures1 a large  
picture of ,gaston de ,foix after the   
,battle of ,ravenna4 ,it was a sombre   
picture1 painted with that lavish use of
 pigment and that unrestrained freedom  
which distinguished the innovators of   

that day4 ,the new school were in       
raptures1 and claimed ,scheffer as      
belonging to them4 ,the public judged   
less favorably2 they admired the noble  
head of ,gaston de ,foix1 but1          
uninterested in the remainder of the    
picture1 they turned off to look at     
',the ,soldier's ,widow4' ,scheffer did 
not listen to his flatterers2 but1      
remembering ,michel ,angelo's words to  
the young sculptor1 ,the light of the   
public square will test its value1 he   
believed in the verdict of the people1  
and never again painted in the same     
manner4 ,it was one of his peculiar     
merits1 that1 although open to          
conviction1 and ready to try a new path 
which seemed to offer itself1 he was    
also ready to turn from it when he found
 it leading him astray4 ,les ,femmes    
,suliotes did not seem to have been     
designed by the same hand or with the   
same pencil as the ,gaston de ,foix4    
,the first sketch was particularly      
pleasing1--already clear and harmonious 

in color1 although rather low in tone4  
,many counselled him to leave the       
picture1 thus4 ,no1 said ,scheffer1 ,i  
did not take a large canvas merely to   
increase the size of my figures and to  
paint large in water-colors1 but to give
 greater truth and thoroughness to my   
forms4 ,in #ahbg this picture was       
exhibited with ample success1 and the   
critics were forced to acknowledge the  
great improvement in his style1 although
 he had not entirely escaped from the   
influence of his companions1 and some   
violent contrasts of color mar the      
general effect4 ,the picture is now in  
the ,luxembourg ,gallery4  ,m4 ,vitet   
divides ,scheffer's artistic life into  
three portions3 that in which he painted
 subjects from simple life2 that devoted
 to poetic subjects2 and the last1 or   
distinctively religious period4 ,these  
divisions cannot1 of course1 be very    
sharply drawn1 but may help us to       
understand the progress of his mind2 and
 ,les ,femmes ,suliotes will mark the   

transition from the first to the second 
period4 ,turning from the simple scenes 
of domestic sorrow1 he now sought       
inspiration in literature4 ,the vigorous
 and hearty ,northern ,muse especially  
won his favor2 yet the greatest ,italian
 poet was also his earnest study4       
,goethe1 ,schiller1 ,byron1 ,dante1 all 
furnished subjects for his pencil4 ,the 
story of ,faust and ,margaret took such 
hold of his imagination that it pursued 
him for nearly thirty years4 ,their     
forms appeared before him in new        
attitudes and situations almost to his  
last hour1 so that1 in the midst of his 
labors on religious pictures1 he seized 
his pencils to paint yet another ,faust1
 another ,margaret4 ,nor can we wonder  
at this absorbing interest1 when we     
reflect on the profound significance and
 touching pathos of this theme1 which   
may wear a hundred faces1 and touch     
every chord of the human heart4 ,it is  
intellect and passion1 in contrast with 
innocence and faith2 it is natural and  

spontaneous love1 thwarted by convention
 and circumstance2 it is condemnation   
before men1 and forgiveness before ,god2
 it is the ideal and the worldly2 it is 
an epitome of human life1--love1 joy1   
sorrow1 sin1--birth1 life1 death1 and   
the sure hope of resurrection4 ,how     
pregnant with expression was it to a    
mind like ,scheffer's1 where the        
intellectual1 the affectional1 and the  
spiritual natures were so nicely        
blended6 ,he first painted ,margaret at 
her ,wheel1 in #ahca1--;accompanied by a
 ,faust tormented by ,doubt4 ,these were
 two simple heads1 each by itself1 like 
a portrait1 but with all the fine       
perception of character which           
constitutes an ideal work4 ,next he     
painted ,margaret at ,church4 ,here     
other figures fill up the canvas2 but   
the touching expression of the young    
girl1 whose soul is just beginning to be
 torn by the yet new joy of her love and
 the bitter consciousness of her lost   
innocence1 fills the mind of the        

spectator4 ,this is the most inspired   
and the most touching of all the        
pictures2 it strikes the key-note of the
 whole story2 it is the meeting of the  
young girl's own ideal world of pure    
thought with the outward world4 ,the    
sense of guilt comes from the reflection
 in the thoughts of those about her2 and
 where all before was peace and love1   
now come discord and agony2--she has    
eaten of the tree of knowledge of good  
and evil1 and is already cast out of her
 paradise4 ,margaret on the ,sabbath1   
,margaret going out of ,church1 and     
,margaret walking in the ,garden1 are   
all charming idyls1 but have less       
expression4 ,the last picture1 painted  
just before ,scheffer's death1 and soon 
to be engraved1 represents ,margaret at 
the ,fountain4 ,it is full of           
expression1 and paints the joy and pain 
of love still struggling in the young   
girl's heart1 while conscience begins to
 make its chiding voice heard4  ,the    
,mignons are the best known of all      

,scheffer's works of this period4 ,the  
youngest one1 ,mignon regrettant sa     
,patrie1 is the most satisfactory in its
 simple1 unconscious expression4 ,the   
wonderful child stands in the most      
natural attitude1 absorbed in her own   
thought1 and struggling to recall those 
dim memories1 floating in beauty before 
her mind1 which seem almost to belong to
 a previous state of existence4 ,there  
is less of the weird and fantastic than 
,goethe has given to her1--but the      
central1 deep nature is beautifully     
reproduced4 ,mignon aspirant au ,ciel1  
although full of spiritual beauty1 is a 
little more constrained2 the longing    
after her heavenly home is less         
naturally expressed than her childish   
regret2 the pose is a little mannered2  
and the feeling is more conscious1 but  
less deep4 ,mignon with the ,old ,harper
 is far less interesting2 the old man's 
head does not express that mixture of   
inspiration and insanity1 the result of 
a life of love1 misery1 and wrong1 which

 ,goethe has portrayed in this strange  
character4  ,a very different picture1  
painted at this period1 is peculiarly   
interesting to us as our first          
acquaintance among ,scheffer's works4   
,an excellent copy or duplicate of it   
belongs to the ,boston ,athenaeum4 ,the 
original is in the ,luxembourg at       
,paris4 ,the subject is taken from      
,schiller's ballad of ,count ,eberhard4 
,after the victory in which his son has 
fallen1 though the old ,count has said  
to those who would have paused to mourn 
his death1 ,my son is like another man2 
on1 comrades1 to the foe6--yet now he   
sits alone in his tent and looks upon   
the dead body of his child4 ,the silent 
grief of the stern old man is very      
touching4 ,this sorrow1 so contrary to  
,nature1 when old age stands by the     
grave of youth1 always moves the deepest
 feeling2 and ,scheffer1 in the noble   
old man and the brave and beautiful boy 
before him1 has given it its simplest   
and most appropriate expression4 ,this  

picture was painted in #ahcd4 ,at that  
period ,scheffer was engaged in some    
experiments in color1 and this sad      
subject led him to employ the dark tints
 of ,rembrandt4 ,in #ahej he painted a  
duplicate of it1 lighter and more       
agreeable in tone4 ,he painted ,the     
,giaour and ,medora1 from ,byron1 which 
pictures we have never seen4 ,the       
wayward and morbid ,muse of the ,english
 ,lord does not seem to us a fit        
inspiration for the pure pencil of      
,scheffer4  ,the well-known composition 
of ,francesca da ,rimini may well       
conclude our brief notice of the        
pictures of this second epoch4 ,m4      
,vitet regards it as the most harmonious
 and complete of all his works2 but we  
think it has taken less hold on the     
popular heart than the ,mignons and     
,margaret4 ,yet it is a work of great   
skill and beauty4 ,the difficult theme  
is managed with that moderation and good
 taste which recognize the true limits  
of the art4 ,the crowd of spirits which 

,dante so powerfully describes as driven
 by the wind without rest are only dimly
 seen in the background4 ,the horrors of
 hell are shown only in the anguish of  
those faces1 in the despairing languor  
of the attitude1 which not even mutual  
love can lighten4 ,the love which made  
them one in guilt1 one in condemnation1 
is stronger than death1 stronger than   
hell2 but it cannot bring peace and joy 
to these souls shut out from heaven and 
,god4      ,se fosse amico il ,re dell' 
universo1     ,noi pregheremmo4  ,but   
even prayer is denied to him who feels  
that he has not ,god for a friend4      
,there is no mark of physical torture2  
it is pure spiritual                    
suffering1--restless1 aimless           
weariness1--the loss of hope2 it is     
death1--and love demands life4 ,how     
strangely appropriate is this punishment
 of spirits driven hither and thither by
 the winds1 with no hope of rest1 to    
those who reject the firm anchorage of  
duty and principle1 and allow themselves

 to float at the mercy of their impulses
 and passions6 ,the overpowering        
compassion and sympathy of the poets is 
shown in their earnest faces4 ,neither  
here1 nor in the well-known ,dante and  
,beatrice1 which is too familiar to need
 description1 does ,scheffer quite do   
justice to our ideal of the sublime poet
 of ,heaven and ,hell2 but neither do   
the portraits which remain of him4 ,the 
picture was first exhibited in #ahce4   
,as it had suffered very much in #ahej1 
,scheffer painted a repetition of it1   
with a few slight alterations1 in which1
 however1 his progress in his art during
 twenty years was very evident4 ,this   
copy is very far superior to the        
engraving4  ,about this period ,scheffer
 seems to have wandered a little from   
the true mission of ,art1 and to have   
esteemed it her province to represent   
abstract theological truths4 ,his       
religious feeling seems to have become  
morbid1 and his natural melancholy      
intensified4 ,the death of his wife1 and

 consequent loneliness1 may have given  
this ascetic tinge to his feelings4 ,but
 we must acknowledge1 if it were so1    
that the sorrow which oppressed did not 
embitter his heart1 and that a brave and
 humane spirit appears even in those    
works which have the least artistic     
merit to recommend them4 ,the ,christus 
,consolator is the best known of this   
class of pictures4 ,it is cold1         
abstract1 and inharmonious2 but its     
religious spirit and the beautiful truth
 which it expresses have won for it a   
welcome which it seems hardly to merit4 
,yet it has touching beauty in the      
separate figures4 ,the woman who leans  
so trustingly on her ,saviour's arm has 
a very high and holy face1 whose type we
 recognize in more than one of his      
pictures2 and the mother and her dead   
child form a very touching group4 ,but  
the various persons are not connected by
 any common story or mutual relation1   
and we feel a want of unity in the whole
 work4 ,perhaps the strongest tribute to

 its power of expression is the story1  
that religious publishers found it      
necessary to blot out the figure of the 
slave who takes his place among the     
recipients of ,christ's blessing1 in    
order to fit their reprint for a        
,southern market4 ,as a companion to it1
 he painted the ,christus ,remunerator1 
which is less interesting4 ,to this same
 class of pictures we should probably   
refer ,the ,lamentations of ,earth to   
,heaven1 which we have never seen1 but  
which is thus described by ,m4 ,anatole 
de la ,lorge3--  ,there are also        
treasures of disappointed pleasure and  
of bitterness in this picture of ',the  
,lamentations of ,earth to              
,heaven1'--dim symbol of human          
suffering4 ,how does one1 in the        
presence of this poem1 feel filled with 
the spirit of ,st4 ,augustine1 the      
nothingness of what we call joy1        
happiness1 glory1 here below1--delights 
of a moment1 which at most only aid us  
to traverse in a dream this valley of   

tears6 ,certain pages of ',the ,city of 
,god1' funeral prayers of ,bossuet1 can 
alone serve us for a comparison1 in     
order to express the effect produced    
upon those who have visited this chef   
d'oeuvre in ,ary ,scheffer's atelier4   
,before producing it1 the artist must   
have thought long1 suffered long2 for   
each stroke of the pencil seems to hide 
a grief1 each figure speaks to you in   
passing1 and utters a complaint1 a sigh1
 a prayer1--sad echoes of the despair of
 life6 ,the religious tendency of the   
thinker is here fully shown2 his poetic 
sympathy1 his aspirations1 his dreams1  
have found a free course4 ,we must mark1
 also1 with what freedom his            
lamentations spring from the ground1 to 
carry even to the feet of the ,creator  
the overwhelming weight of earthly woe4 
,ary ,scheffer's picture is like the    
epitaph destined some day for the       
obsequies of the world2 it breathes of  
death1 and has the sombre harmony of the
 ,miserere4 ,and nevertheless1--a       

strange thing6--this dreaming painter1  
who seizes and afflicts us1 is the same 
man who at the same time reassures and  
consoles us1--without doubt1 because by 
dint of spiritualizing our thoughts he  
raises them above our sufferings1 by    
showing the consoling light of eternity 
to those whom he would sever from the   
deceitful joys of earth4  ,if the       
picture be not overcolored by the       
critic's eye1 we must believe this to be
 the culmination of the morbidly        
spiritualistic tendency which we meet in
 ,scheffer's works4 ,yet it never exists
 unrelieved by redeeming qualities4     
,many will remember the original picture
 of the ,dead ,christ1 which was        
exhibited here by an ,art ,union about  
ten years ago4 ,the engraving gives but 
a faint idea of the touching expression 
of the whole group4 ,the deathly pallor 
of the corpse was in strange harmony    
with the face of the mother which bent  
over it1 her whole being dissolved in   
grief and love4 ,no picture of this     

scene recalls to us more fully the      
simple account in the ,gospels4 ,the    
cold1 wan color of the whole scene seems
 like that gray pall which a public     
grief will draw across the sky1 even    
when the meridian sun is shining in its 
glory4 ,we have seen such days even in  
,boston4 ,no wonder that darkness       
covered the land to the believing       
disciples even until the ninth hour4    
,his ,st4 ,monica1 which appeared in    
#ahdf1 met with great success4 ,ruth and
 ,naomi is yet unknown to us1 but it    
seems to be a subject specially adapted 
to his powers4 ,of those works which he 
produced within the last twelve years1  
very few are yet engraved4 ,when thus   
placed before the public1 we believe the
 popular estimate of ,scheffer will be  
raised even higher than at present4     
,his pictures of ,christ are of very    
superior merit4 ,his representation of  
the person of ,jesus was not formal and 
conventional1 but fresh in expression   
and feeling1 and full of touching pathos

 and sentiment4 ,he has neither the     
youthful beauty with which the ,italians
 represent him1 nor the worn and wasted 
features which the early ,germans often 
gave him1 but a thoughtful1 earnest1    
tender beauty4 ,the predominant         
expression is the love and tenderness   
born of suffering4 ,three of his finest 
representations of the life of ,jesus of
 ,nazareth are1 ,the ,christ weeping    
over ,jerusalem1 the ,ecce ,homo1 and   
,the ,temptation4 ,the last is as       
original in design and composition2 it  
is noble in expression4 ,the two figures
 stand on the summit of a mountain1 and 
the calm1 still air around them gives a 
wonderful sense of height and solitude4 
,you almost feel the frost of the high1 
rare atmosphere4 ,satan is a very       
powerful figure1--not the vulgar devil1 
but the determined will1 the            
unsanctified power4 ,the figure of      
,christ is simple and expressive1--even 
the flow of the drapery being full of   
significance and beauty4 ,another       

composition of great beauty represents a
 group of souls rising from earth1 and  
soaring upwards to heaven4 ,the highest 
ones are already rejoicing in the       
heavenly light1 while those below seem  
scarcely awakened from the sleep of     
death4 ,the whole picture is full of    
aspiration2 everything seems mounting   
upwards4  ,scheffer also painted a few  
pictures which can hardly be called his 
own4 ,such are ,the ,battle of ,tolbiac1
 and ,charlemagne dictating his         
,statutes4 ,these were painted by the   
command of ,louis ,philippe1 who was his
 constant friend and patron4 ,the young 
princes were his pupils2 and ,scheffer  
was careful to form them to better taste
 than that of the citizen monarch who   
has lined ,versailles with poor         
pictures4 ,for the ,king he painted ,the
 ,battle of ,tolbiac1 and we can only   
regret the time which was thus wasted2  
but for his pupils he designed          
,francesca da ,rimini and the ,mignons4 
,a few masterly portraits by ,scheffer's

 hand indicate his power of reproducing 
individual character4 ,among these we   
may name that of his mother1 which is   
said to be his finest work1--one of the 
,queen1--a picture of ,lamennais1--and  
another of ,emilia ,manin1 to which we  
shall again refer4 ,he occasionally     
modelled a bust1 and sometimes engaged  
in literary labor1 contributing some    
valuable articles on ,art to ,la ,revue 
,francaise4  ,it would be impossible for
 us to analyze or even enumerate all of 
,scheffer's works4 ,they are scattered  
throughout ,france and ,holland1 and a  
few have found their way to this        
country4 ,most of the engravings from   
his pictures are too well known to      
require description2 and we feel that we
 have said enough to justify our placing
 ,scheffer in the high rank which we    
claim for him4 ,engravings give us a    
juster idea of the ,french than of the  
,dutch or ,italian artists2 for their   
merit is rather in design and           
composition than in color4 ,we agree    

with ,m4 ,vitet1 that color need not be 
a prominent excellence in a work of high
 spiritual beauty1 and that it should   
always be toned to a complete harmony   
with the prevailing feeling of the      
picture4 ,in this aspect we look upon   
the cold color of the ,dead ,christ as  
hardly a defect2 it is in keeping with  
the sad solemnity of the scene4 ,but if 
color should not be so brilliant as to  
overpower the expression of form and    
sentiment1 still less should it be so   
inharmonious as to distract the mind    
from it1 as is sometimes the case with  
,scheffer4 ,the ,dante and ,beatrice is 
a familiar instance4 ,we can see no     
reason why ,beatrice should be dressed  
in disagreeable pink1 and ,dante in     
brick-red4 ,surely1 such color is       
neither agreeable to the eye nor        
harmonious with the expression of the   
scene4 ,this defect in color has led    
many to prefer the engravings to        
,scheffer's original pictures2 but no   
copy can quite reproduce the nice       

touches of thought and feeling given by 
the master's hand4 ,color is supposed by
 many to belong mainly to the           
representation of physical beauty2 but  
has not ,allston proved to us that the  
most subtile and delicate harmonies of  
color may be united with ethereal grace 
and spiritual beauty8 ,compare his      
,beatrice with that of ,scheffer4 ,but1 
in truth1 the whole spiritual relation  
of color is yet but dimly understood2   
and there are1 perhaps1 influences in   
the climate and organization of the     
,french nation which have rendered them 
inferior in this department of ,art4    
,allowing this deduction--a great one1  
certainly1--still1 if the expression of 
the highest thoughts in the most        
beautiful forms be the true aim of ,art1
 ,scheffer must rank among the very     
first painters of his age4 ,delaroche   
may surpass him in strength and vigor of
 conception1 and in thorough modelling  
and execution2 but ,scheffer has taken a
 deeper hold of the feelings1 and has   

risen into a higher spiritual region4   
,it has been reproachfully said that    
,scheffer is the painter for pretty     
women1 for poets1 and for lovers4 ,the  
reproach is also a eulogium1 since he   
must thus meet the demand of the human  
soul in its highest and finest          
development4 ,others have accused him of
 morbid sensibility4 ,there is reason   
for the charge4 ,he has not the full1   
round1 healthy1 development which       
belongs to the perfect type of ,art4    
,compare the ,st4 ,cecilia of           
,scheffer--this single figure1 with such
 womanly depth of feeling1 such lofty   
inspiration1 yet so sad--with the joyous
 and almost girlish grace of ,raphael's 
representation of the same subject1 and 
we feel at once the height and the      
limitation of ,scheffer's genius4 ,there
 is always pathos1 always suffering2 we 
cannot recall a single subject1 unless  
it be the group of rising spirits1 in   
which struggle and sorrow do not form   
the key-note4      ,in all your music1  

one pathetic minor         ,your ears   
shall cross2     ,and all fair sights   
shall mind you of diviner1         ,with
 sense of loss4  ,this is one view of   
human life1 but it is a transitional and
 imperfect one1--neither that of the    
first healthy unconsciousness of        
childhood1 nor of the full consciousness
 of a soul which has risen to that      
height of divine wisdom which feels the 
meaning of all suffering1 of all life4  
,the music of ,beethoven expresses the  
struggle1 the contest1 the sufferings of
 humanity1 as ,art has never done       
before2 but it always contains an       
eternal prophecy1 rather than a mournful
 regret1--and in the last triumphant    
symphony it swells onward and upward1   
until at last it bursts forth in all the
 freedom and gush of song1 and its theme
 is ,the ,hymn to ,joy4 ,how much the   
fatherless home of ,scheffer's          
childhood1 how much his own desolated   
life1 when his beloved companion was so 
early taken from his side1 may have had 

to do with this melancholy cast of      
thought1 or how far it belonged to his  
delicate physical constitution1 we are  
not prepared to say4 ,it becomes less   
prominent in his later compositions1 as 
faith became stronger and sight clearer2
 and perhaps in those pictures yet      
unknown to us we may find still brighter
 omens of the new life of rest and joy  
into which he has entered4  ,if we turn 
from ,scheffer's works to his life1 our 
task is no less grateful and pleasing4  
,the admiration and affection which his 
countrymen express for his character    
surpass even what they feel for his     
works4 ,he was a noble1 generous1       
active1 benevolent friend of humanity4  
,he gave freely to all who were in need1
 counsel1 money1 advice1 personal care1 
and love4 ,young artists found him ever 
ready to help them4 ,he gave them1 says 
,m4 ,vitet1 home1 atelier1 material1    
sympathy1--whatever they needed4        
,another writer1 ,m4 ,anatole de la     
,lorge1 said of him1 while yet          

living1--,ary ,scheffer has the rare    
good luck not to be exclusive4 ,his     
heart can pity every suffering as fully 
as his pencil can portray it4 ,a        
faithful and intimate friend of a now   
fallen dynasty1 7that of ,orleans17     
proud1 even distrustful towards men in  
power1 indifferent to their opinion1    
inaccessible to their offers1 ,ary      
,scheffer1 in his original              
individuality1 is one of the most       
independent and most honorable political
 men of our country4 ,his studio is the 
rendezvous of all opinions1 provided    
they are honest1--of all religions1     
provided they are sincere4 ,there each  
one is received1 not according to the   
habit which he wears1 as the ancient    
proverb says1 but according to the mind 
7esprit7 which he has shown4 ,we say    
mind1 but it is heart that we should    
say2 for ,ary ,scheffer seems to us to  
estimate the latter more highly than the
 former4 ,his whole life proves it4     
,always an ardent friend of liberty1 he 

was also a lover of law and order1 and  
he rendered good service in their       
preservation in the capital during the  
,revolution of #ahdh1 for which1 he     
received honorable distinction4  ,the   
same writer quoted above gives an       
interesting description of his meeting  
with ,ary ,scheffer in the sick-room and
 by the death-bed of an ,italian        
refugee1 ,emilia ,manin4 ,a young       
,venetian girl1 full of devotion to her 
country and her proscribed father1 she  
supported her exile with all a woman's  
courage1 buoyed up by the hope of       
returning to her country1 redeemed from 
its misery4 ,she is described as        
possessing extraordinary powers of mind 
and great beauty of person4 ,there were 
no questions1 however sublime or        
abstract1 which she did not treat with a
 surprising depth and sagacity4 ,her    
speech1 ordinarily timid and feeble1    
became emphatic and stirring2 her great1
 dreamy eyes suddenly acquired          
unequalled energy2 she spoke of the     

misfortunes of her country in terms so  
moving as to draw tears from our eyes4  
,but the body which contained this      
burning soul was very frail1 and the    
poor ,emilia1 the silent martyr1 turned 
her head upon her pillow1 and took her  
first hour of repose4 ,when no longer   
able to speak1 she had traced with a    
trembling hand on a paper these last    
words1--',oh1 ,venice6 ,i shall never   
see thee more6' ,she yet retained the   
position in which she drew her last     
breath1 when ,ary ,scheffer came1 as    
,tintoret formerly came to the bedside  
of his daughter1 to retrace1 with a hand
 unsteady through emotion1 the features 
of ,emilia ,manin4 ,this holy image1    
snatched by genius from death1 is one of
 the most admirable works we have ever  
seen4 ,she lies there1 extended and     
cold1--the poor child6--in that peace   
unknown to the life which she had lived 
in the body4 ,it is1 indeed1 the        
intelligent brow from which the         
inspiration of her soul seemed to speak4

 ,it is the delicate mouth and the pale 
lips1 which1 never uttering a murmur1   
betrayed the celestial goodness of her  
heart4 ,in truth1 it would have been    
difficult to hide our emotion1 in       
recognizing--thanks to the pure devotion
 of the painter--the touching features  
of this innocent victim1 whom we had    
known1 loved1 and venerated during her  
life4 ,some hours later1 we again found 
,ary ,scheffer sustaining with us the   
tottering steps of ,manin upon the      
freshly removed earth which was soon to 
cover the coffin of his child4  ,by the 
same loving and faithful hand were      
traced the features of the ,abbe de     
,lamennais1 a name so dear to those who 
live in the hope of new progress and    
liberty for humanity4 ,at the moment1   
says ,m4 de la ,lorge1 when death was   
yet tearing this great genius from the  
earth1 the pencil of the artist restored
 him1 in some sense alive1 in the midst 
of us all1 his friends1 his disciples1  
his admirers4 ,hereafter1 thanks to the 

indefatigable devotion of ,ary          
,scheffer1 we shall be permitted to see 
again the meagre visage1 the burning    
eyes1 the sad and energetic features of 
the ,breton ,apostle4  ,into the        
domestic life of ,scheffer it is not at 
present our privilege to enter4 ,some   
near friend--the brother1 the daughter1 
the wife--may1 perhaps1 hereafter1 lift 
the veil from the sacred spot1 and      
reveal him to us in those relations     
which most deeply affect and most truly 
express a man's inmost nature4 ,we close
 this notice with some slight sketch of 
his life in the atelier4  ,none could   
enter this room without a feeling of    
reverence and sacredness4 ,in the       
failing light of a ,november afternoon1 
all was subdued to a quiet and religious
 tone4 ,large and commodious in size1 it
 was filled with objects of the deepest 
interest4 ,nothing was in disorder2     
there was no smoke1 no unnecessary      
litter2 yet everywhere little sketches  
or hints of pictures were perceptible   

among the casts1 which one longed to    
bring forth into the light4 ,a few      
portraits especially dear to him--best  
of all1 that of his mother--were on the 
walls2 a few casts of the finest        
statues--among others1 that of the      
,venus de ,milo--around the room4 ,his  
last copy of the ,francesca da ,rimini1 
and the original picture of ,the ,three 
,marys1 and the yet unfinished          
,temptation on the ,mount1 were all     
there4 ,on the easel stood the picture  
of the ,group of ,spirits ascending to  
,heaven4 ,such was the aspect of this   
celebrated atelier1 as we saw it in     
#ahed4 ,but the greatest thing in the   
room was the master of it4 ,ary         
,scheffer was then about sixty years of 
age1 but was still healthy and fresh in 
appearance4 ,his face was rather ,german
 than ,french1 and bore the stamp of    
purity and goodness in every line2 but  
the eyes especially had the fire of     
genius tempered by gentleness and love4 
,it was a face which satisfied you at   

once1 answering to all you could ask of 
the painter of ,mignon1 and the         
,christus ,consolator4 ,his manner was  
quiet and reserved1 but courteous4      
,unconscious modesty was the peculiar   
charm of his appearance4 ,one of our    
party said that he reminded him strongly
 of ,allston4 ,it was a reverend        
presence1 which forbade common topics1  
and strangers thus meeting had few words
 to say4 ,as we turned away1 we knew    
that we should never meet again on      
earth2 but we had gained a new life1 and
 we had beheld1 as it were1 the face of 
an angel4  ,two ,american artists stood 
with us in that room3 one a fair young  
girl1 whose purity of soul was mirrored 
in her beautiful face1 who had gone to  
,paris to continue her studies in an art
 which she loved as she did her life2   
the other1 a man of mature age1 whose   
high and reverent genius has always met 
with a loving and faithful appreciation 
among his countrymen1 which does them as
 much honor as it did him4 ,the young   

girl lay down to die amid her labors1   
and her frail body rests amid the       
flowers and trees of ,montmartre2 the   
grown man came home but to bid farewell 
to home1 friends1 and life2 the great   
artist whom we met to honor has gone    
home too4 ,a threefold halo of sanctity 
rests on that room to us4  ,to those who
 shared the privilege of ,scheffer's    
friendship this room was endeared by    
hours of the richest social enjoyment4  
,his liberal hospitality welcomed all   
ranks and all classes4 ,it is related   
that ,louis ,philippe once sat waiting  
for him in the atelier1 and answered a  
knock at the door4 ,the visitor was     
delivering his messages to him1 when the
 artist returned1 and was somewhat      
surprised to find his royal friend      
playing the part of concierge4 ,it was  
not rare to meet in this atelier the    
great men of finance1 who counted       
themselves among his most passionate    
admirers4 ,here was conversation1 not   
without gayety1 but without loud        

laughter or revelry4 ,scheffer was very 
fond of music of the highest order4 ,he 
was a generous patron of musicians1 and 
loved to listen to music while he was   
engaged in painting4 ,his friends       
sometimes held an extemporaneous concert
 in his room1 without preparation1      
programme1 or audience4 ,think of       
listening to an andante of ,mozart's1   
played in that room6 ,music doubled her 
power1 and painting seemed illuminated4 
,beethoven was his favorite composer2   
his lofty genius harmonized with1 and   
satisfied the longings of1 ,scheffer's  
aspiring nature4  ,ary ,scheffer was a  
personal friend of the ,orleans family4 
,he was1 however1 an ardent lover of    
liberty2 and his hospitalities were free
 to all shades of opinion4 ,he did not  
forsake this family when their star went
 down4 ,hearing of the death of ,helene1
 the ,duchess of ,orleans1 he hastened  
to ,england1 to pay a last tribute of   
love and respect to her memory4 ,the    
,english climate had always been        

ungenial to him4 ,he took a severe cold1
 which proved fatal in its results4 ,he 
died soon after his return to ,paris1 on
 the #afth of ,june1 #aheh4 ,sadly as   
the news of his death struck upon our   
hearts1 it seemed no great change for   
him to die4 ,so pure and holy was his   
life1 so spiritual his whole nature1 so 
lofty his aspirations1 that it seemed as
 if      ,he might to ,heaven from      
,paradise go1     ,as from one room to  
another4  ,ary ,scheffer was twice      
married4 ,his first wife died early4    
,many years after her death he again    
married1--very happily1 as we have      
heard4 ,he leaves behind him one        
daughter1 who is also an artist4 ,under 
her loving care1 we trust every relic of
 his artistic labors and every trait of 
his personal life will be faithfully    
preserved4  ,both his brothers lived to 
middle age4 ,one1 of whom we know little
 but that ,m4 ,vitet calls him a        
distinguished man1 died in #ahee4 ,the  
only surviving brother1 ,henri1 is also 

a painter1 of considerable reputation4  
,he is a thorough and accomplished      
draughtsman1 and a superior teacher4    
,his atelier is one of the few in ,paris
 which are open to women1 and several   
,american ladies have enjoyed its       
advantages4  ,we have spoken of         
,scheffer's love for his native country4
 ,by his will he bequeathed to his      
native town of ,dordrecht the portrait  
of ,sir ,j4 ,reynolds1 by ,scheffer2 a  
dog lying down1 life-size1 by the same2 
a copy of the picture of the ',christus 
,remunerator1' on pasteboard1 of the    
size of the original in ,england2 a copy
 of the ',christus ,consolator1'--both  
by himself3 also1 his own statue1 in    
plaster2 his own bust1 by his daughter2 
and the ,virgin and ,infant ,jesus1 by  
himself4 ,the town of ,dordrecht        
proposes to erect a statue in           
commemoration of the fame of the great  
artist4  ,it is too early to assign to  
,ary ,scheffer the rank which he will   
finally occupy in the new era of ,french

 ,art which is coeval with his labors4  
,he will always stand as the companion  
of ,ingres and ,delaroche and           
,gericault2 and if his successors       
surpass him even in his own path1 they  
will owe much to him who helped to open 
the way4 ,he lived through times of     
trouble1 when a man's faith in humanity 
might well be shaken1 yet he remained no
 less a believer in and lover of        
mankind4 ,brighter days for ,france may 
lead her artists to a healthier and     
freer development2 but they can never be
 more single-hearted1 true1 and loving  
than ,ary ,scheffer4   #a ,this picture 
is now in the ,louvre4 ,it is a         
composition of great dramatic power4    
,mrs4 ,stowe gives a graphic description
 of the effect it produced upon her1 in 
her ,sunny ,memories of ,sunny ,lands4  
,a ,,visit ,,to ,,martha',s ,,vineyard4 
,we have all1 in our days of atlases and
 the use of the globes1 been made aware 
of the fact1 that off the southern shore
 of ,massachusetts lies a long and      

narrow island1 called ,martha's         
,vineyard1 one of the many defences     
thrown out by the beleaguered ,new      
,england coast against its untiring foe1
 the ,atlantic4  ,but how many are those
 who know more than this8 ,how many have
 visited it1 inquired into its          
traditions1 classified its curiosities1 
mineral1 saline1 and human8 ,how many   
have seen ,gay ,head and the ,gay-,head 
,indians8 ,not many1 truly2 and yet the 
island is well worth a visit1 and will  
repay the tourist better for his time   
and labor than any jaded1 glaring1      
seaside watering-place1 with its barrack
 of white hotel1 and its crowd of idle  
people4  ,in the first place1 the       
delicious suggestiveness of the         
name1--,martha's ,vineyard6 ,at once we 
ask1 ,who was ,martha8 and how did she  
use her vineyard8 ,was she the thrifty  
wife of some old ,puritan proprietor of 
untamed acres8--and did she fancy the   
wild grapes of this little island1      
fuller of flavor1 and sweeter for the   

manufacture of her jellies and home-made
 wine1 than those which grew            
elsewhere8--and did she come in the     
vintage season1 with her children and   
her friends1 to gather in the rich      
purple clusters1 bearing them back as   
did the ,israelitish spies1 to show the 
fatness of the promised land8  ,it was  
one of the fairest days of the ,indian  
summer1 when ,caleb1 ,mysie1 and the    
,baron 7a young gentleman four years    
old7 set gayly forth to explore this new
 and almost unknown region4  ,the first 
stage of their journey was ,new         
,bedford2 and at the neat and quiet     
hotel where they spent the night1 ,caleb
 ascertained that the steamer ,eagle's  
,wing would leave its wharf1 bound to   
the ,vineyard4  ,pending this event1 the
 trio wandered about the quiet wharves1 
inspecting the shipping1 and saturating 
themselves with nautical odors and      
information4 ,they discovered that      
whaleships are not the leviathans of the
 deep which ,mysie had supposed them1   

being very rarely of a thousand tons1   
and averaging five hundred4 ,they were  
informed that whaling has ceased to be a
 profitable occupation to any but the   
officers of the ships1 the owners       
frequently making only enough to repay  
their outlay from a voyage which has    
brought the captain and first mate      
several thousand dollars each4  ,every  
member of a whaleship's crew1 from the  
captain down to the cabin-boy1 is paid1 
not fixed wages1 but a lay1 or share of 
the profits of the voyage4 ,formerly1   
these lays were so graduated1 that the  
chief advantage of the expedition was to
 the owners2 but1 of late years1 matters
 have altered1 so that now it is not    
uncommon for the captain to receive a   
twelfth1 tenth1 or even eighth of the   
entire profit1 and the other officers in
 proportion4  ,the attention of our     
travellers was now directed to numerous 
squares and plateaus of great black     
objects buried in seaweed2 these1 they  
were informed1 were casks of oil1 stored

 in this manner instead of in           
warehouses1 as less liable to leakage4  
,it was also asserted1 as a fact1 that  
the sperm whale1 alarmed at the untiring
 rigor of his assailants1 has almost    
disappeared from the navigable waters1  
retreating to the fastnesses of the     
,frozen ,ocean1 where he is still       
pursued1 although at the greatest peril1
 by the dauntless ,new ,bedford1        
,nantucket1 and ,vineyard whalemen1 who1
 as the narrator proudly stated1 have1  
time and again1 come out unscathed from 
the perils under which ,franklin and his
 crew succumbed4 ,many a man now walks  
the streets of these seaports who has   
conversed with the ,esquimaux last in   
company with that ill-fated crew4       
,full-fed with maritime and oleaginous  
lore1 our travellers at last embarked   
upon the ,eagle's ,wing1 bound down the 
,vineyard ,sound4 ,as the steamer gained
 its offing1 the view of ,new ,bedford  
was very picturesque1 reminding one of  
,boston seated at the head of her       

beautiful bay4 ,the passage through the 
islands1 though not long1 is intricate1 
requiring skilful pilotage2 and as the  
boat passed through the channel called  
,wood's ,hole1 certain feeble-minded    
sisters were positive that all on board 
were bound to immediate destruction2    
and1 in truth1 the reefs1 between which 
the channel lies1 approach too closely  
to leave much room for steering4 ,the   
perils of the vasty deep1 however1 were 
finally surmounted1 and the steamer made
 fast to its wharf at ,holmes's ,hole1  
one of the two principal ports of       
,martha's ,vineyard4  ,our trio         
disembarked1 and found themselves at    
once the subjects of fierce contention  
to no less than three aspirants for the 
honor of conveying them and their       
luggage to their point of destination4  
,one of these1 called ,dave1 was a      
grave1 saturnine ,yankee1 his hands in  
the pockets of his black trousers1 his  
costume further exhibiting the national 
livery of black dress coat1 black satin 

waistcoat and necktie1 cow-hide boots1  
and stiff1 shiny hat1 very much upon the
 back of his head4 ,the languid and     
independent offers of this individual   
were1 however1 quite drowned by the     
flood of vociferous overtures from his  
two rivals1--an original youth1 about   
eighteen years old1 and a man1 or rather
 mannikin1 who1 judging by his face1    
might be in his fiftieth1 and1 by his   
back1 in his tenth year4  ,mannikin     
first succeeded in gaining the attention
 of ,caleb1--the efforts of ,mysie1     
meanwhile1 barely sufficing to restrain 
the ,baron from plunging over the side  
of the wharf1 in his anxiety to witness 
the departure of the steamboat4         
,mannikin1 asserting earnestly that he  
had a good conveyance close at hand1    
danced around the group with vehement   
gesticulations1 intended to strike      
despair into the souls of his two       
adversaries1 who1 nevertheless1 retained
 their ground1--,dave lounging in the   
middle distance1 a grim smile of        

derision upon his face1 and ,youth      
dodging in with loud offers of service1 
wherever ,mannikin left a point         
undefended4  ,caleb1 at last1 demanding 
to see the good conveyance1 was led away
 to the head of the wharf1 when ,youth  
at once seized the opportunity to rush  
in1 and breathlessly inquire of         
,mysie1--  ,wher' ye goin'1 ,ma'am8     
,wher' ye want to be kerried8  ,we are  
going to ,gay-,head ,light-house2 but   
my--  ,ga'ed ,light8 ,i kin kerry ye    
there fust-rate1 and cheap too2--kerry  
ye there for two dollars6  ,my husband  
has already spoken--  ,wat6 t' ole      
,ransom8 ,wy1 he a'n't got nothin' but a
 weelbarry4 ,and ,caleb1 returning at   
the same moment with a somewhat         
perplexed air1 corroborated this        
statement by saying1--  ,this man has no
 carriage1 but will get us one in a     
short time4  ,but this boy1 retorted    
,mysie1 says he has a carriage1 and will
 carry us to ,gay ,head for two dollars4
  ,you hear that1 ole feller8--they're  

a-goin' with me6 crowed triumphant      
,youth at disconcerted ,mannikin1 who   
nevertheless rapidly proceeded to pile  
the luggage upon his barrow and trundle 
it away4  ,this coup d'etat was checked 
by ,caleb1 but afterward allowed1 upon  
discovering that ,youth's carriage was  
still reposing in his father's stable1  
jist up here2 and ,mannikin was consoled
 by being allowed to earn a quarter of a
 dollar by transporting the luggage to  
that destination4 ,the procession at    
once set forth1 including ,dave1 who    
strolled in the rear1 softly whistling1 
and apparently totally unconcerned1 yet 
all the while alive with feline         
watchfulness4  ,arrived at the stable1  
the travellers were requested to wait   
there while ,youth went to find his     
father and borry a wip4  ,at these last 
words1 a subtle smile1 foreboding       
triumph1 broke over ,dave's composed    
features1 as he muttered1--  ,reckin    
you'll need one 'fore you reach ,ga'ed  
,light4  ,the coast clear1 ,dave became 

a little more communicative1 expatiated 
upon the dangers and discomforts of the 
road1 the incapacity of ,youth's horse1 
and the improbability that his father   
would ratify the bargain1 concluding by 
offering to do the job himself in good  
shape for four dollars1 which offer was 
held in abeyance until we should learn  
the result of ,youth's interview with   
his father4  ,in the mean time1 a matron
 suddenly made her appearance in the    
barn1 with a hospitable entreaty that   
the woman and child would come up to the
 house and warm themselves2 and ,caleb  
strongly advocating the ,idea1 ,mysie   
and the ,baron proceeded houseward4     
,about half-way they encountered        
,paterfamilias1 hastening with ,youth   
toward the barn1 and to him ,matron at  
once recapitulated the affair1          
concluding with mentioning the          
stipulated price4 ,at this ,pater       
turned1 with thunderous brow1 toward    
,youth2 but ,matron interposed1 with    
womanly tact1--  ,you can do jest as you

 like1 you know1 about lettin' him go2  
but ,dave's in the barn4  ,dave in my   
barn6 ,wat in thunder's he doin' there8 
,yes1 go1 boy1--go for nothin'1 if they 
ask you to1 sooner than let that--  ,the
 rest of the sentence was lost in the   
distance4 ,but ,mysie1 following her    
guide to the house1 felt quite sure of  
their conveyance2 and1 in fact1 barely  
sufficient time elapsed for the hostess 
to possess herself of the leading facts 
in her guests' history1 before the      
carriage was announced1 and our         
travellers hastened down the lane1 and  
found there awaiting them the evident   
model of the ,autocrat's ,one-,hoss     
,shay1 in its last five years of        
senility2--to this was attached a       
quadruped who immediately reminded      
,mysie of a long-forgotten conundrum4   
,what was the first created animal8     
,ans4 ,shay-'oss4  ,holding him         
ostentatiously by the head stood ,youth1
 the borried whip flourished in his     
right hand1 as he invited his passengers

 to seat themselves without reference to
 him4  ,this being done and the seat    
pretty thoroughly filled1 ,youth perched
 himself upon a bag and valise1 which   
filled the front of the vehicle1 and the
 journey commenced4  ,that ride6 ,the   
first mile was not passed before the    
meaning of ,dave's malicious smile1 at  
mention of a whip1 became painfully     
apparent2 for never was weapon more     
perseveringly used1 or with so little   
result1 the cunning old beast falling   
into a jog-trot at the commencement1    
from which no amount of vociferation or 
whipping could move him4  ,i wouldn't   
hurry him so much1 interposed ,mysie1   
her compassion aroused both for beast   
and ,youth4 ,i don't like to see a horse
 whipped so much4  ,oh1 you see1 ,ma'am1
 he's so used to it1 he won't go noways 
without it2 feels kind o' lonesome1 ,i  
'xpect4 ,it don't hurt him none1 nuther2
 his skin's got so thick an' tough1 that
 he wouldn't know1 if you was to put    
bilin' tar on him4  ,do you feed your   

horse on oats1 much8 inquired ,caleb1   
gravely1 after a long and observant     
silence4  ,no1 ,sir1 we darsn't give him
 no oats1 'cause he'd be sure to run    
away2 doos sometimes1 as it is4  ,i     
don't think you need fear it to-day1    
replied ,caleb1 quietly1 as he settled  
himself into the corner1 in the vain    
hope of a nap2 but ,youth was now       
loquaciously inclined4  ,reck'n ,dave   
was disappinted1 said he1 with a        
chuckle4 ,he meant to kerry ye himself2 
but soon's ,i see him round1 ,i says to 
myself1 says ,i1 ',ole ,chick1 you      
sha'n't come it this time1 if ,i go for 
nothin'4'  ,competition is the soul of  
trade1 drowsily murmured ,caleb2 but as 
,youth turned to inquire1 ,whossay8 the 
bag upon which he was seated1 and upon  
which1 in the enjoyment of his triumph1 
he had been wriggling somewhat too      
vivaciously1 suddenly gave way1 and a   
pair of snow-white hose came tumbling   
out4 ,they were at once caught and held 
admiringly up by ,youth1 with the       

ingenuous remark1--  ,how wite them     
looks6 ,an' if you'll blieve it1 mine   
was jest as clean yis'day mornin'1--an' 
now you look at 'em6 ,to facilitate     
which inspection1 the speaker           
conscientiously drew up his corduroys1  
so as fully to display a pair of        
home-knit socks1 which certainly had    
wofully deteriorated from the condition 
ascribed to them yis'day mornin'4  ,you 
see1 ,i went clammin' las' night1       
pursued ,youth2 an' that's death on     
clo's4  ,what's clammin'8 inquired the  
,baron1 changing the subject with       
unconscious tact1 and quite surprised at
 the admiring kiss bestowed upon him by 
his mother1 while ,youth1 readjusting   
his corduroys1 replied with             
astonishment1--  ,clammin'8 ,wy1        
clammin's goin' arter clams2 didn't ye  
never eat no clam-chowder8  ,n-o1 ,i    
don't think ,i ever did1 replied the    
,baron1 reflectively4 ,is it like       
ice-cream8  ,well1 ,i never eat none o' 
that1 so ,i dunno1 was the reply2 and   

,youth and ,child1 each regarding the   
other with wondering pity1 relapsed into
 silence4  ,having now passed from the  
township of ,holmes's ,hole into        
,tisbury1 the road lay through what     
would have been an oak forest1 except   
that none of the trees exceeded some    
four feet in height1--,youth affirming  
this to be their mature growth1 and that
 no larger ones had grown since the     
forest was cleared by the original      
settlers4 ,a few miles more were slowly 
passed1 and ,mysie began to look        
hopefully from every eminence for a     
sight of the light-house1 when she was  
stunned by the information1 that they   
were then entering ,chilmark1 and were  
'bout half-way4  ,caleb1 with an        
exclamation of disgust1 leaped from the 
shay1 and accomplished the remaining ten
 miles1 wrathfully1 on foot1--while     
,mysie1 wrapping her feminine patience  
about her as a mantle1 resigned herself 
to endurance2 but ,youth1 noticing1     
perhaps1 her weary and disconsolate     

expression1 applied himself sedulously  
to the task of entertaining her2 and1 as
 a light and airy way of opening the    
conversation1 inquired1--  ,was you     
pooty sick aboard the boat8  ,not at    
all4  ,that's curous6 ,women 'most alluz
 is1--'specially wen it's so ruffly as  
it is to-day4 ,was bubby sick any8  ,no4
  ,wa-al1 that's very fortnit1 for ,i   
don't blieve he'll be sick wen he grows 
up an' goes walin'4 ,it's pooty tryin'1 
the fust two or three weeks out1        
ginerally4 ,how young is he a-goin' to  
begin8  ,i do not think he will ever go 
to sea4  ,not a-goin' to sea8 ,wy1 his  
father's a captain1 ,i 'xpect2 a'n't he8
  ,no4  ,mate1 then1 a'n't he8  ,he is  
not a sailor at all4  ,ha'n't never ben 
to sea8  ,never4  ,oh1 the look of      
wide-mouthed astonishment which took    
possession of ,youth's hitherto vacant  
features1 at thus encountering a        
strong-looking man1 in the prime of     
life1 who had never been to sea1 and a  
healthy1 sturdy boy1 whose parents did  

not mean that he ever should6 ,he had no
 more to say2 every faculty was1 for at 
least an hour1 devoted to the           
contemplation of these lusus naturae1   
thus presented to his vision4  ,at last1
 the road1 which had long been in a     
condition of ominous second-childhood1  
suddenly died a natural death at the    
foot of a steep hill1 where a rail-fence
 presented itself as a barrier to       
farther progress4 ,the bars were soon   
removed by ,youth1 who triumphantly     
announced1 as ,cha-os walked slowly     
through the opening thus presented1--   
,now we're on ,ga'ed1 an' ,i'll run     
along and take down the next bars1 if   
you kin drive4 ,git along1 ,tom1--you   
ha'n't got nothin' but two feathers     
ahind you now4  ,how far is it to the   
,light-house8 inquired ,mysie1 faintly4 
,ony 'bout four mild1 was the           
discouraging reply1 as ,youth loped on  
in advance4  ,four mild6 and such miles6
 ,the only road1 a faint track in the   
grass1 now undiscernible in the         

gathering gloom1 now on the slope of    
steep hills marked by deep gullies worn 
by the impetuous autumn rains1 and down 
which the poor old shay jerked along in 
a series of bumps and jolts threatening 
to demolish at once that patriarchal    
vehicle and the bones of its occupants4 
,at last1 however1 from the top of one  
of these declivities1 the brilliant1    
flashing light of the long-watched-for  
,pharos greeted ,mysie's despairing     
eyes1 and woke new hopes of warmth1     
rest1 and shelter4 ,but never did       
bewildering ignisfatuus retire more     
persistently from the pursuit of unwary 
traveller than did that ,light-house    
from the occupants of that creaking     
shay2 and it was not till total darkness
 had settled upon the earth that they   
reached its door1 and discovered1 by the
 lamplight streaming out1 that ,caleb   
stood in the entrance1 awaiting their   
arrival4  ,as the chaise stopped1 he    
came forward and lifted the stiff and   
weary forms of the woman and child to   

the ground1 and delivered them to the   
guidance of the hostess4  ,the first    
aspect of affairs was somewhat          
discouraging1--the parlor into which    
they were ushered being without fire and
 but dimly lighted1 the bedroom not yet 
prepared for toilet purposes1 and the   
hostess1 as she averred1 entirely       
unprepared for company4  ,left alone in 
the dreary parlor1 ,caleb subsided into 
moody silence1 and ,mysie into tears1   
upon which the ,baron followed suit1 and
 produced such a ludicrous state of     
affairs1 that the sobs which had evoked 
his changed to an irrepressible laugh1  
in which all parties soon joined4 ,this 
pleasant frame of mind was speedily     
encouraged and augmented1 first1 by     
water and towels ad libitum1 and then by
 an introduction to the dining-room1 in 
whose ample grate now roared a fire1 of 
what our travellers were informed was   
peat1--an article supplying1 in the     
absence of all other indigenous fuel1   
nearly every chimney upon the island4   

,a good cup of tea and a substantial    
supper prepared the trio to accept the  
invitation of the excellent ,mr4 ,f4    
7the chief keeper1 and their host7 to go
 up with him into the ,light4  ,and now 
our travellers suddenly found that they 
had made a pilgrimage unawares4 ,they   
had come to the island for sea-air and  
pebbles1 to shoot ducks1 see the        
,indians1 and find out who ,martha was1 
and had come to the ,light-house1 as the
 only white dwelling upon the           
,head1--the rest being all occupied by  
the descendants of the red men1--and now
 found themselves applauded by their    
host for having come so far to see our  
,light2--not so far as some1 either1    
continued he1 for we have had visitors  
from every part of the ,union1--even    
from ,florida2 every one who understands
 such things is so anxious to see it4   
,why1 is it different from common       
light-houses8 carelessly inquired       
,caleb4  ,don't you know8 ,haven't you  
come on purpose to see it8 asked the    

keeper1 in astonishment1--and then      
proceeded to explain1 that this is the  
famous ,fresnel light1 the identical    
structure exhibited at the great        
,exposition at ,paris1 bought there by  
an agent of the ,united ,states1 and    
shipped by him to ,america4  ,owing1    
however1 to some inexplicable blunder1  
its arrival was not made known to the   
proper authorities1--and the papers     
which should have accompanied it being  
lost or not delivered1 no one at the    
custom-house knew what the huge case    
contained4 ,it was deposited in a bonded
 warehouse during the legal interval1   
but1 never having been claimed1 was then
 sold1 still unexamined1 to the highest 
bidder4 ,he soon identified his         
purchase1 and proceeded to make his own 
profit out of it1--the consequence being
 that government at last discovered that
 the ,fresnel light had been some two   
years in this country1 and was then upon
 exhibition1 if the ,president and      
cabinet would like to take a peep4 ,the 

particulars of the bargain which ensued 
did not transpire1 but it resulted in   
the lantern being repacked and reshipped
 to ,gay ,head1 its original            
destination4  ,while hearing this little
 history1 the party were breathlessly   
climbing three steep iron staircases1   
the last of which ended at a trap-door1 
giving admittance to the clock-room1    
where the keeper generally sits2 from   
here another ladder-like staircase leads
 up into the lantern4 ,arrived at the   
top1 the ,baron screamed with delight at
 the gorgeous spectacle before him4     
,the lamp 7into the four concentric     
wicks of which a continual and          
superabundant supply of oil is forced by
 a species of clock-work1 causing a     
flame of dazzling brilliancy7 is        
surrounded by a revolving cover1 about  
eight feet high by four or five in      
diameter1 and in shape like the         
hand-glasses with which gardeners cover 
tender plants1 or the shades which one  
sees over fancy clocks and articles of  

bijouterie4 ,this cover is composed of  
over six hundred pieces of glass1       
arranged in a complicated and scientific
 system of lenses and prisms1 very      
difficult to comprehend1 but very       
beautiful in the result2 for every ray  
of light from that brilliant flame is   
shivered into a thousand glittering     
arrows1 reflected1 refracted1 tinted    
with all the rainbow hues1 and finally  
projected through the clear plate-glass 
windows of the lantern with all the     
force and brilliancy of a hundred rays4 
,if any one cares to understand more    
clearly the why and the how1 let him    
either go and see for himself or read   
about it in ,brande's ,encyclopaedia4   
,mysie and the ,baron were content to   
bask ignorantly in the glittering1      
ever-changing1 ever-flowing flood of    
light1 dreaming of ,fairy ,land1 and    
careless of philosophy4 ,only so much   
heed did they give to the outer world as
 always to place themselves upon the    
landward side of the lantern1 lest      

unwittingly their forms should hide one 
ray of the blessed light from those for 
whose good it was put there4  ,caleb1   
meanwhile1 sat with his host in the     
clock-room1 smoking many a meerschaum1  
and listening to the keeper's talk about
 his beautiful charge1--a pet as well as
 a duty with him1 obviously4  ,with the 
same fond pride with which a mother     
affects to complain of the care she     
lavishes upon her darling child would   
the old man speak of the time necessary 
to keep his six hundred lenses clear and
 spotless1 each one being rubbed daily  
with softest doeskin saturated with     
rouge1 to keep the windows of the       
lantern free from constantly            
accumulating saline incrustations1--of  
the care with which the lamp1 when      
burning1 must be watched1 lest intrusive
 fly or miller should drown in the great
 reservoir of oil and be drawn into the 
air-passages4 ,this duty1 and the       
necessity of winding up the clock 7which
 forces the oil up into the wick7 every 

half-hour1 require a constant watch to  
be kept through the night1 which is     
divided between the chief and two       
assistant keepers4  ,the morning after  
their arrival1 our travellers1 strong   
with the vigor of the young day1 set    
forth to explore the cliffs1 bidding    
adieu to original ,youth1 who1 standing 
ready to depart1 beside his horse1 was  
carolling the following ditty in        
glorification of his native town3--     
,ga'ed ,light is out o' sight1          
,menemshee ,crik is sandy1     ,holmes's
 ,hole's a pooty place1         ,an'    
,oldtown ,pint's onhandy4  7,oldtown    
being synonymous with ,edgartown1 the   
rival seaport47  ,leaving this young    
patriot to his national anthem1 a walk  
of a few hundred feet through deep      
sword-edged grass brought our explorers 
to the edge of a cliff1 down which they 
gazed with awe-hushed breath4 ,below    
them1 at a depth of a hundred and fifty 
feet1 the thunderous waves beat upon the
 foot of the cliff over whose brink they

 peered1 and which1 stern and impassive 
as it had stood for ages1 frowned back  
with the mute strength of endurance upon
 the furious1 eager waves1 which now and
 again dashed themselves fiercely       
against its front1 only to be flung back
 shattered into a thousand glittering   
fragments4  ,the cliffs themselves are  
very curious and beautiful1 being       
composed of red and black ochre1 the    
largest cliff showing the one color on  
its northern and the other on its       
southern face4 ,the forms are           
various1--some showing a sheer descent1 
with no vestige of earth or vegetation1 
their faces seamed with scars won in the
 elemental war which they have so long  
withstood4 ,in other spots the cliff has
 been rent into sharp pinnacles1 varied 
and beautiful in hue4  ,one spot1 in    
particular1 which became ,mysie's       
favorite resort1 was at once singular   
and beautiful in its conformation4      
,about three feet above the water's edge
 lay a level plateau1 its floor of      

loose1 sandy1 black conglomerate1       
abounding in sparkling bits of quartz   
and sulphate of iron2 beneath this lay a
 bed of beautifully marbled and         
variegated clay1 its edge showing all   
along the black border of the plateau   
like the brilliant wreath with which a  
brunette binds her dusky hair4 ,blocks  
of this clay1 fallen upon the beach1 and
 wet with every flowing wave1 lay       
glistening in the sunlight and looking  
like--  ,castile soap1 mamma1 suggested 
the ,baron1 as ,mysie was describing the
 scene in his presence1 and hesitated   
for a simile4  ,at the back of the      
terrace1 which1 in its widest part1     
measured some fifty feet1 rose suddenly 
and sharply the pinnacled cliffs1 some  
snowy white1 some black1 some deep red1 
and others a cold gray4 ,at either hand 
they extended quite down to the water's 
edge1 so that1 seated upon the plateau1 
nothing met the eye but ocean1 sky1 and 
cliffs2 no work of man struck a         
discordant note in the grand harmony of 

these three simple1 mighty elements of  
creation4  ,mysie sometimes took a book 
here with her1 but it was not a place to
 read in2 the scene crushed and dwarfed 
human thoughts and words to nothingness2
 and to repeat to the ocean himself what
 had been said of him by the loftiest   
even of poets seemed tame and           
impertinent4  ,these cliffs extend about
 a mile along the shore1 and then       
suddenly give place to a broad sandy    
beach1 behind which lies a level1       
desolate moor1 treeless1 shrubless1 and 
barren of all vegetation1 save coarse   
grass and weeds1 and a profusion of     
stunted dog-roses1 which1 in their      
season1 must throw a rare and singular  
charm over their sterile home4  ,the    
beach1 though smooth and even1 is not   
flat1 like those of ,nantasket1 ,nahant1
 and ,newport1 but shelves rapidly down2
 and there is a belief among the        
islanders1 that a short distance out it 
terminates suddenly at the brow of a    
submarine precipice1 beyond which are no

 soundings4  ,owing to the sharp        
declivity of the beach1 the rollers     
break with great force1 and the surf is 
very high4 ,at one point is grouped a   
cluster of rocks1 half in the water1    
half on the beach1 among which1 as the  
tide comes in1 the waves break with     
furious force1 dashing high over the    
outermost barrier1 and then plunging and
 leaping forward1 like a troop of wild  
horses1 their white manes flung high in 
air1 as they leap forward over one and  
another of the obstacles in their path4 
,perched upon the crest of one of these 
half-submerged rocks1 watching the mad  
waves fling themselves exhausted at her 
feet1 it was ,mysie's delight to sit1   
enjoying the half danger of her         
position1 and retreating only when the  
waters had many times closed behind her 
throne1 leaving1 in their momentary     
absence1 but a wet and slippery path    
back to the beach4  ,along this beach1  
too1 lay the road to ,squipnocket1 a    
pond famed for its immense flocks of    

wild geese and ducks1--fame shared by   
,menemshee ,creek and ,pond1 as well as 
several others of similar aboriginal    
titles4  ,to these repaired1 almost     
daily1 ,caleb1 accompanied by one or    
another of his host's five sons2 and the
 result of their efforts with the gun   
was no inconsiderable addition to the   
table at ,ga'ed ,light4  ,but greatest  
of all the wonders at the ,head are the 
,fossil ,cliffs4  ,a short time after   
the arrival of our travellers1 their    
hostess inquired if they had yet found  
any fossils4 ,mysie frankly confessed   
that they did not know there were any to
 find1 which was evidently as great a   
surprise to ,mrs4 ,f4 as their ignorance
 of the ,fresnel light had been to her  
husband4 ,she at once offered the       
services of her daughter ,clarissa as   
guide and assistant1 and gave glowing   
accounts of the treasures to be found4  
,the offer was gladly accepted2 and     
,clarissa1 a merry little romp1 about   
twelve years old1 soon made her         

appearance1 armed with a pickaxe1 hoe1  
and basket4  ,thus laden1 and in the    
teeth of a shrewd northeast wind1 the   
little barefooted pioneer led the way   
directly over the brow of a cliff1      
which1 had ,mysie been alone1 she would 
have pronounced entirely impracticable4 
,now1 however1 fired with a lofty       
emulation1 she silently followed her    
guide1 grasping1 however1 at every shrub
 and protection with somewhat convulsive
 energy4  ,here's a good place1         
announced ,clarissa1 pausing where a    
shelf of gravelly rock afforded         
tolerable foothold4 ,professor          
,hitchcock told father that in here were
 strata of the tertiary formation1 and  
there's where we get the fossils4  ,but 
how do you come at the tertiary         
formation through all this sand and     
gravel8 asked ,mysie1 aghast at the     
prospect4  ,oh1 dig2 that's why ,i      
brought the pick and hoe2 we must dig a 
hole about a foot deep1 and then we     
shall come to the stuff that has the    

fossils in it4 ,you may have the hoe1   
and ,i'll take the pick1 'cause that's  
the hardest4  ,then let me have it2 ,i  
am stronger than you1 exclaimed ,mysie1 
suddenly roused to enthusiasm at the    
idea of picking her way into the        
tertiary formation of the earth1 and    
exhuming its fossilized remains4        
,seizing the pickaxe1 she aimed a mighty
 blow at the clay and gravel            
conglomerate before her2 but the        
instrument1 falling wide of its intended
 mark1 struck upon a rock1 and sent such
 a jarring thrill up both her arms and  
such a tingle to her fingers' ends as   
suddenly quenched her antiquarian zeal1 
and reminded her of a frightful account 
she once read of a convent of nuns      
captured by some brutal potentate1 who  
forced them to mend his highways by     
breaking stones upon them with very     
heavy hammers2 and the historian        
mentioned1 as a common occurrence1 that1
 when any sister dislocated her         
shoulder1 one of her comrades would set 

it1 and the sufferer would then resume  
her labors4  ,mysie1 having this warning
 before her eyes1 and being doubtful of 
,clarissa's surgical abilities1         
concluded to postpone her researches1   
and proposed to her companion to fill   
the basket with shells and pebbles from 
the beach1 to which cowardly proposition
 ,clarissa yielded but a reluctant      
consent4  ,the next day1 however1 ,mr4  
,f4 and ,caleb1 learning the result of  
the fossil-search1 offered to apply     
their more efficient skill and strength 
to a new attempt in the same direction2 
and1 with high hopes for the result1    
,mysie1 still accompanied by ,clarissa1 
proceeded to another portion of the     
cliffs1 where a low1 wedge-shaped       
promontory1 shadowed by beetling crags1 
was1 as ,mr4 ,f4 confidently stated1    
sure for teeth4  ,the pickaxe1 in the   
sinewy arms of its owner1 soon dislodged
 great cakes of the upper deposit and   
laid bare a stratum of olive-green clay1
 which was announced to be a fossil-bed4

 ,lumps of this clay being broken off   
and crumbled up1 proved indeed rich in  
deposit4 ,they found sharks' teeth1 the 
edges still sharply serrated1 firmly set
 in pieces of the jawbone1--whales'     
teeth1--vertebrae of various            
species1--fragments of bone1 great and  
small1--several species of shell-fish1  
among which chiefly abounded a kind     
called quahaug1--and many nondescript   
fragments1 not easily classified4 ,one  
of these was a little bone closely      
resembling the tibia of a child's leg1  
and may have belonged to some           
antediluvian infant lost at sea1 7if    
,noah's ancestors were mariners17 or    
perhaps drowned in the ,deluge1--for    
,mr4 ,f4 quoted an eminent geologist who
 has visited the ,vineyard1 and who     
supposed these remains to have been     
brought here by that mighty ,flood-tide4
 ,another savant1 however1 supposes the 
island to have been thrown up from the  
sea by volcanic action2 and that the    
fossils1 now imbedded in cliffs a       

hundred feet high1 were once deposited  
upon the bed of the ocean4 ,there is    
certainly a great amount of             
conglomerate1 which has evidently been  
fused by intense heat2 and masses of    
rock1 sea-pebbles1 sand1 and iron-ore   
are now as firmly integrated as a piece 
of granite4  ,however1 the fossils came2
 here they certainly are2 many of them  
perfect in form1 and light and porous to
 the eye1 but all hard and heavy as     
stone to the touch4 ,teeth1 which are   
considered the most valuable of all the 
remains1 are sometimes found as wide as 
a man's hand1 and weighing several      
pounds2 but ,mysie was quite content    
with the more insignificant weight of   
those which filled her basket1          
especially when an immense reticulated  
paving-stone was added1 which ,mr4 ,f4  
pronounced to be a whale's vertebra4    
,she then was induced to trust the      
precious collection to ,caleb's care1   
the more willingly that the ascent of   
the cliffs was now to be attempted4     

,this was easily and quickly            
accomplished by ,mr4 ,f4 and his little 
son1 by going to the right spot before  
beginning to climb2 but ,mysie declaring
 that the ascent was quite practicable  
where they were1 ,caleb and ,clarissa   
felt bound in honor to accompany her4   
,for some distance1 all went very       
well1--the face of the cliff presuming  
slight inequalities of surface1 which   
answered for foot-and hand-holds1 and   
not being very steep2 but suddenly      
,mysie1 the leader of the group1        
arriving within about three feet of the 
top1 found the rock above her so smooth 
as to give no possible foothold by which
 she might reach the strong1 coarse     
grass which nodded tauntingly to her    
over the brink4  ,clinging closely to   
the face of the cliff1 she turned her   
head to announce to ,caleb that she     
could not go on1 and1 in turning1 looked
 down4 ,before this she had felt no     
fear1 only perplexity2 but the sight of 
those cruel rocks below1--the hollow    

booming of the waves1 as they lashed the
 foot of the cliff1--the consciousness  
that a fall of a hundred feet awaited   
her1 should she let go her hold1--all   
this struck terror to ,mysie's heart2   
and while a heavy1 confused noise came  
throbbing and ringing through her head1 
she shut her eyes1 and fancied she had  
seen her last of earth4  ,in an instant 
,caleb was beside her1--his arm about   
her1 holding her safely where she was2  
but to continue was impossible for      
either4  ,ho6 ,mr4 ,f46 shouted ,caleb2 
come this way1 will you1 and give my    
wife your hand8 ,she is a little        
frightened1 and can't go on4  ,presently
 a stout arm and hand appeared from     
among that nodding1 mocking grass1 and a
 cheery voice exclaimed1--  ,here1 my   
dear lady1 take right hold1 strong2--you
 can't pull me over1--not if you try to4
  ,unclasping1 with some difficulty1 her
 fingers from the rock1 into which they 
seemed to have grown1 ,mysie grasped the
 proffered hand1 and the next moment was

 safe upon the turf4  ,oh1 my good      
gracious6 muttered the kind old man2 but
 whether the exclamation was caused by  
,mysie's face1 pale1 no doubt1 by the   
effort necessary to raise her           
half-fainting figure1 or by the idea of 
the peril in which she had been1 did not
 appear4  ,clarissa1 calm and equable1  
was next passed up by ,caleb1 who1      
declining the proffered hand1 drew      
himself up1 by a firm grasp upon the    
rocky scarp of the cliff4  ,guess you   
was scart some then1 wa'n't you8        
inquired ,clarissa1 as the party walked 
homeward4  ,oh1 no6 replied ,mysie1     
quickly4 ,but ,i could not get over the 
top of the cliff alone1--it was so      
steep4  ,oh1 that was the matter8       
drawled the child1 with a sidelong      
glance of her sharp black eyes4  ,the   
northeast wind which went fossilizing   
with ,mysie and ,clara on their first   
excursion was the precursor of a furious
 storm of rain and wind1 ranking1       
according to the dictum of experienced  

weatherseers1 as little inferior to that
 famous one in which fell the ,minot's  
,ledge ,light-house4  ,as the gale      
reached its height1 it was a sight at   
once terrible and beautiful1 to watch1  
standing in the lantern1 the goaded sea1
 whose foam-capped waves could plainly  
be seen at the horizon line1 breaking   
here and there upon sunken rocks1 over  
which in their playful moods they       
scarcely rippled1 but on which they now 
dashed with such white fury as to make  
them discernible1 even through the      
darkness of night4 ,one long1 low ridge 
of submarine rocks1 around which seethed
 a perpetual caldron1 was called the    
,devil's ,bridge2 but when erected1 or  
for what purpose1 tradition failed to   
state4  ,never1 surely1 did the wind    
rave about a peaceful inland dwelling as
 it did about that lonely light-house   
for two long nights4 ,it roared1 it     
howled1 it shrieked1 it whistled2 it    
drew back to gather strength1 and then  
rushed to the attack with such mad fury1

 that the strong1 young light-house1    
whose frame was all of iron and stone1  
shrunk trembling before it1 and the     
children in their beds screamed aloud   
for fear4 ,but through all and beyond   
all1 the calm1 strong light sent out its
 piercing1 warning rays into the black  
night2 and who can tell what sinner it  
may that night have prevented from      
crossing the ,devil's ,bridge to the    
world which lies beyond8  ,there was but
 one wreck during the storm1 so far as  
our travellers heard2 and in this the   
lives were saved4 ,two men1 caught out  
in a fishing-smack1 finding that their  
little vessel was foundering1 betook    
themselves to their small boat2 but this
 filled more rapidly than they could    
bale it2 and they had just given        
themselves up for lost1 when their      
signals of distress were observed on    
board the light-ship stationed near     
,newport1 which sent a life-boat to     
their assistance1 and rescued them just 
as their little boat went to pieces4    

,when ,mysie heard this occurrence      
mentioned1 as they were journeying      
homeward1 it recalled to her mind a     
little incident of the day succeeding   
the storm4  ,walking with ,clara upon   
the beach1 they saw borne toward them1  
on the crest of a mighty wave1 a square 
beam of wood1 bent at an obtuse angle1  
which ,clara at once pronounced to be   
the knee from some large boat1 and1     
rushing dauntlessly into the water1 the 
energetic little maid battled with the  
wave for its unwieldy toy1 and finally  
dragged it triumphantly out upon the    
beach1 and beyond the reach of the wave1
 only wishing that she had a piece of   
chalk to make father's mark upon it4    
,failing the chalk1 she rushed off home 
for father and one of the boys1 who soon
 bestowed the prize in a place of       
safety4  ,mysie at first wondered       
considerably that persons should take so
 much trouble for a piece of wood1 but  
ceased to do so when she remembered that
 on the whole island could not probably 

be found a tree of a foot in diameter1  
and that everything like board or joist 
at the light-house must be brought by   
sea to ,holmes's ,hole1 ,edgartown1 or  
,menemshee1 and thence carted over that 
road to ,gay ,head1 becoming1 by the    
time it reached the ,light1 not a common
 necessary1 but an expensive luxury4    
,she was not1 therefore1 surprised at   
being accompanied in her next walk along
 the beach by quite a little party of   
wreckers1 who1 joyfully seizing every   
chip which the waves tossed within their
 reach1 accumulated at last a very      
respectable pile of drift-wood4  ,it    
would be a good thing for you1 if the   
schooner ,mary ,ann should go to pieces 
off here1 remarked ,mysie to ,clara1 who
 had become her constant attendant4     
,why8 inquired she1 expectantly4  ,on   
account of her cargo4 ,when hailed by   
another ship1 and asked his name1 the   
captain replied1--      ',i'm ,jonathan 
,homer1 master and owner         ,of the
 schooner ,mary ,ann2     ,she comes    

from ,pank-a-tank1 laden with oak plank1
         ,and bound to ,surinam4'  ,did 
he really say so8 asked ,clara1 sharply4
  ,i don't know1 said ,mysie1 laughing2 
but that's what ,i heard about it when  
,i was a little girl4  ,while the storm 
continued too violent for out-of-door   
exercise1 ,mysie cultivated an          
acquaintance with a remarkably pleasant 
and intelligent lady who fortunately was
 making a visit at the light-house4 ,she
 had been for many years a resident of  
the ,vineyard1 and had taken great      
interest in its history1 both past and  
present4 ,from her ,mysie derived much  
curious and interesting information4    
,it seems that the island was first     
discovered by a certain ,thomas ,mayhew1
 who1 voyaging with others to settle in 
the ,plymouth ,colony during its early  
days1 was driven by stress of weather   
into a safe and commodious bay1 now     
,edgartown harbor1 but then seen and    
used for the first time by white men4   
,the storm over1 his companions prepared

 to resume their voyage2 but ,mayhew1   
seeing the land fair and pleasant to    
look upon1 decided to remain there1 and 
landed with whoever in the ship belonged
 to him4  ,he1 of course1 found the land
 in the hands of its original           
possessors1 a small and peaceful tribe  
of ,indians1 living quietly upon their  
own island1 and having very little      
communication with their neighbors4     
,with them ,thomas ,mayhew bargained for
 what land he wanted1 selecting it in   
what is now the town of ,chilmark1 and  
paying for it1 to the satisfaction of   
all parties1 with an old soldier's coat 
which happened to be among his          
possessions4  ,in process of time1 one  
of his sons1 named ,experience1 having  
been educated for the purpose in        
,england1 returned to his father's home 
as a missionary to the kind and         
hospitable savages among whom he dwelt4 
,so prosperous were the labors of       
himself1 and afterward of his son       
,zachariah1 that in a journal1 kept by  

the latter1 it is mentioned that there  
were then upon the island twelve        
thousand praying ,indians4  ,experience 
,mayhew is still spoken of as the great 
,indian missionary1 and the house in    
which he lived was still standing a few 
years since upon the farm of ,mr4       
,hancock in ,chilmark4  ,the island is  
to this day full of ,mayhews of every   
degree1--so far1 at least1 as           
distinctions of rank have obtained among
 this isolated and primitive people4    
,when ,massachusetts erected herself    
into a ,state1 and included the         
,vineyard within her bounds1 it was     
divided into the townships of           
,edgartown1 7or ,oldtown17 ,holmes's    
,hole1 ,tisbury1 and ,chilmark1 and the 
district of ,gay ,head1 which last1 with
 the island of ,chip-a-quid-dick1 off   
,edgartown1 and a small tract of land in
 ,tisbury1 named ,christian-town1 were  
made over in perpetuity to the ,indians 
who chose to remain4 ,they have not the 
power of alienating any portion of this 

territory1 nor may any white man build  
or dwell there4 ,if1 however1 one of the
 tribe marry out of the community1 the  
alien husband or wife may come to live  
with the native spouse so long as the   
marriage continues2 and the ,indians    
have taken advantage of this permission 
to intermarry with the negroes1 until   
there is not one pure-blooded descendant
 of the original stock remaining1 and   
its physiognomy and complexion are in   
most cases undistinguishable in the     
combination of the two races4  ,gay     
,head contains eleven hundred acres1    
seven of which are the birthright of    
every ,indian child2 but it is not      
generally divided by fences1 the cattle 
of the whole tribe grazing together in  
amicable companionship4 ,much of the    
value of the property lies in the       
cranberry-meadows1 which are large and  
productive1 and in the beds of rich     
peat4 ,a great deal of the soil1        
however1 is valuable for cultivation1   
although but little used1 as the        

majority of the men follow the example  
of their white co-islanders1 and plough 
the sea instead of the land4 ,they make 
excellent seamen1 and sometimes rise to 
the rank of officers1 although few white
 sailors are sufficiently liberal in    
their views to approve of being         
commanded by a nigger1 as they persist  
in calling these half-breeds4  ,the     
wigwams1 which1 no doubt1 were at first 
erected here1 have given place to neat  
and substantial frame buildings1 as     
comfortable1 apparently1 as those in    
many ,new ,england villages4 ,there is  
also a nice-looking ,baptist church1 of 
which denomination almost every adult is
 a member4 ,near this is a parsonage1   
occupied until lately by a white        
clergyman2 but the spirit of ,experience
 ,mayhew is not common in these days2   
and his successor1 finding the parish   
lonely and uncongenial1 removed to a    
pleasanter one1--his pulpit being now   
filled by a preacher from among the     
,indians themselves4  ,mysie took       

occasion to call at one of these quasi  
wigwams1 soon after her arrival1 but    
could discern only one aboriginal       
vestige in either inhabitants or        
customs4 ,this existed in the shape of a
 dish of succotash1 7corn and beans     
boiled together17 which the good woman  
was preparing for breakfast1--very      
possibly in ignorance that her ancestors
 had cooked and eaten and named the     
compound ages before the white intruders
 ever saw their shore4  ,mysie pursued  
her morning walk in a somewhat          
melancholy mood4 ,it is a sad and dreary
 sight to behold a nation in decay2     
saddest when the fall is from so slight 
an elevation as that on which the savage
 stood4 ,greece and ,rome1 falling into 
old age1 proudly boast1 ,men cannot say 
,i did not have the crown2 each shows   
undying1 unsurpassable achievements of  
her day of power and strength1--each1 if
 she live no longer in the sight of the 
world1 is sure of dwelling forever in   
its memory4 ,but the aboriginal1 when   

his simple routine of life is broken up 
by the intrusion of a people more       
powerful1 more wicked1 and more wise    
than himself1 is incapable of exchanging
 his own purely physical ambitions and  
pursuits for the intellectual and       
cultivated life belonging to the better 
class of his conquerors1 while his wild 
and sensuous nature grasps eagerly at   
the new forms of vice which follow in   
their train4 ,civilization to the savage
 destroys his own existence1 and gives  
him no better one1--destroys it         
irremediably and forever4 ,the life     
sufficient for himself and for the day  
is not that which stretches its hand    
into the future and sets its mark on    
ages not yet born2 it dies and is       
forgotten1--forgotten even by the       
descendants of those who lived it4      
,some of the ,indian names still        
survive2 and ,mysie's indignation was   
roused1 when a descendant of the        
,mayhews1 pointing out the hamlets of   
,menemshee and ,nashaquitsa1 7commonly  

called ,quitsy17 added1                 
contemptuously1--  ,but them's only     
nicknames given by the colored folks2   
it's all ,chilmark by rights4  ,i       
suppose they are the names used by the  
ancestors of these ,indians1 before a   
white man ever saw the island1--are they
 not8 inquired she1 somewhat dryly4     
,like enough1 like enough1 replied the  
other1 carelessly1 and not in the least 
appreciating the rebuke4  ,from the lady
 before referred to ,mysie received an  
answer to her oft-repeated question1--  
,is there any tradition how the island  
received its name8  ,oh1 yes1 was the   
unexpected and welcome answer4 ,all the 
islands near here were granted by the   
,king of ,england to a gentleman whose  
name is forgotten2 but he had four      
daughters1 among whom he divided his new
 possessions4  ,this one1 remarkable    
then1 as now1 in a degree1 for its      
abundance of wild grapes1 he gave to    
,martha as her ,vineyard4  ,the group to
 the north1 consisting of ,pennikeese1  

,cuttyhunk1 ,nashawena1 ,naushon1       
,pasqui1 and ,punkatasset1 are called   
the ,elizabeth ,islands1 from the       
daughter who inherited them4  ,that     
little island to the southwest of us was
 ,naomi's portion4 ,it is now called    
,noman's ,land1 and is remarkable only  
for the fine quality of the codfish     
caught and cured there4  ,the strangest 
of all1 however1 was the name given to  
the island selected by ,ann1 which was  
first called ,nan-took-it1 and is now   
known as ,nantucket4  ,thank ,heaven1   
that ,i at last know something about    
,martha6 ejaculated ,mysie4         99  
99       99       99       99  ,at      
length1 every corner filled with        
specimens1 every face deeply imbrowned  
by sun and wind1 and the ,baron with    
only the ghost of a pair of shoes to his
 feet1 our travellers set their faces   
homeward1--,caleb resolving to renew his
 acquaintance with the birds at some    
future period1 his imagination having   
been quite inflamed by the accounts of  

plover and grouse to be found here in   
their season4 ,the latter1 however1 are 
very strictly protected by law during   
most of the season1 on account of the   
rapidity with which they were           
disappearing4 ,they are identical with  
the prairie-fowl1 so common at the      
,west1 and are said to be delicious     
eating4  ,desirous to improve their     
minds and manners by as much travel as  
possible1 the trio resolved to leave the
 island by the way of ,edgartown1 the   
terminus of the steamboat route4        
,bidding adieu to their kind and        
obliging host and hostess1 the twelve   
children1 and the pleasant new friend1  
they set out1 upon the most charming of 
all autumn days1 for ,edgartown1 fully  
prepared to be dazzled by its beauty and
 confounded by its magnificence4        
,edgartown is a much finer place than   
,holmes's ,hole1 ,i understand1 remarked
 ,caleb to their driver4  ,well1 ,i     
dunno2 it's some bigger1 was the reply4 
,but it is a better sort of place1 ,i am

 told2 people from ,edgartown don't seem
 to think much of ,holmes's ,hole4  ,no1
 nor the ,holmes's ,hole folks don't    
think much of ,oldtown2 it's pretty much
 according to who you talk to1 which    
place is called the handsomest1 ,i      
reckon4  ,athens or ,rome1 ,london or   
,paris1 ,oldtown or ,holmes's ,hole1    
,mysie1 murmured ,caleb1 as their driver
 stopped to reply to the driver of a    
team1 who was anxious to know when he   
was a-goin' to butcher agin4  ,edgartown
 proved to be a pretty little seaside   
town1 with some handsome wooden houses1 
a little bank1 and a very nice tavern1  
at which the travellers received very   
satisfactory entertainment4 ,the next   
day1 reembarking upon the ,eagle's      
,wing1 they soon reached ,new ,bedford4 
,,october ,,to ,,may4       ,the day    
that brightens half the earth           
,is night to half4 ,ah1 sweet6          
,one's mourning is another's mirth2--   
,you wear your bright years like a      
crown1-- ,while mine1 dead garlands1    

tangle down         ,in chains about my 
feet4      ,the breeze which wakes the  
folded flower         ,sweeps dead      
leaves from the tree2--     ,so partial 
,time1 as hour by hour ,he tells the    
rapid years1--cheu6 ,brings bloom and   
beauty still to you1         ,but leaves
 his blight with me4      ,the rain     
which calls the violet up         ,out  
of the moistened mould     ,shatters the
 wind-flower's fragile cup2-- ,for even 
,nature has her pets1 ,and1 favoring the
 new1 forgets         ,to love and spare
 the old4      ,the shower which makes  
the bud a rose         ,beats off the   
lilac-bloom4     ,i am a lilac1--so life
 goes1-- ,a lilac that has outlived     
,may2-- ,you are a blush-rose4          
,welladay6         ,i pass1 and give you
 room6     ,,the ,,eleusinia4   ,what   
did the ,eleusinia mean8 ,perhaps1      
reader1 you think the question of little
 interest4 ,the ,eleusinia6 ,why1       
,lobeck made that little matter clear   
long ago2 and there was ,porphyry1 who  

told us that the whole thing was only an
 illustration of the ,platonic          
philosophy4 ,st4 ,croix1 too1--he made  
the affair as clear as day6  ,but the   
question is not so easily settled1 my   
friend2 and ,i insist upon it that you  
have an interest in it4 ,were ,i to ask 
you the meaning of ,freemasonry1 you    
would think that of importance2 you     
could not utter the name without wonder2
 and it may be that there is even more  
wonder in it than you suspect1--though  
you be an arch-mason yourself4 ,but in  
sight of ,eleusis1 freemasonry sinks    
into insignificance4 ,for1 of all races1
 the ,grecian was the most mysterious2  
and1 of all ,grecian mysteries1 the     
,eleusinia were the mysteries par       
excellence4 ,they must certainly have   
meant something to ,greece1--something  
more than can ever be adequately known  
to us4 ,a farce is soon over2 but the   
,eleusinia reached from the mythic      
,eumolpus to ,theodosius the            
,great1--nearly two thousand years4     

,think you that all ,athens1 every fifth
 year1 for more than sixty generations1 
went to ,eleusis to witness and take    
part in a sham8  ,but1 reader1 let us go
 to ,eleusis1 and see1 for ourselves1   
this great festival4 ,suppose it to be  
the #aeth of ,september1 ,b4,c4 #daa1   
,anno ,mundi #ceic 7though we would not 
make oath to that74 ,it is a fine       
morning at ,athens1 and every one is    
astir1 for it is the day of assembling  
together at ,eleusis4 ,then1 for        
company1 we shall have ,plato1 now      
eighteen years old1 ,sophocles1 an old  
man of eighty-four1 ,euripides1 at      
sixty-nine1 and ,aristophanes1 at       
forty-five4 ,socrates1 who has his      
peculiar notions about things1 is not   
one of the initiated1 but will go with  
us1 if we ask him4 ,these are the elite 
of ,athens4 ,then there are the         
,sophists and their young disciples1 and
 the vast crowd of the ,athenian people4
 ,some of the oldest among them may have
 seen and heard the ,prometheus         

,vinctus2 certainly very many of them   
have seen ,antigone1 and ,oedipus1 and  
,electra2 and all of them have heard the
 ,rhapsodists4 ,great wonders have they 
seen and heard1 which1 in their appeal  
to the heart1 transcend all the wonders 
of this nineteenth century4 ,not more   
fatal to the poor ,indian was modern    
civilization1 bringing swift ruin to his
 wigwam and transforming his            
hunting-grounds into the sites of       
populous cities1 than modern            
improvements would have been to the     
,greek4 ,modern strategy6 ,what a       
subject for ,homer would the siege of   
,troy have been1 had it consisted of a  
series of pitched battles with rifles6  
,railways1 steamboats1 and telegraphs1  
annihilating space and time1 would also 
have annihilated the ,argonautic        
expedition and the wanderings of        
,ulysses4 ,there would have been little 
fear1 in a modern steamship1 of the     
,sirens' song2 one whistle would have   
broken the charm4 ,a modern steamship   

might have borne ,ulysses to            
,hades1--but it would never have brought
 him back1 as his own ship did4 ,and now
 do you think a ride to ,eleusis by     
railway to-day would strike this        
,athenian populace1 to say nothing of   
the philosophers and poets we have along
 with us8  ,but they are thinking of    
,eleusis1 and not of the way to         
,eleusis2 so that we may as well keep   
our suggestion to ourselves1--also those
 pious admonitions which we were just   
about to administer to our companions on
 heathenish superstitions4 ,a strange   
fascination these ,athenians have2 and  
before we are aware1 our thoughts1 too1 
are centred in ,eleusis1 whither are    
tending1 not ,athens only1 but vast     
multitudes from all ,greece4 ,their     
movement is tumultuous2 but it is a     
tumult of natural enthusiasm1 and not of
 ,bacchic frenzy4 ,if ,athens be1 as    
,milton calls her1 the eye of ,greece1  
surely ,eleusis must be its heart6      
,there are nine days of the festival4   

,this first is the day of the agurmos1  
7,greek3 agyrmos17 or assembling        
together the flux of ,grecian life into 
the secret chambers of its ,eleusinian  
heart4 ,to-morrow is the day of         
purification2 then1 ,to the sea1 all ye 
that are initiated6 7,greek3 ,alade1    
mystai67 lest any come with the stain of
 impurity to the mysteries of ,god4 ,the
 third day is the day of sacrifices1    
that the heart also may be made pure1   
when are offered barley from the fields 
of ,eleusis and a mullet4 ,all other    
sacrifices may be tasted2 but this is   
for ,demeter alone1 and not to be       
touched by mortal lips4 ,on the fourth  
day1 we join the procession bearing the 
sacred basket of the goddess1 filled    
with curious symbols1 grains of salt1   
carded wool1 sesame1 pomegranates1 and  
poppies1--symbols of the gifts of our   
,great ,mother and of her mighty sorrow4
 ,on the night of the fifth1 we are lost
 in the hurrying tumult of the          
torch-light processions4 ,then there is 

the sixth day1 the great day of all1    
when from ,athens the statue of ,iacchus
 7,bacchus7 is borne1 crowned with      
myrtle1 tumultuously through the sacred 
gate1 along the sacred way1 halting by  
the sacred fig-tree1 7all sacred1 mark  
you1 from ,eleusinian associations17    
where the procession rests1 and then    
moves on to the bridge over the         
,cephissus1 where again it rests1 and   
where the expression of the wildest     
grief gives place to the trifling       
farce1--even as ,demeter1 in the midst  
of her grief1 smiled at the levity of   
,iambe in the palace of ,celeus4        
,through the mystical entrance we enter 
,eleusis4 ,on the seventh day1 games are
 celebrated2 and to the victor is given 
a measure of barley1--as it were a gift 
direct from the hand of the goddess4    
,the eighth is sacred to ,aesculapius1  
the ,divine ,physician1 who heals all   
diseases2 and in the evening is         
performed the initiatory ritual4  ,let  
us enter the mystic temple and be       

initiated1--though it must be supposed  
that a year ago we were initiated into  
the ,lesser ,mysteries at ,agrae4       
7,certamen enim1--et praeludium         
certaminis2 et mysteria sunt quae       
praecedunt mysteria47 ,we must have been
 mystae 7veiled7 before we can become   
epoptae 7seers72 in plain ,english1 we  
must have shut our eyes to all else     
before we can behold the mysteries4     
,crowned with myrtle1 we enter with the 
other mystae into the vestibule of the  
temple1--blind as yet1 but the          
,hierophant within will soon open our   
eyes4  ,but first1--for here we must do 
nothing rashly1--first we must wash in  
this holy water2 for it is with pure    
hands and a pure heart that we are      
bidden to enter the most sacred         
inclosure4 ,then1 led into the presence 
of the ,hierophant1 he reads to us1 from
 a book of stone1 things which we must  
not divulge on pain of death4 ,let it   
suffice that they fit the place and the 
occasion2 and though you might laugh at 

them1 if they were spoken outside1 still
 you seem very far from that mood now1  
as you hear the words of the old man    
7for old he always was7 and look upon   
the revealed symbols4 ,and very far     
indeed are you from ridicule1 when      
,demeter seals1 by her own peculiar     
utterances and signals1 by vivid        
coruscations of light1 and cloud piled  
upon cloud1 all that we have seen and   
heard from her sacred priest2 and when1 
finally1 the light of a serene wonder   
fills the temple1 and we see the pure   
fields of ,elysium and hear the choirs  
of the ,blessed2--then1 not merely by   
external seeming or philosophic         
interpretation1 but in real fact1 does  
the ,hierophant become the ,creator and 
,revealer of all things2 the ,sun is but
 his torch-bearer1 the ,moon his        
attendant at the altar1 and ,hermes his 
mystic herald4 ,but the final word has  
been uttered3 ,conx ,ompax4 ,the rite is
 consummated1 and we are epoptae        
forever6  ,one day more1 and the        

,eleusinia themselves are completed4 ,as
 in the beginning by lustration and     
sacrifices we conciliated the favor of  
the gods1 so now by libation we finally 
commend ourselves to their care4 ,thus  
did the ,greeks begin all things with   
lustration and end with libation1 each  
day1 each feast1--all their solemn      
treaties1 their ceremonies1 and sacred  
festivals4 ,but1 like all else          
,eleusinian1 this libation must be sui  
generis1 emptied from two bowls1--the   
one toward the ,east1 the other toward  
the ,west4 ,thus is finished this ,epos1
 or1 as ,clemens ,alexandrinus calls it1
 the mystical drama of the ,eleusinia4  
,now1 reader1 you have seen the         
,mysteries4 ,and what do they mean8 ,let
 us take care lest we deceive ourselves1
 as many before us have done1 by merely 
looking at the ,eleusinia4  ,oh1 this   
everlasting staring6 ,this it is that   
leads us astray4 ,that old stargazer1   
with whom ,aesop has made us acquainted1
 deserved1 indeed1 to fall into the     

well1 no less for his profanity than his
 stupidity4 ,yet this same star-gazing  
it is that we miscall reflection4 ,thus1
 in our blank wonder at ,nature1 in our 
naked analysis of her life1 expressed   
through long lists of genera and species
 and mathematical calculations1 as if we
 were calling off the roll of creation1 
or as if her depth of meaning rested in 
her vast orbs and incalculable          
velocities1--in all this we fail of her 
real mystery4  ,to mere external        
seeming1 the ,eleusinia point to        
,demeter for their interpretation4 ,to  
her are they consecrated1--of her grief 
are they commemorative2 out of reverence
 to her do the mystae purify themselves 
by lustration and by the sacrifice that 
may not be tasted2 she it is who is     
symbolized1 in the procession of the    
basket1 as our ,great ,mother1 through  
the salt1 wool1 and sesame1 which point 
to her bountiful gifts1--while by the   
poppies and pomegranates it is hinted   
that she nourishes in her heart some    

profound sorrow3 by the former1 that she
 seeks to bury this sorrow in eternal   
oblivion1--by the latter1 that it must  
be eternally reiterated4 ,the procession
 of the torches defines the sorrow2 and 
by this wild1 despairing search in the  
darkness do we know that her daughter   
,proserpine1 plucking flowers in the    
fields of light1 has been snatched by   
ruthless ,pluto to the realm of the     
,invisible4 ,then by the procession of  
,iacchus we learn that divine aid has   
come to the despairing ,demeter2 by the 
coming of1 ,aesculapius shall all her   
wounds be healed2 and the change in the 
evening from the mystae to epoptae is   
because that now to ,demeter1 the cycle 
of her grief being accomplished1 the    
ways of ,jove are made plain1--even his 
permission of violence from unseen      
hands2 to her also is the final         
libation4  ,but the story of the stolen 
,proserpina is itself an afterthought1 a
 fable invented to explain the          
,mysteries2 and1 however much it may    

have modified them in detail1 certainly 
could not have been their ground4 ,nor  
is the sorrowing ,demeter herself       
adequate to the solution4 ,for the      
,eleusinia are older than               
,eleusis1--older than ,demeter1 even the
 ,demeter of ,thrace1--certainly as old 
as ,isis1 who was to ,egypt what        
,demeter was to ,greece1--the ,great    
,mother#b of a thousand names1 who also 
had her endlessly repeated sorrow for   
the loss of ,osiris1 and in honor of    
whom the ,egyptians held an annual      
festival4 ,thus we only remove the      
mystery back to the very verge of myth  
itself2 and we must either give up the  
solution or take a different course4    
,but perhaps ,isis will reveal herself1 
and at the same time unveil the         
,mysteries4 ,let us read her tablet3 ,i 
am all that1 has been1 all that is1 all 
that is to be2 and the veil which is    
over my face no mortal hand hath ever   
raised6 ,now1 reader1 would it not be   
strange1 if1 in solving her mystery1 we 

should also solve the ,sphinx's riddle8 
,but so it is4 ,this is the ,sphinx in  
her eldest shape1--this ,isis of a      
thousand names2 and the answer to her   
ever-recurring riddle is always the     
same4 ,in the ,human ,spirit is infolded
 whatsoever has been1 is1 or shall be2  
and mortality cannot reveal it6  ,not to
 ,demeter1 then1 nor even to ,isis1 do  
the ,eleusinia primarily point1 but to  
the human heart4 ,we no longer look at  
them2 henceforth they are within us4    
,long has this mystic mother1 the wonder
 of the world1 waited for the revelation
 of her face4 ,let us draw aside the    
veil1 7not by mortal hand1--it moves at 
your will17 and listen3--  ,i am the    
,first and the ,last1--mother of gods   
and men4 ,as deep as is my mystery1 so  
deep is my sorrow4 ,for1 lo6 all        
generations are mine4 ,but the fairest  
fruit of my ,holy ,garden was plucked by
 my mortal children2 since which1       
,apollo among men and ,artemis among    
women have raged with their fearful     

arrows4 ,my fairest children1 whom ,i   
have brought forth and nourished in the 
light1 have been stolen by the children 
of darkness4 ,by the ,flood they were   
taken2 and ,i wandered forty days and   
forty nights upon the waters1 ere again 
,i saw the face of the earth4 ,then1    
wherever ,i went1 ,i brought joy2 at    
,cyprus the grasses sprang up beneath my
 feet1 the golden-filleted ,horae       
crowned me with a wreath of gold and    
clothed me in immortal robes4 ,then1    
also1 was renewed my grief2 for ,adonis1
 whom ,i had chosen1 was slain in the   
chase and carried to ,hades4 ,six months
 ,i wept his loss1 when he rose again   
and ,i triumphed4 ,thus in ,egypt ,i    
mourned for ,osiris1 for ,atys in       
,phrygia1 and for ,proserpina at        
,eleusis1--all of whom passed to the    
underworld1 were restored for a season1 
and then retaken4 ,thus is my sorrow    
repeated without end4 ,all things are   
taken from me4 ,night treads upon the   
heels of ,day1 the desolation of ,winter

 wastes the fair fruit of ,summer1 and  
,death walks in the ways of ,life with  
inexorable claims4 ,but at the last1    
through ,him1 my ,first-begotten and my 
,best-beloved1 who also died and        
descended into ,hades1 and the third day
 rose again1--through ,him1 having      
ceased from wandering1 ,i shall triumph 
in ,infinite ,joy6  ,that1 reader1 is   
not so difficult to translate into human
 language4 ,thus1 from the beginning to 
the end of the world1 do these          
,mysteries1 under various names1 shadow 
forth the great problem of human life1  
which problem1 as being fundamental1    
must be religious1 the same that is     
shadowed forth in ,nature and           
,revelation1 namely3 man's sin1 and his 
redemption from sin1--his great loss1   
his infinite error1 and his final       
salvation4  ,sorrow1 so strong a sense  
of which pervaded these ,mysteries that 
it was the name 7,achtheia7 by which    
,demeter was known to her mystic        
worshippers1--human sorrow it was which 

veiled the eyelids2 toward which veiling
 7or muesis7 the lotus about the head of
 ,isis and the poppy in the hand of     
,demeter distinctly point4 ,hence the   
mystae1 whom the reader must suppose to 
have closed their eyes to all without   
them1--even to ,nature1 except as in    
sympathy she mirrors forth the central  
sorrow of their hearts4 ,but this same  
sorrow and its mighty work1 veiled from 
all mortal vision1 shut out by very     
necessity from any sympathy save that of
 ,god1 is a preparation for a purer     
vision1--a second initiation1 in which  
the eyes shall be reopened and the      
mystae become epoptae2 and of such      
significance was this higher vision to  
the ,greek1 that it was a synonyme for  
the highest earthly happiness and a     
foretaste of ,elysium4  ,as this vision 
of the epoptae was the vision of real   
faith1 so the muesis1 or veiling of the 
mystae1 was no mere affectation of      
mysticism4 ,not so easily could be set  
aside this weight of sorrow upon the    

eyelids1 which1 notwithstanding that1   
leading to self1 it leads to wandering1 
leads also through ,divine aid to that  
peace which passeth all understanding4  
,thus were the ,hebrews led out of      
,egyptian bondage through wanderings in 
the ,wilderness to the ,promised ,land4 
,even thus1 through rites and ceremonies
 which to us are hieroglyphics hard to  
be deciphered1 which are known only as  
shrouded in infinite sorrow1--as dimly  
shadowing forth some wild search in     
darkness and some final resurrection    
into light1--through these1 many from   
,egypt and ,india and ,scythia1 from    
,scandinavia and from the aboriginal    
forests of ,america1 have for unnumbered
 ages passed from a world of bewildering
 error to the heaven of their hopes4 ,to
 the eye of sense and to shallow        
infidelity1 this may seem absurd2 but   
the foolishness of man is the wisdom of 
,god to the salvation of ,his erring    
children4 ,happy1 indeed1 are the       
initiated6 ,blessed are the poor in     

spirit1 the ,pariah1 and the slave1--all
 they whose eyes are veiled with        
overshadowing sorrow6 for only thus is  
revealed the glory of human life6       
,there are many things1 kind reader1    
which1 in our senseless staring1 we may 
call the signs of human weakness1 but   
which1 by a higher interpretation1      
become revelations of human power4 ,the 
gross and pitiable features of the world
 are dissolved and clarified1 when by an
 impassioned sympathy we can penetrate  
to the heart of things4 ,we are about to
 pity the ragged vesture1 the feeble    
knees1 and the beseeching hand of       
poverty1 and the cries of the oppressed 
and the weary2 but1 at a thought1 ,pity 
is slain by ,reverence4 ,we are ready to
 cry out against the sluggish movement  
of the world and its lazy flux of life2 
but before the satire is spoken1 we are 
fascinated by an undercurrent of this   
same world1 earnest and full toward its 
sure goal1--of which1 indeed1 we only   
dream2 but the dream is from ,god1#c and

 surer than sight4 ,there is a          
profounder calm than appears to the eye1
 in the quiet cottages scattered up and 
down among the peaceful valleys2 the    
rest of death is more untroubled than   
the marble face which it leaves as its  
visible symbol2 and sleep1 the minor    
mystery of death1 7,greek3 hypnos ta    
mikra tou thanutou mysteria#d7 has a    
deeper significance than is revealed in 
any external token4 ,so what is         
sneeringly called the credulity of human
 nature is its holy faith1 and1 in spite
 of all the hard facts which you may    
charge upon it1 is the glory of man4 ,it
 introduces us into that region where   
nothing is unexpected1 nothing          
impossible4#e ,it was the glory of our  
childhood1 and by it childhood is made  
immortal4 ,myth herself is ever a       
child1--a genuine child of the earth1   
indeed1--but received among men as the  
child of ,heaven4  ,upon the slightest  
material basis have been constructed    
myths and miracles and fairy-tales      

without number2 and so it must ever be4 
,thus man asserts his own inherent      
strength of imagination and faith over  
against the external fact4 ,whatsoever  
is facile to ,imagination is also facile
 to ,faith4 ,easy1 therefore1 in our    
thoughts1 is the transition from the    
,cinder-wench in the ashes to the       
,cinderella of the palace2 easy the     
apotheosis of the slave1 and the passage
 from the weary earth to the fields of  
,elysium and the ,isles of the ,blessed4
  ,this flight of the ,imagination1 this
 vision of ,faith1--these1 reader1 are  
only for the epoptae4 ,it matters not1  
that1 by naked analysis1 you can prove  
that the palaces of our fancy and the   
temples of our faith are but the        
baseless fabric of a dream4 ,it may be  
that the greater part of life is made up
 of dreams1 and that wakefulness is     
merely incidental as a relief to the    
picture4 ,it may be1 indeed1 in the last
 analysis1 that the ideal is the        
highest1 if not the only real4  ,for the

 sensible1 palpable fact can1 by the    
nature of things1 exist for us only in  
the ,present4 ,but1 my dear reader1 it  
is just here1 in this ,present1 that the
 tenure by which we have hold upon life 
is the most frail and shadowy4 ,for1 by 
the strictest analysis1 there is no     
,present4 ,the formula1 ,it is1 even    
before we can give it utterance1 by some
 subtile chemistry of logic1 is resolved
 into ,it was and ,it shall be4 ,thus by
 our analysis do we retreat into the    
ideal4 ,in the deepest reflection1 all  
that we call external is only the       
material basis upon which our dreams are
 built2 and the sleep that surrounds    
life swallows up life1--all but a dim   
wreck of matter1 floating this way and  
that1 and forever evanishing from sight4
 ,complete the analysis1 and we lose    
even the shadow of the external         
,present1 and only the ,past and the    
,future are left us as our sure         
inheritance4 ,this is the first         
initiation1--the veiling of the eyes to 

the external4 ,but1 as epoptae1 by the  
synthesis of this ,past and ,future in a
 living nature1 we obtain a higher1 an  
ideal ,present1 comprehending within    
itself all that can be real for us      
within us or without4 ,this is the      
second initiation1 in which is unveiled 
to us the ,present as a new birth from  
our own life4  ,thus the great problem  
of ,idealism is symbolically solved in  
the ,eleusinia4 ,for us there is nothing
 real except as we realize it4 ,let it  
be that myriads have walked upon the    
earth before us1--that each race and    
generation has wrought its change and   
left its monumental record upon pillar  
and pyramid and obelisk2 set aside the  
ruin which ,time has wrought both upon  
the change and the record1 levelling the
 cities and temples of men1 diminishing 
the shadows of the ,pyramids1 and       
rendering more shadowy the names and    
memories of heroes1--obliterating even  
its own ruin2--set aside this oblivion  
of ,time1 still there would be          

hieroglyphics1--still to us all that    
comes from this abyss of ,time behind   
us1 or from the abyss of ,space around  
us1 must be but dim and evanescent      
imagery and empty reverberation of      
sound1 except as1 becoming a part of our
 own life1 by a new birth1 it receives  
shape and significance4 ,nothing can be 
unveiled to us till it is born of us4   
,thus the epoptae are both creators and 
interpreters4 ,strength of knowledge and
 strength of purpose1 lying at the      
foundation of our own nature1 become    
also the measure of our interpretation  
of all ,nature4 ,therefore in each      
successive cycle of human history1 as we
 realize more completely the great      
,ideal1 our appreciation of the ,past   
increases1 and our hope of the ,future4 
,the difference lies not in the data of 
history1 but in what we make of the     
data4  ,we cannot see too clearly that  
the great problem of life1 in           
,philosophy1 ,art1 or ,religion1 is     
essentially the same from the beginning4

 ,like ,nature1 indeed1 it repeats      
itself under various external phases1 in
 different ages and under different     
skies4 ,history whispers from her       
antediluvian lips of a race of giants2  
so does the earth reveal mammoths and   
stupendous forests4 ,but the wonder     
neither of ,man nor of ,nature was      
greater then than now4 ,we say much1    
too1 of ,progress4 ,but the progress    
does not consist in a change of the     
fundamental problem of the race2 we have
 only learned to use our material so    
that we effect our changes more readily1
 and write our record with a finer touch
 and in clearer outline4 ,the progress  
is in the facility and elaboration1 and 
may be measured in ,space and ,time2 but
 the ,ideal is ever the same and        
immeasurable4 ,homer is hard to read2   
but when once you have read him you have
 read all poetry4 ,or suppose that      
,orpheus1 instead of striving with his  
mythic brother ,cheiron1 were to engage 
in a musical contest with ,mozart1 and  

you1 reader8 were to adjudge the prize4 
,undoubtedly you would give the palm to 
,mozart4 ,not that ,mozart is the better
 musician2 the difficulty is all in your
 ear1 my friend4 ,if you could only hear
 the nice vibrations of the golden      
shell1 you might reverse your decision4 
,so in ,religion2 the central idea1 if  
you can only discern it1 is ever the    
same4 ,she no longer1 indeed1 looks with
 the bewildered gaze of her childhood to
 the mountains and rivers1 to the sun1  
moon1 and stars1 for aid4 ,in the       
fulness of time the veil is rent in     
twain1 and she looks beyond with a      
clearer eye to the surer signs that are 
visible of her unspeakable glory4 ,but  
the longing of her heart is ever the    
same4  ,what remains to us of ancient   
systems of faith is1 for the most part1 
mere name and shadow4 ,it is even more  
difficult for us to realize to ourselves
 a single ceremony of ,grecian          
worship1--for instance1 a dance in honor
 of ,apollo1--in its subtile meaning1   

than it would be to appreciate the      
,prometheus of ,a,eschylus4 ,this       
ignorance leads oftentimes to the most  
shocking profanation2 and from mere lack
 of vision we ridicule much that should 
call forth our reverence4  ,thus many   
,christian writers have sought to throw 
ridicule upon the ,eleusinia4 ,but we   
must remember1 that1 to ,greece1        
throughout her whole history1 they      
presented a well-defined system of      
faith1--that1 essentially1 they even    
served the function of a church by their
 inherent idea of divine discipline and 
purification and the hope which they    
ever held out of future resurrection and
 glory4 ,why1 then1 you ask1 if they    
were so pure and full of meaning1 why   
was not such a man as ,socrates one of  
the ,initiated8 ,the reason1 reader1 was
 simply this3 ,what the ,eleusinia      
furnished to ,greece1 that ,socrates    
furnished to himself4 ,that man who     
could stand stock-still a whole day1    
lost in silent contemplation1 what was  

the need to him of the ,eleusinian veil8
 ,the most self-sufficient man in all   
,greece1 who could find the way directly
 to himself and to the mystery and      
responsibility of his own will without  
the medium of external rites1 to whom   
there were the ever-present intimations 
of his strange ,divinity1--what need to 
him of the ,eleusinian revealings or    
their sublime self-intuition 7,greek3   
autopsia78 ,he had his own separate     
tragedy also4 ,and when with his last   
words he requested that a cock be       
sacrificed to ,a,esculapius1 that1      
reader1 was to indicate that to him had 
come the eighth day of the drama1 in    
which the ,great ,physician brings      
deliverance1--and in the evening of     
which there should be the final         
unveiling of the eyes in the presence of
 the ,great ,hierophant6  ,such were the
 ,eleusinia of ,greece4 ,but what do    
they mean to us8 ,we have already hinted
 at their connection with the ,sphinx's 
riddle4 ,it is through this connection  

that they receive their most general    
significance2 for this riddle is the    
riddle of the race1 and the problem     
which it involves can be adequately     
realized only in the life of the race4  
,to ,greece1 as peculiarly sensitive to 
all that is tragical1 the ,sphinx       
connected her questions most intimately 
with human sorrow1 either in the        
individual or the household4  ,who is   
it1 thus the riddle ran1 who is it that 
in the morning creeps upon all-fours1   
touching the earth in complete          
dependence1--and at noon1 grown into the
 fulness of beauty and strength1 walks  
erect with his face toward heaven1--but 
at the going down of the sun1 returns   
again to his original frailty and       
dependence8  ,this1 answered ,oedipus1  
is ,man2 and most fearfully did he      
realize it in his own life6 ,in the     
mysteries of the ,eleusinia there is the
 same prominence of human sorrow1--only 
here the ,sphinx propounds her riddle in
 its religious phase2 and in the change 

from the mystae to the epoptae1 in the  
revelation of the central self1 was the 
great problem symbolically realized4    
,greece had her reckoning2 and to her   
eye the ,sphinx long ago seemed to      
plunge herself headlong into precipitate
 destruction4 ,but this strange lady is 
ever reappearing with her awful         
alternative3 they who cannot solve her  
riddle must die4 ,it is no trifling     
account1 reader1 which we have with this
 lady4 ,for now her riddle has grown to 
fearful proportions1 connecting itself  
with the rise and fall of empires1 with 
the dim realm of superstition1 with vast
 systems of philosophy and faith4 ,and  
the answer is always the same3 ,that    
which hath been is that which shall be2 
and that which hath been is named       
already1--and it is known that it is    
,man4  ,what is it that shall explain   
the difference between our map of the   
world and that of ,sesostris or         
,anaximander8 ,geological deposits1 the 
washing away of mountains1 and the      

change of river-courses are certainly   
but trifling in such an account4 ,but an
 ,argonautic expedition1 a ,trojan      
siege1 a ,jewish exodus1 ,nomadic       
invasions1 and the names of ,hanno1     
,caesar1 ,william the ,conqueror1 and   
,columbus1 suggest an explanation4 ,it  
is the flux of human life which must    
account for the flowing outline of the  
earth's geography4 ,as with the         
terrestrial1 so with the celestial4 ,the
 heavens change by a subtiler movement  
than the precession of the equinoxes4   
,in ,job1 ,behold the height of the     
stars1 how high they are6 but to ,homer 
they bathe in the ,western seas2 while  
to us1 they are again removed to an     
incalculable distance1--but at the same 
time so near1 that1 in our hopes1 they  
are the many mansions of our ,father's  
house1 the stepping-stones to our       
everlasting rest4  ,but there is also   
another map1 reader1 more shadowy in its
 outline1 of an invisible region1       
neither of the heavens nor of the       

earth1--but having vague relations to   
each1 with a secret history of its own1 
of which now and then strange tales and 
traditions are softly whispered in our  
ear1--where each of us has been1 though 
no two ever tell the same story of their
 wanderings4 ,strange to say1 each one  
calls all other tales superstitions and 
old-wives' fables2 but observe1 he      
always trembles when he tells his own4  
,but they are all true2 there is not one
 old-wife's fable on the list4          
,necromancers have had private          
interviews with visitors who had no     
right to be seen this side the ,styx4   
,the ,witch of ,endor and the raising of
 ,samuel were literal facts4 ,above all 
others1 the ,nemesis and ,eumenides were
 facts not to be withstood4 ,and1       
philosophize as we may1 ghosts have been
 seen at dead of night1 and not always  
under the conduct of ,mercury2#f even   
the ,salem witchcraft was very far from 
being a humbug4 ,they are all true1--the
 gibbering ghost1 the riding hag1 the   

enchantment of wizards1 and all the     
miracles of magic1 none of which we have
 ever seen with the eye1 but all of     
which we believe at heart4 ,but who is  
it that weirdly draws aside the dark    
curtain8 ,who is this mystic lady1 ever 
weaving at her loom1--weaving long ago1 
and weaving yet1--singing with          
unutterable sadness1 as she interweaves 
with her web all the sorrows and shadowy
 fears that ever were or that ever shall
 be8 ,we know1 indeed1 that she weaves  
the web of ,fate and the curtain of the 
,invisible2 for we have seen her work4  
,we know1 too1 that she alone can show  
the many-colored web or draw aside the  
dark curtain2 for we have seen her      
revelations4 ,but who is she8  ,ay1     
reader1 the ,sphinx puts close questions
 now and then2 but there is only one    
answer that can satisfy her or avert    
death4 ,this person1--the only real     
mystery which can exist for you1--of all
 things the most familiar1 and at the   
same the most unfamiliar1--is yourself6 

,you need not speak in whispers4 ,it is 
true1 this lady has a golden quiver as  
well as a golden distaff2 but her arrows
 are all for those who cannot solve her 
riddle4  ,protagoras1 then1 was right2  
and1 looking back through these         
twenty-two centuries1 we nod assent to  
his grand proposition3 ,man is the      
measure of all things1--of the possible1
 how it is1--of the impossible1 how it  
is not4 ,in the individual life are laid
 the foundations of the universe1 and   
upon each individual artist depend the  
symmetry and meaning of the constructed 
whole4 ,this ,master-,artist it is who  
holds the keys of life and death2 and   
whatsoever he shall bind or loose in his
 consciousness shall be bound or loosed 
throughout the universe4 ,apart from    
him1 ,nature is resolved into an        
intangible1 shapeless vanity of silence 
and darkness1--without a name1 and1 in  
fact1 no ,nature at all4 ,to man1 all   
,nature must be human in some soul4 ,god
 himself is worshipped under a human    

phase2 and it is here that              
,christianity1 the flower of all ,faith1
 furnishes the highest answer and       
realization of this world-riddle of the 
,sphinx1--here that it rests its eternal
 ,truth1 even as here it secures its    
unfailing appeal to the human heart6    
,the process by which any nature is     
realized is the process by which it is  
humanized4 ,thus are all things given to
 us for an inheritance4 ,let it be1     
that1 apart from us1 the universe sinks 
into insignificance and nothingness2 to 
us it is a royal possession2 and we are 
all kings1 with a dominion as unlimited 
as our desire4 ,ubi ,caesar1 ibi ,roma6 
,rome is the world2 and each man1 if he 
will1 is ,caesar4  ,if he will2--ay1    
there's the rub6 ,in the strength of his
 will lie glory and absolute sway4 ,but 
if he fail1 then becomes evident the    
frailty of his tenure1--he is a king of 
shreds and patches6  ,here is the crying
 treachery2 and thus it happens that    
there are slaves and craven hearts4     

,this is the profound pathos of history1
 7for the ,sphinx has always more or    
less of sadness in her face17 which     
enters so inevitably into all human     
triumphs4 ,the monuments of ,egypt1 the 
palaces and tombs of her                
kings1--revelations of the strength of  
will1--also by inevitable suggestions   
call to our remembrance successive      
generations of slaves and their endless 
toil4 ,morn after morn1 at sunrise1 for 
thousands of years1 did ,memnon breathe 
forth his music1 that his name might be 
remembered upon the earth2 but his music
 was the swell of a broken harp1 and his
 name was whispered in mournful silence6
 ,among the embalmed dead1 in           
urn-burials1 in the midst of catacombs1 
and among the graves upon our hillsides 
and in our valleys1 there lurks the same
 sad mockery4 ,surely purple ,death and 
the strong ,fates do conquer us6        
,strangely1 in vast solitudes1 comes    
over us a sense of desolation1 when even
 the faintest adumbrations of life seem 

lost in the inertia of mortality4 ,in   
all pomp lurks the pomp of funeral2 and 
we do now and then pay homage to the    
grim skeleton king who sways this dusty 
earth1--yea1 who sways our hearts of    
dust6  ,but it is only when we yield    
that we are conquered4 ,the daemon shall
 not choose us1 but we shall choose our 
daemon4#g ,it is only when we lose hold 
of our royal inheritance that ,time is  
seen with his scythe and the heritage   
becomes a waste4  ,this is the failure1 
the central loss1 over which ,achtheia  
mourns4 ,happy are the epoptae who know 
this1 who have looked the ,sphinx in the
 face1 and escaped death6 ,they are the 
seers1 they the heroes6  ,but ,conx     
,ompax6  ,and now1 like good ,grecians1 
let us make the double libation to our  
lady1--toward the ,east and toward the  
,west4 ,that is an important point1     
reader2 for thus is recognized the      
intimate connection which our lady has  
with the movements of ,nature1 in which 
her life is mirrored1-- especially with 

the rising1 the ongoing1 and the waning 
of the day2 and you remember that this  
also was the relief of the ,sphinx's    
riddle1--this same movement from the    
rising to the setting sun4 ,but         
prominently1 as in all worship1 are our 
eyes turned toward the ,east1--toward   
the resurrection4 ,in the tomb of       
,memnon1 at ,thebes1 are wrought two    
series of paintings2 in the one1 through
 successive stages1 the sun is          
represented in his course from the ,east
 to the ,west1--and in the other is     
represented1 through various stages1 his
 return to the ,orient4 ,it was to this 
,orient that the old king looked1       
awaiting his regeneration4  ,thus1      
reader1 in all nations1--by no mere     
superstition1 but by a glorious         
symbolism of ,faith1--do the children of
 the earth lay them down in their last  
sleep with their faces to the ,east4    
#b ,the worship of this ,great ,mother  
is not more wonderful for its antiquity 
in time than for its prevalence as      

regards space4 ,to the ,hindu she was   
the ,lady ,isani4 ,she was the ,ceres of
 ,roman mythology1 the ,cybele of       
,phrygia and ,lydia1 and the ,disa of   
the ,north4 ,according to ,tacitus1     
7,germania1 c4 #i17 she was worshipped  
by the ancient ,suevi4 ,she was         
worshipped by the ,muscovite1 and       
representations of her are found upon   
the sacred drums of the ,laplanders4    
,she swayed the ancient world1 from its 
southeast corner in ,india to           
,scandinavia in the northwest2 and      
everywhere she is the ,mater ,dolorosa4 
,and who is it1 reader1 that in the     
,christian world struggles for life and 
power under the name of the ,holy       
,virgin1 and through the sad features of
 the ,madonna8  #c ,iliad1 ,i4 #fc4  #d 
,euripides4  #e ,archilochus4  #f ,this 
function of ,mercury1 as                
,psycho-,pompos1 or conductor of        
departed souls to ,hades1 is often      
misunderstood4 ,he was a ,pompos not so 
much for the safety of the dead 7though 

that was an important consideration7 as 
for the peace of the living4 ,the       
,greeks had an overwhelming fear of the 
dead1 as is evident from the            
propitiatory rites to their shades2     
hence the necessity of putting them     
under strict charge1--even against their
 will4 7,horace1 ,i4 ,ode xxiv4 #ae47   
,all ,mercury's qualifications point to 
this office1 by which he defends the    
living against the invasions of the     
dead4 ,hence his craft and agility2--for
 who so fleet and subtle as a ghost8  #g
 ,plato's ,republic1 at the close4      
,,the ,,minister',s ,,wooing4           
,continued4  ,,chapter ,,xxii4   ,mary  
returned to the house with her basket of
 warm1 fresh eggs1 which she set down   
mournfully upon the table4 ,in her heart
 there was one conscious want and       
yearning1 and that was to go to the     
friends of him she had lost1--to go to  
his mother4 ,the first impulse of       
bereavement is to stretch out the hands 
towards what was nearest and dearest to 

the departed4  ,her dove came fluttering
 down out of the tree1 and settled on   
her hand1 and began asking in his dumb  
way to be noticed4 ,mary stroked his    
white feathers1 and bent her head down  
over them till they were wet with tears4
 ,oh1 birdie1 you live1 but he is gone6 
she said4 ,then suddenly putting it     
gently from her1 and going near and     
throwing her arms around her mother's   
neck1--,mother1 she said1 ,i want to go 
up to ,cousin ,ellen's4 7,this was the  
familiar name by which she always called
 ,mrs4 ,marvyn47 ,can't you go with me1 
mother8  ,my daughter1 ,i have thought  
of it4 ,i hurried about my baking this  
morning1 and sent word to ,mr4 ,jenkyns 
that he needn't come to see about the   
chimney1 because ,i expected to go as   
soon as breakfast should be out of the  
way4 ,so1 hurry1 now1 boil some eggs1   
and get on the cold beef and potatoes2  
for ,i see ,solomon and ,amaziah coming 
in with the milk4 ,they'll want their   
breakfast immediately4  ,the breakfast  

for the hired men was soon arranged on  
the table1 and ,mary sat down to preside
 while her mother was going on with her 
baking1--introducing various loaves of  
white and brown bread into the capacious
 oven by means of a long iron shovel1   
and discoursing at intervals with       
,solomon1 with regard to the different  
farming operations which he had in hand 
for the day4  ,solomon was a tall1      
large-boned man1 brawny and angular2    
with a face tanned by the sun1 and      
graven with those considerate lines     
which ,new ,england so early writes on  
the faces of her sons4 ,he was reputed  
an oracle in matters of agriculture and 
cattle1 and1 like oracles generally1 was
 prudently sparing of his responses4    
,amaziah was one of those uncouth       
over-grown boys of eighteen whose       
physical bulk appears to have so        
suddenly developed that the soul has    
more matter than she has learned to     
recognize1 so that the hapless          
individual is always awkwardly conscious

 of too much limb2 and in ,amaziah's    
case1 this consciousness grew           
particularly distressing when ,mary was 
in the room4 ,he liked to have her      
there1 he said1--but1 somehow1 she was  
so white and pretty1 she made him feel  
sort o' awful-like4  ,of course1 as such
 poor mortals always do1 he must1 on    
this particular morning1 blunder into   
precisely the wrong subject4  ,s'pose   
you've heerd the news that ,jeduthun    
,pettibone brought home in the ',flying 
,scud1' 'bout the wreck o' the          
',monsoon'2 it's an awful providence1   
that 'ar' is1--a'n't it8 ,why1 ,jeduthun
 says she jest crushed like an          
egg-shell2--and with that ,amaziah      
illustrated the fact by crushing an egg 
in his great brown hand4  ,mary did not 
answer4 ,she could not grow any paler   
than she was before2 a dreadful         
curiosity came over her1 but her lips   
could frame no question4 ,amaziah went  
on3--  ,ye see1 the cap'en he got killed
 with a spar when the blow fust come on1

 and ,jim ,marvyn he commanded2 and     
,jeduthun says that he seemed to have   
the spirit of ten men in him2 he worked 
and he watched1 and he was everywhere at
 once1 and he kep' 'em all up for three 
days1 till finally they lost their      
rudder1 and went drivin' right onto the 
rocks4 ,when1 they come in sight1 he    
come up on deck1 and says he1 ',well1 my
 boys1 we're headin' right into         
eternity1' says he1 'and our chances for
 this world a'n't worth mentionin'1 any 
on us2 but we'll all have one try for   
our lives4 ,boys1 ,i've tried to do my  
duty by you and the ship1--but ,god's   
will be done6 ,all ,i have to ask now   
is1 that1 if any of you git to shore1   
you'll find my mother and tell her ,i   
died thinkin' of her and father and my  
dear friends4' ,that was the last       
,jeduthun saw of him2 for in a few      
minutes more the ship struck1 and then  
it was every man for himself4 ,laws6    
,jeduthun says there couldn't nobody    
have stood beatin' agin them rocks1     

unless they was all leather and         
inger-rubber like him4 ,why1 he says the
 waves would take strong men and jest   
crush 'em against the rocks like        
smashin' a pie-plate6  ,here ,mary's    
paleness became livid2 she made a hasty 
motion to rise from the table1 and      
,solomon trod on the foot of the        
narrator4  ,you seem to forget that     
friends and relations has feelin's1 he  
said1 as ,mary hastily went into her own
 room4  ,amaziah1 suddenly awakened to  
the fact that he had been trespassing1  
sat with mouth half open and a stupefied
 look of perplexity on his face for a   
moment1 and then1 rising hastily1 said1 
,well1 ,sol1 ,i guess ,i'll go an' yoke 
up the steers4  ,at eight o'clock all   
the morning toils were over1 the wide   
kitchen cool and still1 and the         
one-horse wagon standing at the door1   
into which climbed ,mary1 her mother1   
and the ,doctor2 for1 though invested   
with no spiritual authority1 and charged
 with no ritual or form for hours of    

affliction1 the religion of ,new        
,england always expects her minister as 
a first visitor in every house of       
mourning4  ,the ride was a sorrowful and
 silent one4 ,the ,doctor1 propped upon 
his cane1 seemed to reflect deeply4     
,have you been at all conversant with   
the exercises of our young friend's mind
 on the subject of religion8 he asked4  
,mrs4 ,scudder did not at first reply4  
,the remembrance of ,james's last letter
 flashed over her mind1 and she felt the
 vibration of the frail child beside    
her1 in whom every nerve was quivering4 
,after a moment1 she said1--,it does not
 become us to judge the spiritual state 
of any one4 ,james's mind was in an     
unsettled way when he left2 but who can 
say what wonders may have been effected 
by divine grace since then8  ,this      
conversation fell on the soul of ,mary  
like the sound of clods falling on a    
coffin to the ear of one buried         
alive2--she heard it with a dull1       
smothering sense of suffocation4 ,that  

question to be raised8--and about one1  
too1 for whom she could have given her  
own soul8 ,at this moment she felt how  
idle is the mere hope or promise of     
personal salvation made to one who has  
passed beyond the life of self1 and     
struck deep the roots of his existence  
in others4 ,she did not utter a         
word2--how could she8 ,a doubt1--the    
faintest shadow of a doubt1--in such a  
case1 falls on the soul with the weight 
of mountain certainty2 and in that short
 ride she felt what an infinite pain may
 be locked in one small1 silent breast4 
,the wagon drew up to the house of      
mourning4 ,cato stood at the gate1 and  
came forward1 officiously1 to help them 
out4 ,mass'r and ,missis will be glad to
 see you1 he said4 ,it's a drefful      
stroke has come upon 'em4  ,candace     
appeared at the door4 ,there was a      
majesty of sorrow in her bearing1 as she
 received them4 ,she said not a word1   
but pointed with her finger towards the 
inner room2 but as ,mary lifted up her  

faded1 weary face to hers1 her whole    
soul seemed to heave towards her like a 
billow1 and she took her up in her arms 
and broke forth into sobbing1 and1      
carrying her in1 as if she had been a   
child1 set her down in the inner room   
and sat down beside her4  ,mrs4 ,marvyn 
and her husband sat together1 holding   
each other's hands1 the open ,bible     
between them4 ,for a few moments nothing
 was to be heard but sobs and           
unrestrained weeping1 and then all      
kneeled down to pray4  ,after they rose 
up1 ,mr4 ,zebedee ,marvyn stood for a   
moment thoughtfully1 and then said1--,if
 it had pleased the ,lord to give me a  
sure evidence of my son's salvation1 ,i 
could have given him up with all my     
heart2 but now1 whatever there may be1  
,i have seen none4 ,he stood in an      
attitude of hopeless1 heart-smitten     
dejection1 which contrasted painfully   
with his usual upright carriage and the 
firm lines of his face4  ,mrs4 ,marvyn  
started as if a sword had pierced her1  

passed her arm round ,mary's waist1 with
 a strong1 nervous clasp1 unlike her    
usual calm self1 and said1--,stay with  
me1 daughter1 to-day6--stay with me6    
,mary can stay as long as you wish1     
cousin1 said ,mrs4 ,scudder2 we have    
nothing to call her home4  ,come with   
me6 said ,mrs4 ,marvyn to ,mary1 opening
 an adjoining door into her bedroom1 and
 drawing her in with a sort of          
suppressed vehemence1--,i want you6--,i 
must have you6  ,mrs4 ,marvyn's state   
alarms me1 said her husband1 looking    
apprehensively after her when the door  
was closed2 she has not shed any tears1 
nor slept any1 since she heard this     
news4 ,you know that her mind has been  
in a peculiar and unhappy state with    
regard to religious things for many     
years4 ,i was in hopes she might feel   
free to open her exercises of mind to   
the ,doctor4  ,perhaps she will feel    
more freedom with ,mary1 said the       
,doctor4 ,there is no healing for such  
troubles except in unconditional        

submission to ,infinite ,wisdom and     
,goodness4 ,the ,lord reigneth1 and will
 at last bring infinite good out of     
evil1 whether our small portion of      
existence be included or not4  ,after a 
few moments more of conference1 ,mrs4   
,scudder and the ,doctor departed1      
leaving ,mary alone in the house of     
mourning4   ,,chapter ,,xxiii4  ,we have
 said before1 what we now repeat1 that  
it is impossible to write a story of    
,new ,england life and manners for      
superficial thought or shallow feeling4 
,they who would fully understand the    
springs which moved the characters with 
whom we now associate must go down with 
us to the very depths4  ,never was there
 a community where the roots of common  
life shot down so deeply1 and were so   
intensely grappled around things sublime
 and eternal4 ,the founders of it were a
 body of confessors and martyrs1 who    
turned their backs on the whole glory of
 the visible1 to found in the wilderness
 a republic of which the ,god of ,heaven

 and ,earth should be the sovereign     
power4 ,for the first hundred years grew
 this community1 shut out by a          
fathomless ocean from the existing      
world1 and divided by an antagonism not 
less deep from all the reigning ideas of
 nominal ,christendom4  ,in a community 
thus unworldly must have arisen a mode  
of thought1 energetic1 original1 and    
sublime4 ,the leaders of thought and    
feeling were the ministry1 and we boldly
 assert that the spectacle of the early 
ministry of ,new ,england was one to    
which the world gives no parallel4      
,living an intense1 earnest1 practical  
life1 mostly tilling the earth with     
their own hands1 they yet carried on the
 most startling and original religious  
investigations with a simplicity that   
might have been deemed audacious1 were  
it not so reverential4 ,all old issues  
relating to government1 religion1       
ritual1 and forms of church organization
 having for them passed away1 they went 
straight to the heart of things1 and    

boldly confronted the problem of        
universal being4 ,they had come out from
 the world as witnesses to the most     
solemn and sacred of human rights4 ,they
 had accustomed themselves boldly to    
challenge and dispute all sham          
pretensions and idolatries of past      
ages1--to question the right of kings in
 the ,state1 and of prelates in the     
,church2 and now they turned the same   
bold inquiries towards the ,eternal     
,throne1 and threw down their glove in  
the lists as authorized defenders of    
every mystery in the ,eternal           
,government4 ,the task they proposed to 
themselves was that of reconciling the  
most tremendous facts of sin and evil1  
present and eternal1 with those         
conceptions of ,infinite ,power and     
,benevolence which their own strong and 
generous natures enabled them so vividly
 to realize4 ,in the intervals of       
planting and harvesting1 they were busy 
with the toils of adjusting the laws of 
a universe4 ,solemnly simple1 they made 

long journeys in their old one-horse    
chaises1 to settle with each other some 
nice point of celestial jurisprudence1  
and to compare their maps of the        
,infinite4 ,their letters to each other 
form a literature altogether unique4    
,hopkins sends to ,edwards the younger  
his scheme of the universe1 in which he 
starts with the proposition1 that ,god  
is infinitely above all obligations of  
any kind to his creatures4 ,edwards     
replies with the brusque comment1--,this
 is wrong2 ,god has no more right to    
injure a creature than a creature has to
 injure ,god2 and each probably about   
that time preached a sermon on his own  
views1 which was discussed by every     
farmer1 in intervals of plough and hoe1 
by every woman and girl1 at loom1       
spinning-wheel1 or wash-tub4 ,new       
,england was one vast sea1 surging from 
depths to heights with thought and      
discussion on the most insoluble of     
mysteries4 ,and it is to be added1 that 
no man or woman accepted any theory or  

speculation simply as theory or         
speculation2 all was profoundly real and
 vital1--a foundation on which actual   
life was based with intensest           
earnestness4  ,the views of human       
existence which resulted from this      
course of training were gloomy enough to
 oppress any heart which did not rise   
above them by triumphant faith or sink  
below them by brutish insensibility2 for
 they included every moral problem of   
natural or revealed religion1 divested  
of all those softening poetries and     
tender draperies which forms1           
ceremonies1 and rituals had thrown      
around them in other parts and ages of  
,christendom4 ,the human race1 without  
exception1 coming into existence under  
,god's wrath and curse1 with a nature so
 fatally disordered1 that1 although     
perfect free agents1 men were infallibly
 certain to do nothing to ,divine       
acceptance until regenerated by the     
supernatural aid of ,god's              
,spirit1--this aid being given only to a

 certain decreed number of the human    
race1 the rest1 with enough free agency 
to make them responsible1 but without   
this indispensable assistance exposed to
 the malignant assaults of evil spirits 
versed in every art of temptation1 were 
sure to fall hopelessly into perdition4 
,the standard of what constituted a true
 regeneration1 as presented in such     
treatises as ,edwards on the            
,affections1 and others of the times1   
made this change to be something so     
high1 disinterested1 and superhuman1 so 
removed from all natural and common     
habits and feelings1 that the most      
earnest and devoted1 whose whole life   
had been a constant travail of endeavor1
 a tissue of almost unearthly           
disinterestedness1 often lived and died 
with only a glimmering hope of its      
attainment4  ,according to any views    
then entertained of the evidences of a  
true regeneration1 the number of the    
whole human race who could be supposed  
as yet to have received this grace was  

so small1 that1 as to any numerical     
valuation1 it must have been expressed  
as an infinitesimal4 ,dr4 ,hopkins in   
many places distinctly recognizes the   
fact1 that the greater part of the human
 race1 up to his time1 had been         
eternally lost1--and boldly assumes the 
ground1 that this amount of sin and     
suffering1 being the best and most      
necessary means of the greatest final   
amount of happiness1 was not merely     
permitted1 but distinctly chosen1       
decreed1 and provided for1 as essential 
in the schemes of ,infinite             
,benevolence4 ,he held that this decree 
not only permitted each individual act  
of sin1 but also took measures to make  
it certain1 though1 by an exercise of   
infinite skill1 it accomplished this    
result without violating human free     
agency4  ,the preaching of those times  
was animated by an unflinching          
consistency which never shrank from     
carrying an idea to its remotest logical
 verge4 ,the sufferings of the lost were

 not kept from view1 but proclaimed with
 a terrible power4 ,dr4 ,hopkins boldly 
asserts1 that all the use which ,god    
will have for them is to suffer2 this is
 all the end they can answer2 therefore 
all their faculties1 and their whole    
capacities1 will be employed and used   
for this end4444 ,the body can by       
omnipotence be made capable of suffering
 the greatest imaginable pain1 without  
producing dissolution1 or abating the   
least degree of life or sensibility4444 
,one way in which ,god will show his    
power in the punishment of the wicked   
will be in strengthening and upholding  
their bodies and souls in torments which
 otherwise would be intolerable4  ,the  
sermons preached by ,president ,edwards 
on this subject are so terrific in their
 refined poetry of torture1 that very   
few persons of quick sensibility could  
read them through without agony2 and it 
is related1 that1 when1 in those calm   
and tender tones which never rose to    
passionate enunciation1 he read these   

discourses1 the house was often filled  
with shrieks and waitings1 and that a   
brother minister once laid hold of his  
skirts1 exclaiming1 in an involuntary   
agony1 ,oh6 ,mr4 ,edwards6 ,mr4         
,edwards6 is ,god not a ,god of mercy8  
,not that these men were indifferent or 
insensible to the dread words they      
spoke2 their whole lives and deportment 
bore thrilling witness to their         
sincerity4 ,edwards set apart special   
days of fasting1 in view of the dreadful
 doom of the lost1 in which he was wont 
to walk the floor1 weeping and wringing 
his hands4 ,hopkins fasted every        
,saturday4 ,david ,brainerd gave up     
every refinement of civilized life to   
weep and pray at the feet of hardened   
savages1 if by any means he might save  
one4 ,all1 by lives of eminent purity   
and earnestness1 gave awful weight and  
sanction to their words4  ,if we add to 
this statement the fact1 that it was    
always proposed to every inquiring soul1
 as an evidence of regeneration1 that it

 should truly and heartily accept all   
the ways of ,god thus declared right and
 lovely1 and from the heart submit to   
,him as the only just and good1 it will 
be seen what materials of tremendous    
internal conflict and agitation were all
 the while working in every bosom4      
,almost all the histories of religious  
experience of those times relate        
paroxysms of opposition to ,god and     
fierce rebellion1 expressed in language 
which appalls the very soul1--followed1 
at length1 by mysterious elevations of  
faith and reactions of confiding love1  
the result of ,divine interposition1    
which carried the soul far above the    
region of the intellect1 into that of   
direct spiritual intuition4  ,president 
,edwards records that he was once in    
this state of enmity1--that the facts of
 the ,divine administration seemed      
horrible to him1--and that this         
opposition was overcome by no course of 
reasoning1 but by an inward and sweet   
sense1 which came to him once when      

walking alone in the fields1 and1       
looking up into the blue sky1 he saw the
 blending of the ,divine majesty with a 
calm1 sweet1 and almost infinite        
meekness4  ,the piety which grew up     
under such a system was1 of necessity1  
energetic1--it was the uprousing of the 
whole energy of the human soul1 pierced 
and wrenched and probed from her lowest 
depths to her topmost heights with every
 awful life-force possible to existence4
 ,he whose faith in ,god came clear     
through these terrible tests would be   
sure never to know greater ones4 ,he    
might certainly challenge earth or      
heaven1 things present or things to     
come1 to swerve him from this grand     
allegiance4  ,but it is to be conceded1 
that these systems1 so admirable in     
relation to the energy1 earnestness1 and
 acuteness of their authors1 when       
received as absolute truth1 and as a    
basis of actual life1 had1 on minds of a
 certain class1 the effect of a slow    
poison1 producing life-habits of morbid 

action very different from any which    
ever followed the simple reading of the 
,bible4 ,they differ from the ,new      
,testament as the living embrace of a   
friend does from his lifeless body1     
mapped out under the knife of the       
anatomical demonstrator2--every nerve   
and muscle is there1 but to a sensitive 
spirit there is the very chill of death 
in the analysis4  ,all systems that deal
 with the infinite are1 besides1 exposed
 to danger from small1 unsuspected      
admixtures of human error1 which become 
deadly when carried to such vast        
results4 ,the smallest speck of earth's 
dust1 in the focus of an infinite lens1 
appears magnified among the heavenly    
orbs as a frightful monster4  ,thus it  
happened1 that1 while strong spirits    
walked1 palm-crowned1 with victorious   
hymns1 along these sublime paths1       
feebler and more sensitive ones lay     
along the track1 bleeding away in       
life-long despair4 ,fearful to them were
 the shadows that lay over the cradle   

and the grave4 ,the mother clasped her  
babe to her bosom1 and looked with      
shuddering to the awful coming trial of 
free agency1 with its terrible          
responsibilities and risks1 and1 as she 
thought of the infinite chances against 
her beloved1 almost wished it might die 
in infancy4 ,but when the stroke of     
death came1 and some young1 thoughtless 
head was laid suddenly low1 who can say 
what silent anguish of loving hearts    
sounded the dread depths of eternity    
with the awful question1 ,where8  ,in no
 other time or place of ,christendom    
have so fearful issues been presented to
 the mind4 ,some church interposed its  
protecting shield2 the ,christian born  
and baptized child was supposed in some 
wise rescued from the curse of the fall1
 and related to the great               
redemption1--to be a member of ,christ's
 family1 and1 if ever so sinful1 still  
infolded in some vague sphere of hope   
and protection4 ,augustine solaced the  
dread anxieties of trembling love by    

prayers offered for the dead1 in times  
when the ,church above and on earth     
presented itself to the eye of the      
mourner as a great assembly with one    
accord lifting interceding hands for the
 parted soul4  ,but the clear logic and 
intense individualism of ,new ,england  
deepened the problems of the            
,augustinian faith1 while they swept    
away all those softening provisions so  
earnestly clasped to the throbbing heart
 of that great poet of theology4 ,no    
rite1 no form1 no paternal relation1 no 
faith or prayer of church1 earthly or   
heavenly1 interposed the slightest      
shield between the trembling spirit and 
,eternal ,justice4 ,the individual      
entered eternity alone1 as if he had no 
interceding relation in the universe4   
,this1 then1 was the awful dread which  
was constantly underlying life4 ,this it
 was which caused the tolling bell in   
green hollows and lonely dells to be a  
sound which shook the soul and searched 
the heart with fearful questions4 ,and  

this it was that was lying with mountain
 weight on the soul of the mother1 too  
keenly agonized to feel that doubt in   
such a case was any less a torture than 
the most dreadful certainty4  ,hers was 
a nature more reasoning than creative   
and poetic2 and whatever she believed   
bound her mind in strictest chains to   
its logical results4 ,she delighted in  
the regions of mathematical knowledge1  
and walked them as a native home2 but   
the commerce with abstract certainties  
fitted her mind still more to be        
stiffened and enchained by glacial      
reasonings1 in regions where spiritual  
intuitions are as necessary as wings to 
birds4  ,mary was by nature of the class
 who never reason abstractly1 whose     
intellections all begin in the heart1   
which sends them colored with its warm  
life-tint to the brain4 ,her perceptions
 of the same subjects were as different 
from ,mrs4 ,marvyn's as his who revels  
only in color from his who is busy with 
the dry details of mere outline4 ,the   

one mind was arranged like a map1 and   
the other like a picture4 ,in all the   
system which had been explained to her1 
her mind selected points on which it    
seized with intense sympathy1 which it  
dwelt upon and expanded till all else   
fell away4 ,the sublimity of            
disinterested benevolence1--the harmony 
and order of a system tending in its    
final results to infinite               
happiness1--the goodness of ,god1--the  
love of a self-sacrificing              
,redeemer1--were all so many glorious   
pictures1 which she revolved in her mind
 with small care for their logical      
relations4  ,mrs4 ,marvyn had never1 in 
all the course of their intimacy1 opened
 her mouth to ,mary on the subject of   
religion4 ,it was not an uncommon       
incident of those times for persons of  
great elevation and purity of character 
to be familiarly known and spoken of as 
living under a cloud of religious gloom2
 and it was simply regarded as one more 
mysterious instance of the workings of  

that infinite decree which denied to    
them the special illumination of the    
,spirit4  ,when ,mrs4 ,marvyn had drawn 
,mary with her into her room1 she seemed
 like a person almost in frenzy4 ,she   
shut and bolted the door1 drew her to   
the foot of the bed1 and1 throwing her  
arms round her1 rested her hot and      
throbbing forehead on her shoulder4 ,she
 pressed her thin hand over her eyes1   
and then1 suddenly drawing back1 looked 
her in the face as one resolved to speak
 something long suppressed4 ,her soft   
brown eyes had a flash of despairing    
wildness in them1 like that of a hunted 
animal turning in its death-struggle on 
its pursuer4  ,mary1 she said1 ,i can't 
help it1--don't mind what ,i say1 but ,i
 must speak or die6 ,mary1 ,i cannot1   
will not1 be resigned6--it is all hard1 
unjust1 cruel6--to all eternity ,i will 
say so6 ,to me there is no goodness1 no 
justice1 no mercy in anything6 ,life    
seems to me the most tremendous doom    
that can be inflicted on a helpless     

being6 ,what had we done1 that it should
 be sent upon us8 ,why were we made to  
love so1 to hope so1--our hearts so full
 of feeling1 and all the laws of ,nature
 marching over us1--never stopping for  
our agony8 ,why1 we can suffer so in    
this life that we had better never have 
been born6  ,but1 ,mary1 think what a   
moment life is6 think of those awful    
ages of eternity6 and then think of all 
,god's power and knowledge used on the  
lost to make them suffer6 think that all
 but the merest fragment of mankind have
 gone into this1--are in it now6 ,the   
number of the elect is so small we can  
scarce count them for anything6 ,think  
what noble minds1 what warm1 generous   
hearts1 what splendid natures are       
wrecked and thrown away by thousands and
 tens of thousands6 ,how we love each   
other6 how our hearts weave into each   
other6 how more than glad we should be  
to die for each other6 ,and all this    
ends--,o ,god1 how must it end8--,mary6 
it isn't my sorrow only6 ,what right    

have ,i to mourn8 ,is my son any better 
than any other mother's son8 ,thousands 
of thousands1 whose mothers loved them  
as ,i love mine1 are gone there6--,oh1  
my wedding-day6 ,why did they rejoice8  
,brides should wear mourning1--the bells
 should toll for every wedding2 every   
new family is built over this awful pit 
of despair1 and only one in a thousand  
escapes6  ,pale1 aghast1                
horror-stricken1 ,mary stood dumb1 as   
one who in the dark and storm sees by   
the sudden glare of lightning a chasm   
yawning under foot4 ,it was amazement   
and dimness of anguish2--the dreadful   
words struck on the very centre where   
her soul rested4 ,she felt as if the    
point of a wedge were being driven      
between her life and her life's         
life1--between her and her ,god4 ,she   
clasped her hands instinctively on her  
bosom1 as if to hold there some         
cherished image1 and said in a piercing 
voice of supplication1 ,my ,god6 my     
,god6 oh1 where art ,thou8  ,mrs4       

,marvyn walked up and down the room with
 a vivid spot of red in each cheek and a
 baleful fire in her eyes1 talking in   
rapid soliloquy1 scarcely regarding her 
listener1 absorbed in her own enkindled 
thoughts4  ,dr4 ,hopkins says that this 
is all best1--better than it would have 
been in any other possible way1--that   
,god chose it because it was for a      
greater final good1--that ,he not only  
chose it1 but took means to make it     
certain1--that ,he ordains every sin1   
and does all that is necessary to make  
it certain1--that ,he creates the       
vessels of wrath and fits them for      
destruction1 and that ,he has an        
infinite knowledge by which ,he can do  
it without violating their free         
agency4--,so much the worse6 ,what a use
 of infinite knowledge ,what if men     
should do so8 ,what if a father should  
take means to make it certain that his  
poor little child should be an abandoned
 wretch1 without violating his free     
agency8 ,so much the worse1 ,i          

say6--,they say ,he does this so that   
,he may show to all eternity1 by their  
example1 the evil nature of sin and its 
consequences6 ,this is all that the     
greater part of the human race have been
 used for yet2 and it is all right1     
because an overplus of infinite         
happiness is yet to be wrought out by   
it6--,it is not right6 ,no possible     
amount of good to ever so many can make 
it right to deprave ever so             
few2--happiness and misery cannot be    
measured so6 ,i never can think it      
right1--never6--,yet they say our       
salvation depends on our loving         
,god1--loving ,him better than          
ourselves1--loving ,him better than our 
dearest friends4--,it is impossible6--it
 is contrary to the laws of my nature6  
,i can never love ,god6 ,i can never    
praise ,him6--,i am lost6 lost6 lost6   
,and what is worse1 ,i cannot redeem my 
friends6 ,oh1 ,i could suffer           
forever1--how willingly6--if ,i could   
save him6--,but oh1 eternity1 eternity6 

,frightful1 unspeakable woe6 ,no        
end6--no bottom6--no shore6--no         
hope6--,o ,god6 ,o ,god6  ,mrs4         
,marvyn's eyes grew wilder1--she walked 
the door1 wringing her hands1--and her  
words1 mingled with shrieks and moans1  
became whirling and confused1 as when in
 autumn a storm drives the leaves in    
dizzy mazes4  ,mary was alarmed1--the   
ecstasy of despair was just verging on  
insanity4 ,she rushed out and called    
,mr4 ,marvyn4  ,oh6 come in6 do6        
quick6--,i'm afraid her mind is going6  
she said4  ,it is what ,i feared1 he    
said1 rising from where he sat reading  
his great ,bible1 with an air of        
heartbroken dejection4 ,since she heard 
this news1 she has not slept nor shed a 
tear4 ,the ,lord hath covered us with a 
cloud in the day of his fierce anger4   
,he came into the room1 and tried to    
take his wife into his arms4 ,she pushed
 him violently back1 her eyes glistening
 with a fierce light4 ,leave me alone6  
she said1--,i am a lost spirit6  ,these 

words were uttered in a shriek that went
 through ,mary's heart like an arrow4   
,at this moment1 ,candace1 who had been 
anxiously listening at the door for an  
hour past1 suddenly burst into the room4
  ,lor' bress ye1 ,squire ,marvyn1 we   
won't hab her goin' on dis yer way1 she 
said4 ,do talk gospel to her1 can't     
ye8--ef you can't1 ,i will4  ,come1 ye  
poor little lamb1 she said1 walking     
straight up to ,mrs4 ,marvyn1 come to   
ole ,candace6--and with that she        
gathered the pale form to her bosom1 and
 sat down and began rocking her1 as if  
she had been a babe4 ,honey1 darlin'1 ye
 a'n't right1--dar's a drefful mistake  
somewhar1 she said4 ,why1 de ,lord a'n't
 like what ye tink1--,he loves ye1      
honey6 ,why1 jes' feel how ,i loves     
ye1--poor ole black ,candace1--an' ,i   
a'n't better'n ,him as made me6 ,who was
 it wore de crown o' thorns1 lamb8--who 
was it sweat great drops o' blood8--who 
was it said1 ',father1 forgive dem'8    
,say1 honey6--wasn't it de ,lord dat    

made ye8--,dar1 dar1 now ye'r'          
cryin'6--cry away1 and ease yer poor    
little heart6 ,he died for ,mass'r      
,jim1--loved him and died for him1--jes'
 give up his sweet1 precious body and   
soul for him on de cross6 ,laws1 jes'   
leave him in ,jesus' hands6 ,why1 honey1
 dar's de very print o' de nails in his 
hands now6  ,the flood-gates were rent2 
and healing sobs and tears shook the    
frail form1 as a faded lily shakes under
 the soft rains of summer4 ,all in the  
room wept together4  ,now1 honey1 said  
,candace1 after a pause of some minutes1
 ,i knows our ,doctor's a mighty good   
man1 an' larned1--an' in fair weather ,i
 ha'n't no 'bjection to yer hearin' all 
about dese yer great an' mighty tings   
he's got to say4 ,but1 honey1 dey won't 
do for you now2 sick folks mus'n't hab  
strong meat2 an' times like dese1 dar   
jest a'n't but one ting to come to1 an' 
dat ar's ,jesus4 ,jes' come right down  
to whar poor ole black ,candace has to  
stay allers1--it's a good place1        

darlin'6 ,look right at ,jesus4 ,tell   
ye1 honey1 ye can't live no other way   
now4 ,don't ye 'member how ,he looked on
 ,his mother1 when she stood faintin'   
an' tremblin' under de cross1 jes' like 
you8 ,he knows all about mothers'       
hearts2 ,he won't break yours4 ,it was  
jes' 'cause ,he know'd we'd come into   
straits like dis yer1 dat he went       
through all dese tings1--,him1 de ,lord 
o' ,glory6 ,is dis ,him you was         
a-talkin' about8--,him you can't love8  
,look at ,him1 an' see ef you can't4    
,look an' see what ,he is6--don't ask no
 questions1 and don't go to no          
reasonin's1--jes' look at ,him1 hangin' 
dar1 so sweet and patient1 on de cross6 
,all dey could do couldn't stop his     
lovin' 'em2 he prayed for 'em wid all de
 breath he had4 ,dar's a ,god you can   
love1 a'n't dar8 ,candace loves         
,him1--poor1 ole1 foolish1 black1 wicked
 ,candace1--and she knows ,he loves     
her1--and here ,candace broke down into 
torrents of weeping4  ,they laid the    

mother1 faint and weary1 on her bed1 and
 beneath the shadow of that suffering   
cross came down a healing sleep on those
 weary eyelids4  ,honey1 said ,candace1 
mysteriously1 after she had drawn ,mary 
out of the room1 don't ye go for to     
troublin' yer mind wid dis yer4 ,i'm    
clar ,mass'r ,james is one o' de 'lect2 
and ,i'm clar dar's consid'able more o' 
de 'lect dan people tink4 ,why1 ,jesus  
didn't die for nothin'1--all dat love   
a'n't gwine to be wasted4 ,de 'lect is  
more'n you or ,i knows1 honey6 ,dar's de
 ,spirit1--,he'll give it to 'em2 and ef
 ,mass'r ,james is called an' took1     
depend upon it de ,lord has got him     
ready1--course ,he has1--so don't ye go 
to layin' on yer poor heart what no     
mortal creetur can live under2 'cause1  
as we's got to live in dis yer world1   
it's quite clar de ,lord must ha' fixed 
it so we can2 and ef tings was as some  
folks suppose1 why1 we couldn't live1   
and dar wouldn't be no sense in anyting 
dat goes on4  ,the sudden shock of these

 scenes was followed1 in ,mrs4 ,marvyn's
 case1 by a low1 lingering fever4 ,her  
room was darkened1 and she lay on her   
bed1 a pale1 suffering form1 with       
scarcely the ability to raise her hand4 
,the shimmering twilight of the         
sick-room fell on white napkins1 spread 
over stands1 where constantly appeared  
new vials1 big and little1 as the       
physician1 made his daily visit1 and    
prescribed now this drug and now that1  
for a wound that had struck through the 
soul4  ,mary remained many days at the  
white house1 because1 to the invalid1 no
 step1 no voice1 no hand was like hers4 
,we see her there now1 as she sits in   
the glimmering by the bed-curtains1--her
 head a little drooped1 as droops a     
snowdrop over a grave2--one ray of light
 from a round hole in the closed        
shutters falls on her smooth-parted     
hair1 her small hands are clasped on her
 knees1 her mouth has lines of sad      
compression1 and in her eyes are        
infinite questionings4   ,,chapter      

,,xxiv4  ,when ,mrs4 ,marvyn began to   
amend1 ,mary returned to the home       
cottage1 and resumed the details of her 
industrious and quiet life4  ,between   
her and her two best friends had fallen 
a curtain of silence4 ,the subject that 
filled all her thoughts could not be    
named between them4 ,the ,doctor often  
looked at her pale cheeks and drooping  
form with a face of honest sorrow1 and  
heaved deep sighs as she passed2 but he 
did not find any power within himself by
 which he could approach her4 ,when he  
would speak1 and she turned her sad1    
patient eyes so gently on him1 the words
 went back again to his heart1 and      
there1 taking a second thought1 spread  
upward wing in prayer4  ,mrs4 ,scudder  
sometimes came to her room after she was
 gone to bed1 and found her weeping2 and
 when gently she urged her to sleep1 she
 would wipe her eyes so patiently and   
turn her head with such obedient        
sweetness1 that her mother's heart      
utterly failed her4 ,for hours ,mary sat

 in her room with ,james's last letter  
spread out before her4 ,how anxiously   
had she studied every word and phrase in
 it1 weighing them to see if the hope of
 eternal life were in them6 ,how she    
dwelt on those last promises6 ,had he   
kept them8 ,ah6 to die without one word 
more6 ,would no angel tell her8--would  
not the loving ,god1 who knew all1 just 
whisper one word8 ,he must have read the
 little ,bible6 ,what had he thought8   
,what did he feel in that awful hour    
when he felt himself drifting on to that
 fearful eternity8 ,perhaps he had been 
regenerated1--perhaps there had been a  
sudden change2--who knows8--she had read
 of such things2--perhaps--,ah1 in that 
perhaps lies a world of anguish6 ,love  
will not hear of it4 ,love dies for     
certainty4 ,against an uncertainty who  
can brace the soul8 ,we put all our     
forces of faith and prayer against it1  
and it goes down just as a buoy sinks in
 the water1 and the next moment it is up
 again4 ,the soul fatigues itself with  

efforts which come and go in waves2 and 
when with laborious care she has        
adjusted all things in the light of     
hope1 back flows the tide1 and sweeps   
all away4 ,in such struggles life spends
 itself fast2 an inward wound does not  
carry one deathward more surely than    
this worst wound of the soul4 ,god has  
made us so mercifully that there is no  
certainty1 however dreadful1 to which   
life-forces do not in time adjust       
themselves1--but to uncertainty there is
 no possible adjustment4 ,where is he8  
,oh1 question of questions6--question   
which we suppress1 but which a power of 
infinite force still urges on the soul1 
who feels a part of herself torn away4  
,mary sat at her window in evening      
hours1 and watched the slanting sunbeams
 through the green blades of grass1 and 
thought one year ago he stood there1    
with his well-knit1 manly form1 his     
bright eye1 his buoyant hope1 his       
victorious mastery of life6 ,and where  
was he now8 ,was his heart as sick1     

longing for her1 as hers for him8 ,was  
he looking back to earth and its joys   
with pangs of unutterable regret8 or had
 a divine power interpenetrated his     
soul1 and lighted there the flame of a  
celestial love which bore him far above 
earth8 ,if he were among the lost1 in   
what age of eternity could she ever be  
blessed8 ,could ,christ be happy1 if    
those who were one with ,him were sinful
 and accursed8 and could ,christ's own  
loved ones be happy1 when those with    
whom they have exchanged being1 in whom 
they live and feel1 are as wandering    
stars1 for whom is reserved the mist of 
darkness forever8 ,she had been taught  
that the agonies of the lost would be   
forever in sight of the saints1 without 
abating in the least their eternal joys2
 nay1 that they would find in it        
increasing motives to praise and        
adoration4 ,could it be so8 ,would the  
last act of the great ,bridegroom of the
 ,church be to strike from the heart of 
his purified ,bride those yearnings of  

self-devoting love which ,his whole     
example had taught her1 and in which she
 reflected1 as in a glass1 ,his own     
nature8 ,if not1 is there not some      
provision by which those roots of       
deathless love which ,christ's betrothed
 ones strike into other hearts shall    
have a divine1 redeeming power8         
,question vital as life-blood to ten    
thousand hearts1--fathers1 mothers1     
wives1 husbands1--to all who feel the   
infinite sacredness of love6  ,after the
 first interview with ,mrs4 ,marvyn1 the
 subject which had so agitated them was 
not renewed4 ,she had risen at last from
 her sick-bed1 as thin and shadowy as a 
faded moon after sunrise4 ,candace often
 shook her head mournfully1 as her eyes 
followed her about her dally tasks4     
,once only1 with ,mary1 she alluded to  
the conversation which had passed       
between them2--it was one day when they 
were together1 spinning1 in the north   
upper room that looked out upon the sea4
 ,it was a glorious day4 ,a ship was    

coming in under full sail1 with white   
gleaming wings4 ,mrs4 ,marvyn watched it
 a few moments1--the gay creature1 so   
full of exultant life1--and then        
smothered down an inward groan1 and     
,mary thought she heard her saying1 ,thy
 will be done6  ,mary1 she said1 gently1
 ,i hope you will forget all ,i said to 
you that dreadful day4 ,it had to be    
said1 or ,i should have died4 ,mary1 ,i 
begin to think that it is not best to   
stretch our minds with reasonings where 
we are so limited1 where we can know so 
little4 ,i am quite sure there must be  
dreadful mistakes somewhere4  ,it seems 
to me irreverent and shocking that a    
child should oppose a father1 or a      
creature its ,creator4 ,i never should  
have done it1 only that1 where direct   
questions are presented to the judgment1
 one cannot help judging4 ,if one is    
required to praise a being as just and  
good1 one must judge of his actions by  
some standard of right1--and we have no 
standard but such as our ,creator has   

placed in us4 ,i have been told it was  
my duty to attend to these subjects1 and
 ,i have tried to1--and the result has  
been that the facts presented seem      
wholly irreconcilable with any notions  
of justice or mercy that ,i am able to  
form4 ,if these be the facts1 ,i can    
only say that my nature is made entirely
 opposed to them4 ,if ,i followed the   
standard of right they present1 and     
acted according to my small mortal      
powers on the same principles1 ,i should
 be a very bad person4 ,any father1 who 
should make such use of power over his  
children as they say the ,deity does    
with regard to us1 would be looked upon 
as a monster by our very imperfect moral
 sense4 ,yet ,i cannot say that the     
facts are not so4 ,when ,i heard the    
,doctor's sermons on ',sin a ,necessary 
,means of the ,greatest ,good1' ,i could
 not extricate myself from the          
reasoning4  ,i have thought1 in         
desperate moments1 of giving up the     
,bible itself4 ,but what do ,i gain8 ,do

 ,i not see the same difficulty in      
,nature8 ,i see everywhere a ,being     
whose main ends seem to be beneficent1  
but whose good purposes are worked out  
at terrible expense of suffering1 and   
apparently by the total sacrifice of    
myriads of sensitive creatures4 ,i see  
unflinching order1 general good-will1   
but no sympathy1 no mercy4 ,storms1     
earthquakes1 volcanoes1 sickness1 death1
 go on without regarding us4 ,everywhere
 ,i see the most hopeless1 unrelieved   
suffering1--and for aught ,i see1 it may
 be eternal4 ,immortality is a dreadful 
chance1 and ,i would rather never have  
been4--,the ,doctor's dreadful system   
is1 ,i confess1 much like the laws of   
,nature1--about what one might reason   
out from them4  ,there is but just one  
thing remaining1 and that is1 as        
,candace said1 the cross of ,christ4 ,if
 ,god so loved us1--if ,he died for     
us1--greater love hath no man than this4
 ,it seems to me that love is shown here
 in the two highest forms possible to   

our comprehension4 ,we see a ,being who 
gives himself for us1--and more than    
that1 harder than that1 a ,being who    
consents to the suffering of a dearer   
than self4 ,mary1 ,i feel that ,i must  
love more1 to give up one of my children
 to suffer1 than to consent to suffer   
myself4 ,there is a world of comfort to 
me in the words1 ',he that spared not   
his own ,son1 but delivered him up for  
us all1 how shall he not with him also  
freely give us all things8' ,these words
 speak to my heart4 ,i can interpret    
them by my own nature1 and ,i rest on   
them4 ,if there is a fathomless mystery 
of sin and sorrow1 there is a deeper    
mystery of ,god's love4 ,so1 ,mary1 ,i  
try ,candace's way1--,i look at         
,christ1--,i pray to ,him4 ,if he that  
hath seen ,him hath seen the ,father1 it
 is enough4 ,i rest there1--,i wait4    
,what ,i know not now ,i shall know     
hereafter4  ,mary kept all things and   
pondered them in her heart4 ,she could  
speak to no one1--not to her mother1 nor

 to her spiritual guide2 for had she not
 passed to a region beyond theirs8 ,as  
well might those on the hither side of  
mortality instruct the souls gone beyond
 the veil as souls outside a great      
affliction guide those who are          
struggling in it4 ,that is a mighty     
baptism1 and only ,christ can go down   
with us into those waters4  ,mrs4       
,scudder and the ,doctor only marked    
that she was more than ever             
conscientious in every duty1 and that   
she brought to life's daily realities   
something of the calmness and           
disengagedness of one whose soul has    
been wrenched by a mighty shock from all
 moorings here below4 ,hopes did not    
excite1 fears did not alarm her2 life   
had no force strong enough to awaken a  
thrill within2 and the only subjects on 
which she ever spoke with any degree of 
ardor were religious subjects4  ,one who
 should have seen moving about the daily
 ministrations of the cottage a pale    
girl1 whose steps were firm1 whose eye  

was calm1 whose hands were ever busy1   
would scarce imagine that through that  
silent heart were passing tides of      
thought that measured a universe2 but it
 was even so4 ,through that one gap of  
sorrow flowed in the whole awful mystery
 of existence1 and silently1 as she spun
 and sewed1 she thought over and over   
again all that she had ever been taught1
 and compared and revolved it by the    
light of a dawning inward revelation4   
,sorrow is the great birth-agony of     
immortal powers1--sorrow is the great   
searcher and revealer of hearts1 the    
great test of truth2 for ,plato has     
wisely said1 sorrow will not endure     
sophisms1--all shams and unrealities    
melt in the fire of that awful furnace4 
,sorrow reveals forces in ourselves we  
never dreamed of4 ,the soul1 a bound and
 sleeping prisoner1 hears her knock on  
her cell-door1 and wakens4 ,oh1 how     
narrow the walls6 oh1 how close and dark
 the grated window6 how the long useless
 wings beat against the impassable      

barriers6 ,where are we8 ,what is this  
prison8 ,what is beyond8 ,oh for more   
air1 more light6 ,when will the door be 
opened8 ,the soul seems to itself to    
widen and deepen2 it trembles at its own
 dreadful forces2 it gathers up in waves
 that break with wailing only to flow   
back into the everlasting void4 ,the    
calmest and most centred natures are    
sometimes thrown by the shock of a great
 sorrow into a tumultuous amazement4    
,all things are changed4 ,the earth no  
longer seems solid1 the skies no longer 
secure2 a deep abyss seems underlying   
every joyous scene of life4 ,the soul1  
struck with this awful inspiration1 is a
 mournful ,cassandra2 she sees blood on 
every threshold1 and shudders in the    
midst of mirth and festival with the    
weight of a terrible wisdom4  ,who shall
 dare be glad any more1 that has once   
seen the frail foundations on which love
 and joy are built8 ,our brighter hours1
 have they only been weaving a network  
of agonizing remembrances for this day  

of bereavement8 ,the heart is pierced   
with every past joy1 with every hope of 
its ignorant prosperity4 ,behind every  
scale in music1 the gayest and          
cheeriest1 the grandest1 the most       
triumphant1 lies its dark relative      
minor2 the notes are the same1 but the  
change of a semitone changes all to     
gloom2--all our gayest hours are tunes  
that have a modulation into these dreary
 keys ever possible2 at any moment the  
key-note may be struck4  ,the firmest1  
best-prepared natures are often beside  
themselves with astonishment and dismay1
 when they are called to this dread     
initiation4 ,they thought it a very     
happy world before1--a glorious         
universe4 ,now it is darkened with the  
shadow of insoluble mysteries4 ,why this
 everlasting tramp of inevitable laws on
 quivering life8 ,if the wheels must    
roll1 why must the crushed be so living 
and sensitive8  ,and yet sorrow is      
godlike1 sorrow is grand and great1     
sorrow is wise and farseeing4 ,our own  

instinctive valuations1 the intense     
sympathy which we give to the tragedy   
which ,god has inwoven into the laws of 
,nature1 show us that it is with no     
slavish dread1 no cowardly shrinking1   
that we should approach her divine      
mysteries4 ,what are the natures that   
cannot suffer8 ,who values them8 ,from  
the fat oyster1 over which the silver   
tide rises and falls without one pulse  
upon its fleshy ear1 to the hero who    
stands with quivering nerve parting with
 wife and child and home for country and
 ,god1 all the way up is an ascending   
scale1 marked by increasing power to    
suffer2 and when we look to the ,head of
 all being1 up through principalities   
and powers and princedoms1 with dazzling
 orders and celestial blazonry1 to      
behold by what emblem the ,infinite     
,sovereign chooses to reveal himself1 we
 behold1 in the midst of the throne1 a  
lamb as it had been slain4  ,sorrow is  
divine4 ,sorrow is reigning on the      
throne of the universe1 and the crown of

 all crowns has been one of thorns4     
,there have been many books that treat  
of the mystery of sorrow1 but only one  
that bids us glory in tribulation1 and  
count it all joy when we fall into      
divers afflictions1 that so we may be   
associated with that great fellowship of
 suffering of which the ,incarnate ,god 
is the head1 and through which ,he is   
carrying a redemptive conflict to a     
glorious victory over evil4 ,if we      
suffer with ,him1 we shall also reign   
with ,him4  ,even in the very making up 
of our physical nature1 ,god puts       
suggestions of such a result4 ,weeping  
may endure for a night1 but joy cometh  
in the morning4 ,there are victorious   
powers in our nature which are all the  
while working for us in our deepest     
pain4 ,it is said1 that1 after the      
sufferings of the rack1 there ensues a  
period in which the simple repose from  
torture produces a beatific trance2 it  
is the reaction of ,nature1 asserting   
the benignant intentions of her         

,creator4 ,so1 after great mental       
conflicts and agonies must come a       
reaction1 and the ,divine ,spirit1      
co-working with our spirit1 seizes the  
favorable moment1 and1 interpenetrating 
natural laws with a celestial vitality1 
carries up the soul to joys beyond the  
ordinary possibilities of mortality4    
,it is said that gardeners1 sometimes1  
when they would bring a rose to richer  
flowering1 deprive it1 for a season1 of 
light and moisture4 ,silent and dark it 
stands1 dropping one fading leaf after  
another1 and seeming to go down         
patiently to death4 ,but when every leaf
 is dropped1 and the plant stands       
stripped to the uttermost1 a new life is
 even then working in the buds1 from    
which shall spring a tender foliage and 
a brighter wealth of flowers4 ,so1 often
 in celestial gardening1 every leaf of  
earthly joy must drop1 before a new and 
divine bloom visits the soul4           
,gradually1 as months passed away1 the  
floods grew still2 the mighty rushes of 

the inner tides ceased to dash4 ,there  
came first a delicious calmness1 and    
then a celestial inner clearness1 in    
which the soul seemed to lie quiet as an
 untroubled ocean1 reflecting heaven4   
,then came the fulness of mysterious    
communion given to the pure in          
heart1--that advent of the ,comforter in
 the soul1 teaching all things and      
bringing all things to remembrance2 and 
,mary moved in a world transfigured by a
 celestial radiance4 ,her face1 so long 
mournfully calm1 like some chiselled    
statue of ,patience1 now wore a         
radiance1 as when one places a light    
behind some alabaster screen sculptured 
with mysterious and holy emblems1 and   
words of strange sweetness broke from   
her1 as if one should hear snatches of  
music from a door suddenly opened in    
heaven4 ,something wise and strong and  
sacred gave an involuntary impression of
 awe in her looks and words2--it was not
 the childlike loveliness of early days1
 looking with dovelike1 ignorant eyes on

 sin and sorrow2 but the victorious     
sweetness of that great multitude who   
have come out of great tribulation1     
having washed their robes and made them 
white in the blood of the ,lamb4 ,in her
 eyes there was that nameless depth that
 one sees with awe in the ,sistine      
,madonna1--eyes that have measured      
infinite sorrow and looked through it to
 an infinite peace4  ,my dear ,madam1   
said the ,doctor to ,mrs4 ,scudder1 ,i  
cannot but think that there must be some
 uncommonly gracious exercises passing  
in the mind of your daughter2 for ,i    
observe1 that1 though she is not        
inclined to conversation1 she seems to  
be much in prayer2 and ,i have1 of late1
 felt the sense of a ,divine ,presence  
with her in a most unusual degree4 ,has 
she opened her mind to you8  ,mary was  
always a silent girl1 said ,mrs4        
,scudder1 and not given to speaking of  
her own feelings2 indeed1 until she gave
 you an account of her spiritual state1 
on joining the church1 ,i never knew    

what her exercises were4 ,hers is a most
 singular case4 ,i never knew the time  
when she did not seem to love ,god more 
than anything else4 ,it has disturbed me
 sometimes1--because ,i did not know but
 it might be mere natural sensibility1  
instead of gracious affection4  ,do not 
disturb yourself1 ,madam1 said the      
,doctor4 ,the ,spirit worketh when1     
where1 and how ,he will2 and1           
undoubtedly1 there have been cases where
 ,his operations commence exceedingly   
early4 ,mr4 ,edwards relates a case of a
 young person who experienced a marked  
conversion when three years of age2 and 
,jeremiah was called from the womb4     
7,jeremiah1 i4 #e47 ,in all cases we    
must test the quality of the evidence   
without relation to the time of its     
commencement4 ,i do not generally lay   
much stress on our impressions1 which   
are often uncertain and delusive2 yet ,i
 have had an impression that the ,lord  
would be pleased to make some singular  
manifestations of ,his grace through    

this young person4 ,in the economy of   
grace there is neither male nor female2 
and ,peter says 7,acts1 ii4 #ag7 that   
the ,spirit of the ,lord shall be poured
 out and your sons and your daughters   
shall prophesy4 ,yet if we consider that
 the ,son of ,god1 as to his human      
nature1 was made of a woman1 it leads us
 to see that in matters of grace ,god   
sets a special value on woman's nature  
and designs to put special honor upon   
it4 ,accordingly1 there have been in the
 ,church1 in all ages1 holy women who   
have received the ,spirit and been      
called to a ministration in the things  
of ,god1--such as ,deborah1 ,huldah1 and
 ,anna1 the prophetess4 ,in our own     
days1 most uncommon manifestations of   
divine grace have been given to holy    
women4 ,it was my privilege to be in the
 family of ,president ,edwards at a time
 when ,northampton was specially        
visited1 and his wife seemed and spoke  
more like a glorified spirit than a     
mortal woman1--and multitudes flocked to

 the house to hear her wonderful words4 
,she seemed to have such a sense of the 
,divine love as was almost beyond the   
powers of nature to endure4 ,just to    
speak the words1 ',our ,father who art  
in heaven1' would overcome her with such
 a manifestation that she would become  
cold and almost faint2 and though she   
uttered much1 yet she told us that the  
divinest things she saw could not be    
spoken4 ,these things could not be      
fanaticism1 for she was a person of a   
singular evenness of nature1 and of     
great skill and discretion in temporal  
matters1 and of an exceeding humility1  
sweetness1 and quietness of disposition4
  ,i have observed of late1 said ,mrs4  
,scudder1 that1 in our praying circles1 
,mary seemed much carried out of        
herself1 and often as if she would      
speak1 and with difficulty holding      
herself back4 ,i have not urged her1    
because ,i thought it best to wait till 
she should feel full liberty4  ,therein 
you do rightly1 ,madam1 said the        

,doctor2 but ,i am persuaded you will   
hear from her yet4  ,it came at length1 
the hour of utterance4 ,and one day1 in 
a praying circle of the women of the    
church1 all were startled by the clear  
silver tones of one who sat among them  
and spoke with the unconscious          
simplicity of an angel child1 calling   
,god her ,father1 and speaking of an    
ineffable union in ,christ1 binding all 
things together in one1 and making all  
complete in ,him4 ,she spoke of a love  
passing knowledge1--passing all love of 
lovers or of mothers1--a love forever   
spending1 yet never spent1--a love ever 
pierced and bleeding1 yet ever constant 
and triumphant1 rejoicing with infinite 
joy to bear in its own body the sins and
 sorrows of a universe1--conquering1    
victorious love1 rejoicing to endure1   
panting to give1 and offering its whole 
self with an infinite joyfulness for our
 salvation4 ,and when1 kneeling1 she    
poured out her soul in prayer1 her words
 seemed so many winged angels1 musical  

with unearthly harpings of an untold    
blessedness4 ,they who heard her had the
 sensation of rising in the air1 of     
feeling a celestial light and warmth1   
descending into their souls2 and when1  
rising1 she stood silent and with       
downcast drooping eyelids1 there were   
tears in all eyes1 and a hush in all    
movements as she passed1 as if something
 celestial were passing out4  ,miss     
,prissy came rushing homeward1 to hold a
 private congratulatory talk with the   
,doctor and ,mrs4 ,scudder1 while ,mary 
was tranquilly setting the tea-table and
 cutting bread for supper4  ,to see her 
now1 certainly1 said ,miss ,prissy1     
moving round so thoughtful1 not         
forgetting anything1 and doing          
everything so calm1 you wouldn't 'a'    
thought it could be her that spoke those
 blessed words and made that prayer6    
,well1 certainly1 that prayer seemed to 
take us all right up and put us down in 
heaven6 and when ,i opened my eyes1 and 
saw the roses and asparagus-bushes on   

the manteltree-piece1 ,i had to ask     
myself1 ',where have ,i been8' ,oh1     
,miss ,scudder1 her afflictions have    
been sanctified to her6--and really1    
when ,i see her going on so1 ,i feel she
 can't be long for us4 ,they say1 dying 
grace is for dying hours2 and ,i'm sure 
this seems more like dying grace than   
anything that ,i ever yet saw4  ,she is 
a precious gift1 said the ,doctor2 let  
us thank the ,lord for his grace through
 her4 ,she has evidently had a          
manifestation of the ,beloved1 and      
feedeth among the lilies 7,canticles1   
vi4 #c72 and we will not question the   
,lord's further dispensations concerning
 her4  ,certainly1 said ,miss ,prissy1  
briskly1 it's never best to borrow      
trouble2 'sufficient unto the day' is   
enough1 to be sure4--,and now1 ,miss    
,scudder1 ,i thought ,i'd just take a   
look at that dove-colored silk of yours 
to-night1 to see what would have to be  
done with it1 because ,i must make every
 minute tell2 and you know ,i lose half 

a day every week for the prayer-meeting4
 ,though ,i ought not to say ,i lose it1
 either2 for ,i was telling ,miss       
,general ,wilcox ,i wouldn't give up    
that meeting for bags and bags of gold4 
,she wanted me to come and sew for her  
one ,wednesday1 and says ,i1 ',miss     
,wilcox1 ,i'm poor and have to live by  
my work1 but ,i a'n't so poor but what  
,i have some comforts1 and ,i can't give
 up my prayer-meeting for any           
money1--for you see1 if one gets a      
little lift there1 it makes all the work
 go lighter1--but then ,i have to be    
particular to save up every scrap and   
end of time4  ,mrs4 ,scudder and ,miss  
,prissy crossed the kitchen and entered 
the bedroom1 and soon had the           
dove-colored silk under consideration4  
,well1 ,miss ,scudder1 said ,miss       
,prissy1 after mature investigation1    
here's a broad hem1 not cut at all on   
the edge1 as ,i see1 and that might be  
turned down1 and so cut off the worn    
spot up by the waist1--and then1 if it  

is turned1 it will look every bit and   
grain as well as a new silk2--,i'll sit 
right down now and go to ripping4 ,i put
 my ripping-knife into my pocket when ,i
 put on this dress to go to             
prayer-meeting1 because1 says ,i to     
myself1 there'll be something to do at  
,miss ,scudder's to-night4 ,you just get
 an iron to the fire1 and we'll have it 
all ripped and pressed out before dark4 
,miss ,prissy seated herself at the open
 window1 as cheery as a fresh           
apple-blossom1 and began busily plying  
her knife1 looking at the garment she   
was ripping with an astute air1 as if   
she were about to circumvent it into    
being a new dress by some surprising act
 of legerdemain4 ,mrs4 ,scudder walked  
to the looking-glass and began changing 
her bonnet cap for a tea-table one4     
,miss ,prissy1 after a while1 commenced 
in a mysterious tone4  ,miss ,scudder1  
,i know folks like me shouldn't have    
their eyes open too wide1 but then ,i   
can't help noticing some things4 ,did   

you see the ,doctor's face when we was  
talking to him about ,mary8 ,why1 he    
colored all up and the tears came into  
his eyes4 ,it's my belief that that     
blessed man worships the ground she     
treads on4 ,i don't mean worships1      
either1--'cause that would be wicked1   
and he's too good a man to make a graven
 image of anything1--but it's clear to  
see that there a'n't anybody in the     
world like ,mary to him4 ,i always did  
think so2 but ,i used to think ,mary was
 such a little poppet--that she'd do    
better for--,well1 you know1 ,i thought 
about some younger man2--but1 laws1 now 
,i see how she rises up to be ahead of  
everybody1 and is so kind of            
solemn-like4 ,i can't but see the       
leadings of ,providence4 ,what a        
minister's wife she'd be1 ,miss         
,scudder6--why1 all the ladies coming   
out of prayer-meeting were speaking of  
it4 ,you see1 they want the ,doctor to  
get married2--it seems more             
comfortable-like to have ministers      

married2 one feels more free to open    
their exercises of mind2 and as ,miss   
,deacon ,twitchel said to me1--',if the 
,lord had made a woman o' purpose1 as he
 did for ,adam1 he wouldn't have made   
her a bit different from ,mary          
,scudder4' ,why1 the oldest of us would 
follow her lead1--'cause she goes before
 us without knowing it4  ,i feel that   
the ,lord has greatly blessed me in such
 a child1 said ,mrs4 ,scudder1 and ,i   
feel disposed to wait the leadings of   
,providence4  ,just exactly1 said ,miss 
,prissy1 giving a shake to her silk2 and
 as ,miss ,twitchel said1 in this case  
every providence seems to p'int4 ,i felt
 dreadfully for her along six months    
back2 but now ,i see how she's been     
brought out1 ,i begin to see that things
 are for the best1 perhaps1 after all4  
,i can't help feeling that ,jim ,marvyn 
is gone to heaven1 poor fellow6 ,his    
father is a deacon1--and such a good    
man6--and ,jim1 though he did make a    
great laugh wherever he went1 and       

sometimes laughed where he hadn't ought 
to1 was a noble-hearted fellow4 ,now1 to
 be sure1 as the ,doctor says1 'amiable 
instincts a'n't true holiness'2 but then
 they are better than unamiable ones1   
like ,simeon ,brown's4 ,i do think1 if  
that man is a ,christian1 he is a       
dreadful ugly one2 he snapped me short  
up about my change1 when he settled with
 me last ,tuesday2 and if ,i hadn't felt
 that it was a sinful rising1 ,i should 
have told him ,i'd never put foot in his
 house again2 ,i'm glad1 for my part1   
he's gone out of our church4 ,now ,jim  
,marvyn was like a prince to poor       
people2 and ,i remember once his mother 
told him to settle with me1 and he gave 
me 'most double1 and wouldn't let me    
make change4 ',confound it all1 ,miss   
,prissy1' says he1 ',i wouldn't stitch  
as you do from morning to night for     
double that money4' ,now ,i know we     
can't do anything to recommend ourselves
 to the ,lord1 but then ,i can't help   
feeling some sorts of folks must be by  

nature more pleasing to ,him than       
others4 ,david was a man after ,god's   
own heart1 and he was a generous1       
whole-souled fellow1 like ,jim ,marvyn1 
though he did get carried away by his   
spirits sometimes and do wrong things2  
and so ,i hope the ,lord saw fit to make
 ,jim one of the elect4 ,we don't ever  
know what ,god's grace has done for     
folks4 ,i think a great many are        
converted when we know nothing about it1
 as ,miss ,twitchel told poor old ,miss 
,tyrel1 who was mourning about her son1 
a dreadful wild boy1 who was killed     
falling from mast-head2 she says1 that  
from the mast-head to the deck was time 
enough for divine grace to do the work4 
,i have always had a trembling hope for 
poor ,james1 said ,mrs4 ,scudder1--not  
on account of any of his good deeds or  
amiable traits1 because election is     
without foresight of any good           
works1--but ,i felt he was a child of   
the covenant1 at least by the father's  
side1 and ,i hope the ,lord has heard   

his prayer4 ,these are dark providences2
 the world is full of them2 and all we  
can do is to have faith that the ,lord  
will bring infinite good out of finite  
evil1 and make everything better than if
 the evil had not happened4 ,that's what
 our good ,doctor is always repeating2  
and we must try to rejoice1 in view of  
the happiness of the universe1 without  
considering whether we or our friends   
are to be included in it or not4  ,well1
 dear me6 said ,miss ,prissy1 ,i hope1  
if that is necessary1 it will please the
 ,lord to give it to me2 for ,i don't   
seem to find any powers in me to get up 
to it4 ,but all's for the best1 at any  
rate1--and that's a comfort4  ,just at  
this moment ,mary's clear voice at the  
door announced that tea was on the      
table4  ,coming1 this very minute1 said 
,miss ,prissy1 bustling up and pulling  
off her spectacles4 ,then1 running      
across the room1 she shut the door      
mysteriously1 and turned to ,mrs4       
,scudder with the air of an impending   

secret4 ,miss ,prissy was subject to    
sudden impulses of confidence1 in which 
she was so very cautious that not the   
thickest oak-plank door seemed secure   
enough1 and her voice dropped to its    
lowest key4 ,the most important and     
critical words were entirely omitted1 or
 supplied by a knowing wink and a slight
 stamp of the foot4  ,in this mood she  
now approached ,mrs4 ,scudder1 and1     
holding up her hand on the door-side to 
prevent consequences1 if1 after all she 
should be betrayed into a loud word1 she
 said1 ,i thought ,i'd just say1 ,miss  
,scudder1 that1 in case ,mary should    
---- the ,doctor1--in case1 you know1   
there should be a ---- in the house1 you
 must just contrive it so as to give me 
a month's notice1 so that ,i could give 
you a whole fortnight to fix her up as  
such a good man's ---- ought to be4 ,now
 ,i know how spiritually-minded our     
blessed ,doctor is2 but1 bless you1     
,ma'am1 he's got eyes4 ,i tell you1     
,miss ,scudder1 these men1 the best of  

'em1 feel what's what1 though they don't
 know much4 ,i saw the ,doctor look at  
,mary that night ,i dressed her for the 
wedding-party4 ,i tell you he'd like to 
have his wife look pretty well1 and     
he'll get up some blessed text or other 
about it1 just as he did that night     
about being brought unto the king in    
raiment of needle-work4 ,that is an     
encouraging thought to us sewing-women4 
,but this thing was spoken of after the 
meeting4 ,miss ,twitchel and ,miss      
,jones were talking about it2 and they  
all say that there would be the best    
setting-out got for her that was ever   
seen in ,newport1 if it should happen4  
,why1 there's reason in it4 ,she ought  
to have at least two real good ,india   
silks that will stand alone1--and you'll
 see she'll have 'em1 too2 you let me   
alone for that2 and ,i was thinking1 as 
,i lay awake last night1 of a new way of
 making up1 that you will say is just   
the sweetest that ever you did see4 ,and
 ,miss ,jones was saying that she hoped 

there wouldn't anything happen without  
her knowing it1 because her husband's   
sister in ,philadelphia has sent her a  
new receipt for cake1 and she has tried 
it and it came out beautifully1 and she 
says she'll send some in4  ,all the time
 that this stream was flowing1 ,mrs4    
,scudder stood with the properly        
reserved air of a discreet matron1 who  
leaves all such matters to ,providence1 
and is not supposed unduly to anticipate
 the future2 and1 in reply1 she warmly  
pressed ,miss ,prissy's hand1 and       
remarked1 that no one could tell what a 
day might bring forth1--and other       
general observations on the uncertainty 
of mortal prospects1 which form a       
becoming shield when people do not wish 
to say more exactly what they are       
thinking of4  ,to be continued4         
,,once ,,and ,,now4   ,the ,mourner lies
 in the solemn room     ,where his ,dead
 hath lately lain2 ,and in the drear1   
oppressive gloom1 ,death-pallid with the
 dying moon1     ,there pass before his 

brain1 ,in blended visions manifold1    
,the present and the days of old4  ,fair
 falls the snow on her grave to-day1    
,shrouding her sleep sublime2 ,but he   
sees in the sunny far-away ,none among  
maidens so fair and gay     ,as she in  
her sweet spring-time3 ,where the song  
and the sport and the revel be1 ,none   
among maidens so fair as she4  ,he marks
 where the perfect crescent dips        
,above the heaven of her eyes1 ,her     
beamy hair in soft eclipse1 ,the red    
enchantment of her lips1     ,and all   
the grace that lies ,dreaming in her    
neck's pure curve1 ,with its regal lift 
and its swanlike swerve4  ,in pictures  
which are forever joys1     ,she cometh 
to him once more3 ,once1 with her dainty
 foot a-poise1 ,she drives the bird with
 a merry noise     ,from her lifted     
battledoor1 ,and tosses back1 with      
impatient air1 ,the ruffled glory of her
 hair2--  ,then gayly draping a painted 
doll1     ,to please an eager child2 ,or
 pacing athwart a stately hall2 ,or     

kneeling at dewy evenfall1     ,when    
clouds are crimson-piled1 ,and all the  
hushed and scented air ,is tremulous    
with the voice of prayer2--  ,or        
standing mute and rapture-bound     ,the
 while her sisters sing2 ,from voice and
 lute there floats around ,a golden     
confluence of sound1     ,spreading in  
fairy ring2 ,and with a beautiful grace 
and glow ,her head sways to the music's 
flow4  ,one night of nights in lustrous 
,june1     ,she walks with him alone2   
,through silver glidings of the moon    
,the runnels purl a dreamy tune2        
,his arm is round her thrown3 ,but looks
 and sounds far lovelier ,thrill on his 
tranced soul from her4  ,and then that  
rounded bliss1 increased     ,to one    
consummate hour6 ,the marriage-robe1 the
 stoled priest1 ,the kisses when the    
rite hath ceased1     ,and with her     
heart's rich dower ,she standeth by his 
shielding side1 ,his wedded wife and his
 own bright bride6  ,and then the sacred
 influence     ,that flushed her flower 

to prime6 ,through ,love's divine       
omnipotence ,she ripened to a mother    
once1     ,but once1 and for all time3  
,no higher heaven on him smiled ,than   
that young mother and her child4  ,then 
all the pleasant household scenes       
,through all the latter years6 ,no murky
 shadow intervenes1-- ,her gentle aspect
 only leans     ,through the soft mist  
of tears2 ,her sweet1 warm smile1 her   
welkin glance1-- ,there is no speech nor
 utterance4  ,o angel form1 ,o darling  
face1     ,slow fading from the shore6  
,o brave1 true heart1 whose warmest     
place ,was his alone by ,love's sweet   
grace1     ,still1 still1 forevermore6  
,and now he lonely lieth1               
broken-hearted2 ,for all the grace and  
glory have departed4  ,snow-cold in     
sculptured calm she lies1               
,apparelled saintly white2 ,on her      
sealed lips no sweet replies1 ,and the  
blue splendor of her eyes     ,gone down
 in dreamless night2 ,all empery of     
,death expressed ,in that inexorable    

rest6  ,now leave this fair and holy    
,thing     ,alone with ,god's dear      
grace6 ,her grave is but the entering   
,beneath the shadow of ,his wing1       
,her trusty hiding-place1 ,till1 in the 
grand1 sweet ,dawn1 at last1 ,this      
tyranny be overpast4     ,a ,,trip ,,to 
,,cuba4  ,,can ,,grande',s              
,,departure4--,,the                     
,,dominica4--,,lottery-,,tickets4   ,i  
have not told you how ,can ,grande took 
leave of the ,isle of ,rogues1 as one of
 our party christened the fair ,queen of
 the ,antilles4 ,i could not tell you   
how he loathed the goings on at ,havana1
 how hateful he found the ,spaniards1   
and how villainous the ,american        
hotel-keepers4 ,his superlatives of     
censure were in such constant employment
 that they began to have a threadbare   
sound before he left us2 and as he has  
it in prospective to run the gantlet of 
all the inn-keepers on the continent of 
,europe1 to say nothing of farther      
lands1 where inn-keepers would be a     

relief1 there is no knowing what        
exhaustion his powers in this sort may  
undergo before he reaches us again4 ,he 
may break down into weak1 compliant     
good-nature1 and never be able to abuse 
anybody again1 as long as he lives4 ,in 
that case1 his past life and his future1
 taken together1 will make a very       
respectable average4 ,but the climate   
really did not suit him1 the company did
 not satisfy him1 and there came a      
moment when he said1 ,i can bear it no  
longer6 and we answered1 ,go in peace6  
,it now becomes me to speak of ,sobrina1
 who has long been on a temperance      
footing1 and who forgets even to blush  
when the former toddy is mentioned1     
though she still shudders at the        
remembrance of sour-sop4 ,she is the    
business-man of the party2 and while    
philosophy and highest considerations   
occupy the others1 with an occasional   
squabble over virtue and the rights of  
man1 she changes lodgings1 hires carts1 
transports baggage1 and1 knowing        

half-a-dozen words of ,spanish1 makes   
herself clearly comprehensible to       
everybody4 ,we have found a ,spanish    
steamer for ,can ,grande2 but she rows  
thither in a boat and secures his       
passage and state-room4 ,the noontide   
sun is hot upon the waters1 but her zeal
 is hotter still4 ,now she has made a   
curious bargain with her boatmen1 by    
which they are to convey the whole party
 to the steamer on the fourth day4      
,what did you tell them8 we asked4  ,i  
said1 tres noches 7three nights7 and un 
dia1 7one day17 and then took out my    
watch and showed them five o'clock on   
it1 and pointed to the boat and to      
myself4 ,they understood1 perfectly4    
,and so1 in truth1 they did2 for1 going 
to the wharf on the day and at the hour 
appointed1 we found the boatmen in      
waiting1 with eager faces4 ,but here a  
new difficulty presented itself2--the   
runner of our hotel1 a rascal ,german1  
whose ,cuban life has sharpened his wits
 and blunted his conscience1 insisted   

that the hiring of boats for the lodgers
 was one of his 7many7 perquisites1 and 
that before his sovereign prerogative   
all other agreements were null and      
void4--,n4,b4 ,there was always         
something experimentative about this    
man's wickedness4 ,he felt that he did  
not know how far men might be gulled1 or
 the point where they would be likely to
 resist4 ,this was a fault of youth4    
,with increasing years and experience he
 will become bolder and more skilful1   
and bids fair1 we should say1 to become 
one of the most dexterous operators     
known in his peculiar line4 ,on the     
present occasion1 he did not heed the   
piteous pleadings of the disappointed   
boatmen1 nor ,sobrina's explanations1   
nor ,can ,grande's arguments4 ,but when 
the whole five of us fixed upon him our 
mild and scornful eyes1 something within
 him gave way4 ,he felt a little bit of 
the moral pressure of ,boston1 and      
feebly broke down1 saying1 ,you better  
do as you like1 then1 and so the point  

was carried4  ,a pleasant run brought us
 to the side of the steamer4 ,it was    
dusk already as we ascended her steep   
gangway1 and from that to darkness there
 is1 at this season1 but the interval of
 a breath4 ,dusk1 too1 were our         
thoughts1 at parting from ,can ,grande1 
the mighty1 the vehement1 the great     
fighter4 ,how were we to miss his deep  
music1 here and at home6 ,with his      
assistance we had made a very           
respectable band2 now we were to be only
 a wandering drum and fife1--the fife   
particularly shrill1 and the drum       
particularly solemn4 ,well1 we went     
below1 and examined the little den where
 ,can ,grande was to pass the other     
seven days of his tropical voyaging4    
,the berths were arranged the wrong     
way1--across1 not along1 the            
vessel1--and we foresaw that his head   
would go up and his feet down1 and vice 
versa1 with every movement of the       
steamer1 and our weak brains reeled at  
the bare thought of what he was to      

suffer4 ,he1 good soul1 meanwhile1 was  
thinking of his supper1 and wondering if
 he could get tea1 coffee1 and          
chocolate1 a toasted roll1 and the touch
 of cold ham which an invalid loves4    
,and we beheld1 and they were bringing  
up the side of the vessel trays of      
delicious pastry1 and festoons of fowls1
 with more literal butcher's meat4 ,and 
we said1 ,there will be no famine on    
board4 ,make the most of your supper1   
,can ,grande2 for it will be the last of
 earth to you1 for some time to come4   
,and now came silence1 and tears1 and   
last embraces2 we slipped down the      
gangway into our little craft1 and1     
looking up1 saw1 bending above us1      
between the slouched hat and the silver 
beard1 the eyes that we can never       
forget1 that seemed to drop back in the 
darkness with the solemnity of a last   
farewell4 ,we went home1 and the drum   
hung himself gloomily on his peg1 and   
the little fife shut up for the         
remainder of the evening4  ,has ,mr4    

,dana described the ,dominica1 ,i       
wonder8 ,well1 if he has1 ,i cannot help
 it4 ,he never can have eaten so many   
ices there as ,i have1 nor passed so    
many patient hours amid the screeching1 
chattering1 and devouring1 which make it
 most like a cage of strange birds1 or  
the monkey department in the ,jardin des
 ,plantes4--,mem4 ,i always observed    
that the monkeys just mentioned seemed  
far more mirthful than their brethren in
 the ,london ,zooelogical ,gardens4     
,they form themselves1 so to speak1 on a
 livelier model1 and feel themselves    
more at home with their hosts4  ,but the
 ,dominica4 ,you know1 probably1 that it
 is the great cafe of ,havana4 ,all the 
day long it is full of people of all    
nations1 sipping ices1 chocolate1 and so
 on2 and all night long1 also1 up to the
 to me very questionable hour when its  
patrons go home and its garcons go to   
bed4 ,we often found it a welcome refuge
 at noon1 when the douche of sunlight on
 one's cervix bewilders the faculties1  

and confuses one's principles of        
gravitation1 toleration1 etc41 etc4 ,you
 enter from the ,tophet of the street1  
and the intolerable glare is at once    
softened to a sort of golden shadow4    
,the floor is of stone2 in the midst    
trickles a tiny fountain with golden    
network2 all other available space is   
crowded with marble tables1 square or   
round2 and they1 in turn1 are scarcely  
visible for the swarm of black-coats    
that gather round them4 ,the smoke of   
innumerable cigars gives a ,rembrandtic 
tinge to the depths of the picture1 and 
the rows and groups of nodding ,panama  
hats are like very dull flower-beds4 ,in
 the company1 of course1 the            
,spanish-,cuban element largely         
predominates2 yet here and there the    
sharper ,english breaks upon the ear4   
,yes1 ,i went to that plantation2 but   
they have only one thousand boxes of    
sugar1 and we want three thousand for   
our operation4  ,a ,yankee1 you say4    
,yes1 certainly2 and turning1 you see   

the tall1 strong ,philadelphian from our
 hotel1 who calls for everything by its 
right name1 and always says1 ,mas6 mas6 
when the waiter helps him to ice4 ,some 
one near us is speaking a fuller        
,english1 with a richer r and deeper    
intonation4 ,see there6 that is our own 
jolly captain1 ,brownless of ours1 the  
,king of the ,karnak2 and going up to   
the ,british lion1 we shake the noble   
beast heartily by the paw4  ,the people 
about us are imbibing a variety of      
cooling liquids4 ,our turn comes at     
last4 ,the garcon who says1 ,i speke    
,aingliss1 brings us each a delicious   
orange granizada1 a sort of half-frozen 
water-ice1 familiar to ,italy1 but      
unknown in ,america4 ,it is ice in the  
first enthusiasm of                     
freezing1--condensed1 not hardened4     
,promoting its liquefaction with the    
spoon1 you enjoy it through the         
mediation of a straw4 ,the unskilful    
make strange noises and gurglings       
through this tenuis avena2 but to those 

who have not forgotten the              
accomplishment of suction1 as acquired  
at an early period of existence1 the    
modus in quo is easy and agreeable4     
,you will hardly weary of watching the  
groups that come and go and sit and talk
 in this dreamy place4 ,if you are a    
lady1 every black eye directs its full1 
tiresome stare at your face1 no matter  
how plain that face may be4 ,but you    
have learned before this to consider    
those eyes as so many black dots1 so    
many marks of wonder with no sentence   
attached2 and so you coolly pursue your 
philosophizing in your corner1 strong in
 the support of a companion1 who1 though
 deeply humanitarian and peaceful1 would
 not hesitate to punch any number of    
,spanish heads that should be necessary 
for the maintenance of your comfort and 
his dignity4  ,the scene is occasionally
 varied by the appearance of a          
beggar-woman1 got up in great decency1  
and with a wonderful air of pinched and 
faded gentility4 ,she wears an old shawl

 upon her head1 but it is as nicely     
folded as an aristocratic mantilla2 her 
feet are cased in the linen slippers    
worn by the poorer classes1 but there   
are no unsavory rags and dirt about her4
 ,that good walk of yours1 friend1 ,i   
thought1 does not look like starvation4 
,yet1 if over there were a moment when  
one's heart should soften towards an    
imposing fellow-creature1 it is when one
 is in the midst of the orange          
granizada4 ,the beggar circles slowly   
and mournfully round all the marble     
tables in turn1 holding out her hand to 
each1 as the plate is offered at a      
church collection4 ,she is not          
importunate2 but1 looking in each one's 
face1 seems to divine whether he will   
give or no4 ,a ,yankee1 sitting with a  
,spaniard1 offers her his cigar4 ,the   
,spaniard gravely pushes the cigar away1
 and gives her a medio4  ,more          
pertinacious is the seller of           
lottery-tickets1 male or female1 who has
 more at stake1 and must run the risk of

 your displeasure for the chance of your
 custom4 ,even in your bed you are      
hardly safe from the ticket-vender4 ,you
 stand at your window1 and he1 waiting  
in the street1 perceives you1 and with  
nods1 winks1 and showing of his wares   
endeavors to establish a communication  
with you4 ,or you stop and wait         
somewhere in your volante1 and in the   
twinkling of an eye the wretch is at    
your side to bear you company till you  
drive off again4 ,at the ,dominica he is
 especially persevering1 and stands and 
waits with as much zeal as if he knew   
the saintly line of ,milton4 ,like the  
beggar1 however1 he is discriminative in
 the choice of his victims1 and         
persecutes the stony ,yankee less than  
the oily ,spaniard1 whose inbred        
superstitions force him to believe in   
luck4  ,very strange stories do they    
tell about the trade in                 
lottery-tickets1--strange1 at least1 to 
us1 who consider them the folly of      
follies4 ,here1 as in ,italy1 the       

lotteries are under the care of the     
,state1 and their administration is as  
careful and important as that of any    
other branch of finance4 ,they are a    
regular and even reputable mode of      
investment4 ,the wealthy commercial     
houses all own tickets1 sometimes       
keeping the same number for years1 but  
more frequently changing after each     
unsuccessful experiment4 ,a ,french     
gentleman in ,havana assured me that his
 tickets had already cost him seven     
thousand dollars4 ,and now1 said he1 ,i 
cannot withdraw1 for ,i cannot lose what
 ,i have already paid4 ,the number has  
not been up once in eight years2 its    
turn must come soon4 ,if ,i were to sell
 my ticket1 some one would be sure to   
draw the great prize with it the week   
after4 ,this1 perhaps1 is not very      
unlike the calculations of business     
risks most in vogue in our great cities4
 ,a single ticket costs an ounce        
7seventeen dollars72 but you are        
constantly offered fractions1 to an     

eighth or a sixteenth4 ,there are       
ticket-brokers who accommodate the      
poorer classes with interests to the    
amount of ten cents1 and so on4 ,thus1  
for them1 the lottery replaces the      
savings-bank1 with entire uncertainty of
 any return1 and the demoralizing       
process of expectation thrown into the  
bargain4 ,the negroes invest a good deal
 of money in this way1 and we heard in  
,matanzas a curious anecdote on this    
head4 ,a number of negroes1 putting     
their means together1 had commissioned a
 ticket-broker to purchase and hold for 
them a certain ticket4 ,after long      
waiting and paying up1 news came to     
,matanzas that the ticket had drawn the 
#ajj1jjj prize4 ,the owners of the      
negroes were in despair at this         
intelligence4 ,now my cook will buy     
himself1 says one2 my calesero will be  
free1 says another2 and so on4 ,the poor
 slaves ran1 of course1 in great        
agitation1 to get their money4 ,but1 lo6
 the office was shut up4 ,the rascal    

broker had absconded4 ,he had never run 
the risk of purchasing the ticket2 but  
had coolly appropriated this and similar
 investments to his own use1 preferring 
the bird in the hand to the whole aviary
 of possibilities4 ,he was never heard  
of more2 but should he ever turn up     
anywhere1 ,i commend him as the fittest 
subject for ,lynch-law on record4       
,well1 as ,i have told you1 all these   
golden chances wait for you at the      
,dominica1 and many ,americans buy1 and 
look very foolish when they acknowledge 
it4 ,the ,nassauese all bought largely  
during their short stay2 and even their 
little children held up with exultation 
their fragments of tickets1 all good for
 something1 and bad for something1 too4 
,if you visit the ,dominica in the      
evening1 you find the same crowd1 only  
with a sprinkling of women1 oftenest of 
your own country1 in audacious bonnets1 
and with voices and laughter which bring
 the black eyes upon them for a time4   
,if it be ,sunday evening1 you will see 

here and there groups of ladies in full 
ball-dress1 fresh from the ,paseo1 the  
volante waiting for them outside4 ,all  
is then at its gayest and busiest2 but  
your favorite waiter1 with              
disappointment in his eyes1 will tell   
you that there is no mas of your        
favorite granizada1 and will persuade   
you to take1 ,i know not what nauseous  
substitute in its place2 for all ices   
are not good at the ,dominica1 and some 
are 7excuse the word7 nasty4 ,people sit
 and sip1 prolonging their pleasures    
with dilatory spoon and indefatigable   
tongue4 ,group follows group2 but the   
,spaniards are what ,i should call heavy
 sitters1 and tarry long over their ice 
or chocolate4 ,the waiter invariably    
brings to every table a chafing-dish    
with a burning coal1 which will light a 
cigar long after its outer glow has     
subsided into ashy white4 ,some humans  
retain this kindling power2--vide ,ninon
 and the ancient ,goethe2--it is the    
heart of fire1 not the flame of beauty1 

that does it4 ,when one goes home1      
tired1 at ten or eleven1 the company    
shows no sign of thinning1 nor does one 
imagine how the ground is ever cleared1 
so as to allow an interval of sleep     
between the last ice at night and the   
first coffee in the morning4 ,it is the 
universal siesta which makes the ,cubans
 so bright and fresh in the evening4    
,with all this1 their habits are sober1 
and the evening refreshment always      
light4 ,no suppers are eaten here2 and  
it is even held dangerous to take fruit 
as late as eight o'clock1 ,p4,m4  ,the  
,dominica has still another aspect to   
you1 when you go there in the character 
of a citizen and head of family to order
 ,west ,india sweetmeats for            
home-consumption4 ,you utter the magic  
word dulces1 and are shown with respect 
into the establishment across the way1  
where a neat steam-engine is in full    
operation1 tended by blacks and whites1 
stripped above the waist1 and with no   
superfluous clothing below it4 ,here    

they grind the chocolate1 and make the  
famous preserves1 of which a list is    
shown you1 with prices affixed4 ,as you 
will probably lose some minutes in      
perplexity as to which are best for you 
to order1 let me tell you that the guava
 jelly and marmalade are first among    
them1 and there is no second4 ,you may  
throw in a little pine-apple1 mamey1    
lime1 and cocoa-plum2 but the guava is  
the thing1 and1 in case of a long run on
 the tea-table1 will give the most      
effectual support4 ,the limes used to be
 famous in our youth2 but in these days 
they make them hard and tough4 ,the     
marmalade of bitter oranges is one of   
the most useful of ,southern preserves2 
but ,i do not remember it on the list of
 the ,dominica4 ,having given your      
order1 let me further advise you to     
remain1 if practicable1 and see it      
fulfilled2 as you will find1 otherwise1 
divers trifling discrepancies between   
the bill and the goods as delivered1    
which1 though of course purely          

accidental1 will all be1 somehow1 to the
 ,dominica's advantage1 and not to      
yours4 ,if you are in moderate          
circumstances1 order eight or ten       
dollars' worth2 if affluent1 twenty or  
thirty dollars' worth2 if rash and      
extravagant1 you may rise even to sixty 
dollars2 but you will find in such an   
outlay food for repentance4 ,one word in
 your ear3 do not buy the syrups1 for   
they are made with very bad sugar1 and  
have no savor of the fruits they        
represent4  ,and this is all ,i can tell
 about the ,dominica1 which ,i recommend
 to all of you for refreshment and      
amusement4 ,we have nothing like it in  
,new ,york or ,boston1--our salons of   
the same description having in them much
 more to eat and much less to see4 ,as  
,i look back upon it1 the place assumes 
a deeply ,moorish aspect4 ,i see the    
fountain1 the golden light1 the dark    
faces1 and intense black eyes1 a little 
softened by the comforting distance4    
,oh6 to sit there for one hour1 and help

 the garcon's bad ,english1 and be      
pestered by the beggar1 and tormented by
 the ticket-vender1 and support the     
battery of the wondering looks1 which   
make it sin for you1 a woman1 to be     
abroad by day6 ,is there any purgatory  
which does not grow lovely as you       
remember it8 ,would not a man be hanged 
twice1 if he could8  ,to be continued4  
,,zelma',s ,,vow4  ,continued from the  
,july ,number4  ,,part ,,second4  ,,how 
,,it ,,was ,,kept4   ,it was late when  
,zelma ,burleigh returned to the        
,grange4 ,as she stole softly into the  
hall1 she startled an ,italian          
greyhound1 which was lying asleep on a  
mat near the door4 ,as he sprang up1 the
 little silver bells on his collar      
tinkled out his master's secret2--,sir  
,harry ,willerton was still in the      
drawing-room with ,bessie4  ,as ,zelma  
passed up to her chamber1 she said to   
herself bitterly1--,thus openly and     
fearlessly can the rich and well-born   
woo and be wooed1 while such as we must 

steal away to happiness as to crime1 and
 plight our vows under the chill and    
shadow of night6 ,but the next moment   
she felt that there was about her love a
 piquant sense of peril and lawlessness1
 a wild flavor infinitely more to her   
taste than would be any prudent1        
commendable affection grown in          
drawing-rooms1 nourished by             
conventionalism1 and propped by social  
fitness2 and remembering the manly      
beauty and brilliant parts of her lover1
 she felt that she would not exchange   
him for the proudest noble of the realm4
  ,after a time ,bessie came stealing up
 from the drawing-room1 and lay down by 
her cousin's side1 softly1 for fear of  
waking her2 and all night long ,bessie's
 secret curled about her smiling mouth1 
and quivered through the lids of her    
shut eyes1 and overran her red lips in  
murmurs of happy dreams2 but ,zelma's   
secret burned like slow fire in her     
deepest heart4 ,bessie dreamed of merry 
games and quiet rambles and country     

fetes with the gay ,sir ,harry2 but     
,zelma1 when at last she slept1 dreamed 
of wandering with her adventurous lover 
from province to province1--then of     
playing ,juliet to his ,romeo before a  
vast metropolitan audience4  ,days went 
on1 and ,bessie's pure1 transparent     
nature1 a lily-bud of sweetest          
womanhood1 seemed unconsciously         
revealing itself1 leaf by leaf1 to all  
the world1 and blooming out its         
beautiful innermost life2 but ,zelma's  
secret still smouldered in her shut     
heart1 never by any chance flaming up to
 her lips in words4 ,her month assumed a
 look of rigid resolution1 almost of    
desperation2 and her eyes shone with a  
hard1 diamond-like brilliancy1 fitful1  
but never soft or tearful4 ,her manner  
grew more and more moody and            
constrained1 till even her              
matter-of-fact uncle and aunt1 good easy
 souls1 and her absorbed cousin1 became 
curious and anxious4 ,the little elfish 
black pony was in more frequent request 

than ever2 for his mistress now went out
 at any hour that suited her whim1 in   
any weather1 chose the loneliest        
by-ways1 and rode furiously4 ,often1 at 
evening1 she ascended a dark gorge of   
the western hills and plunged down on   
the other side1 as though in hot pursuit
 of the setting sun2 and at length there
 came a report from the gossiping       
post-mistress of a little village over  
there1 that she came for letters1 which 
she duly received1 addressed in a       
dashing1 manly hand4 ,this story1 coming
 to the ears of ,roger ,burleigh1       
quickened his dull suspicions that      
something was wrong with that poor girl2
 and just as he was getting positive and
 peremptory1 and ,bessie perplexed and  
alarmed1 ,zelma disappeared6  ,for      
several days there were anxious         
inquiries and vain searches in every    
direction1--storming1 weeping1 and      
sleeplessness in the ,squire's usually  
happy household2 and then came a letter1
 whose ,scottish post-mark revealed much

 of the mystery4 ,it was from ,zelma1   
telling that she had left the ,grange   
forever1 and become the wife of ,mr4    
,bury1 the strolling player2 and saying 
that she had taken this step of her own 
free will1 knowing it to be a fatal1    
unpardonable sin against caste1 and that
 it would set a great gulf between her  
and her respectable relatives4 ,yet1 she
 asked1 had not a gulf of feeling1 as   
deep and wide1 ever separated their     
hearts from the gypsy's daughter8 and   
was it not better and more honest to    
break the weak social ties of protection
 and dependence which had stretched like
 wild vines across the chasm to hide it 
from the world8 ,she then bade them all 
an abrupt and final farewell ,it was a  
letter brief1 cold1 and curt1 almost to 
insolence2 but beneath her new name1    
which was dashed off with somewhat of a 
dramatic flourish1 there appeared       
hurriedly scrawled in pencil a woman's  
postscript1 containing the real soul of 
the letter1 a passionate burst of       

feeling1 a bitter cry of long-repressed1
 sorrowful tenderness4 ,it implored     
forgiveness for any pain she might ever 
have given them1 for any disgrace she   
might ever bring upon them1--it thanked 
and blessed them for past kindness1 and 
humbly prayed for them the choicest     
gifts and the most loving protection of 
,heaven4 ,this postscript was signed    
,zelle1--the orphan's childish and pet  
name at the ,grange1 which she now put  
off with the peace and purity of        
maidenhood and domestic life4  ,when it 
was known how ,zelma ,burleigh had fled1
 and with whom1 the neighboring gentry  
were duly shocked and scandalized4 ,the 
village gossips declared that they had  
always foreseen some such fate for that 
strange girl1 and sagely prophesied that
 the master of ,willerton ,hall would   
abandon all thought of an alliance with 
a family whose escutcheon had suffered  
so severely4 ,but they counted on the   
baronet1 not on the man1--and so1 for   
once1 were mistaken4  ,as for honest    

,roger ,burleigh1 he was beside himself 
with amazement and indignation at the   
folly and ingratitude of his niece and  
the measureless presumption of that     
infernal puppy of a play-actor1 as he   
denominated ,zelma's clever husband4    
,as he was one day talking over the sad 
affair with his friend ,sir ,harry1 who 
best succeeded in soothing him down1 he 
inveighed against all actors and        
actresses in the strongest terms of     
aversion and contempt1 giving free      
expression to the violent provincial    
prejudice of his time against players of
 all degrees4  ,but1 my dear ,sir1      
interrupted the young ,baronet1 your    
niece has not become an actress1--only  
the wife of a promising actor4          
,no1--but she will be one yet4 ,she's   
stage-struck now1 more than anything    
else2 and mark my words1--that villain  
will have her on the boards before the  
year's end1 and live by her ranting4    
,why1 you see1 ,sir ,harry1 strolling is
 in the blood1 and must out1 ,i suppose4

 ,the girl1 as you may have heard1 is   
half gypsy4 ,my brother1 ,captain       
,burleigh1 was a sad scamp1 and actually
 married a ,spanish ,zincala6 ,he was   
drunk at the time1 we have the          
consolation to believe1 or he could     
never have so far belied his good old   
,english blood1 dissipated dog as he    
was4 ,to be sure1 she saved his life    
once1 and really was a beautiful1       
devoted creature1 by all accounts2 and  
if ,zelma had done no worse than        
she1--run away with any poor devil1     
provided only he were a gentleman1--or  
if she had gone off vagabondizing with  
one of her mother's people1 it would not
 have been so infamous an affair as it  
is2 she might still have been accounted 
an honest woman2--but1 my ,god1 ,sir    
,harry1 a strolling player6  ,mrs4      
,burleigh was but a dutiful echo of her 
husband's prejudices1 and gave up her   
hapless niece as lost beyond redemption2
 but ,bessie1 though she grieved more   
than either1 suffered from no sense of  

humiliation1 and allowed no virtuous    
anger1 no injurious doubts1 to enter her
 blessed little heart4 ,yet she missed  
her lost companion1 her strong friend1  
and1 still vine-like in her instincts1  
turned wholly to the new support1--to   
one who submitted himself gladly to the 
sweet inthralment1 and felt all the     
grander for the luscious weight and     
tendril-like clasp4 ,and so ,love came  
to pretty ,bessie's heart with healing  
in his wings4         99       99       
99       99       99  ,unspeakable was  
the dismay of ,mr4 ,bury at finding that
 a very modest amount of personal       
property was all that his runaway wife  
could hope to receive from her          
relatives1--that she was utterly        
portionless1 her father having more than
 exhausted the patrimony of a younger   
son4 ,he had supposed1 from ,zelma's    
apparently honorable position in the    
household of her uncle1 that she was1 if
 not an heiress1 at least respectably   
dowered4 ,had he been better informed1  

it is doubtful whether1 improvident and 
enamored as he was1 he would have       
ruralized and practicalized ,romeo in   
the lane of ,burleigh ,grange4 ,zelma   
herself1 too unworldly to suspect that  
self-interest had anything to do with   
her conquest1 never alluded to her lack 
of dowry till it was too late4 ,then    
both manly shame and manly passion 7for 
the actor loved her in his way1 which   
was by no means her way1 or the way of  
any large1 loyal nature7 restrained all 
unbecoming expression of chagrin and    
disappointment1-- which yet sunk into   
his heart1 and prepared the not         
uncongenial coil for a goodly crop of   
suspicion1 jealousy1 alienation1        
aversion1 and all manner of domestic    
infelicities4  ,we cannot follow ,zelma 
step by step1 in her precarious and     
wandering life1 for the six months      
succeeding her marriage4 ,it was a life 
not altogether distasteful to her4 ,she 
was not enough of a fine lady to be     
dismayed or humiliated by its straits   

and shifts of poverty1 by its isolation 
and ostracism2 while there was something
 in its alternations of want and        
profusion1 in its piquant contrasts of  
real and mimic life1 in its excitement1 
action1 and change1 which had a peculiar
 charm for her wild and restless spirit4
 ,but from many of the associations of  
the stage1 from nearly all actors and   
actresses1 and from all green-room      
loungers1 she instinctively recoiled1   
and held herself haughtily aloof from   
the motley little world behind the      
scenes1--apparently by no effort1 but as
 sphered apart by the atmosphere of     
refinement and superiority which        
enveloped her4 ,yet she almost          
constantly accompanied her husband to   
rehearsal and play1 where1 for a time1  
her presence was grateful both to the   
pride and a more amiable passion of her 
mercurial lord4 ,but the sight of that  
shy1 shadowy figure haunting the wings1 
of those keen1 critical eyes ever       
following the business of the stage1 at 

last grew irksome to him1 and he would  
fain have persuaded her to remain       
quietly at their lodgings1 whilst he was
 attending to his professional duties4  
,but no1 she would go with him1--not for
 pleasure1 or even affection1 but1 as   
she always avowed1 for artistic         
purposes4 ,that she had cherished1 ever 
since her marriage1 the plan of adopting
 her husband's profession1 she had never
 concealed from him4 ,he usually        
laughed1 in his gay1 supercilious way1  
when she spoke of this purpose1 or      
lightly patted her grand head and       
declared her to be a wilful1 unpractical
 enthusiast1--too much a child of       
,nature to attempt an art of any        
kind1--born to live and be poetry1 not  
to declaim it1--to inspire genius1 not  
to embody it1--a ,muse1 not a ,sibyl4   
,once1 when she was more than usually   
earnest in pleading for her plan1--not  
merely on the strength of her own deep1 
prophetic conviction of her fitness for 
a dramatic career1 but on the ground of 

an urgent and bitter necessity for      
exertion on her part1 to ward off actual
 destitution and suffering1--he         
exclaimed1 somewhat impatiently1--,why1 
,zelma1 it is an impossibility1 almost  
an absurdity1 you urge6 ,you could never
 make an actress4 ,you are too          
hopelessly natural1 erratic1 and        
impulsive4 ,you would follow no teaching
 implicitly1 but1 when you saw fit1     
would trample on conventionalities and  
venerable stage-traditions4 ,you would  
set up the standard of revolt against   
the ancient canons of ,art1 and flout it
 in the faces of the critics1           
and--fail1--ay1 fail1 in spite of your  
great1 staring eyes1 the tragic weight  
of your brows1 and the fiery swell of   
your nostril4  ,i should certainly tread
 my own ways on the boards1 as          
elsewhere1 replied ,zelma1              
quietly1--move and act from the central 
force1 the instinct and inspiration of  
,nature1--letting the passion of my part
 work itself out in its own gestures1   

postures1 looks1 and tones1--falling    
short of1 or going beyond1 mere         
stage-traditions4 ,with all due         
deference for authorities1 this would be
 my art1 as it has been the art of all  
truly great actors4 ,i shall certainly  
not adopt my husband's profession       
without his consent1--but ,i shall never
 cease importuning him for that consent4
  ,lawrence laughed a laugh of merry    
scorn1 and left her to her solitary     
studies and the patient nursing of her  
purpose4  ,it was finally1 for ,zelma's 
sake1 through the unsolicited influence 
of ,sir ,harry ,willerton1 that ,mr4    
,lawrence ,bury1 ,tragedian1 attained to
 a high point in a provincial actor's   
ambition1--a ,london engagement4  ,after
 a disheartening period of waiting and  
idleness1 during which he and his wife  
made actual face-to-face acquaintance   
with want1 and both came near playing   
their parts in the high-tragedy of      
starvation in a garret1 he made his     
first appearance before the audience of 

,covent ,garden1 in the part of         
,mercutio4 ,he was young1 shapely1      
handsome1 and clever1--full of flash and
 dash1 and1 above all1 new4 ,he had     
chosen well his part1--,mercutio1--that 
graceful frolic of fancy1 which less    
requires sustained intellectual power   
than the exaltation of animal           
spirits1--that brief sunburst of life1  
that brilliant bubble of character1     
which reflects1 for a moment1 a world of
 beauty and sparkle1 and dies in a flash
 of wit1 yet leaves on the mind a want1 
a tender regret1 which follow one       
through all the storm and woe of the    
tragedy4  ,so it was little wonder1     
perhaps1 that he achieved a decided     
success1 though incomparably greater    
artists had failed where he triumphed1  
and that1 in spite of the doubtful looks
 and faint praise of the critics1 he    
became at once a public favorite1--the  
fashion1 the rage4 ,ladies of the       
highest ton condescended to admire and  
applaud1 and hailed as a benefactor the 

creator of a new sensation4  ,very soon 
the young actor's aspiring soul rose    
above all secondary parts1 dropped      
,mercutio and ,horatio for ,romeo and   
,hamlet1 and had not the sense to see   
that he was getting utterly out of his  
element1 dashing with silken sails into 
the tempest of tragedy1 soaring on      
,icarian wings over its profoundest     
deeps and into the height and heat of   
its intensest passion4  ,yet with the   
young1 the unthinking1 the eager1 the   
curious1 it was then as it is now and   
ever shall be1--confidence easily passed
 for genius1 and presumption for power4 
,tributes of admiration and envy poured 
in upon him1--anonymous missives1 tender
 and daring1 odorous with the atmosphere
 of luxurious boudoirs1 and coarse      
scrawls1 scented with orange-peel and   
lamp-smoke1 and seeming to hiss with the
 sibilant whisper of green-room spite2  
and the young actor1 valuing alike the  
sentiments1 kindly or malign1 which     
ministered to his egoism1 intoxicated   

with the first foamy draught of fame1   
grew careless1 freakish1 and arrogant1  
as all suddenly adopted pets of the     
public are likely to do4  ,at length    
,mr4 ,bury played before ,royalty1 and  
,royalty was heard to say to ,nobility  
in attendance1--,what6--,who is he8     
,where did he come from8 ,how old is he8
 ,not quite equal to ,garrick yet1 but  
clever1--eh1 my ,lord8  ,this gracious  
royal criticism1 being duly reported and
 printed1 removed the last let to       
aristocratic favor2 fast young bloods of
 the highest nobility did not acorn to  
shake off their perfumes and air their  
profane vocabulary in the green-room1   
offering snuff and the incense of       
flattery together to the ,tamerlane1 the
 ,romeo1 or the ,lord ,hamlet of the    
night4  ,happily1 with the actor's fame 
rose his salary2 and as both rose1 the  
actor and his wife descended from their 
lofty attic-room--into whose one window 
the stars looked with1 it seemed to     
,zelma1 a startling nearness--to        

respectable lodgings on the second      
floor4  ,it was during this first       
,london season that the manager of      
,covent ,garden1 himself an actor1      
remarked the rare capabilities of       
,zelma's face1 voice1 and figure for the
 stage1 and in a matter-of-fact business
 way spoke of them to her husband4 ,the 
leading actor looked annoyed1 and sought
 to change the subject of conversation2 
but as the wife's dreamy eyes flashed   
with sudden splendor1 revealing the true
 dramatic fire1 the manager returned    
upon him with his artistic convictions  
and practical arguments1 and at length  
wrung from him most reluctant consent   
that ,zelma1 after the necessary study1 
should make a trial of her powers4      
,though well over the first             
summer-warmth of his romantic passion1  
,lawrence ,bury had not yet grown so    
utterly cold toward his beautiful wife  
that he could see that trial approach   
without some slight sympathetic dread2  
but his miserable egoism forbade him to 

wish her success2 in his secret heart he
 even hoped that an utter1 irretrievable
 failure would wither at once and       
forever her pretty artistic aspirations4
  ,zelma chose for her debut the part of
 ,zara in ,the ,mourning ,bride1--not   
out of any love for the character1 which
 was too stormy1 vicious1 and revengeful
 to engage her sympathies1--but because 
it was rapid1 vehement1 sharply defined1
 and1 if realized at all1 she said1     
would put her1 by its very fierceness   
and wickedness1 too far out of herself  
for failure1--sweep her through the play
 like a whirlwind1 and give her no time 
to droop4 ,it had for her heart1        
moreover1 a peculiar charm of           
association1 as her first play1--as that
 in which she had first beheld the hero 
of her dreams1 the god of her idolatry1 
before whom she yet bowed1 but as with  
eyes cast down or veiled1 not in        
reverence1 but from a chill1 unavowed   
fear of beholding the very common clay  
of which he was fashioned4  ,the awful  

night of the debut arrived1 as doomsday 
will come at last2 and after having been
 elaborately arrayed for her part by a  
gossiping tire-woman1 who would chatter 
incessantly1 relating1 for the          
encouragement of the debutante1 tale    
after tale of stage-fright1 swoons1 and 
failure1--after having been plumed1     
powdered1 and most reluctantly rouged1  
the rose of nineteen summers having     
suddenly paled on her cheek1 ,zelma was 
silently conducted from her             
dressing-room by her husband1 who1 as   
,osmyn1 took his stand with her1 the    
guards1 and attendants at the left wing1
 awaiting the summons to the presence of
 ,king ,manuel4 ,as they were listening 
to the last tender bleating of ,almeria1
 the same pretty actress whom ,zelma had
 seen as ,zara at ,arden1 and the gruff 
responses of her sire1 an eager whisper 
ran through the group2--the ,king and   
,queen had entered the royal box6 ,this 
was quite unexpected1 and ,zelma was    
aghast4 ,involuntarily1 she stretched   

out her hand and grasped that of her    
husband2--as she did so1 the rattle of  
the chains on her wrist betrayed her4   
,the attendants looked round and        
smiled2--,lawrence frowned and turned   
away1 with a boy's pettishness4 ,he had 
been more than usually moody that day2  
but ,zelma had believed him troubled for
 her sake1 and even now interpreted his 
unkindness as nervous anxiety4  ,the    
next moment1 everything1 even he1 was   
forgotten2 for she stood1 she hardly    
knew how1 upon the stage1 receiving and 
mechanically acknowledging a great burst
 of generous ,british applause4  ,it was
 a greeting less complaisant and        
patronizing than is usually given to    
debutantes4 ,zelma's youthful charms1   
heightened by her sumptuous dress1 took 
her audience by surprise1 and1 while    
voice and action delayed1 made for her  
friends and favor1 and bribed judgment  
with beauty4  ,king ,manuel receives his
 captives with a courteous speech1--only
 a few lines2 but1 during their reading1

 through what a lifetime of fear1 of    
pain1 of unimaginable horrors passed    
,zelma6 ,stage-fright1 that waking      
nightmare of debutantes1 clutched her at
 once1 petrifying1 while it tortured    
her4 ,the house seemed to surge around  
her1 the stage to rock under her feet4  
,she fancied she heard low1 elfish      
laughter behind the scenes1 and already 
the hiss of the critics seemed to sing  
in her reeling brain4 ,a thousand eyes  
pierced her through and through1--seemed
 to see how the frightened blood had    
shrunk away from its mask of rouge and  
hidden in her heart1--how that poor     
childish heart fluttered and            
palpitated1--how near the hot tears were
 to the glazed eyeballs1--how fast the  
black1 obliterating shadows were        
creeping over the records of            
memory1--how the first instinct of fear1
 a blind impulse to flight1 was         
maddening her4  ,she raised her eyes to 
the royal box1 where sat a stout1       
middle-aged man1 with a dull1           

good-humored face1 a star and ribbon on 
his breast1 and by his side a woman1    
ample and motherly1 with an ugly tuft of
 feathers on her head1 and a diamond    
tiara1 which lit up her heavy ,dutch    
features like a torch4 ,the ,king1 the  
,queen6  ,just at this moment1 his      
,majesty was in gracious converse with a
 lady on his right1 a foreign princess1 
of an ancient1 unpronounceable title1--a
 thin1 colorless head and form1         
overloaded with immemorial              
family-jewels1--a mere frame of a woman1
 to hang brilliants upon4 ,she was one  
shine and shiver of diamonds1 from head 
to foot2--she palpitated light1 like a  
glow-worm4 ,her ,majesty1 meanwhile1 was
 regaling herself from a jewelled       
snuff-box1 and talking affably over her 
shoulder to her favorite mistress of the
 robes1 the fearful ,schwellenberg4     
,but ,zelma1 looking through the        
transfiguring atmosphere of loyalty1    
beheld the royal group encompassed by   
all the ideal splendor and sacredness of

 majesty2--over their very commonplace  
heads towered the airy crowns of a      
hundred regal ancestors1 piled round on 
round1 and glimmering away into the     
clouds4  ,ere she turned her fascinated 
eyes away from the august sight1 her cue
 was given4 ,she started1 and struggled 
to speak1 but her lips clung together4  
,there was a dull roar and whirl in her 
brain1 as of a vortex of waters4 ,in    
piteous appealing she looked into the   
face of her husband1 and caught on his  
lips a strange1 faint smile of mingled  
pity and exultation4 ,it stung her like 
a lash6 ,instantly she was herself1 or  
rather ,zara1 a captive1 but every inch 
a queen1 and delivered herself calmly   
and proudly1 though with a little       
tremble of her past agitation in her    
voice1--a thrill of womanly feeling1    
which felt its way at once to the hearts
 of her audience4  ,the first act1      
however1 afforded her so little scope   
for acting1 that she left the stage     
unassured of her own success4 ,there was

 doubt before and behind the curtain4   
,the critics had given no certain       
sign1--the general applause might have  
been merely an involuntary tribute to   
youth and beauty4 ,actors and actresses 
hung back1--even the friendly manager   
was guarded in his congratulations4 ,but
 in the second act the debutante put an 
end to this dubious state of things1--at
 least1 so far as her audience was      
concerned4 ,the ,captive ,queen took    
captive all1 save that stern row of     
critics1--the indomitable1 the          
incorruptible4 ,their awful judgment    
still hung suspended over her head4  ,in
 a scene with ,osmyn ,zelma first       
revealed her tragic power4 ,in her      
fitful tenderness1 in the passionate    
reproaches which she stormed upon him1  
in her entreaties and imprecations1 she 
was the poet's ideal1 and more4 ,she    
dashed into the crude and sketchy       
character bold strokes of ,nature and   
illuminative gleams of genius1 all her  
own4  ,mr4 ,bury1 as ,osmyn1 was cold   

and unsympathetic1 avoided the eye of   
,zara1 and was even more tender than was
 set down in the book to ,almeria4  ,how
 well he acts his part6 said to herself 
the generous ,zelma4  ,how anxiety for  
his wife dashes his spirit6 said the    
charitable audience4  ,at the close of  
this act the manager grasped ,zelma's   
hand1 and spoke of her success as       
certain4 ,she thanked him with an absent
 air1 and gazed about her wistfully4    
,surely her husband should have been the
 first to give her joy4 ,but he did not 
come forward4 ,she shrank away to her   
dressing-room1 and waited for him vainly
 till she knew he was on the stage1     
where she next met him in the great     
prison-scene4  ,in this scene1 some     
bitterness of feeling--the first sharp  
pangs of jealousy--gave1 unconsciously  
to herself1 a terrible vitality and     
reality to her acting4 ,she filled the  
stage with the electrical atmosphere of 
her genius4 ,waxen ,almeria1 who was to 
have gone out as she entered1 received a

 shock of it1 and stood for a moment    
transfixed4 ,even ,osmyn kindled out of 
his stony coldness1 and gazed with awe  
and irrepressible admiration at this new
 revelation of that strange1 profound   
creature he had called wife4 ,she1 so   
late a shy woodland nymph1 stealing to  
his embrace1--now an angered goddess1   
blazing before him1 calling down upon   
him the lightnings of ,olympus1 with all
 the world to see him shrink and shrivel
 into nothingness6 ,and all this power  
and passion1 overtopping his utmost     
reach of art1 outsoaring his wildest    
aspirations1 he had wooed1 fondled1 and 
protected6 ,at first he was overwhelmed 
with amazement2 he could hardly have    
been more so1 had a volcano broken out  
through his hearth-stone2 but soon1     
under the fierce storm of ,zara's taunts
 and reproaches1 a sullen rage took     
possession of him4 ,he could not        
separate the actress from the wife1--and
 the wife seemed in open1 disloyal      
revolt4 ,every burst of applause from   

the audience was an insult to him2 and  
he felt a mad desire to oppose1 to defy 
them all1 to assert a master's right    
over that frenzied woman1 to grasp her  
by the arm and drag her from the stage  
before their eyes6  ,this scene closes  
with a memorable speech3--      ,vile   
and ingrate6 too late thou shalt repent 
,the base injustice thou hast done my   
love6     ,ay1 thou shalt know1 spite of
 thy past distress1     ,and all the    
evils thou so long hast mourned1        
,heaven has no rage like love to hatred 
turned1     ,nor hell a fury like a     
woman scorned6  ,zelma gave these lines 
as no pre-,siddonian actress had ever   
given them1--with a certain sublimity of
 rage1 the ire of an immortal1--and     
swept off the scene before a wild tumult
 of applause1 led by the vanquished     
critics4 ,it followed her1 surge on     
surge1 to her dressing-room1 whither she
 hastily retreated through a crowd of   
players and green-room habitues4  ,that 
sudden tempest shook even the royal box4

 ,the ,king1 who a short time before had
 been observed to nod1 not shaking his  
ambrosial locks in ,jove-like approval1 
but somnolently1 started up1 exclaiming1
 ,what6 what6 what's that8--and the     
,queen--took snuff4  ,in her            
dressing-room ,zelma waited for her     
husband4 ,surely he will come now1 she  
said4  ,she had already put off the     
tragedy-queen2 she was again the loving 
wife1 yearning for one proud smile1 one 
tender word1 one straining embrace4 ,the
 tempest outside the curtain still      
rolled in upon her1 as she sat alone1   
drooping and sad1 a spent thunder-cloud4
 ,the sound brought her no sense of     
triumph2 she only looked around her     
drearily1 like a frightened child1 and  
called1 ,lawrence6  ,instead of him came
 the manager4 ,she must go before the   
curtain2 the audience would not be      
denied4  ,lawrence led her out1--holding
 her hot1 trembling fingers in his cold1
 nerveless hand1 a moody frown on his   
brow1 and his lips writhing with a      

forced smile4  ,as ,zelma bent and      
smiled in modest acknowledgment of      
renewed applause1 led by royalty        
itself1--her aspirations so speedily    
fulfilled1 her genius so early          
crowned1--even at that supreme moment1  
the grief of the woman would have       
outweighed the triumph of the artist1   
and saddened all those plaudits into    
knell-like sounds1 could she have known 
that the miserable fiends of envy and   
jealousy had grasped her husband's heart
 and torn it out of her possession      
forever4  ,in the death-scene1 where the
 full tide of womanly feeling1 which has
 been driven out of ,zara's heart by the
 volcanic shocks of fierce passions1    
comes pouring back with whelming force1 
,zelma lost none of her power1 but won  
new laurels1 bedewed with tears from    
eyes unused to weep4  ,zara dies by her 
own hand1 clinging to the headless body 
of ,king ,manuel1 believing it to be    
,osmyn's4 ,zelma gave the concluding    
lines of her part brokenly1 in a tone of

 almost childlike lamenting1 with       
piteous murmurs and penitent caresses3--
      ,cold1 cold6--my veins are icicles
 and frost6     ,cover us close1 or ,i  
shall chill his breast1     ,and fright 
him from my arms6--,see6 see6 he slides 
,still farther from me6 ,look6 he hides 
his face6     ,i cannot feel it6--quite 
beyond my reach6--,ah1     now he's     
gone1 and all is dark6  ,with that last 
desolate moan of a proud and stormy     
spirit1 sobbing itself into the         
death-quiet1 a visible shudder crept    
through the house4 ,even the ,king threw
 himself back in his royal chair with an
 uncomfortable sort of ahem6 as though  
choking with an emotion of common       
humanity2 and the ,queen--forgot to take
 snuff4         99       99       99    
99       99  ,from the night of her     
triumphant debut1 the life of the       
actress ran in the full sunlight of     
public favor2 but the life of the woman 
crept away into the shadow1--not of that
 quiet and repose so grateful to the    

true artist1 but of domestic discomfort 
and jealous estrangement4  ,nobly       
self-forgetful always1 ,zelma1 in the   
first hour of success1 feeling1 in spite
 of herself1 the pettiness and egoism of
 her husband's nature1 with a sense of  
humiliation in which it seemed her very 
soul blushed1 offered to renounce       
forever the career on which she had just
 entered4 ,mr4 ,bury1 however1 angrily  
refused to accept the sacrifice1 though 
she pressed it upon him1 at last1 as a  
peace-offering1 on her knees1 and       
weeping like a penitent4 ,it is too     
late1 he said1 bitterly4 ,the deed is   
done4 ,you are mine no longer1--you     
belong to the public2--,i wish you joy  
of your fickle master4  ,from that time 
,zelma went her own ways1 calm and      
self-reliant outwardly1 but inwardly    
tortured with a host of womanly griefs  
and regrets1 a helpless sense of wrong  
and desolation4 ,she flew to her        
beautiful art for consolation1 flinging 
herself1 with a sort of desperate       

abandonment1 out of her own life of     
monotonous misery into the varied       
sorrows of the characters she           
personated4 ,for her the cup of fame was
 not mantling with the wine of delight  
which reddens the lips and maketh glad  
the heart4 ,the costly pearl she had    
dissolved in it had not sweetened the   
draught2 but it was intoxicating1 and   
she drank it with feverish avidity4     
,but for ,lawrence ,bury1 his powers    
flagged and failed in the unnatural     
rivalship2 his acting grew more and more
 cold and mechanical4 ,he became more   
than ever subject to moods and caprices1
 and rapidly lost favor with the public1
 till at last he was regarded only as   
the husband of the popular              
actress1--then1 merely tolerated for her
 sake4 ,he fell1 or rather flung        
himself1 into a life of reckless        
dissipation and profligacy1 and sunk so 
low that he scrupled not to accept from 
his wife1 and squander on base          
pleasures1 money won by the genius for  

which he hated her4 ,many were the      
nights when ,zelma returned from the    
playhouse to her cheerless lodgings1    
exhausted1 dispirited1 and alone1 to    
walk her chamber till the morning1      
wrestling with real terrors and sorrows1
 the homely distresses of the heart1    
hard1 absolute1 unrelieved1--to which   
the tragic agonies she had been         
representing seemed but child's play4   
,at length1 finding himself at the      
lowest ebb of theatrical favor1 and     
hating horribly the scene of his        
humiliating defeat1 ,mr4 ,bury resolved 
to return to his old strolling life in  
the provinces4 ,making at the same      
moment the first announcement of his    
going and his hurried adieux to ,zelma1 
who heard his last cold words in dumb   
dismay1 with little show of emotion1 but
 with heavy grief and dread             
presentiments at her heart1 he departed4
 ,he was accompanied by the fair actress
 with whom he played first parts at     
,arden1--but now1 green-room gossip     

said1 not in a merely professional      
association4 ,this story was brought to 
,zelma2 but her bitter cup was full     
without it4 ,with a noble blindness1 the
 fanaticism of wifely faith1 she        
rejected it utterly4 ,he is weak1       
misguided1 mad1 she said1 but not so    
basely false as that4 ,he must run his  
wild1 wretched course awhile longer1--it
 seems necessary for him2 but he will   
return at last1--surely he              
will1--sorrowful1 repentant1 'in his    
right mind1' himself and mine once more4
 ,he cannot weary out ,god's patience   
and my love4  ,after the first shock of 
her desertion was past1 ,zelma was      
conscious of a sense of relief from a   
weight of daily recurring care and      
humiliation1 the torture of an unloving 
presence1 chill and ungenial as arctic  
sunlight4 ,even in the cold blank of his
 absence there was something grateful to
 her bruised heart1 like the balm of    
darkness to suffering eyes4 ,her art was
 now all in all to her1--the            

strong-winged passion1 which lifted her 
out of herself and her sorrows4 ,she was
 studying ,juliet for the first time4   
,she had been playing for more than a   
year before she could be prevailed upon 
to attempt a ,shakspearian character1   
restrained by a profound modesty from   
exercising her crude powers upon one of 
those grand creations4  ,when1 at       
length1 she made choice of ,juliet1 what
 study was hers6--how reverent6 how     
loving6 how glad6--the perfect service  
of the spirit6 ,she shut out the world  
of ,london from her sight1 from her     
thoughts1 till it seemed lost in one of 
its own fogs4 ,the air1 the sky1 the    
passion1 the poetry of ,italy were above
 and around her4 ,again she revelled in 
that wondrous garden of love and poesy1 
with a background of graves1 solemnizing
 joy4 ,now her fancy flitted1 on swift1 
unresting wing1 from beauty to          
beauty1--now settled1 bee-like1 on some 
rich1 half-hidden thought1 and hung upon
 it1 sucking out its most sweet and     

secret heart of meaning4 ,she steeped   
her soul in the delicious romance1 the  
summer warmth1 the moonlight1 the sighs 
and tears of the play4 ,she went from   
the closet to the stage1 not brain-weary
 and pale with thought1 but fresh1      
tender1 and virginal1--not like one who 
had committed the part of ,juliet1 but  
one whom ,juliet possessed in every     
part4 ,she seemed to bear about her an  
atmosphere of poetry and love1 the      
subtile spirit of that marvellous play4 
,there was no air of study1 not the     
faintest taint of the midnight          
oil2--like a gatherer of roses from some
 garden of ,cashmere1 or a peasant-girl 
from the vintage1 she brought only odors
 from her toil1--the sweets of the      
fancy1 a flavor of the passion she had  
made her own4  ,on her first night in   
this play1 ,zelma was startled by       
recognizing among the audience the once 
familiar faces of her uncle ,roger1 her 
cousin ,bessie1 and ,sir ,harry         
,willerton4 ,they had all come up to    

,london to draw up the papers and       
purchase the trousseau for the wedding1 
which would have taken place a year     
sooner1 but for the death of ,bessie's  
mother4  ,squire ,burleigh had been     
entrapped by his daughter and her lover 
into coming to the play1--he being in   
utter ignorance as to whom he was to see
 in the part of ,juliet4 ,when he       
recognized his niece in the ball-room   
scene1 he was shocked1 and even angry4  
,he started up1 impetuously1 to leave   
the house2 and it was only by the united
 entreaties of ,bessie and ,sir ,harry  
that he was persuaded to stay4 ,as the  
play went on1 however1 his sympathies   
became enlisted1 in spite of his        
prejudices4 ,gradually his heart melted 
toward the fair offender1 and           
irrepressible tears of admiration and   
pity welled up to his kindly blue eyes4 
,he watched the progress of the drama   
with an almost breathless interest while
 she was before him1 but grew listless  
and indifferent whenever she left the   

stage4 ,the passion of ,romeo1 the      
philosophy of the ,friar1 the quaint    
garrulousness of the ,nurse1 the        
trenchant wit of ,mercutio were alike   
without charm for him4  ,but though thus
 lost in the fortunes and sorrows of the
 heroine of the play1 the dramatic      
illusion was far from complete for him4 
,it was not ,juliet1--it was ,zelma1 the
 wild1 misguided1 lost1 but still       
beloved child of his poor brother2 and  
in his bewildered brain her sad story   
was strangely complicated with that of  
the hapless girl of ,verona4 ,when she  
swallowed the sleeping-draught1 he      
shrank and shuddered at the horrible    
pictures conjured up by her frenzied    
fancy2 and in the last woful scene1 he  
forgot himself1 the play1 the audience1 
everything but her1 the forlorn gypsy   
child1 the shy and lonely little girl   
whom long years ago he had taken on his 
knee1 and smoothed down her tangled     
black hair1 as he might have smoothed   
the plumage of an eaglet1 struggling and

 palpitating under his hand1 and        
glancing up sideways1 with fierce and   
frightened eyes1--and now1 when he saw  
her about to plunge the cruel blade into
 her breast1 he leaped to his feet and  
electrified the house by calling out1 in
 a tone of agonized entreaty1--,don't1  
,zelle6 for ,god's sake1 don't6 ,leave  
this1 and come home with us1--home to   
the ,grange6  ,it was a great proof of  
,mrs4 ,bury's presence of mind and      
command over her emotions1 that she was 
not visibly discomposed by this strange 
and touching appeal1 or by the laughter 
and applause it called forth1 but       
finished her sad part1 and was ,juliet  
to the last4  ,when1 obeying the stormy 
summons of the audience1 the lovers     
arose from the dead1 and glided         
ghost-like before the curtain1 ,zelma1  
really pale with the passion and woe of 
her part1 glanced eagerly at the box in 
which she had beheld her friends2--it   
was empty4 ,the worthy ,squire1 overcome
 with confusion at the exposure he had  

made of his weakness and simplicity1 had
 hurried from the theatre1 willingly    
accompanied by his daughter and ,sir    
,harry4  ,on the following day1 sweet   
,bessie ,burleigh1 with the consent1 at 
the request even1 of her father1 sought 
out her famous cousin1 bearing terms of 
reconciliation and proffers of renewed  
affection4  ,the actress was alone4 ,she
 had just risen from her late breakfast1
 and was in a morning                   
costume1--careless1 but not untidy4 ,she
 looked languid and jaded2 the beautiful
 light of young love1 which the night   
before had shone with a soft1 lambent   
flame in every glance1 seemed to have   
burned itself out in her hollow eyes1 or
 to have been quenched in tears4  ,she  
flung herself on her cousin's breast    
with a laugh of pure joy and a child's  
quick impulse of lovingness2 but almost 
immediately drew herself back1 as with a
 sudden sense of having leaned across a 
chasm in the embrace4 ,but ,bessie1     
guessing her feeling1 clung about her   

very tenderly1 calling her pet names1   
smoothing her hair and kissing her wan  
cheek till she almost kissed back its   
faded roses4 ,and infinite good she did 
poor ,zelma4  ,bessie--dear1 simple     
heart6--was no diplomatist2 she did not 
creep stealthily toward her object1 but 
dashed at it at once4  ,i am come1      
dearest ,zelle1 to win you home1 she    
said4 ,you cannot think how lonely it is
 at the ,grange1 now that dear mamma is 
gone2 and by-and-by it will be yet more 
lonely1--at least1 for poor papa4 ,he   
loves you still1 though he was angry    
with you at first1--and he longs to have
 you come back1 and to make it all up   
with you4 ,oh1 ,i am sure1 you must be  
weary of this life1--or rather1 this    
mockery of life1 this prolonged fever   
dream1 this playing with passion and    
pain6 ,it is killing you6 ,why1 you look
 worn and anxious and sad as death by   
daylight1 though you do bloom out       
strangely bright and beautiful on the   
stage4 ,so1 dear1 come into the country1

 and rest and renew your life4  ,zelma  
opened her superb eyes in amazement1 and
 her cheek kindled with a little flush  
of displeasure2 yet she answered        
playfully1--,what6 would you resolve    
'the new star of the drama' into        
nebulousness and nothingness again8     
,remember my art1 sweet ,coz2 ,i am a   
priestess sworn to its altar4  ,but1    
surely1 replied ,bessie1 ingenuously1   
you will not live on thus alone1        
unprotected1 a mark for suspicion and   
calumny2 for they say--they say that    
your husband has deserted you4  ,mr4    
,bury is absent1 fulfilling a           
professional engagement4 ,i shall await 
his return here1 replied ,zelma1        
haughtily4  ,bessie blushed deeply and  
was silent4 ,so1 too1 was the actress1  
for some moments2 then1 softened almost 
to tears1 half closing her eyes1 and    
letting her fancy float away like       
thistle-down over town and country1     
upland1 valley1 and moor1 she said      
softly1--,dear ,burleigh ,grange1 how   

lovely it must be now6 ,what a verdurous
 twilight reigns under the old elms of  
the avenue6--in what a passion of bloom 
the roses are unfolding to the sun1     
these warm ,may-days6 ,how the          
honeysuckles drip with sweet dews6 how  
thickly the shed hawthorn-blossoms lie  
on the grass of the long lane1 rolling  
in little drifts before the wind6 ,and  
the birds1--do the same birds come back 
to nest in their old places about the   
,grange1 ,i wonder8  ,yes1 answered     
,bessie1 smiling2 ,i think all the birds
 have come back1 save one1 the dearest  
of them all1 who fled away in the       
night-time4 ,her nest is empty still4   
,oh1 ,zelle1 do you remember our        
pleasant little chamber in the turret8  
,i could not stay there when you were   
gone4 ,it is the stillest1 loneliest    
place in all the house now4 ,even your  
pet hound refuses to enter it4  ,now1 my
 ,cousin1 you are really cruel1 said    
,zelma1 the tears at last forcing their 
way through her reluctant eyelids4 ,when

 ,i left ,burleigh ,grange1 ,i went like
 ,eve from ,paradise1--forever4  ,ah1   
but ,cousin dear1 there is no terrible  
angel with a flaming sword guarding the 
gates of the ,grange against you4  ,yes1
 the angel of its peace and ancient     
honor1 said the actress2 then added1    
pleasantly1 and he is backed by a mighty
 ogre1 ,respectability4 ,no1 no1        
,bessie1 ,i can never go back to my old 
home1 or my old self2 it is quite       
impossible4 ,but you and my uncle are   
very good to ask me4 ,heaven bless you  
for that6 ,and1 dear1 when you are ,lady
 ,willerton1 a proud wife1 and1 if ,god 
please1 a happy mother1 put me away from
 your thoughts1 if ,i trouble you4 ,rest
 in the safe haven of home1 anchored in 
content1 and do not vex yourself about  
the poor waif afloat on wild1 unknown   
seas4 ,it is not worth while4  ,so      
,bessie ,burleigh was obliged to abandon
 her dear1 impracticable plan2 and the  
cousins parted forever1 though neither  
thought or meant it then4 ,bessie       

returned to ,arden1 married the master  
of ,willerton ,hall1 and slid into the  
easy grooves of a happy1 luxurious      
country-life2 while ,zelma rode for a   
few proud years on the topmost swell of 
popular favor1--then suddenly passed    
away beyond the horizon of ,london life1
 and so1 as it were1 out of the world4  
,one dreary ,november night1 after      
having revealed new powers and won new  
honors by her first personation of      
,belvedera1 ,zelma went home to find on 
her table a brief1 business-like letter 
from the manager of a theatre at        
,walton1 a town in the ,north1 stating  
that ,mr4 ,lawrence ,bury had died      
suddenly at that place of a violent1    
inflammatory disease1 brought on1 it was
 to be feared1 by some excesses to which
 he had been addicted4 ,the theatrical  
wardrobe of the deceased 7of small      
value7 had been retained in payment for 
expenses of illness and burial2 his     
private papers were at the disposal of  
the widow4 ,deceased had been buried in 

the parish church-yard of ,walton4 ,this
 was all4  ,zelma had abruptly dismissed
 her maid1 that she might read quite    
unobserved a letter which she suspected 
brought news from her husband2 so she   
was quite alone throughout that fearful 
night4 ,what fierce1 face-to-face       
wrestlings with grief and remorse were  
hers6 ,what sweet1 torturing memories of
 love1 of estrangement1 of loss6 ,what  
visions of him1 torn with the agonies1  
wild with the terrors of death1 calling 
her name in vain imploring or with angry
 imprecations6--of him1 so young1 so    
sinful1 dragged struggling toward the   
abyss of mystery and night1 wrenched1 as
 it were1 out of life1 with all its     
passions hot at his heart6  ,hour after 
hour she sat at her table1 grasping the 
fatal letter1 still as death1 and all   
but as cold4 ,she yet wore the last     
dress of ,belvedera1 and was half       
enveloped by the black cloud of her     
dishevelled hair2 but the simulated     
frenzy1 which so late had drawn         

shuddering sighs from a thousand hearts1
 was succeeded by a silent1 stony       
despair1 infinitely more terrible4 ,a   
sense of hopeless desolation and        
abandonment settled upon her soul2 the  
distances of universes seemed to        
separate her from the dead4 ,but to this
 suddenly succeeded a chill1 awful sense
 of a presence1 wrapped in silence and  
mystery1 melting through all material   
barriers1 treading on the impalpable    
air1 not looking ancient kindness on her
 pain1 but lowering amid the shadows of 
her chamber1 stern1 perturbed1          
unreconciled4 ,all these lonely horrors1
 these wild griefs1 unrelieved by human 
sympathy or companionship1 by even the  
unconscious comfort which flows in the  
breathing of a near sleeper1 crowded and
 pressed upon her brain1 and seemed to  
touch her veins with frost and fire4    
,for long weeks1 ,zelma lay ill1 with a 
slow1 baffling fever4 ,her mind1 torn   
from its moorings1 went wandering1      
wandering1 over a vast sea of troubled  

dreams1--now creeping on through weary  
stretches of calm1 now plunging into the
 heart of tempests and tossed upon      
mountainous surges1 now touching        
momently at islands of light1 now       
wrecked upon black1 desert shores4  ,all
 was strange1 vague1 and terrible1 at   
first2 but gradually there stole back   
upon her her own life of womanhood and  
,art1--its scenes and changes1 its      
struggles1 temptations1 and triumphs1   
its brief joy and long sorrow1 all      
shaken and confused together1 but still 
familiar4 ,now the faces of her         
audiences seemed to throng upon her1    
packing her room from floor to ceiling1 
darkening the light1 sucking up all the 
air1 and again piercing her through and 
through with their cold1 merciless gaze4
 ,now the characters she had personated 
grouped themselves around her bed1 all  
distinct1 yet duplicates and            
multiplications of herself1 mocking her 
with her own voice1 and glaring at her  
with her own eyes4 ,now pleasant        

summer-scenes at ,burleigh ,grange      
brightened the dull walls1 and a memory 
of the long lane in the white prime of  
its hawthorn bloom flowed like a river  
of fragrance through her chamber4 ,then 
there strode in upon her a form of      
beauty and terror1 and held her by the  
passion and gloom of his eye1--and with 
him crept in a chill and heavy air1 like
 an exhalation from the rank turf of    
neglected graves4         99       99   
99       99       99  ,zelma recovered  
from this illness1 if it could be called
 a recovery1 to a state of only         
tolerable physical health1 and a        
condition of pitiable mental apathy and 
languor4 ,she turned with a half-weary1 
half-petulant distaste from her former  
pursuits and pleasures1 and abandoned   
her profession with a sort of           
terror1--feeling that its mockery of    
sorrows1 such as had fallen so          
crushingly on her unchastened heart1    
would madden her utterly4 ,but neither  
could she endure again the constraint   

and conventionalities of ,english       
private life2 she had died to her art1  
and she glided1 like a phantom1 out of  
her country1 and out of the thoughts of 
the public1 in whose breath she had     
lived1 for whose pleasure she had       
toiled1 often from the hidden force of  
her own sorrows1 the elements of all    
tragedy seething in her secret heart4   
,year after year she lived a wandering1 
out-of-the-way life on the ,continent4  
,it was said that she went to ,spain1   
sought out her mother's wild kindred1   
and dwelt with them1 making their life  
her life1 their ways her ways1 shrinking
 neither from sun-glare nor tempest1    
privation nor peril4 ,but1 at length1   
tired of wandering and satiated with    
adventure1 she flung off the ,zincala1  
returned to ,england1 and even returned1
 forsworn1 to her art1 as all do1 or    
long to do1 who have once embraced it   
from a genuine passion4  ,she made no   
effort to obtain an engagement at       
,covent ,garden2 for her1 that stage was

 haunted by a presence more gloomy than 
,hamlet1 more dreadful than the ,ghost4 
,nor did she seek to tread1 with her    
free1 unpractised step1 the classic     
boards of ,drury ,lane1--where ,garrick1
 the ,grand ,monarque of the ,drama1    
though now toward the end of his reign1 
ruled with jealous1 despotic sway1--but 
modestly and quietly appeared at a minor
 theatre1 seeming1 to such play-goers as
 remembered her brief1 brilliant career 
and sudden disappearance1 like the ,muse
 of ,tragedy returned from the shades4  
,she was kindly received1 both for her  
own sake1 and because of the pleasant   
memories which the sight of her1 pale1  
slender1 and sad-eyed1 yet beautiful    
still1 revived4 ,those who had once     
sworn by her swore by her still1 and    
were loath to admit even to themselves  
that her early style of acting--easy1   
flowing1 impulsive1 the natural         
translation in action of a strong and   
imaginative nature--must remain what1 in
 the long absence of the actress1 it had

 become1 a beautiful tradition of the   
stage1--that her present personations   
were wanting in force and               
spontaneity1--that they were efforts1   
rather than inspirations1--were marked  
by a weary tension of thought1--were    
careful1 but not composed1 roughened by 
unsteady strokes of genius1 freshly     
furrowed with labor4  ,mrs4 ,bury made a
 grave mistake in choosing for her      
second debut her great part of ,juliet2 
for she had outlived the possibility of 
playing it as she played it at that     
period of her life when her soul readily
 melted in the divine glow of youthful  
passion and flowed into the character1  
taking its perfect shape1 rounded and   
smooth and fair4 ,through long years of 
sorrow and unrest1 she had now to toil  
back to that golden time1--and there was
 a sort of sharpness and haggardness    
about her acting1 a singular tone of    
weariness1 broken by starts and bursts  
of almost preternatural power4 ,except  
in scenes and sentiments of pathos1     

where she had lost nothing1 the last1   
fine1 evanishing tints1 the delicate    
aroma of the character1 were wanting in 
her personation4 ,it was touched with   
autumnal shadows1--it was comparatively 
hard and dry1 not from any inartistic   
misapprehension of the poet's ideal1 but
 because the fountain of youth in       
,zelma's own soul ran low1 and was      
choked by the dead violets which once   
sweetened its waters4  ,she felt all    
this bitterly that night1 ere the play  
was over2 and though her audience       
generously applauded and old friends    
congratulated her1 she never played     
,juliet again4  ,yet1 even in the darker
 and sterner parts1 in which she was    
once so famous1 she was hardly more     
successful now4 ,in losing her bloom and
 youthful fulness of form1 she had not  
gained that statuesque repose1 or that  
refined essence of physical power and   
energy1 which sometimes belongs to      
slenderness and pallor4 ,she was often  
strangely agitated and unnerved when the

 occasion called most for calm1         
sustained power1--at times1 glancing    
around wildly and piteously1 like a     
haunted creature4 ,her passion was      
fitful and strained1--the fire of rage  
flickered in her eye1 her relaxed lips  
quivered out curses1 her hand shook with
 the dagger and spilled the poison4 ,her
 sorrows1 real and imaginary1 seemed to 
have broken her spirit with her heart4  
,but in anything weird and supernatural1
 awful with vague1 unearthly terrors1   
she was greater than ever4 ,whenever1 in
 her part of ,lady ,macbeth1 she came to
 the sleep-walking scene1 that shadowy  
neutral ground between death and life1  
where the perturbed1 burdened spirit    
moans out its secret agony1 she gave    
startling token of the genius which had 
electrified and awed her audiences of   
old4 ,a solemn stillness pervaded the   
house2 every eye followed the ghost-like
 gliding of her form1 every ear hung    
upon the voice whose tones could sound  
the most mysterious and awful depths of 

human grief and despair4         99     
99       99       99       99  ,it was  
during the first season of her          
reappearance that ,mrs4 ,bury went to   
,drury ,lane1 on an off-night1 to       
witness one of the latest efforts of    
,garrick as ,richard the ,third4 ,he    
was1 as usual1 terribly great in the    
part2 but1 in spite of his overwhelming 
power1 ,zelma found herself watching the
 ,lady ,anne of the night with a        
strange1 fascinated interest4 ,this     
part1 of too secondary and negative a   
character for the display of high       
dramatic powers1 even in an actress who 
should be perfect mistress of herself1  
was borne by a young and beautiful      
woman1 new to the ,london stage1 though 
of some provincial reputation1 who on   
this occasion was distressingly nervous 
and ill-assured4 ,she had to contend not
 only with stage-fright1 but            
,garrick-fright4 ,she met ,roscius in   
all his terrors1 and shrank from the    
encounter4 ,the fierce lightnings of his

 dreadful eyes seemed to shrivel and    
paralyze her2 even his demoniac cunning 
and persuasiveness filled her with      
mortal fear4 ,her voice shook with a    
pathetic tremor1 became hoarse and      
almost inaudible2 her eyes sank1 or     
wandered wildly2 her brow was bathed    
with the sweat of a secret agony2 she   
might have given way utterly under the  
paralyzing spell1 had not some sudden   
inspiration of genius or love1 a        
prophetic thrill of power1 or a memory  
of her unwearied babe1 come to nerve1 to
 upbear her4 ,she roused1 and went      
through her part with some flickering   
flashes of spirit1 and through all her  
painful embarrassment was stately and   
graceful by the regal necessity of her  
beauty4 ,the event was not success1--was
 but a shade better than utter failure2 
and when1 soon after1 that beautiful    
woman dropped out of ,london dramatic   
life1 few were they who missed her      
enough to ask whither she had gone4     
,but ,zelma1 whose sad1 searching eyes  

saw deeper than the eyes of critics1    
recognized from the first her grand1    
long-sought ideal in the fair unknown1  
whose name had appeared on the          
play-bills in small1 deprecating type1  
under the overwhelming capitals of ,,mr4
 ,,garrick--,mrs4 ,siddons4 ,she looked 
upon that frightened and fragile woman  
with prophetic reverence and noble      
admiration3 and as she walked her lonely
 chamber that night1 she said to        
herself1 somewhat sadly1 but not        
bitterly1--,the true light of the       
,english drama has arisen at last4      
',out1 out1 brief candle6'         99   
99       99       99       99  ,season  
after season1 year after year1 ,zelma   
continued to play in ,london1 but never 
again with the fame1 the homage1 the    
flatteries and triumphs of a great      
actress4 ,all these she saw at last     
accorded to her noble rival4 ,mrs4 ,bury
 had shone very acceptably in a doubtful
 dramatic period1--first as an inspired1
 impassioned enthusiast1 and after as a 

conscientious artist1 subdued and       
saddened1 yet always careful and        
earnest2 but1 like many another lesser  
light1 she was destined to be lost sight
 of in the long1 splendid day of the    
,kembles4  ,yet once again the spirit of
 unrest1 the nomadic instinct1 came back
 upon ,zelma ,bury1--haunted her heart  
and stirred in her blood till she could 
resist no longer1 but1 joining a company
 for a provincial tour1 left ,london4   
,the health of the actress had been long
 declining1 under the almost unsuspected
 attacks of a slow1 insidious disease4  
,she was more weak and ill than she     
would confess1 even to herself2 she     
wanted change1 she said1 only change4   
,she never dreamed of rest4 ,week after 
week she travelled1--never tarrying long
 enough ,in one place to weary of       
it1--the peaceful sights and sounds of  
rural life tranquillizing and refreshing
 her soul1 as the clear expanse of its  
sky1 the green of its woods and parks1  
the daisied swell of its downs refreshed

 and soothed her eye1 tired of striking 
forever against dull brick walls and    
struggling with smoke and fog4  ,then   
,may came round1--the haunted month of  
all the year for her4 ,the              
hawthorn-hedges burst into flower1--the 
high-ways and by-paths and lanes became 
,milky ,ways of bloom1 and all ,england 
was once more veined with fragrance4    
,they were in the ,north1 when one      
morning ,zelma was startled by hearing  
the manager say that the next night they
 should play at ,walton4 ,it was there  
that ,lawrence ,bury died2 it was there 
he slept1 in the stranger's unvisited   
grave4 ,she would seek out that grave   
and sink on it1 as on the breast of one 
beloved1 though long estranged4 ,it     
would cool the dull1 ceaseless fever of 
her heart to press it against the cold  
mound1 and to whisper into the rank     
grass her faithful remembrance1 her     
forgiveness1 her unconquerable love4    
,but it was late when the players       
reached ,walton2 and1 after the         

necessary arrangements for the evening  
were concluded1 ,zelma found that she   
had no time for a pilgrimage to the     
parish churchyard4 ,she could see it    
from a window of her lodgings2--it was  
high-walled1 dark and damp1 crowded with
 quaint1 mossy tomb-stones1 and brooded 
over by immemorial yews4 ,in the        
deepening1 misty twilight1 there was    
something awful in the spot4 ,it was    
easy to fancy unquiet spectres lurking  
in its gloomy shadows1 waiting for the  
night ,yet ,zelma's heart yearned toward
 it1 and she murmured softly1 as she    
turned away1 ,wait for me1 love6  ,the  
play1 on this night1 was ,the ,fair     
,penitent4 ,in the character of ,calista
 ,mrs4 ,bury had always been accounted  
great1 though it was distasteful to her4
 ,indeed1 for the entire play she       
expressed only contempt and aversion2   
yet she played her part in it faithfully
 and carefully1 as she performed all    
professional tasks4  ,in reading this   
tragedy now1 one is at a loss to        

understand how such trash could have    
been tolerated at the very time of the  
revival of a pure dramatic              
literature1--how such an unsavored broth
 of sentiment1 such a meagre hash of    
heroics1 could have been relished1 even 
when served by ,kembles1 after the rich1
 varied1 ,olympian banquets of          
,shakspeare4  ,the argument is briefly  
this3--  ,calista1 daughter of ,sciolto1
 is betrothed to ,altamount1 a young    
lord1 favored by ,sciolto4 ,altamount   
has a friend1 ,horatio1 and an enemy1   
,lothario1 secretly the lover and       
seducer of ,calista1 whose dishonor is  
discovered by ,horatio1 shortly after   
her marriage with ,altamount1 to whom he
 reveals it4 ,calista denies the charge1
 with fierce indignation and scorn2 and 
the young husband believes her and      
discredits his friend4 ,but the fourth  
act brings the guilt of ,calista and the
 villany of ,lothario fully to light4   
,lothario is killed by the injured      
husband1 ,sciolto goes mad with shame   

and rage1 and ,calista falls into a     
state of despair and penitence4  ,the   
fifth act opens with ,sciolto's         
elaborate preparations for vengeance on 
his daughter4 ,the stage directions for 
this scene are1--      ,a room hung with
 black3 on one side ,lothario's         
body on a bier2 on the other a table1   
with a skull and other bones1 a book1   
and a         lamp on it4 ,calista is   
discovered on a couch1         in black1
 her hair hanging loose and disordered4 
,after soft music1 she rises and comes  
forward4  ,she takes the book from the  
table1 but1 finding it the pious prosing
 of some lazy1 dull1 luxurious gownsman1
 flings it aside4 ,she examines the     
cross-bones curiously1 lays her hand on 
the skull1 soliloquizing upon mortality1
 somewhat in the strain of ,hamlet2 then
 peers into the coffin of ,lothario1    
beholds his pale visage1 grim with      
clotted blood1 and the stern1 unwinking 
stare of his dead eyes4 ,sciolto enters 
and bids her prepare to die2 but while  

she stands meek and unresisting before  
him1 his heart fails him2 he rushes out1
 and is shortly after killed by         
,lothario's faction4 ,calista then dies 
by her own hand1 leaving ,altamount     
desperate and despairing4  ,poor        
,calista is neither a lovely nor a lofty
 character2 but there is something      
almost grand in her fierce pride1 in her
 defiant hauteur1 in her mighty struggle
 with shame4 ,mrs4 ,siddons made the    
part terribly impressive4 ,mrs4 ,bury   
softened it somewhat1 giving it a       
womanly dignity and pathos that would   
seem foreign and almost impossible to   
the character4         99       99      
99       99       99  ,when ,zelma      
entered her dressing-room1 on that first
 night at ,walton1 she found on her     
table a small spray of                  
hawthorn-blossoms4  ,how came these     
flowers here8 she asked1 in a hurried1  
startled tone4  ,i placed them there1   
replied her little maid1 ,susan1        
half-frightened by the strange agitation

 of her mistress4 ,i plucked the sprig  
in our landlady's garden2 for ,i        
remembered that you loved               
hawthorn-blossoms1 and used often to buy
 them in ,covent-,garden ,market4  ,ah1 
yes2 thank you1 ,susan4 ,i do indeed    
love them1 and ,i will wear them        
to-night4  ,as she said this1 she placed
 the flowers in her bosom1--but1 the    
little maid noticed1 not as an ornament1
 but quite out of sight1 where her close
 bodice would crush them against her    
heart4  ,during the first acts of the   
play1 ,zelma was languid1 absent1 and   
more unequal than usual4 ,a strange     
sense of evil1 a vague foreboding1      
haunted her4 ,it was in vain that she   
said to herself1 ,what have ,i1 a       
lonely1 disappointed woman1 loveless and
 joyless1 to fear of misfortune         
more1--since death itself were welcome  
as change1 and doubly welcome as rest8  
,the nameless fear still clung to her1  
sending cold thrills along her veins1   
fiercely grasping and holding her       

palpitating heart4  ,when1 in the last  
act1 reclining on her sombre couch1 she 
waited through the playing of the soft  
music1 there came to her a little season
 of respite and calm4 ,tender thoughts1 
and sweet1 wild fancies of other days   
revisited her4 ,the wilted              
hawthorn-blossoms in her bosom seemed to
 revive and to pour forth volumes of    
fragrance1 which enveloped her like an  
atmosphere2 and as she rose and advanced
 slowly toward the foot-lights1 winking 
dimly like funeral lamps amid the gloom 
of the scene1 it strangely seemed to her
 that she was going down the long1 sweet
 lane of ,burleigh ,grange4 ,the magic  
of that perfume1 and something of       
kindred sweetness in the sad1 wailing   
music1 brought old times and scenes     
before her with preternatural           
distinctness4 ,then she became conscious
 of a something making still darker and 
deeper the gloomy shadows cast by the   
black hangings of the scene1--a         
presence1 not palpable or visible to the

 senses1 but terribly real to the finer 
perceptions of the spirit1--a presence  
unearthly1 yet familiar and commanding1 
persistent1 resistless1                 
unappeasable1--moving as she moved1     
pausing as she paused1 clutching at her 
hands1 and searching after her eyes4    
,the air about her seemed heavy with a  
brooding horror which sought to resolve 
itself into shape1--the dread mystery of
 life in death waiting to be revealed4  
,her own soul seemed groping and beating
 against the veil which hides the       
unseen2 she gasped1 she trembled1 and   
great drops1 like the distillation of   
the last mortal anguish1 burst from her 
forehead4  ,she was roused by a murmur  
of applause from the audience4 ,she was 
acting so well6 ,nerving herself by an  
almost superhuman effort1 her           
phantom-haunted soul standing at bay1   
she approached the table1 and began1 in 
a voice but slightly broken1 the reading
 of her melancholy soliloquy4 ,but1 as  
she laid her hand on the skull1 she gave

 a wild start of horror1--not at the    
touch of the cold1 smooth bone1 nor at  
the blank1 black stare of the eyeless   
sockets1 but at finding beneath her hand
 a mass of soft1 curling hair1 damp1 as 
with night-dew6--at beholding eyes with 
speculation in them1--ay1 with human    
passions1 luminous and full1--eyes that 
now yearned with love1 now burned with  
hate1--ah1 ,god6 the eyes of ,lawrence  
,bury6  ,with a shrill1 frenzied shriek1
 ,zelma sprang back and stood for a     
moment shuddering and crouching in a    
mute agony of fear4 ,then she burst into
 wild cries of grief and passionate     
entreaty1 stretching her tremulous hands
 into the void air1 in piteous          
imploring4  ,she has gone mad6 ,take her
 away6 shouted the excited audience2 but
 before any one could reach her1 she had
 fallen on the stage in strong          
convulsions4  ,the actors raised her and
 bore her out2 and as they did so1 a    
little stream of blood was seen to      
bubble from her lips4 ,a medical man1   

who happened to be present1 having      
proffered his services1 was hurried     
behind the scenes to where the sufferer 
lay1 on a rude couch in the green-room1 
surrounded by the frightened players1   
and wept over by her faithful little    
maid4  ,the audience lingered awhile    
within sound of the fitful1 frenzied    
cries of the dying actress1 and then    
dispersed in dismay and confusion4      
,zelma remained for some hours convulsed
 and delirious2 but toward morning she  
sank into a deep1 swoon-like sleep of   
utter exhaustion4 ,she awoke from this1 
quite sane and calm1 but marble-white   
and cold1--the work of death all done1  
it seemed1 save the dashing out of the  
sad1 wild light yet burning in her      
sunken eyes4 ,but the bright red blood  
no longer oozed from her lips1 and they 
told her she was better4 ,she gave no   
heed to the assurance1 but1 somewhat in 
her old1 quick1 decisive way1 called for
 the manager4 ,scarcely had he reached  
her side1 when she began to question him

 eagerly1 though in hoarse1 failing     
tones1 in regard to the skull used in   
the play of the preceding night4 ,the   
manager had procured it of the sexton1  
he said1 and knew nothing more of it4   
,she sent for the sexton4 ,he came1--a  
man of the earth1 earthy1--a man with a 
grave-ward stoop and a strange uneven   
gait1 caught in forty years' stumbling  
over mounds4 ,a smell of turf and mould1
 an odor of mortality1 went before him4 
,he approached the couch of the actress1
 and looked down upon her with a        
curious1 professional look1 as though he
 were peering into a face newly coffined
 or freshly exhumed2 but when ,zelma    
fixed her live eyes upon him1 angry and 
threatening1 and asked1 in abrupt1 yet  
solemn tones1 ,whose was that skull you 
brought for me last night8 he fell back 
with an exclamation of surprise and     
terror4 ,as soon as he could collect    
himself sufficiently1 he replied1 that1 
to the best of his knowledge1 the skull 
had belonged to a poor play-actor1 who  

had died in the parish some sixteen or1 
it might be1 eighteen years before2 and 
compelled by the merciless inquisition  
of those eyes1 fixed and stern1 though  
dilating with horror1 he added1 that1 if
 his memory served him well1 the        
player's name was ,bury4  ,a strong     
shudder shivered through the poor       
woman's frame at this confirmation of   
the awful revealment of the previous    
night2 but she replied calmly1 though   
with added sternness1--,he was my       
husband4 ,how dared you disturb his     
bones8 ,are you a ghoul1 that you burrow
 among graves and steal from the dead8  
,the poor man eagerly denied being      
anything so inhuman4 ,the skull had     
rolled into a grave he had been digging 
by the side of the almost forgotten     
grave of the poor player2 and1 as the   
manager had bespoken one for the play1  
he had thought it no harm to furnish him
 this4 ,but he would put it back        
carefully into its place that very day4 
,see that you do it1 man1 if you value  

the repose of your own soul6 said       
,zelma1 with an awful impressiveness1   
raising herself on one elbow and looking
 him out of the room4  ,when he was     
gone1 she sunk back and murmured1 partly
 to herself1 partly to her little maid1 
who wept through all1 the more that she 
did not understand1--,i knew it was so2 
it was needless to ask4 ,well1 'tis     
well2 he will forgive me1 now that ,i   
come when he calls me1 accomplishing to 
the utmost my vow4 ,he will make peace  
with me1 when ,i take my old place at   
his side1--when my head shall lie as low
 as his1--when he sees that all the     
laurels have dropped away1--when he sees
 the sorrow shining through the dark of 
my hair in rifts of silver4  ,after a   
little time she grew restless1 and would
 return to her lodgings4  ,as the doctor
 and her attendant were about placing   
her in a sedan-chair to bear her away1 a
 strange desire seized her to behold the
 theatre and tread the boards once more4
 ,they conducted her to the centre of   

the stage1 and seated her on the black  
couch of ,calista4 ,there they left her 
quite alone for a while1 and stood back 
where they could observe without        
disturbing her4 ,they saw her gaze about
 her dreamily and mournfully2 then she  
seemed to be recalling and reciting some
 favorite part4 ,to their surprise1 the 
tones of her voice were clear and       
resonant once more2 and when she had    
ceased speaking1 she rose and walked    
toward them1 slowly1 but firmly1 turning
 once or twice to bow proudly and       
solemnly to an invisible audience4 ,just
 before she reached them1 she suddenly  
pressed her hand on her heart1 and the  
next instant felt forward into the arms 
of her maid4 ,the young girl could not  
support the weight--the dead weight1 and
 sank with it to the floor4 ,zelma had  
made her last exit4     ,,the ,,murder  
,,of ,,the ,,innocents4  ,a ,,second    
,,epistle ,,to ,,dolorosus4   ,so you   
are already mending1 my dear fellow8    
,can it be that my modest epistle has   

done so much service8 ,are you like     
those invalids in ,central ,africa1 who1
 when the medicine itself is not        
accessible1 straightway swallow the     
written prescription as a substitute1   
inwardly digest it1 and recover8        
,no1--,i think you have tested the      
actual materia medica recommended4 ,i   
hear of you from all directions1 walking
 up hills in the mornings and down hills
 in the afternoons1 skimming round in   
wherries like a rather unsteady         
water-spider1 blistering your hands upon
 gymnastic bars1 receiving severe       
contusions on your nose from            
cricket-balls1 shaking up and down on   
hard-trotting horses1 and making the    
most startling innovations in respect to
 eating1 sleeping1 and bathing4 ,like   
all our countrymen1 you are plunging    
from one extreme to the other4          
,undoubtedly1 you will soon make        
yourself sick again2 but your present   
extreme is the safer of the two4 ,time  
works many miracles2 it has made ,louis 

,napoleon espouse the cause of liberty1 
and it may yet make you reasonable4     
,after all1 that advice of mine1 which  
is thought to have benefited you so     
greatly1 was simply that which ,dr4     
,abernethy used to give his patients3   
,don't come to me1--go buy a            
skipping-rope4 ,if you can only guard   
against excesses1 and keep the          
skipping-rope in operation1 there are   
yet hopes for you4 ,only remember that  
it is equally important to preserve     
health as to attain it1 and it needs    
much the same regimen4 ,do not be like  
that ,lord ,russell in ,spence's        
,anecdotes1 who only went hunting for   
the sake of an appetite1 and who1 the   
moment he felt any sensation of vitality
 in the epigastrium1 used to turn short 
round1 exclaiming1 ,i have found it6 and
 ride home from the finest chase4 ,it   
was the same ,lord ,russell1 by the way1
 who1 when he met a beggar and was      
implored to give him something1 because 
he was almost famished with hunger1     

called him a happy dog1 and envied him  
too much to relieve him4 ,from some     
recent remarks of your boarding-house   
hostess1 my friend1 ,i am led to suppose
 that you are now almost as well off1 in
 point of appetite1 as if you were a    
beggar2 and ,i wish to keep you so4     
,how much the spirits rise with health6 
,a family of children is a very         
different sight to a healthy man and to 
a dyspeptic4 ,what pleasure you now take
 in yours6 ,you are going to live more  
in their manner and for their sakes1    
henceforward1 you tell me4 ,you are to  
enter upon business again1 but in a more
 moderate way2 you are to live in a     
pleasant little suburban cottage1 with  
fresh air1 a horse-railroad1 and good   
schools4 ,for ,i am startled to find    
that your interest ,in your offspring1  
like that of most ,american parents1    
culminates in the school-room4 ,this    
important matter you have neglected long
 enough1 you think1 foolishly absorbed  
in making money for them4 ,now they     

shall have money enough1 to be sure1 but
 wisdom in plenty4 ,angelina shall walk 
in silk attire1 and knowledge have to   
spare4 ,to which school shall you send  
her8 you ask me1 with something of the  
old careworn expression1 pulling six    
different prospectuses from your pocket4
 ,put them away1 ,dolorosus2 ,i know the
 needs of ,angelina1 and ,i can answer  
instantly4 ,send the girl1 for the      
present at least1 to that school whose  
daily hours of session are the shortest1
 and whose recess-times and vacations   
are of the most formidable length4  ,no1
 anxious parent1 ,i am not joking4 ,i am
 more anxious for your children than you
 are4 ,on the faith of an ex-teacher and
 ex-school-committee- man1--for what    
respectable middle-aged ,american man   
but has passed through both these       
spheres of uncomfortable usefulness8--,i
 am terribly in earnest4 ,upon this     
point asserted1--that the merit of an   
,american school1 at least so far as    
,angelina is concerned1 is in inverse   

ratio to the time given to study1--,i   
will lay down incontrovertible          
propositions4  ,sir ,walter ,scott1     
according to ,carlyle1 was the only     
perfectly healthy literary man who ever 
lived1--in fact1 the one suitable text1 
he says1 for a sermon on health4 ,you   
may wonder1 ,dolorosus1 what ,sir       
,walter ,scott has to do with ,angelina1
 except to supply her with              
novel-reading1 and with passages for    
impassioned recitation1 at the twilight 
hour1 from the ,lady of the ,lake4 ,but 
that same ,scott has left one remark on 
record which may yet save the lives and 
reasons of greater men than himself1    
more gifted women 7if that were         
possible7 than ,angelina1 if we can only
 accept it with the deference to which  
that same healthiness of his entitles   
it4 ,he gave it as his deliberate       
opinion1 in conversation with ,basil    
,hall1 that five and a half hours form  
the limit of healthful mental labor for 
a mature person4 ,this ,i reckon very   

good work for a man1 he said1--adding1  
,i can very seldom reach six hours a    
day2 and ,i reckon that what is written 
after five or six hours' hard mental    
labor is not good for much4 ,this he    
said in the fulness of his magnificent  
strength1 and when he was producing1    
with astounding rapidity1 those pages of
 delight over which every new generation
 still hangs enchanted4  ,he did not    
mean1 of course1 that this was the      
maximum of possible mental labor1 but   
only of wise and desirable labor4 ,in   
later life1 driven by terrible pecuniary
 involvements1 he himself worked far    
more than this4 ,southey1 his           
contemporary1 worked far more1--writing1
 in #ahad1 ,i cannot get through more   
than at present1 unless ,i give up      
sleep1 or the little exercise ,i take   
7walking a mile and back1 after         
breakfast72 and1 that hour excepted1 and
 my meals1 7barely the meals1 for ,i    
remain not one minute after them17 the  
pen or the book is always in my hand4   

,our own time and country afford a yet  
more astonishing instance4 ,theodore    
,parker1 to my certain knowledge1 has   
often spent in his study from twelve to 
seventeen hours daily1 for weeks        
together4 ,but the result in all these  
cases has sadly proved the supremacy of 
the laws which were defied2 and the     
nobler the victim1 the more tremendous  
the warning retribution4  ,let us       
return1 then1 from the practice of      
,scott's ruined days to the principles  
of his sound ones4 ,supposing his       
estimate to be correct1 and five and a  
half hours to be a reasonable limit for 
the day's work of a mature brain1 it is 
evident that even this must be          
altogether too much for an immature one4
 ,to suppose the youthful brain1 says   
the recent admirable report by ,dr4     
,ray1 of the ,providence ,insane        
,hospital1 to be capable of an amount of
 work which is considered an ample      
allowance to an adult brain is simply   
absurd1 and the attempt to carry this   

fully into effect must necessarily be   
dangerous to the health and efficacy of 
the organ4 ,it would be wrong1          
therefore1 to deduct less than a        
half-hour from ,scott's estimate1 for   
even the oldest pupils in our highest   
schools2 leaving five hours as the limit
 of real mental effort for them1 and    
reducing this1 for all younger pupils1  
very much farther4  ,it is vain to      
suggest1 at this point1 that the        
application of ,scott's estimate is not 
fair1 because the mental labor of our   
schools is different in quality from    
his1 and therefore less exhausting4 ,it 
differs only in being more exhausting4  
,to the robust and affluent mind of the 
novelist1 composition was not1 of       
itself1 exceedingly fatiguing2 we know  
this from his own testimony2 he was     
able1 moreover1 to select his own       
subject1 keep his own hours1 and arrange
 all his own conditions of labor4 ,and  
on the other hand1 when we consider what
 energy and genius have for years been  

brought to bear upon the perfecting of  
our educational methods1--how thoroughly
 our best schools are now graded and    
systematized1 until each day's lessons  
become a ,procrustes-bed to which all   
must fit themselves1--how stimulating   
the apparatus of prizes and applauses1  
how crushing the penalties of reproof   
and degradation1--when we reflect1 that 
it is the ideal of every school1 that   
the whole faculties of every scholar    
should be concentrated upon every lesson
 and every recitation from beginning to 
end1 and that anything short of this is 
considered partial failure1--it is not  
exaggeration to say1 that the daily     
tension of brain demanded of children in
 our best schools is altogether severer1
 while it lasts1 than that upon which   
,scott based his estimate4 ,but ,scott  
is not the only authority in the case2  
let us ask the physiologists4  ,so said 
,horace ,mann1 before us1 in the days   
when the ,massachusetts school system   
was in process of formation4 ,he asked  

the physiologists1 in #ahdj1 and in his 
next ,report printed the answers of     
three of the most eminent4 ,the late    
,dr4 ,woodward1 of ,worcester1 promptly 
said1 that children under eight should  
never be confined more than one hour at 
a time1 nor more than four hours a day2 
and that1 if any child showed alarming  
symptoms of precocity1 it should be     
taken from school altogether4 ,dr4      
,james ,jackson1 of ,boston1 allowed the
 children four hours' schooling in      
winter and five in summer1 but only one 
hour at a time1 and heartily expressed  
his detestation of the practice of      
giving young children lessons to learn  
at home4 ,dr4 ,s4 ,g4 ,howe1 reasoning  
elaborately on the whole subject1 said1 
that children under eight should not be 
confined more than half an hour at a    
time1--by following which rule1 with    
long recesses1 they can study four hours
 daily2 children between eight and      
fourteen should not be confined more    
than three-quarters of an hour at a     

time1 having the last quarter of each   
hour for exercise in the                
playground1--and he allowed six hours of
 school in winter1 or seven in summer1  
solely on condition of this deduction of
 twenty-five per cent1 for recesses4    
,indeed1 the one thing about which      
doctors do not disagree is the          
destructive effect of premature or      
excessive mental labor4 ,i can quote you
 medical authority for and against every
 maxim of dietetics beyond the very     
simplest2 but ,i defy you to find one   
man who ever begged1 borrowed1 or stole 
the title of ,m4,d41 and yet abused     
those two honorary letters by asserting1
 under their cover1 that a child could  
safely study as much as a man1 or that a
 man could safely study more than six   
hours a day4 ,most of the intelligent   
men in the profession would probably    
admit1 with ,scott1 that even that is   
too large an allowance in maturity for  
vigorous work of the brain4  ,taking1   
then1 five hours as the reasonable daily

 limit of mental effort for children of 
eight to fourteen years1 and one hour as
 the longest time of continuous         
confinement1 7it was a standing rule of 
the ,jesuits1 by the way1 that no pupil 
should study more than two hours without
 relaxation17 the important question now
 recurs1 ,to what school shall we send  
,angelina8  ,shall we send her1 for     
instance1 to ,dothegirls' ,hall8 ,at    
that seminary of useful knowledge1 ,i   
find by careful inquiry that the daily  
performance is as follows1 at least in  
summer4 ,the pupils rise at or before   
five1 ,a4,m42 at any rate1 they study   
from five to seven1 two hours4 ,from    
seven to eight they breakfast4 ,from    
eight to two they are in the schoolroom1
 six consecutive hours4 ,from two to    
three they dine4 ,from three to five    
they are allowed to walk or take other  
exercise1--that is1 if it is pleasant   
weather1 and if they feel the spirit for
 it1 and if the time is not all used up 
in sewing1 writing letters1 school      

politics1 and all the small             
miscellaneous duties of existence1 for  
which no other moment is provided during
 day or night4 ,from five to six they   
study2 from six to seven comes the      
tea-table2 from seven to nine study     
again2 then bed and 7at least for the   
stupid ones7 sleep4  ,eleven solid hours
 of study each day1 ,dolorosus6 ,eight  
for sleep1 three for meals1 two during  
which out-door exercise is allowed4     
,there is no mistake about this         
statement2 ,i wish there were4 ,i have  
not imagined it2 who could have done so1
 short of ,milton and ,dante1 who were  
versed in the exploration of kindred    
regions of torment8 ,but as ,i cannot   
expect the general public to believe the
 statement1 even if you do1--and as this
 letter1 like my previous one1 may      
accidentally find its way into          
print1--and as ,i cannot refer to those 
who have personally attended the school1
 since they probably die off too fast to
 be summoned as witnesses1--,i will come

 down to a rather milder statement1 and 
see if you will believe that4  ,shall we
 send her1 then1 to the famous ,new     
,york school of ,mrs4 ,destructive8     
,this is recently noticed as follows in 
the ,household ,journal3--,of this most 
admirable school1 for faithful and      
well-bred system of education1 we have  
long intended to speak approvingly2 but 
in the following extract from the       
circular the truth is more expressively 
given3--',from ,september to ,april the 
time of rising is a quarter before seven
 o'clock1 and from ,april to ,july half 
an hour earlier2 then breakfast2 after  
which1 from eight to nine o'clock1      
study1--the school opening at nine      
o'clock1 with reading the ,scriptures   
and prayer4 ,from nine until half past  
twelve1 the recitations succeed one     
another1 with occasional short intervals
 of rest4 ,from half past twelve to one1
 recreation and lunch4 ,from one to     
three o'clock1 at which hour the school 
closes1 the studies are exclusively in  

the ,french language4444 ,from three to 
four o'clock in the winter1 but later in
 the summer1 exercise in the open air4  
,there are also opportunities for       
exercise several times in the day1 at   
short intervals1 which cannot easily be 
explained4 ,from a quarter past four to 
five o'clock1 study2 then dinner1 and   
soon after1 tea4 ,from seven to nine1   
two hours of study2 immediately after   
which all retire for the night1 and     
lights in the sleeping apartments must  
be extinguished at half past nine4' ,you
 have summed up the total already1      
,dolorosus2 ,i see it on your           
lips2--nine--hours-- and--a quarter of  
study1 and one solitary hour for        
exercise1 not counting those            
inexplicable short intervals which      
cannot easily be explained6  ,you will  
be pleased to hear that ,i have had an  
opportunity of witnessing the brilliant 
results of ,mrs4 ,destructive's system1 
in the case of my charming little       
neighbor1 ,fanny ,carroll4 ,she has     

lately returned from a stay of one year 
under that fashionable roof4 ,in most   
respects1 ,i was assured1 the results of
 the school were all that could be      
desired2 the mother informed me1 with   
delight1 that the child now spoke       
,french like an angel from ,paris1 and  
handled her silver fork like a seraph   
from the skies4 ,you may well suppose   
that ,i hastened to call upon her2 for  
the gay little creature was always a    
great pet of mine1 and ,i always quoted 
her with delight1 as a proof that bloom 
and strength were not monopolized by    
,english girls4 ,in the parlor ,i found 
the mother closeted with the family     
physician4 ,soon1 ,fanny1 aged sixteen1 
glided in1--a pale spectre1 exquisite in
 costume1 unexceptionable in manners1   
looking in all respects like an         
exceedingly used-up belle of            
five-and-twenty4 ,what were you just    
saying that some of my ,fanny's symptoms
 were1 ,doctor8 asked the languid       
mother1 as if longing for a second taste

 of some dainty morsel4 ,the courteous  
physician dropped them into her eager   
palm1 like sugar-plums1 one by one3     
,vertigo1 headache1 neuralgic pains1 and
 general debility4 ,the mother sighed   
once genteelly at me1 and then again1   
quite sincerely1 to herself2--but ,i    
never yet saw an habitual invalid who   
did not seem to take a secret           
satisfaction in finding her child to be 
a chip of the old block1 though block   
and chip were both wofully decayed4     
,however1 nothing is now said of ,miss  
,carroll's returning to school2 and the 
other day ,i actually saw her dashing   
through the lane on the family pony1    
with a tinge of the old brightness in   
her cheeks4 ,i ventured to inquire of   
her1 soon after1 if she had finished her
 education2 and she replied1 with a     
slight tinge of satire1 that she studied
 regularly every day1 at various short  
intervals1 which could not easily be    
explained4  ,five hours a day the safe  
limit for study1 ,dolorosus1 and these  

terrible schools quietly put into their 
programmes nine1 ten1 eleven hours2 and 
the deluded parents think they have     
out-manoeuvred the laws of ,nature1 and 
made a better bargain with ,time4 ,but  
these are private1 exclusive schools1   
you may say1 for especially favored     
children4 ,we cannot afford to have most
 of the rising generation murdered so   
expensively2 and in our public schools1 
at least1 one thinks there may be some  
relaxation of this tremendous strain4   
,besides1 physiological reformers had   
the making of our public system4 ,a man 
without high health1 said ,horace ,mann1
 is as much at war with ,nature as a    
guilty soul is at war with the spirit of
 ,god4 ,look first at our ,normal       
,schools1 therefore1 and see how finely 
their theory1 also1 presents this same  
lofty view4  ,those who have had much to
 do with students1 especially with the  
female portion1 said a ,normal ,school  
,report a few years since1 well know the
 sort of martyr-spirit that extensively 

prevails1--how ready they often are to  
sacrifice everything for the sake of a  
good lesson1--how false are their       
notions of true economy in mental labor1
 444 sacrificing their physical natures 
most unscrupulously to their            
intellectual4 ,indeed1 so strong had    
this passion for abuse become in this   
institution1 that no study of the laws  
of the physical organization1 no        
warning1 no painful experiences of their
 own or of their associates1 were       
sufficient to overcome their readiness  
for self-sacrifice4 ,and it appears1    
that1 in consequence of this state of   
things1 circulars were sent to all      
boarding-houses in the village1 laying  
down stringent rules to prevent the     
young ladies from exceeding the         
prescribed amount of study4  ,now turn  
from theory to practice4 ,what was this 
prescribed amount of study which these  
desperate young females persisted in    
exceeding in this model school8 ,it     
began with an hour's study before       

daylight 7in winter71--a thing most     
dangerous to eyesight1 as multitudes    
have found to their cost4 ,then from    
eight to half past two1 from four to    
half past five1 from seven to           
nine1--with one or two slight recesses4 
,ten hours and three quarters daily1    
,dolorosus6 as surely as you are a      
living sinner1 and as surely as the     
,board of ,education who framed that    
programme were sinners likewise4 ,i     
believe that some ,normal ,schools have 
learned more moderation now2 but ,i know
 also what forlorn wrecks of womanhood  
have been strewed along their melancholy
 history1 thus far2 and at what         
incalculable cost their successes have  
been purchased4  ,but it is premature to
 contemplate this form of martyrdom1 for
 ,angelina1 who has to run the gantlet  
of our common schools and high schools  
first4 ,let us consider her prospects in
 these1 carrying with us that blessed   
maxim1 five hours' study a day1--,nature
 loves the number five1 as ,emerson     

judiciously remarks1--for our aegis     
against the wiles of schoolmasters4     
,the year #ahed is memorable for a      
bomb-shell then thrown into the midst of
 the triumphant school-system of        
,boston1 in the form of a solemn protest
 by the city physician against the      
ruinous manner in which the children    
were overworked4 ,fact1 feeling1 and    
physiology were brought to bear1 with   
much tact and energy1 and the one       
special point of assault was the        
practice of imposing out-of-school      
studies1 beyond the habitual six hours  
of session4 ,a committee of inquiry was 
appointed4 ,they interrogated the       
grammar-school teachers4 ,the innocent  
and unsuspecting teachers were amazed at
 the suggestion of any excess4 ,most of 
them promptly replied1 in writing1 that 
they had never heard of any complaints  
on this subject from parents or         
guardians2 that most of the masters were
 watchful upon the matter2 that none of 
them pressed out-of-school studies2     

while the general opinion appeared to   
be1 that a moderate amount of           
out-of-school study was both necessary  
for the prescribed course of study and  
wholesome in its influence on character 
and habits4 ,they suggested that        
commonly the ill health that might exist
 arose from other causes than excessive 
study2 one attributed it to the use of  
confectionery1 another to fashionable   
parties1 another to the practice of     
chewing pitch1--anything1 everything1   
rather than admit that ,american        
children of fourteen could possibly be  
damaged by working only two hours day   
more than ,walter ,scott4  ,however1 the
 committee thought differently4 ,at any 
rate1 they fancied that they had more   
immediate control over the school-hours 
than they could exercise over the       
propensity of young girls for           
confectionery1 or over the improprieties
 of small boys who1 yet immature for    
tobacco1 touched pitch and were defiled4
 ,so by their influence was passed that 

immortal ,section #g of ,chapter ,v4 of 
the ,school ,regulations1--the ,magna   
,charta of childish liberty1 so far as  
it goes1 and the only safeguard which   
renders it prudent to rear a family     
within the limits of ,boston3--  ,in    
assigning lessons to boys to be studied 
out of school-hours1 the instructors    
shall not assign a longer lesson than a 
boy of good capacity can acquire by an  
hour's study2 but no out-of-school      
lessons shall be assigned to girls1 nor 
shall the lessons to be studied in      
school be so long as to require a       
scholar of ordinary capacity to study   
out of school in order to learn them4   
,it appears that since that epoch this  
rule has generally been observed1 though
 many of the teachers would prefer a    
different practice4 ,the rule is        
regarded by some as an uncomfortable    
restriction1 which without1 adequate    
reason 767 retards the progress of      
pupils4 ,a majority of our teachers     
would consider the permission to assign 

lessons for study at home to be a       
decided advantage and privilege4 ,so say
 the later reports of the committee4    
,fortunately for ,angelina and the      
junior members of the house of          
,dolorosus1 you are not now directly    
dependent upon ,boston regulations4 ,i  
mention them only because they represent
 a contest which is inevitable in every 
large town in the ,united ,states where 
the public-school system is sufficiently
 perfected to be dangerous4 ,it is      
simply the question1 whether children   
can bear more brain-work than men can4  
,physiology1 speaking through my humble 
voice1 7the personification may remind  
you of the days when men began poems    
with ,inoculation1 heavenly maid67      
shrieks loudly for five hours as the    
utmost limit1 and four hours as far more
 reasonable than six4 ,but even the     
comparatively moderate friends of       
education still claim the contrary4 ,mr4
 ,bishop1 the worthy ,superintendent of 
,schools in ,boston1 says1 7,report1    

#ahee17 ,the time daily allotted to     
studies may very properly be extended to
 seven hours a day for young persons    
over fifteen years of age2 and the      
,secretary of the ,massachusetts ,board 
of ,education1 in his recent volume1    
seems to think it a great concession to 
limit the period for younger pupils to  
six4  ,and we must not forget1 that1    
frame regulations as we may1 the        
tendency will always be to overrun them4
 ,in the report of the ,boston          
sub-committee to which ,i have referred1
 it was expressly admitted that the     
restrictions recommended would not alone
 remedy the evil1 or do much toward it2 
there would still be much1 and with the 
ambitious too much1 studying out of     
school4 ,they ascribed the real         
difficulty to the general arrangements  
of our schools1 and to the strong       
pressure from various causes urging the 
pupils to intense application and the   
masters to encourage it1 and said that  
this could only be met by some general  

changes introduced by general           
legislation4 ,some few of the masters   
had previously admitted the same thing3 
,the pressure from without1 the         
expectations of the committee1 the      
wishes of the parents1 the ambition of  
the pupils1 and an exacting public      
sentiment1 do tend to stimulate many to 
excessive application1 both in and out  
of school4  ,this admits the same fact1 
in a different form4 ,if these children 
have half their vitality taken out of   
them for life by premature and excessive
 brain-work1 it makes no difference     
whether it is done in the form of direct
 taxation or of indirect1--whether they 
are compelled to it by authority or     
allured into it by excitement and       
emulation4 ,if a horse breaks a         
blood-vessel by running too hard1 it is 
no matter whether he was goaded by whip 
and spur1 or ingeniously coaxed by the  
,hibernian method of a lock of hay tied 
six inches before his nose4 ,the method 
is nothing1--it is the pace which kills4

 ,probably the fact is1 that for every  
extra hour directly required by the     
teacher1 another is indirectly extorted 
in addition by the general stimulus of  
the school4 ,the best scholars put on   
the added hour1 because they are the    
best1--and the inferior scholars1       
because they are not the best4 ,in      
either case the excess is destructive in
 its tendency1 and the only refuge for  
individuals is to be found in a         
combination of fortunate dulness with   
happy indifference to shame4 ,but is it 
desirable1 my friend1 to construct our  
school-system on such a basis that      
safety and health shall be monopolized  
by the stupid and the shameless8  ,is   
this magnificent system of public       
instruction1 the glory of the world1 to 
turn out merely a vast machine for      
grinding down ,young ,america1 just as  
the system of middle-men1 similarly     
organized1 has ground down the ,irish   
peasantry8 ,look at it6 as now arranged1
 committees are responsible to the      

public1 teachers to committees1 pupils  
to teachers1--all pledged to extract a  
maximum crop from childish brains4 ,each
 is responsible to the authority next   
above him for a certain amount1 and must
 get it out of the victim next below    
him4 ,constant improvements in machinery
 perfect and expedite the work2 improved
 gauges and metres 7in the form of      
examinations7 compute the comparative   
yield to a nicety1 and allow no evasion4
 ,the child cannot spare an hour1 for he
 must keep up with the other children2  
the teacher dares not relax1 for he must
 keep up with the other schools2 the    
committees must only stimulate1 not     
check1 for the eyes of the editors are  
upon them1 and the municipal glory is at
 stake3 every one of these1 from highest
 to lowest1 has his appointed place in  
the tread-mill and must keep step with  
the rest2 and only once a year1 at the  
summer vacation1 the vast machine stops1
 and the poor remains of childish brain 
and body are taken out and handed to    

anxious parents 7like you1              
,dolorosus73--,here1 most worthy        
tax-payer1 is the dilapidated residue of
 your beloved ,angelina2 take her to the
 sea-shore for a few weeks1 and make the
 most of her4  ,do not you know that    
foreigners1 coming from the             
contemplation of races less precociously
 intellectual1 see the danger we are in1
 if we do not8 ,i was struck by the     
sudden disappointment of an enthusiastic
 ,english teacher1 7,mr4 ,calthrop17 who
 visited the ,new ,york schools the     
other day and got a little behind the   
scenes4 ,if ,i wanted a stranger to     
believe that the ,millennium was not far
 off1 he said1 ,i would take him to some
 of those grand ward-schools in ,new    
,york1 where able heads are trained by  
the thousand4 ,i spent four or five days
 in doing little else than going through
 these truly wonderful schools4 ,i staid
 more than three hours in one of them1  
wondering at all ,i saw1 admiring the   
stately order1 the unbroken discipline  

of the whole arrangements1 and the      
wonderful quickness and intelligence of 
the scholars4 ,that same evening ,i went
 to see a friend1 whose daughter1 a     
child of thirteen1 was at one of these  
schools4 ,i examined her1 and found that
 the little girl could hold her own with
 many of larger growth4 ',did she go to 
school to-day8' asked ,i4 ',no1' was the
 answer1 'she has not been for some     
time1 as she was beginning to get quite 
a serious curvature of the spine2 so now
 she goes regularly to a gymnastic      
doctor6'  ,i am sure that we have all   
had the same experience4 ,how exciting  
it was1 last year1 to be sure1 to see   
,angelina at the grammar-school         
examination1 multiplying mentally       
#cea1dbf by #bcf1ade1 and announcing the
 result in two minutes and thirteen     
seconds as #hb1ihg1dib1ggj6 ,i remember 
how you stood trembling as she staggered
 under the monstrous load1 and how your 
cheek hung out the red flag of parental 
exultation when she can out safe4 ,but  

when ,i looked at her colorless visage1 
sharp features1 and shiny consumptive   
skin1 ,i groaned inwardly4 ,it seemed as
 if that crop of figures1 like the      
innumerable florets of the whiteweed1   
now overspreading your paternal farm1   
were exhausting the last vitality from a
 shallow soil4 ,what a pity it is that  
the ,deity gave to these children of    
ours bodies as well as brains6 ,how it  
interferes with thorough instruction in 
the languages and the sciences6 ,you    
remember the negro-trader in ,uncle     
,tom1 who sighs for a lot of negroes    
specially constructed for his           
convenience1 with the souls left out8   
,could not some of our school-committees
 take measures to secure the companion  
set1 possessing merely the brains1 and  
with the troublesome bodies conveniently
 omitted8  ,the truth is1 that we       
,americans1 having overcome all other   
obstacles to universal education of the 
people1 have thought to overcome even   
the limitations imposed by the laws of  

,nature2 and so we were going           
triumphantly on1 when the ruined health 
of our children suddenly brought us to a
 stand4 ,now we suddenly discover1 that1
 in the absence of ,inquisitions1 and   
other unpleasant ,old-,world tortures1  
our school-houses have taken their      
place4 ,we have outgrown war1 we think2 
and yet we have not outgrown a form of  
contest which is undeniably more        
sanguinary1 since one-half the community
 actually die1 under present            
arrangements1 before they are old enough
 to see a battle-field1--that is1 before
 the age of eighteen4 ,it is an actual  
fact1 that1 if you can only keep        
,angelina alive up to that birthday1    
even if she be an ignoramus1 she will at
 least have accomplished the feat of    
surviving half her contemporaries4 ,can 
there be no ,peace ,society to check    
this terrific carnage8 ,dolorosus1      
rather than have a child of mine die1 as
 ,i have recently heard of a child's    
dying1 insane from sheer overwork1 and  

raving of algebra1 ,i would have her    
come no nearer to the splendors of      
science than the man in the ,french     
play1 who brings away from school only  
the general impression that two and two 
make five for a creditor and three for a
 debtor4  ,de ,quincey wrote a treatise 
on ,murder considered as one of the     
,fine ,arts1 and it is certainly the    
fine art which receives most attention  
in our schools4 ,so far as the body is  
concerned1 said ,horace ,mann of these  
institutions1 they provide for all the  
natural tendencies to physical ease and 
inactivity as carefully as though       
paleness and languor1 muscular          
enervation and debility1 were held to be
 constituent elements in national       
beauty4 ,with this denial of the body on
 one side1 with this tremendous stimulus
 of brain on the other1 and with a      
delicate and nervous national           
organization to begin with1 the result  
is inevitable4 ,boys hold out better    
than girls1 partly because they are not 

so docile in school1 partly because they
 are allowed to be more active out of   
it1 and so have more recuperative power4
 ,but who has not seen some delicate    
girl1 after five consecutive hours spent
 over ,french and ,latin and ,algebra1  
come home to swallow an indigestible    
dinner1 and straightway settle down     
again to spend literally every waking   
hour out of the twenty-four in study1   
save those scanty                       
meal-times1--protracting the labor1 it  
may be1 far into the night1 till the    
weary eyes close unwillingly over the   
slate or the lexicon1--then to bed1 to  
be vexed by troubled dreams1 instead of 
being wrapt in the sunny slumber of     
childhood1--waking unrefreshed1 to be   
reproached by parents and friends with  
the nervous irritability which this     
detestable routine has created8  ,for ,i
 aver that parents are more exacting    
than even teachers4 ,it is outrageous to
 heap it all upon the pedagogues1 as if 
they were the only apostolical          

successors of him whom ,charles ,lamb   
lauded the much calumniated good ,king  
,herod4 ,indeed1 teachers have no       
objection to educating the bodies of    
their small subjects1 if they can only  
be as well paid for it as for educating 
their intellects4 ,but1 until recently1 
they have never been allowed to put the 
bodies into the bill4 ,and as charity   
begins at home1 even in a physiological 
sense1--and as their own children's     
bodies required bread and butter1--they 
naturally postponed all regard for the  
physical education of their pupils until
 the thing acquired a marketable value4 
,now that the change is taking place1   
every schoolmaster in the land gladly   
adapts himself to it1 and hastens to    
insert in his advertisement1 ,especial  
attention given to physical education4  
,but what good does this do1 so long as 
parents are not willing that time enough
 should be deducted from the ordinary   
tasks to make the athletic apparatus    
available1--so long as it is regarded as

 a merit in pupils to take time from    
their plays and give it to extra        
studies1--so long as we exult over an   
inactive and studious child1 as ,dr4    
,beattie did over his1 that exploits of 
strength1 dexterity1 and speed to him no
 vanity or joy could bring1 and then    
almost die of despair1 like ,dr4        
,beattie1 because such a child dies     
before us8 ,with girls it is far worse4 
,girls1 during childhood1 are liable to 
no diseases distinct from those of boys1
 says ,salzmann1 except the disease of  
education4 ,what mother in decent       
society1 ,i ask you1 who is not         
delighted to have her little girl devote
 even ,wednesday and ,saturday          
afternoons to additional tasks in       
drawing or music1 rather than run the   
risk of having her make a noise         
somewhere1 or possibly even soil her    
dress8 ,papa himself will far more      
readily appropriate ten dollars to this 
additional confinement than five to the 
gymnasium or the riding-school4 ,and so1

 beset with snares on every hand1 the   
poor little well-educated thing can only
 pray the prayer recorded of a          
despairing child1 brought up in the best
 society1--that she might die and go to 
heaven and play with the ,irish children
 on ,saturday afternoons4  ,and the     
,sunday ,schools cooeperate with the    
week-day seminaries in the pious work of
 destruction4 ,dolorosus1 are all your  
small neighbors hard at work in         
committing to memory ,scripture texts   
for a wager1--,i have an impression1    
however1 that they call it a            
prize1--consisting of one ,bible8 ,in my
 circle of society the excitement runs  
high4 ,at any tea-drinking1 you may hear
 the ladies discussing the comparative  
points and prospects of their various   
little ,ellens and ,harriets1 with      
shrill eagerness2 while their husbands1 
on the other side of the room1 are      
debating the merits of ,ethan ,allen and
 ,flora ,temple1 the famous             
trotting-horses1 who are soon expected  

to try their speed on our ,agricultural 
,ground4 ,each horse1 and each girl1    
appears to have enthusiastic backers1   
though the ,sunday-,school excitement   
has the advantage of lasting longer4    
,from inquiry1 ,i find the state of the 
field to be about as follows3--,fanny   
,hastings1 who won the prize last year1 
is not to be entered for it again2 she  
damaged her memory by the process1 her  
teacher tells me1 so that she can now   
scarcely fix the simplest lesson in her 
mind4 ,carry ,blake had got up to five  
thousand verses1 but had such terrible  
headaches that her mother compelled her 
to stop1 some weeks ago2 the texts have 
all vanished from her brain1 but the    
headache unfortunately still lingers4   
,nelly ,sanborn has reached six         
thousand1 although her anxious father   
long since tried to buy her off by      
offering her a new ,bible twice as      
handsome as the prize one3 but what did 
she care for that8 she said2 she had    
handsome ,bibles already1 but she had no

 intention of being beaten by ,ella     
,prentiss4 ,poor child1 we see no chance
 for her2 for ,ella has it all her own  
way2 she has made up a score of seven   
thousand one hundred texts1 and it is   
only three days to the fatal ,sunday4   
,between ourselves1 ,i think ,nelly does
 her work more fairly2 for ,ella has a  
marvellous ingenuity in picking out easy
 verses1 like ,jack ,horner's plums1 and
 valuing every sacred sentence1 not by  
its subject1 but by its shortness4      
,still1 she is bound to win4  ,how is   
her health this summer8 ,i asked her    
mother1 the other day4  ,well1 her      
verses weigh on her1 said the good      
woman1 solemnly4  ,and here ,i pledge   
you my word1 ,dolorosus1 that to every  
one of these statements ,i might append1
 as ,miss ,edgeworth does to every      
particularly tough story1--,n4,b4 ,this 
is a fact4 ,i will only add that our    
,sunday-,school ,superintendent1 who is 
a physician1 told me that he had as     
strong objections to the whole thing as 

,i could have2 but that it was no use   
talking2 all the other schools did it1  
and ours must2 emulation was the order  
of the day4 ,besides1 he added1 with    
that sort of cheerful hopelessness      
peculiar to his profession1 the boys are
 not trying for the prize much1 this    
year2 and as for the girls1 they would  
probably lose their health very soon1 at
 any rate1 and may as well devote it to 
a sacred cause4  ,do not misunderstand  
me4 ,the supposed object in this case is
 a good one1 just as the object in      
week-day schools is a good one1--to     
communicate valuable knowledge and      
develop the powers of the mind4 ,the    
defect in policy1 in both cases1 appears
 to be1 that it totally defeats its own 
aim1 renders the employments hateful    
that should be delightful1 and          
sacrifices the whole powers1 so far as  
its influence goes1 without any         
equivalent4 ,all excess defeats itself4 
,as a grown man can work more in ten    
hours than in fifteen1 taking a series  

of days together1 so a child can make   
more substantial mental progress in five
 hours daily than in ten4 ,your child's 
mind is not an earthen jar1 to be filled
 by pouring into it2 it is a delicate   
plant1 to be wisely and healthfully     
reared2 and your wife might as well     
attempt to enrich her mignonette-bed by 
laying a ,greek ,lexicon upon it as try 
to cultivate that young nature by a     
topdressing of ,encyclopaedias4 ,i use  
the word on high authority4 ,courage1 my
 boy6 wrote ,lord ,chatham to his son1  
only the ,encyclopaedia to learn6--and  
the cruel diseases of a lifetime repaid 
,pitt for the forcing4 ,i do not object 
to the severest quality of study for    
boys or girls2--while their brains work1
 let them work in earnest4 ,but ,i do   
object to this immoderate and terrific  
quantity4 ,cut down every school1 public
 and private1 to five hours' total work 
per diem for the oldest children1 and   
four for the younger ones1 and they will
 accomplish more in the end than you    

ever saw them do in six or seven4 ,only 
give little enough at a time1 and some  
freshness to do it with1 and you may1 if
 you like1 send ,angelina to any school1
 and put her through the whole programme
 of the last educational prospectus sent
 to me1--,philology1 ,pantology1        
,orthology1 ,aristology1 and            
,linguistics4  ,for what is the end to  
be desired8 ,is it to exhibit a prodigy1
 or to rear a noble and symmetrical     
specimen of a human being8 ,because     
,socrates taught that a boy who has     
learned to speak is not too small for   
the sciences1--because ,tiberius        
delivered his father's funeral oration  
at the age of nine1 and ,marcus         
,aurelius put on the philosophic gown at
 twelve1 and ,cicero wrote a treatise on
 the art of speaking at                 
thirteen1--because ,lipsius is said to  
have composed a work the day he was     
born1 meaning1 say the commentators1    
that he began a new life at the age of  
ten1--because the learned ,licetus1 who 

was brought into the world so feeble as 
to be baked up to maturity in an oven1  
sent forth from that receptacle1 like a 
loaf of bread1 a treatise called        
,gonopsychanthropologia1--is it1        
therefore1 indispensably necessary1     
,dolorosus1 that all your pale little   
offspring shall imitate these8 ,spare   
these innocents6 it is not their fault  
that they are your children1--so do not 
visit it upon them so severely4 ,turn1  
,angelina1 ever dear1 and out of a      
little childish recreation we will yet  
extract a great deal of maturer wisdom  
for you1 if we can only bring this      
deluded parent to his senses4  ,to      
change the sweet privilege of childhood 
into weary days and restless nights1--to
 darken its pure associations1 which for
 many are the sole light that ever      
brings them back from sin and despair to
 the heaven of their infancy1--to banish
 those reveries of innocent fancy which 
even noisy boyhood knows1 and which are 
the appointed guardians of its purity   

before conscience wakes1--to abolish its
 moments of priceless idleness1         
saturated with sunshine1 blissful1      
aimless moments1 when every angel is    
near1--to bring insanity1 once the      
terrible prerogative of maturer life1   
down into the summer region of          
childhood1 with blight and ruin2--all   
this is the work of our folly1          
,dolorosus1 of our miserable ambition to
 have our unconscious little ones begin1
 in their very infancy1 the race of     
desperate ambition1 which has1 we admit1
 exhausted prematurely the lives of     
their parents4  ,the worst danger of it 
is1 that the moral is written at the end
 of the fable1 not the beginning4 ,the  
organization in youth is so dangerously 
elastic1 that the result of these       
intellectual excesses is not seen until 
years after4 ,when some young girl      
incurs spinal disease for life from some
 slight fall which she ought not to have
 felt for an hour1 or some businessman  
breaks down in the prime of his years   

from some trifling over-anxiety which   
should have left no trace behind1 the   
popular verdict may be1 ,mysterious     
,providence2 but the wiser observer sees
 the retribution for the folly of those 
misspent days which enfeebled the       
childish constitution1 instead of       
ripening it4 ,one of the most admirable 
passages in the ,report of ,dr4 ,ray1   
already mentioned1 is that in which he  
explains1 that1 though hard study at    
school is rarely the immediate cause of 
insanity1 it is the most frequent of its
 ulterior causes1 except hereditary     
tendencies4 ,it diminishes the          
conservative power of the animal economy
 to such a degree1 that attacks of      
disease1 which otherwise would have     
passed off safely1 destroy life almost  
before danger is anticipated4 ,every    
intelligent physician understands1 that1
 other things being equal1 the chances  
of recovery are far less in the         
studious1 highly intellectual child than
 in one of an opposite description4 ,the

 immediate mischief may have seemed     
slight1 but the brain is left in a      
condition of peculiar impressibility1   
which renders it morbidly sensitive to  
every adverse influence4  ,indeed1 here 
is precisely the weakness of our whole  
national training thus far1--brilliant  
immediate results1 instead of wise      
delays4 ,the life of the average        
,american is a very hasty breakfast1 a  
magnificent luncheon1 a dyspeptic       
dinner1 and no supper4 ,our masculine   
energy is like our feminine beauty1     
bright and evanescent4 ,as enthusiastic 
travellers inform us that there are in  
every ,american village a dozen1 girls  
of sixteen who are prettier than any    
,english hamlet of the same size can    
produce1 so the same village undoubtedly
 possesses a dozen very young men who1  
tried by the same standard1 are smarter 
than their ,english peers4 ,come again  
fifteen years after1 when the           
,englishmen and ,englishwomen are       
reported to be just in their prime1 and1

 lo6 those lovely girls are sallow old  
women1 and the boys are worn-out        
men1--with fire left in them1 it may be1
 but fuel gone1--retired from active    
business1 very likely1 and just waiting 
for consumption to carry them off1 as   
one waits for the omnibus4  ,to say that
 this should be amended is to say       
little4 ,either it must be amended1 or  
the ,american race fails2--there is no  
middle ground4 ,if we fail1 7which ,i do
 not expect1 ,i assure you17 we fail    
disastrously4 ,if we succeed1 if we     
bring up our vital and muscular         
developments into due proportion with   
our nervous energy1 we shall have a race
 of men and women such as the world     
never saw4 ,dolorosus1 when in the      
course of human events you are next     
invited to give a ,fourth-of-,july      
,oration1 grasp at the opportunity1 and 
take for your subject ,health4 ,tell    
your audience1 when you rise to the     
accustomed flowers of rhetoric as the   
day wears on1 that ,health is the       

central luminary1 of which all the stars
 that spangle the proud flag of our     
common country are but satellites2 and  
close with a hint to the plumed emblem  
of our nation1 7pointing to the stuffed 
one which will probably be exhibited on 
the platform17 that she should not      
henceforward confine her energies to the
 hatching of short-lived eaglets1 but   
endeavor rather to educate a few        
full-grown birds4  ,as ,i take it1      
,nature said1 some years since1--,thus  
far the ,english is my best race2 but we
 have had ,englishmen enough2 now for   
another turning of the globe1 and a step
 farther4 ,we need something with a     
little more buoyancy than the           
,englishman2 let us lighten the ship1   
even at the risk of a little peril in   
the process4 ,put in one drop more of   
nervous fluid and make the ,american4   
,with that drop1 a new range of promise 
opened on the human race1 and a lighter1
 finer1 more highly organized type of   
mankind was born4 ,but the promise must 

be fulfilled through unequalled dangers4
 ,with the new drop came new            
intoxication1 new ardors1 passions1     
ambitions1 hopes1 reactions1 and        
despairs1--more daring1 more invention1 
more disease1 more                      
insanity1--forgetfulness1 at first1 of  
the old1 wholesome traditions of living1
 recklessness of sin and saleratus1 loss
 of refreshing sleep and of the power of
 play4 ,to surmount all this1 we have   
got to fight the good fight1 ,i assure  
you1 ,dolorosus4 ,nature is yet pledged 
to produce that finer type1 and if we   
miss it1 she will leave us to decay1    
like our predecessors1--whirl the globe 
over once more1 and choose a new place  
for a new experiment4     ,,my ,,double2
 ,,and ,,how ,,he ,,undid ,,me4   ,it is
 not often that ,i trouble the readers  
of the ,atlantic ,monthly4 ,i should not
 trouble them now1 but for the          
importunities of my wife1 who feels to  
insist that a duty to society is        
unfulfilled1 till ,i have told why ,i   

had to have a double1 and how he undid  
me4 ,she is sure1 she says1 that        
intelligent persons cannot understand   
that pressure upon public servants which
 alone drives any man into the          
employment of a double4 ,and while ,i   
fear she thinks1 at the bottom of her   
heart1 that my fortunes will never be   
remade1 she has a faint hope1 that1 as  
another ,rasselas1 ,i may teach a lesson
 to future publics1 from which they may 
profit1 though we die4 ,owing to the    
behaviour of my double1 or1 if you      
please1 to that public pressure which   
compelled me to employ him1 ,i have     
plenty of leisure to write this         
communication4  ,i am1 or rather was1 a 
minister1 of the ,sandemanian           
connection4 ,i was settled in the       
active1 wide-awake town of ,naguadavick1
 on one of the finest water-powers in   
,maine4 ,we used to call it a ,western  
town in the heart of the civilization of
 ,new ,england4 ,a charming place it was
 and is4 ,a spirited1 brave young parish

 had ,i2 and it seemed as if we might   
have all the joy of eventful living to  
our hearts' content4  ,alas6 how little 
we knew on the day of my ordination1 and
 in those halcyon moments of our first  
housekeeping6 ,to be the confidential   
friend in a hundred families in the     
town1--cutting the social trifle1 as my 
friend ,haliburton says1 from the top of
 the whipped-syllabub to the bottom of  
the sponge-cake1 which is the           
foundation1--to keep abreast of the     
thought of the age in one's study1 and  
to do one's best on ,sunday to          
interweave that thought with the active 
life of an active town1 and to inspirit 
both and make both infinite by glimpses 
of the ,eternal ,glory1 seemed such an  
exquisite forelock into one's life6     
,enough to do1 and all so real and so   
grand6 ,if this vision could only have  
lasted6  ,the truth is1 that this vision
 was not in itself a delusion1 nor1     
indeed1 half bright enough4 ,if one     
could only have been left to do his own 

business1 the vision would have         
accomplished itself and brought out new 
paraheliacal visions1 each as bright as 
the original4 ,the misery was and is1 as
 we found out1 ,i and ,polly1 before    
long1 that1 besides the vision1 and     
besides the usual human and finite      
failures in life1 7such as breaking the 
old pitcher that came over in the       
,mayflower1 and putting into the fire   
the ,alpenstock with which her father   
climbed ,mont ,blanc17--besides these1  
,i say1 7imitating the style of         
,robinson ,crusoe17 there were          
pitch-forked in on us a great rowen-heap
 of humbugs1 banded down from some      
unknown seed-time1 in which we were     
expected1 and ,i chiefly1 to fulfil     
certain public functions before the     
community1 of the character of those    
fulfilled by the third row of           
supernumeraries who stand behind the    
,sepoys in the spectacle of the         
,cataract of the ,ganges4 ,they were the
 duties1 in a word1 which one performs  

as member of one or another social class
 or subdivision1 wholly distinct from   
what one does as ,a4 by himself ,a4     
,what invisible power put these         
functions on me1 it would be very hard  
to tell4 ,but such power there was and  
is4 ,and ,i had not been at work a year 
before ,i found ,i was living two lives1
 one real and one merely                
functional1--for two sets of people1 one
 my parish1 whom ,i loved1 and the other
 a vague public1 for whom ,i did not    
care two straws4 ,all this was in a     
vague notion1 which everybody had and   
has1 that this second life would        
eventually bring out some great results1
 unknown at present1 to somebody        
somewhere4  ,crazed by this duality of  
life1 ,i first read ,dr4 ,wigan on the  
,duality of the ,brain1 hoping that ,i  
could train one side of my head to do   
these outside jobs1 and the other to do 
my intimate and real duties4 ,for       
,richard ,greenough once told me1 that1 
in studying for the statue of ,franklin1

 he found that the left side of the     
great man's face was philosophic and    
reflective1 and the right side funny and
 smiling4 ,if you will go and look at   
the bronze statue1 you will find he has 
repeated this observation there for     
posterity4 ,the eastern profile is the  
portrait of the statesman ,franklin1 the
 western of ,poor ,richard4 ,but ,dr4   
,wigan does not go into these niceties  
of this subject1 and ,i failed4 ,it was 
then1 that1 on my wife's suggestion1 ,i 
resolved to look out for a ,double4  ,i 
was1 at first1 singularly successful4   
,we happened to be recreating at        
,stafford ,springs that summer4 ,we rode
 out one day1 for one of the relaxations
 of that watering-place1 to the great   
,monsonpon ,house4 ,we were passing     
through one of the large halls1 when my 
destiny was fulfilled6 ,i saw my man6   
,he was not shaven4 ,he had on no       
spectacles4 ,he was dressed in a green  
baize roundabout and faded blue         
overalls1 worn sadly at the knee4 ,but  

,i saw at once that he was of my height1
 five feet four and a half4 ,he had     
black hair1 worn off by his hat4 ,so    
have and have not ,i4 ,he stooped in    
walking4 ,so do ,i4 ,his hands were     
large1 and mine4 ,and--choicest gift of 
,fate in all--he had1 not a             
strawberry-mark on his left arm1 but a  
cut from a juvenile brickbat over his   
right eye1 slightly affecting the play  
of that eyebrow4 ,reader1 so have       
,i6--,my fate was sealed6  ,a word with 
,mr4 ,holley1 one of the inspectors1    
settled the whole thing4 ,it proved that
 this ,dennis ,shea was a harmless1     
amiable fellow1 of the class known as   
shiftless1 who had scaled his fate by   
marrying a dumb wife1 who was at that   
moment ironing in the laundry4 ,before  
,i left ,stafford1 ,i had hired both for
 five years4 ,we had applied to ,judge  
,pynchon1 then the probate judge at     
,springfield1 to change the name of     
,dennis ,shea to ,frederic ,ingham4 ,we 
had explained to the ,judge1 what was   

the precise truth1 that an eccentric    
gentleman wished to adopt ,dennis under 
this new name into his family4 ,it never
 occurred to him that ,dennis might be  
more than fourteen years old4 ,and thus1
 to shorten this preface1 when we       
returned at night to my parsonage at    
,naguadavick1 there entered ,mrs4       
,ingham1 her new dumb laundress1 myself1
 who am ,mr4 ,frederic ,ingham1 and my  
double1 who was ,mr4 ,frederic ,ingham  
by as good right as ,i4  ,oh1 the fun we
 had the next morning in shaving his    
beard to my pattern1 cutting his hair to
 match mine1 and teaching him how to    
wear and how to take off gold-bowed     
spectacles6 ,really1 they were          
electro-plate1 and the glass was plain  
7for the poor fellow's eyes were        
excellent74 ,then in four successive    
afternoons ,i taught1 him four speeches4
 ,i had found these would be quite      
enough for the supernumerary-,sepoy line
 of life1 and it was well for me they   
were4 ,for though he was good-natured1  

he was very shiftless1 and it was1 as   
our national proverb says1 like pulling 
teeth to teach him4 ,but at the end of  
the next week he could say1 with quite  
my easy and frisky air1--  #a4 ,very    
well1 thank you4 ,and you8 ,this for an 
answer to casual salutations4  #b4 ,i am
 very glad you liked it4  #c4 ,there has
 been so much said1 and1 on the whole1  
so well said1 that ,i will not occupy   
the time4  #d4 ,i agree1 in general1    
with my friend the other side of the    
room4  ,at first ,i had a feeling that  
,i was going to be at great cost for    
clothing him4 ,but it proved1 of course1
 at once1 that1 whenever he was out1 ,i 
should be at home4 ,and ,i went1 during 
the bright period of his success1 to so 
few of those awful pageants which       
require a black dress-coat and what the 
ungodly call1 after ,mr4 ,dickens1 a    
white choker1 that in the happy retreat 
of my own dressing-gowns and jackets my 
days went by as happily and cheaply as  
those of another ,thalaba4 ,and ,polly  

declares there was never a year when the
 tailoring cost so little4 ,he lived    
7,dennis1 not ,thalaba7 in his wife's   
room over the kitchen4 ,he had orders   
never to show himself at that window4   
,when he appeared in the front of the   
house1 ,i retired to my sanctissimum and
 my dressing-gown4 ,in short1 the       
,dutchman and his wife1 in the old      
weather-box1 had not less to do with    
each other than he and ,i4 ,he made the 
furnace-fire and split the wood before  
daylight2 then he went to sleep again1  
and slept late2 then came for orders1   
with a red silk bandanna tied round his 
head1 with his overalls on1 and his     
dress-coat and spectacles off4 ,if we   
happened to be interrupted1 no one      
guessed that he was ,frederic ,ingham as
 well as ,i2 and1 in the neighborhood1  
there grew up an impression that the    
minister's ,irishman worked day-times in
 the factory-village at ,new ,coventry4 
,after ,i had given him his orders1 ,i  
never saw him till the next day4  ,i    

launched him by sending him to a meeting
 of the ,enlightenment ,board4 ,the     
,enlightenment ,board consists of       
seventy-four members1 of whom           
sixty-seven are necessary to form a     
quorum4 ,one becomes a member under the 
regulations laid down in old ,judge     
,dudley's will4 ,i became one by being  
ordained pastor of a church in          
,naguadavick4 ,you see you cannot help  
yourself1 if you would4 ,at this        
particular time we had had four         
successive meetings1 averaging four     
hours each1--wholly occupied in whipping
 in a quorum4 ,at the first only eleven 
men were present2 at the next1 by force 
of three circulars1 twenty-seven2 at the
 third1 thanks to two days canvassing by
 ,auchmuty and myself1 begging men to   
come1 we had sixty4 ,half the others    
were ,in ,europe4 ,but without a quorum 
we could do nothing4 ,all the rest of us
 waited grimly for our four hours1 and  
adjourned without any action4 ,at the   
fourth meeting we had flagged1 and only 

got fifty-nine together4 ,but on the    
first appearance of my double1--whom ,i 
sent on this fatal ,monday to the fifth 
meeting1--he was the sixty-seventh man  
who entered the room4 ,he was greeted   
with a storm of applause6 ,the poor     
fellow had missed his way1--read the    
street signs ill though his spectacles1 
7very ill1 in fact1 without them17--and 
had not dared to inquire4 ,he entered   
the room1--finding the president and    
secretary holding to their chairs two   
judges of the ,supreme ,court1 who were 
also members ex officio1 and were       
begging leave to go away4 ,on his       
entrance all was changed4 ,presto1 the  
by-laws were amended1 and the ,western  
property was given away4 ,nobody stopped
 to converse with him4 ,he voted1 as ,i 
had charged him to do1 in every         
instance1 with the minority4 ,i won new 
laurels as a man of sense1 though a     
little unpunctual1--and ,dennis1 alias  
,ingham1 returned to the parsonage1     
astonished to see with how little wisdom

 the world is governed4 ,he cut a few of
 my parishioners in the street2 but he  
had his glasses off1 and ,i am known to 
be near-sighted4 ,eventually he         
recognized them more readily than ,i4   
,i set him again at the exhibition of   
the ,new ,coventry ,academy2 and here he
 undertook a speaking part1--as1 in my  
boyish1 worldly days1 ,i remember the   
bills used to say of ,mlle4 ,celeste4   
,we are all trustees of the ,new        
,coventry ,academy2 and there has lately
 been a good deal of feeling because the
 ,sandemanian trustees did not regularly
 attend the exhibitions4 ,it has been   
intimated1 indeed1 that the             
,sandemanians are leaning towards       
,free-,will1 and that we have1          
therefore1 neglected these semi-annual  
exhibitions1 while there is no doubt    
that ,auchmuty last year went to        
,commencement at ,waterville4 ,now the  
head master at ,new ,coventry is a real 
good fellow1 who knows a ,sanskrit root 
when he sees it1 and often cracks       

etymologies with me1--so that1 in       
strictness1 ,i ought to go to their     
exhibitions4 ,but think1 reader1 of     
sitting through three long ,july days in
 that ,academy chapel1 following the    
programme from      ,,tuesday ,,morning4
 ,english ,composition4     ,,sunshine4 
,miss ,jones4  round to      ,trio on   
,three ,pianos4 ,duel from the ,opera   
of ,midshipman ,easy4 ,marryatt4  coming
 in at nine1 ,thursday evening6 ,think  
of this1 reader1 for men who know the   
world is trying to go backward1 and who 
would give their lives if they could    
help it on6 ,well6 ,the double had      
succeeded so well at the ,board1 that ,i
 sent him to the ,academy4 7,shade of   
,plato1 pardon67 ,he arrived early on   
,tuesday1 when1 indeed1 few but mothers 
and clergymen are generally expected1   
and returned in the evening to us1      
covered with honors4 ,he had dined at   
the right hand of the chairman1 and he  
spoke in high terms of the repast4 ,the 
chairman had expressed his interest in  

the ,french conversation4 ,i am very    
glad you liked it1 said ,dennis2 and the
 poor chairman1 abashed1 supposed the   
accent had been wrong4 ,at the end of   
the day1 the gentlemen present had been 
called upon for speeches1--the ,rev4    
,frederic ,ingham first1 as it happened2
 upon which ,dennis had risen1 and had  
said1 ,there has been so much said1 and1
 on the whole1 so well said1 that ,i    
will not occupy the time4 ,the girls    
were delighted1 because ,dr4 ,dabney1   
the year before1 had given them at this 
occasion a scolding on impropriety of   
behavior at lyceum lectures4 ,they all  
declared ,mr4 ,ingham was a love1--and  
so handsome6 7,dennis is good-looking47 
,three of them1 with arms behind the    
others' waists1 followed him up to the  
wagon he rode home in2 and a little girl
 with a blue sash had been sent to give 
him a rosebud4 ,after this debut in     
speaking1 he went to the exhibition for 
two days more1 to the mutual            
satisfaction of all concerned4 ,indeed1 

,polly reported that he had pronounced  
the trustees' dinners of a higher grade 
than those of the parsonage4 ,when the  
next term began1 ,i found six of the    
,academy girls had obtained permission  
to come across the river and attend our 
church4 ,but this arrangement did not   
long continue4  ,after this he went to  
several ,commencements for me1 and ate  
the dinners provided2 he sat through    
three of our ,quarterly ,conventions for
 me1--always voting judiciously1 by the 
simple rule mentioned above1 of siding  
with the minority4 ,and ,i1 meanwhile1  
who had before been losing caste among  
my friends1 as holding myself aloof from
 the associations of the body1 began to 
rise in everybody's favor4 ,ingham's a  
good fellow1--always on hand2 never     
talks much1--but does the right thing at
 the right time2 is not as unpunctual as
 he used to be1--he comes early1 and    
sits through to the end4 ,he has got    
over his old talkative habit1 too4 ,i   
spoke to a friend of his about it once2 

and ,i think ,ingham took it kindly1    
etc41 etc4  ,this voting power of       
,dennis was particularly valuable at the
 quarterly meetings of the ,proprietors 
of the ,naguadavick ,ferry4 ,my wife    
inherited from her father some shares in
 that enterprise1 which is not yet fully
 developed1 though it doubtless will    
become a very valuable property4 ,the   
law of ,maine then forbade stockholders 
to appear by proxy at such meetings4    
,polly disliked to go1 not being1 in    
fact1 a hens'-rights hen1 and           
transferred her stock to me4 ,i1 after  
going once1 disliked it more than she4  
,but ,dennis went to the next meeting1  
and liked it very much4 ,he said the    
armchairs were good1 the collation good1
 and the free rides to stockholders     
pleasant4 ,he was a little frightened   
when they first took him upon one of the
 ferry-boats1 but after two or three    
quarterly meetings he became quite      
brave4  ,thus far ,i never had any      
difficulty with him4 ,indeed1 being of  

that type which is called shiftless1 he 
was only too happy to be told daily what
 to do1 and to be charged not to be     
forthputting or in any way original in  
his discharge of that duty4 ,he learned1
 however1 to discriminate between the   
lines of his life1 and very much        
preferred these stockholders' meetings  
and trustees' dinners and ,commencement 
collations to another set of occasions1 
from which he used to beg off most      
piteously4 ,our excellent brother1 ,dr4 
,fillmore1 had taken a notion at this   
time that our ,sandemanian churches     
needed more expression of mutual        
sympathy4 ,he insisted upon it that we  
were remiss4 ,he said1 that1 if the     
,bishop came to preach at ,naguadavick1 
all the ,episcopal clergy of the        
neighborhood were present2 if ,dr4 ,pond
 came1 all the ,congregational clergymen
 turned out to hear him2 if ,dr4        
,nichols1 all the ,unitarians2 and he   
thought we owed it to each other1 that1 
whenever there was an occasional service

 at a ,sandemanian church1 the other    
brethren should all1 if possible1       
attend4 ,it looked well1 if nothing     
more4 ,now this really meant that ,i had
 not been to hear one of ,dr4           
,fillmore's lectures on the ,ethnology  
of ,religion4 ,he forgot that he did not
 hear one of my course on the           
,sandemanianism of ,anselm4 ,but ,i felt
 badly when he said it2 and afterwards  
,i always made ,dennis go to hear all   
the brethren preach1 when ,i was not    
preaching myself4 ,this was what he took
 exceptions to1--the only thing1 as ,i  
said1 which he ever did except to4 ,now 
came the advantage of his long          
morning-nap1 and of the green tea with  
which ,polly supplied the kitchen4 ,but 
he would plead1 so humbly1 to be let    
off1 only from one or two6 ,i never     
excepted him1 however4 ,i knew the      
lectures were of value1 and ,i thought  
it best he should be able to keep the   
connection4  ,polly is more rash than ,i
 am1 as the reader has observed in the  

outset of this memoir4 ,she risked      
,dennis one night under the eyes of her 
own sex4 ,governor ,gorges had always   
been very kind to us2 and when he gave  
his great annual party to the town1     
asked us4 ,i confess ,i hated to go4 ,i 
was deep in the new volume of           
,pfeiffer's ,mystics1 which ,haliburton 
had just sent me from ,boston4 ,but how 
rude1 said ,polly1 not to return the    
,governor's civility and ,mrs4          
,gorges's1 when they will be sure to ask
 why you are away6 ,still ,i demurred1  
and at last she1 with the wit of ,eve   
and of ,semiramis conjoined1 let me off 
by saying1 that1 if ,i would go in with 
her1 and sustain the initial            
conversations with the ,governor and the
 ladies staying there1 she would risk   
,dennis for the rest of the evening4    
,and that was just what we did4 ,she    
took ,dennis in training all that       
afternoon1 instructed him in fashionable
 conversation1 cautioned him against the
 temptations of the supper-table1--and  

at nine in the evening he drove us all  
down in the carryall4 ,i made the grand 
star-entree with ,polly and the pretty  
,walton girls1 who were staying with us4
 ,we had put ,dennis into a great rough 
top-coat1 without his glasses1--and the 
girls never dreamed1 in the darkness1 of
 looking at him4 ,he sat in the         
carriage1 at the door1 while we entered4
 ,i did the agreeable to ,mrs4 ,gorges1 
was introduced to her niece1 ,miss      
,fernanda1--,i complimented ,judge      
,jeffries on his decision in the great  
case of ,d',aulnay vs4 ,laconia ,mining 
,co41--,i stepped into the dressing-room
 for a moment1--stepped out for         
another1--walked home1 after a nod with 
,dennis1 and tying the horse to a       
pump2--and while ,i walked home1 ,mr4   
,frederic ,ingham1 my double1 stepped in
 through the library into the ,gorges's 
grand saloon4  ,oh6 ,polly died of      
laughing as she told me of it at        
midnight6 ,and even here1 where ,i have 
to teach my hands to hew the beech for  

stakes to fence our cave1 she dies of   
laughing as she recalls it1--and says   
that single occasion was worth all we   
have paid for it4 ,gallant ,eve that she
 is6 ,she joined ,dennis at the         
library-door1 and in an instant         
presented him to ,dr4 ,ochterlong1 from 
,baltimore1 who was on a visit in town1 
and was talking with her1 as ,dennis    
came in4 ,mr4 ,ingham would like to hear
 what you were telling us about your    
success among the ,german population4   
,and ,dennis bowed and said1 in spite of
 a scowl from ,polly1 ,i'm very glad you
 liked it4 ,but ,dr4 ,ochterlong did not
 observe1 and plunged into the tide of  
explanation1 ,dennis listening like a   
prime-minister1 and bowing like a       
mandarin1--which is1 ,i suppose1 the    
same thing4 ,polly declared it was just 
like ,haliburton's ,latin conversation  
with the ,hungarian minister1 of which  
he is very fond of telling4 ,quaene sit 
historia ,reformationis in ,ungaria8    
quoth ,haliburton1 after some thought4  

,and his confrere replied gallantly1 ,in
 seculo decimo tertio1 etc41 etc41 etc42
 and from decimo tertio#h to the        
nineteenth century and a half lasted    
till the oysters came4 ,so was it that  
before ,dr4 ,ochterlong came to the     
success1 or near it1 ,governor ,gorges  
came to ,dennis and asked him to hand   
,mrs4 ,jeffries down to supper1 a       
request which he heard with great joy4  
,polly was skipping round the room1 ,i  
guess1 gay as a lark4 ,auchmuty came to 
her in pity for poor ,ingham1 who was so
 bored by the stupid pundit1--and       
,auchmuty could not understand why ,i   
stood it so long4 ,but when ,dennis took
 ,mrs4 ,jeffries down1 ,polly could not 
resist standing near them4 ,he was a    
little flustered1 till the sight of the 
eatables and drinkables gave him the    
same ,mercian courage which it gave     
,diggory4 ,a little excited then1 he    
attempted one or two of his speeches to 
the ,judge's lady4 ,but little he knew  
how hard it was to get in even a promptu

 there edgewise4 ,very well1 ,i thank   
you1 said he1 after the eating elements 
were adjusted2 and you8 ,and then did   
not he have to hear about the mumps1 and
 the measles1 and arnica1 and           
belladonna1 and chamomile-flower1 and   
dodecathem1 till she changed oysters for
 salad1--and then about the old practice
 and the new1 and what her sister said1 
and what her sister's friend said1 and  
what the physician to her sister's      
friend said1 and then what was said by  
the brother of the sister of the        
physician of the friend of her sister1  
exactly as if it had been in            
,ollendorff8 ,there was a moment's      
pause1 as she declined ,champagne4 ,i am
 very glad you liked it1 said ,dennis   
again1 which he never should have said1 
but to one who complimented a sermon4   
,oh6 you are so sharp1 ,mr4 ,ingham6    
,no6 ,i never drink any wine at         
all1--except sometimes in summer a      
little currant spirits1--from our own   
currants1 you know4 ,my own             

mother1--that is1 ,i call her my own    
mother1 because1 you know1 ,i do not    
remember1 etc41 etc41 etc42 till they   
came to the candied orange at the end of
 the feast1--when ,dennis1 rather       
confused1 thought he must say something1
 and tried ,no4 #d1--;,i agree1 in      
general1 with my friend the other side  
of the room1--which he never should have
 said but at a public meeting4 ,but     
,mrs4 ,jeffries1 who never listens      
expecting to understand1 caught him up  
instantly with1 ,well1 ,i'm sure my     
husband returns the compliment2 he      
always agrees with you1--though we do   
worship with the ,methodists2--but you  
know1 ,mr4 ,ingham1 etc41 etc41 etc41   
till the move was made up-stairs2--and  
as ,dennis led her through the hall1 he 
was scarcely understood by any but      
,polly1 as he said1 ,there has been so  
much said1 and1 on the whole1 so well   
said1 that ,i will not occupy the time4 
,his great resource the rest of the     
evening was1 standing in the library1   

carrying on animated conversations with 
one and another in much the same way4   
,polly had initiated him in the         
mysteries of a discovery of mine1 that  
it is not necessary to finish your      
sentences in a crowd1 but by a sort of  
mumble1 omitting sibilants and dentals4 
,this1 indeed1 if your words fail you1  
answers even in public extempore        
speech1--but better where other talking 
is going on4 ,thus1--,we missed you at  
the ,natural ,history ,society1 ,ingham4
 ,ingham replies1--,i am very           
gligloglum1 that is1 that you were      
mmmmm4 ,by gradually dropping the voice1
 the interlocutor is compelled to supply
 the answer4 ,mrs4 ,ingham1 ,i hope your
 friend ,augusta is better4 ,augusta has
 not been ill4 ,polly cannot think of   
explaining1 however1 and                
answers1--,thank you1 ,ma'am2 she is    
very rearason wewahwewoh1 in lower and  
lower tones4 ,and ,mrs4 ,throckmorton1  
who forgot the subject of which she     
spoke1 as soon as she asked the         

question1 is quite satisfied4 ,dennis   
could see into the card-room1 and came  
to ,polly to ask if he might not go and 
play all-fours4 ,but1 of course1 she    
sternly refused4 ,at midnight they came 
home delighted1--,polly1 as ,i said1    
wild to tell me the story of victory2   
only both the pretty ,walton girls      
said1--,cousin ,frederic1 you did not   
come near me all the evening4  ,we      
always called him ,dennis at home1 for  
convenience1 though his real name was   
,frederic ,ingham1 as ,i have explained4
 ,when the election-day came round1     
however1 ,i found that by some accident 
there was only one ,frederic ,ingham's  
name on the voting-list2 and1 as ,i was 
quite busy that day in writing some     
foreign letters to ,halle1 ,i thought ,i
 would forego my privilege of suffrage1 
and stay quietly at home1 telling       
,dennis that he might use the record on 
the voting-list and vote4 ,i gave him a 
ticket1 which ,i told him he might use1 
if he liked to4 ,that was that very     

sharp election in ,maine which the      
readers of the ,atlantic so well        
remember1 and it had been intimated in  
public that the ministers would do well 
not to appear at the polls4 ,of course1 
after that1 we had to appear by self or 
proxy4 ,still1 ,naguadavick was not then
 a city1 and this standing in a double  
queue at town-meeting several hours to  
vote was a bore of the first water2 and 
so1 when ,i found that there was but one
 ,frederic ,ingham on the list1 and that
 one of us must give up1 ,i staid at    
home and finished the letters1 7which1  
indeed1 procured for ,fothergill his    
coveted appointment of ,professor of    
,astronomy at ,leavenworth17 and ,i gave
 ,dennis1 as we called him1 the chance4 
,something in the matter gave a good    
deal of popularity to the ,frederic     
,ingham name2 and at the adjourned      
election1 next week1 ,frederic ,ingham  
was chosen to the legislature4 ,whether 
this was ,i or ,dennis1 ,i never really 
knew4 ,my friends seemed to think it was

 ,i2 but ,i felt1 that1 as ,dennis had  
done the popular thing1 he was entitled 
to the honor2 so ,i sent him to ,augusta
 when the time came1 and he took the    
oaths4 ,and a very valuable member he   
made4 ,they appointed him on the        
,committee on ,parishes2 but ,i wrote a 
letter for him1 resigning1 on the ground
 that he took an interest in our claim  
to the stumpage in the minister's       
sixteenths of ,gore ,a1 next ,no4 #g1 in
 the #ajth ,range4 ,he never made any   
speeches1 and always voted with the     
minority1 which was what he was sent to 
do4 ,he made me and himself a great many
 good friends1 some of whom ,i did not  
afterwards recognize as quickly as      
,dennis did my parishioners4 ,on one or 
two occasions1 when there was wood to   
saw at home1 ,i kept him at home2 but ,i
 took those occasions to go to ,augusta 
myself4 ,finding myself often in his    
vacant seat at these times1 ,i watched  
the proceedings with a good deal of     
care2 and once was so much excited that 

,i delivered my somewhat celebrated     
speech on the ,central ,school-,district
 question1 a speech of which the ,state 
of ,maine printed some extra copies4 ,i 
believe there is no formal rule         
permitting strangers to speak2 but no   
one objected4  ,dennis himself1 as ,i   
said1 never spoke at all4 ,but our      
experience this session led me to think1
 that1 if1 by some such general         
understanding as the reports speak of in
 legislation daily1 every member of     
,congress might leave a double to sit   
through those deadly sessions and answer
 to roll-calls and do the legitimate    
party-voting1 which appears stereotyped 
in the regular list of ,ashe1 ,bocock1  
,black1 etc41 we should gain decidedly  
in working-power4 ,as things stand1 the 
saddest ,state prison ,i ever visit is  
that ,representatives' ,chamber in      
,washington4 ,if a man leaves for an    
hour1 twenty correspondents may be      
howling1 ,where was ,mr4 ,pendergrast   
when the ,oregon bill passed8 ,and if   

poor ,pendergrast stays there6          
,certainly1 the worst use you can make  
of a man is to put him in prison6  ,i   
know1 indeed1 that public men of the    
highest rank have resorted to this      
expedient long ago4 ,dumas's novel of   
the ,iron ,mask turns on the brutal     
imprisonment of ,louis the ,fourteenth's
 double4 ,there seems little doubt1 in  
our own history1 that it was the real   
,general ,pierce who shed tears when the
 delegate from ,lawrence explained to   
him the sufferings of the people        
there1--and only ,general ,pierce's     
double who had given the orders for the 
assault on that town1 which was invaded 
the next day4 ,my charming friend1      
,george ,withers1 has1 ,i am almost     
sure1 a double1 who preaches his        
afternoon sermons for him4 ,this is the 
reason that the theology often varies so
 from that of the forenoon4 ,but that   
double is almost as charming as the     
original4 ,some of the most well-defined
 men1 who stand out most prominently on 

the background of history1 are in this  
way stereoscopic men1 who owe their     
distinct relief to the slight           
differences between the doubles4 ,all   
this ,i know4 ,my present suggestion is 
simply the great extension of the       
system1 so that all public machine-work 
may be done by it4  ,but ,i see ,i      
loiter on my story1 which is rushing to 
the plunge4 ,let me stop an instant     
more1 however1 to recall1 were it only  
to myself1 that charming year while all 
was yet well4 ,after the double had     
become a matter of course1 for nearly   
twelve months before he undid me1 what a
 year it was6 ,full of active life1 full
 of happy love1 of the hardest work1 of 
the sweetest sleep1 and the fulfilment  
of so many of the fresh aspirations and 
dreams of boyhood6 ,dennis went to every
 school-committee meeting1 and sat      
through all those late wranglings which 
used to keep me up till midnight and    
awake till morning4 ,he attended all the
 lectures to which foreign exiles sent  

me tickets begging me to come for the   
love of ,heaven and of ,bohemia4 ,he    
accepted and used all the tickets for   
charity concerts which were sent to me4 
,he appeared everywhere where it was    
specially desirable that our            
denomination1 or our party1 or our      
class1 or our family1 or our street1 or 
our town1 or our county1 or our ,state1 
should be fully represented4 ,and ,i    
fell back to that charming life which in
 boyhood one dreams of1 when he supposes
 he shall do his own duty and make his  
own sacrifices1 without being tied up   
with those of other people4 ,my rusty   
,sanskrit1 ,arabic1 ,hebrew1 ,greek1    
,latin1 ,french1 ,italian1 ,spanish1    
,german1 and ,english began to take     
polish4 ,heavens6 how little ,i had done
 with them while ,i attended to my      
public duties6 ,my calls on my          
parishioners became the friendly1       
frequent1 homelike sociabilities they   
were meant to be1 instead of the hard   
work of a man goaded to desperation by  

the sight of his lists of arrears4 ,and 
preaching6 what a luxury preaching was  
when ,i had on ,sunday the whole result 
of an individual1 personal week1 from   
which to speak to a people whom all that
 week ,i had been meeting as            
hand-to-hand friend6 ,i never tired on  
,sunday1 and was in condition to leave  
the sermon at home1 if ,i chose1 and    
preach it extempore1 as all men should  
do always4 ,indeed1 ,i wonder1 when ,i  
think that a sensible people1 like      
ours1--really more attached to their    
clergy than they were in the lost days1 
when the ,mathers and ,nortons were     
noblemen1--should choose to neutralize  
so much of their ministers' lives1 and  
destroy so much of their early training1
 by this undefined passion for seeing   
them in public4 ,it springs from our    
balancing of sects4 ,if a spirited      
,episcopalian takes an interest in the  
alms-house1 and is put on the ,poor     
,board1 every other denomination must   
have a minister there1 lest the         

poor-house be changed into ,st4 ,paul's 
,cathedral4 ,if a ,sandemanian is chosen
 president of the ,young ,men's         
,library1 there must be a ,methodist    
vice-president and a ,baptist secretary4
 ,and if a ,universalist ,sunday-,school
 ,convention collects five hundred      
delegates1 the next ,congregationalist  
,sabbath-,school ,conference must be as 
large1 lest 'they'--whoever they may    
be--should think 'we'--whoever we may   
be--are going down4  ,freed from these  
necessities1 that happy year1 ,i began  
to know my wife by sight4 ,we saw each  
other sometimes4 ,in those long         
mornings1 when ,dennis was in the study 
explaining to map-peddlers that ,i had  
eleven maps of ,jerusalem already1 and  
to school-book agents that ,i would see 
them hanged before ,i would be bribed to
 introduce their textbooks into the     
schools1--she and ,i were at work       
together1 as in those old dreamy        
days1--and in these of our log-cabin    
again4 ,but all this could not          

last1--and at length poor ,dennis1 my   
double1 over-tasked in turn1 undid me4  
,it was thus it happened4--,there is an 
excellent fellow1--once a minister1--,i 
will call him ,isaacs1--who deserves    
well of the world till he dies1 and     
after1--because he once1 in1 a real     
exigency1 did the right thing1 in the   
right way1 at the right time1 as no     
other man could do it4 ,in the world's  
great football match1 the ball by chance
 found him loitering on the outside of  
the field2 he closed with it1 camped it1
 charged it home1--yes1 right through   
the other side1--not disturbed1 not     
frightened by his own success1--and     
breathless found himself a great        
man1--as the ,great ,delta rang         
applause4 ,but he did not find himself a
 rich man2 and the football has never   
come in his way again4 ,from that moment
 to this moment he has been of no use1  
that one can see1 at all4 ,still1 for   
that great act we speak of ,isaacs      
gratefully and remember him kindly2 and 

he forges on1 hoping to meet the        
football somewhere again4 ,in that vague
 hope1 he had arranged a movement for a 
general organization of the human family
 into ,debating-,clubs1 ,county         
,societies1 ,state ,unions1 etc41 etc41 
with a view of inducing all children to 
take hold of the handles of their knives
 and forks1 instead of the metal4       
,children have bad habits in that way4  
,the movement1 of course1 was absurd2   
but we all did our best to forward1 not 
it1 but him4 ,it came time for the      
annual county-meeting on this subject to
 be held at ,naguadavick4 ,isaacs came  
round1 good fellow6 to arrange for      
it1--got the town-hall1 got the         
,governor to preside1 7the saint6--he   
ought to have triplet doubles provided  
him by law17 and then came to get me to 
speak4 ,no1 ,i said1 ,i would not speak1
 if ten ,governors presided4 ,i do not  
believe in the enterprise4 ,if ,i spoke1
 it should be to say children should    
take hold of the prongs of the forks and

 the blades of the knives4 ,i would     
subscribe ten dollars1 but ,i would not 
speak a mill4 ,so poor ,isaacs went his 
way1 sadly1 to coax ,auchmuty to speak1 
and ,delafield4 ,i went out4 ,not long  
after1 he came back1 and told ,polly    
that they had promised to speak1--the   
,governor would speak1--and he himself  
would close with the quarterly report1  
and some interesting anecdotes regarding
 ,miss ,biffin's way of handling her    
knife and ,mr4 ,nellis's way of footing 
his fork4 ,now if ,mr4 ,ingham will only
 come and sit on the platform1 he need  
not say one word2 but it will show well 
in the paper1--it will show that the    
,sandemanians take as much interest in  
the movement as the ,armenians or the   
,mesopotamians1 and will be a great     
favor to me4 ,polly1 good soul6 was     
tempted1 and she promised4 ,she knew    
,mrs4 ,isaacs was starving1 and the     
babies1--she knew ,dennis was at        
home1--and she promised6 ,night came1   
and ,i returned4 ,i heard her story4 ,i 

was sorry4 ,i doubted4 ,but ,polly had  
promised to beg me1 and ,i dared all6 ,i
 told ,dennis to hold his peace1 under  
all circumstances1 and sent him down4   
,it was not half an hour more before he 
returned1 wild with excitement1--in a   
perfect ,irish fury1--which it was long 
before ,i understood4 ,but ,i knew at   
once that he had undone me6  ,what      
happened was this4--,the audience got   
together1 attracted by ,governor        
,gorges's name4 ,there were a thousand  
people4 ,poor ,gorges was late from     
,augusta4 ,they became impatient4 ,he   
came in direct from the train at last1  
really ignorant of the object of the    
meeting4 ,he opened it in the fewest    
possible words1 and said other gentlemen
 were present who would entertain them  
better than he4 ,the audience were      
disappointed1 but waited4 ,the          
,governor1 prompted by ,isaacs1 said1   
,the ,honorable ,mr4 ,delafield will    
address you4 ,delafield had forgotten   
the knives and forks1 and was playing   

the ,ruy ,lopez opening at the          
chess-club4 ,the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,auchmuty   
will address you4 ,auchmuty had promised
 to speak late1 and was at the          
school-committee4 ,i see ,dr4 ,stearns  
in the hall2 perhaps he will say a word4
 ,dr4 ,stearns said he had come to      
listen and not to speak4 ,the ,governor 
and ,isaacs whispered4 ,the ,governor   
looked at ,dennis1 who was resplendent  
on the platform2 but ,isaacs1 to give   
him his due1 shook his head4 ,but the   
look was enough4 ,a miserable lad1      
ill-bred1 who had once been in ,boston1 
thought it would sound well to call for 
me1 and peeped out1 ,ingham6 ,a few more
 wretches cried1 ,ingham6 ,ingham6      
,still ,isaacs was firm2 but the        
,governor1 anxious1 indeed1 to prevent a
 row1 knew ,i would say something1 and  
said1 ,our friend ,mr4 ,ingham is always
 prepared1--and though we had not relied
 upon him1 he will say a word1 perhaps4 
,applause followed1 which turned        
,dennis's head4 ,he rose1 fluttered1 and

 tried ,no4 #c3 ,there has been so much 
said1 and1 on the whole1 so well said1  
that ,i will not longer occupy the time6
 and sat down1 looking for his hat2 for 
things seemed squally4 ,but the people  
cried1 ,go on6 go on6 and some          
applauded4 ,dennis1 still confused1 but 
flattered by the applause1 to which     
neither he nor ,i are used1 rose again1 
and this time tried ,no4 #b3 ,i am very 
glad you liked it6 in a sonorous1 clear 
delivery4 ,my best friends stared4 ,all 
the people who did not know me          
personally yelled with delight at the   
aspect of the evening2 the ,governor was
 beside himself1 and poor ,isaacs       
thought he was undone6 ,alas1 it was ,i6
 ,a boy in the gallery cried in a loud  
tone1 ,it's all an infernal humbug1 just
 as ,dennis1 waving his hand1 commanded 
silence1 and tried ,no4 #d3 ,i agree1 in
 general1 with my friend the other side 
of the room4 ,the poor ,governor doubted
 his senses1 and crossed to stop        
him1--not in time1 however4 ,the same   

gallery-boy shouted1 ,how's your        
mother8--and ,dennis1 now completely    
lost1 tried1 as his last shot1 ,no4 #a1 
vainly3 ,very well1 thank you2 and you8 
,i think ,i must have been undone       
already4 ,but ,dennis1 like another     
,lockhard1 chose to make sicker4 ,the   
audience rose in a whirl of amazement1  
rage1 and sorrow4 ,some other           
impertinence1 aimed at ,dennis1 broke   
all restraint1 and1 in pure ,irish1 he  
delivered himself of an address to the  
gallery1 inviting any person who wished 
to fight to come down and do            
so1--stating1 that they were all dogs   
and cowards and the sons of dogs and    
cowards1--that he would take any five of
 them single-handed4 ,shure1 ,i have    
said all his ,riverence and the         
,misthress bade me say1 cried he1 in    
defiance2 and1 seizing the ,governor's  
cane from his hand1 brandished it1      
quarterstaff fashion1 above his head4   
,he was1 indeed1 got from the hall only 
with the greatest difficulty by the     

,governor1 the ,city ,marshal1 who had  
been called in1 and the ,superintendent 
of my ,sunday-,school4  ,the universal  
impression1 of course1 was1 that the    
,rev4 ,frederic ,ingham had lost all    
command of himself in some of those     
haunts of intoxication which for fifteen
 years ,i have been laboring to destroy4
 ,till this moment1 indeed1 that is the 
impression in ,naguadavick4 ,this number
 of the ,atlantic will relieve from it a
 hundred friends of mine who have been  
sadly wounded by that notion now for    
years2--but ,i shall not be likely ever 
to show my head there again4  ,no6 ,my  
double has undone me4  ,we left town at 
seven the next morning4 ,i came to ,no4 
#i1 in the ,third ,range1 and settled on
 the ,minister's ,lot4 ,in the new towns
 in ,maine1 the first settled minister  
has a gift of a hundred acres of land4  
,i am the first settled minister in ,no4
 #i4 ,my wife and little ,paulina are my
 parish4 ,we raise corn enough to live  
on in summer4 ,we kill bear's meat      

enough to carbonize it in winter4 ,i    
work on steadily on my ,traces of       
,sandemanianism in the ,sixth and       
,seventh ,centuries1 which ,i hope to   
persuade ,phillips1 ,sampson1  ,co4 to  
publish next year4 ,we are very happy1  
but the world thinks we are undone4   #h
 ,which means1 ,in the thirteenth       
century1 my dear little bell-and-coral  
reader4 ,you have rightly guessed that  
the question means1 ,what is the history
 of the ,reformation in ,hungary8       
,,the ,,singer4   ,a star into our      
twilight fell1     ',mong peasant homes 
in vales remote2 ,men marvelled not till
 all the dell     ,was waked as by a    
bugle-note4  ,they wondered at the      
wild-eyed boy1     ,and drank his song  
like draughts of wine2 ,and yet1 amid   
their new-born joy1     ,they bade him  
tend the herds and swine4  ,but he knew 
neither swine nor herds1--     ,his     
shepherd soul was otherwhere2 ,the      
flocks he tended were the birds1        
,and stars that fill the folds of air4  

,to sweeter song the wind would melt    
,that fanned him with its perfumed wing2
 ,flowers thronged his path as if they  
felt     ,the warm and flashing feet of 
,spring4  ,the brooklet flung its       
ringlets wide1     ,and leapt to him1   
and kept his pace1-- ,sang when he sang1
 and when he sighed1     ,turned up to  
him its starry face4  ,through many a   
dawn and noon and night1     ,the       
singing boy still kept his course2 ,for 
in his heart that meteor light          
,still burned with all its natal force4 
,he sang1--nor cherished thought of     
care1--     ,as when1 upon the          
garden-vine1 ,a blue-bird thrills the   
,april air1     ,regardless of the herds
 and swine4  ,the children in their     
,may-time plays1     ,the maidens in    
their rosy hours1 ,and matrons in their 
autumn days1     ,all heard and flung   
him praise or flowers4  ,and ,age1 to   
chimney-nooks beguiled1     ,caught the 
sweet music's tender closes1 ,and1      
gazing on the embers1 smiled     ,as on 

a bed of summer roses4  ,and many a     
heart1 by hope forsook1     ,received   
his song through depths of pain1 ,as the
 dry channels of a brook     ,the       
freshness of a summer rain4  ,but when  
he looked for house or bread1     ,the  
stewards of earth's oil and wine ,shook 
sternly the reproving head1     ,and    
bade him tend the herds and swine6  ,he 
strayed into the harvest plains1        
,and 'mid the sultry windrows sung1     
,till glowing girls and swarthy swains  
,caught music from his charmed tongue1--
  ,caught music that from heart to brain
     ,went thrilling with delicious     
measure1 ,till toil1 which late had     
seemed a pain1     ,became a sweet      
,arcadian pleasure4  ,the farmer1 at the
 day's decline1     ,sat listening till 
the eve was late2 ,then1 offering       
neither bread nor wine1     ,arose1 and 
barred the outer gate1--  ,and said1    
,would you have where to sleep     ,on  
wholesome straw1 good brother mine1 ,you
 need but plow1 and sow1 and reap1      

,and daily tend the herds and swine4    
,the poet's locks shook out reply2      
,he turned him gayly down the rill2 ,yet
 left a light which shall not die1      
,a sunshine on the farmer's sill4  ,he  
strewed the vale with flowers of song2  
,he filled the homes with lighter grace1
 ,which round those hearth-stones       
lingered long1     ,and still makes     
beautiful the place4  ,the country1     
hamlet1 and the town     ,grew wiser1   
better1 for his songs2-- ,the roaring   
city could not drown     ,the voice that
 to the world belongs4  ,to beds of     
pain1 to rooms of death1     ,the soft  
and solemn music stole1 ,and soothed the
 dying with its breath1     ,and passed 
into the mourner's soul4  ,and yet what 
was the poet's meed8     ,such1 ,bard of
 ,alloway1 was thine6 ,the soul that    
sings1 the heart must bleed1     ,or    
tend the common herds and swine4  ,the  
nation heard his patriot lays1     ,and 
rung them1 like an anthem1 round1 ,till 
,freedom waved her branch of bays1      

,wherewith the world shall yet be       
crowned4  ,his war-songs fired the      
battle-host1     ,his mottoes on their  
banners burned2 ,and when the foe had   
fled the coast1     ,wild with his songs
 the troops returned4  ,then at the     
feast's triumphal board1     ,his       
thrilling music cheered the wine2-- ,but
 when the singer asked reward1     ,they
 pointed to the herds and swine4  ,what6
 he a bard8 ,then bid him go     ,and   
beg1--it is the poet's trade6 ,dan      
,homer was the first to show     ,the   
rank for which the bards were made6  ,a 
living bard6 ,what's he to us8     ,a   
bard1 to live1 must first be dead6 ,and 
when he dies1 we may discuss     ,to    
whom belongs the poet's head6  ',neath  
suns that burn1 through storms that     
drench1     ,he went1 an outcast from   
his birth1 ,still singing1--for they    
could not quench     ,the fire that was 
not born of earth4  ,at last1 behind    
cold prison-bars1     ,by colder natures
 unforgiven1 ,his frail dust starved6   

but 'mid the stars     ,his spirit found
 its native heaven4  ,now1 when a       
meteor-spark1 forlorn1     ,descends    
upon its fiery wing1 ,i sigh to think a 
soul is born1     ,perchance1 to suffer 
and to sing3--  ,its own heart a        
consuming pyre     ,of flame1 to        
brighten and refine3-- ,a singer1 in the
 starry choir1     ,that will not tend  
the herds and swine4     ,,the          
,,professor ,,at ,,the                  
,,breakfast-,,table4  ,,what ,,he       
,,said1 ,,what ,,he ,,heard1 ,,and      
,,what ,,he ,,saw4   ,one of our        
boarders--perhaps more than one was     
concerned in it--sent in some questions 
to me1 the other day1 which1 trivial as 
some of them are1 ,i felt bound to      
answer4  #a4--,whether a lady was ever  
known to write a letter covering only a 
single page8  ,to this ,i answered1 that
 there was a case on record where a lady
 had but half a sheet of paper and no   
envelope2 and being obliged to send     
through the post-office1 she covered    

only one side of the paper 7crosswise1  
lengthwise1 and diagonally74  #b4--,what
 constitutes a man a gentleman8  ,to    
this ,i gave several answers1 adapted to
 particular classes of questions4  a4   
,not trying to be a gentleman4  b4      
,self-respect underlying courtesy4  c4  
,knowledge and observance of the fitness
 of things in social intercourse4  d4   
,l4 s4d4 7as many suppose47             
#c4--,whether face or figure is most    
attractive in the female sex8  ,answered
 in the following epigram1 by a young   
man about town3--      ,quoth ,tom1     
,though fair her features be1     it is 
her figure pleases me4     ,what may her
 figure be8 ,i cried4     ,one hundred  
thousand6 he replied4  ,when this was   
read to the boarders1 the young man     
,john said he should like a chance to   
step up to a figger of that kind1 if the
 girl was one of the right sort4  ,the  
landlady said them that merried for     
money didn't deserve the blessin' of a  
good wife4 ,money was a great thing when

 them that had it made a good use of it4
 ,she had seen better days herself1 and 
knew what it was never to want for      
anything4 ,one of her cousins merried a 
very rich old gentleman1 and she had    
heerd that he said he lived ten year    
longer than if he'd staid by himself    
without anybody to take care of him4    
,there was nothin' like a wife for      
nussin' sick folks and them that        
couldn't take care of themselves4  ,the 
young man ,john got off a little wink1  
and pointed slyly with his thumb in the 
direction of our diminutive friend1 for 
whom he seemed to think this speech was 
intended4  ,if it was meant for him1 he 
didn't appear to know that it was4      
,indeed1 he seems somewhat listless of  
late1 except when the conversation falls
 upon one of those larger topics that   
specially interest him1 and then he     
grows excited1 speaks loud and fast1    
sometimes almost savagely1--and1 ,i have
 noticed once or twice1 presses his left
 hand to his right side1 as if there    

were something that ached1 or weighed1  
or throbbed in that region4  ,while he  
speaks in this way1 the general         
conversation is interrupted1 and we all 
listen to him4 ,iris looks steadily in  
his face1 and then he will turn as if   
magnetized and meet the amber eyes with 
his own melancholy gaze4 ,i do believe  
that they have some kind of             
understanding together1 that they meet  
elsewhere than at our table1 and that   
there is a mystery1 which is going to   
break upon us all of a sudden1 involving
 the relations of these two persons4    
,from the very first1 they have taken to
 each other4 ,the one thing they have in
 common is the heroic will4 ,in him1 it 
shows itself in thinking his way        
straightforward1 in doing battle for    
free trade and no right of search on the
 high seas of religious controversy1 and
 especially in fighting the battles of  
his crooked old city4 ,in her1 it is    
standing up for her little friend with  
the most queenly disregard of the code  

of boarding-house etiquette4 ,people may
 say or look what they like1--she will  
have her way about this sentiment of    
hers4  ,the poor relation is in a       
dreadful fidget whenever the little     
gentleman says anything that interferes 
with her own infallibility4 ,she seems  
to think ,faith must go with her face   
tied up1 as if she had the              
toothache1--and that if she opens her   
mouth to the quarter the wind blows     
from1 she will catch her death o' cold4 
,the landlady herself came to him one   
day1 as ,i have found out1 and tried to 
persuade him to hold his tongue4--,the  
boarders was gettin' uneasy1--she       
said1--and some of 'em would go1 she    
mistrusted1 if he talked any more about 
things that belonged to the ministers to
 settle4 ,she was a poor woman1 that had
 known better days1 but all her livin'  
depended on her boarders1 and she was   
sure there wasn't any of 'em she set so 
much by as she did by him2 but there was
 them that never liked to hear about    

such things1 except on ,sundays4  ,the  
little gentleman looked very smiling at 
the landlady1 who smiled even more      
cordially in return1 and adjusted her   
cap-ribbon with an unconscious          
movement1--a reminiscence of the        
long-past pairing-time1 when she had    
smoothed her locks and softened her     
voice1 and won her mate by these and    
other bird-like graces4--,my dear       
,madam1--he said1--,i will remember your
 interests1 and speak only of matters to
 which ,i am totally indifferent4--,i   
don't doubt he meant this2 but a day or 
two after1 something stirred him up1 and
 ,i heard his voice uttering itself     
aloud1 thus3--  --,it must be done1     
,sir6--he was saying1--it must be done6 
,our religion has been ,judaized1 it has
 been ,romanized1 it has been           
,orientalized1 it has been ,anglicized1 
and the time is at hand when it must be 
,,americanized6 ,now1 ,sir1 you see what
 ,americanizing is in politics2--it     
means that a man shall have a vote      

because he is a man1--and shall vote for
 whom he pleases1 without his neighbor's
 interference4 ,if he chooses to vote   
for the ,devil1 that is his             
lookout2--perhaps he thinks the ,devil  
is better than the other candidates2 and
 ,i don't doubt he's often right1 ,sir6 
,just so a man's soul has a vote in the 
spiritual community2 and it doesn't do1 
,sir1 or it won't do long1 to call him  
schismatic and heretic and those other  
wicked names that the old murderous     
,inquisitors have left us to help along 
peace and good-will to men6  ,as long as
 you could catch a man and drop him into
 an oubliette1 or pull him out a few    
inches longer by machinery1 or put a hot
 iron through his tongue1 or make him   
climb up a ladder and sit on a board at 
the top of a stake so that he should be 
slowly broiled by the fire kindled round
 it1 there was some sense in these      
words2 they led to something4 ,but since
 we have done with those tools1 we had  
better give up those words4 ,i should   

like to see a ,yankee advertisement like
 this6--7the little gentleman laughed   
fiercely as he uttered the words1--7    
--,patent thumb-screws1 warranted to    
crush the bone in three turns4  --,the  
cast-iron boot1 with wedge and          
mallet1--only five dollars6  --,the     
celebrated extension-rack1 warranted to 
stretch a man six inches in twenty      
minutes1--money returned1 if it proves  
unsatisfactory4  ,i should like to see  
such an advertisement1 ,i say1 ,sir6    
,now1 what's the use of using the words 
that belonged with the thumb-screws1 and
 the ,blessed ,virgin with the knives   
under her petticoats and sleeves and    
bodice1 and the dry pan and gradual     
fire1 if we can't have the things       
themselves1 ,sir8 ,what's the use of    
painting the fire round a poor fellow1  
when you think it won't do to kindle one
 under him1--as they did at ,valencia or
 ,valladolid1 or wherever it was8       
--,what story is that8--,i said4        
,why1--he answered1--at the last        

auto-da-fe1 in #ahbd or '#e1 or         
somewhere there1--it's a traveller's    
story1 but a mighty knowing traveller he
 is1--they had a heretic to use up      
according to the statutes provided for  
the crime of private opinion4 ,they     
couldn't quite make up their minds to   
burn him1 so they only hung him in a    
hogshead painted all over with flames6  
,no1 ,sir6 when a man calls you names   
because you go to the ballot-box and    
vote for your candidate1 or because you 
say this or that is your opinion1 he    
forgets in which half of the world he   
was born1 ,sir6 ,it won't be long1 ,sir1
 before we have ,americanized religion  
as we have ,americanized government2 and
 then1 ,sir1 every soul ,god sends into 
the world will be good in the face of   
all men for just so much of ,his        
inspiration as giveth him               
understanding6--,none of my words1 ,sir6
 none of my words6  --,if ,iris does not
 love this little gentleman1 what does  
love look like when one sees it8 ,she   

follows him with her eyes1 she leans    
over toward him when he speaks1 her face
 changes with the changes of his speech1
 so that one might think it was with her
 as with ,christabel1--      ,that all  
her features were resigned     ,to this 
sole image in her mind4  ,but she never 
looks at him with such intensity of     
devotion as when he says anything about 
the soul and the soul's atmosphere1     
religion4  ,women are twice as religious
 as men2--all the world knows that4     
,whether they are any better1 in the    
eyes of ,absolute ,justice1 might be    
questioned2 for the additional religious
 element supplied by sex hardly seems to
 be a matter of praise or blame4 ,but in
 all common aspects they are so much    
above us that we get most of our        
religion from them1--from their         
teachings1 from their example1--above   
all1 from their pure affections4  ,now  
this poor little ,iris had been talked  
to strangely in her childhood4          
,especially she had been told that she  

hated all good things1--which every     
sensible parent knows well enough is not
 true of a great many children1 to say  
the least4 ,i have sometimes questioned 
whether many libels on human nature had 
not been a natural consequence of the   
celibacy of the clergy1 which was       
enforced for so long a period4  ,the    
child had met this and some other       
equally encouraging statements as to her
 spiritual conditions1 early in life1   
and fought the battle of spiritual      
independence prematurely1 as many       
children do4 ,if all she did was hateful
 to ,god1 what was the meaning of the   
approving or else the disapproving      
conscience1 when she had done right or  
wrong8 ,no shoulder-striker hits out    
straighter than a child with its logic4 
,why1 ,i can remember lying in my bed in
 the nursery and settling questions     
which all that ,i have heard since and  
got out of books has never been able to 
raise again4 ,if a child does not assert
 itself in this way in good season1 it  

becomes just what its parents or        
teachers were1 and is no better than a  
plaster image4--,how old was ,i at the  
time8 ,i suppose about #ehbc years      
old1--that is1 counting from ,archbishop
 ,usher's date of the ,creation1 and    
adding the life of the race1 whose      
accumulated intelligence is a part of my
 inheritance1 to my own4 ,a good deal   
older than ,plato1 you see1 and much    
more experienced than my ,lord ,bacon   
and most of the world's teachers4--,old 
books are books of the world's youth1   
and new books are fruits of its age4    
,how many of all these old folios round 
me are like so many old cupels6 ,the    
gold has passed out of them long ago1   
but their pores are full of the dross   
with which it was mingled4  ,and so     
,iris--having thrown off that first     
lasso1 which not only fetters1 but      
chokes those whom it can hold1 so that  
they give themselves up trembling and   
breathless to the great soul-subduer1   
who has them by the windpipe--had       

settled a brief creed for herself1 in   
which love of the neighbor1 whom we have
 seen1 was the first article1 and love  
of the ,creator1 whom we have not seen1 
grew out of this as its natural         
development1 being necessarily second in
 order of time to the first unselfish   
emotions which we feel for the          
fellow-creatures who surround us in our 
early years4  ,the child must have some 
place to worship4 ,what would a young   
girl be who never mingled her voice with
 the songs and prayers that rose all    
around her with every returning day of  
rest8 ,and ,iris was free to choose4    
,sometimes one and sometimes another    
would offer to carry her to this or that
 place of worship2 and when the doors   
were hospitably opened1 she would often 
go meekly in by herself4 ,it was a      
curious fact1 that two churches as      
remote from each other in doctrine as   
could well be divided her affections4   
,the ,church of ,saint ,polycarp had    
very much the look of a ,roman ,catholic

 chapel4 ,i do not wish to run the risk 
of giving names to the ecclesiastical   
furniture which gave it such a ,romish  
aspect2 but there were pictures1 and    
inscriptions in antiquated characters1  
and there were reading-stands1 and      
flowers on the altar1 and other elegant 
arrangements4 ,then there were boys to  
sing alternately in choirs responsive to
 each other1 and there was much bowing1 
with very loud responding1 and a long   
service and a short sermon1 and a bag1  
such as ,judas used to hold in the old  
pictures1 was carried round to receive  
contributions4 ,everything was done not 
only decently and in order1 but1 perhaps
 one might say1 with a certain air of   
magnifying their office on the part of  
the dignified clergymen1 often two or   
three in number4 ,the music and the free
 welcome were grateful to ,iris1 and she
 forgot her prejudices at the door of   
the chapel4 ,for this was a church with 
open doors1 with seats for all classes  
and all colors alike1--a church of      

zealous worshippers after their faith1  
of charitable and serviceable men and   
women1 one that took care of its        
children and never forgot its poor1 and 
whose people were much more occupied in 
looking out for their own souls than in 
attacking the faith of their neighbors4 
,in its mode of worship there was a     
union of two qualities1--the taste and  
refinement1 which the educated require  
just as much in their churches as else  
where1 and the air of stateliness1      
almost of pomp1 which impresses the     
common worshipper1 and is often not     
without its effect upon those who think 
they hold outward forms as of little    
value4 ,under the half-,romish aspect of
 the ,church of ,saint ,polycarp1 the   
young girl found a devout and loving and
 singularly cheerful religious spirit4  
,the artistic sense1 which betrayed     
itself in the dramatic proprieties of   
its ritual1 harmonized with her taste4  
,the mingled murmur of the loud         
responses1 in those rhythmic phrases1 so

 simple1 yet so fervent1 almost as if   
every tenth heartbeat1 instead of its   
dull tic-tac1 articulated itself as     
,good ,lord1 deliver us6--the sweet     
alternation of the two choirs1 as their 
holy song floated from side to          
side1--the keen young voices rising like
 a flight of singing-birds that passes  
from one grove to another1 carrying its 
music with it back and forward1--why    
should she not love these gracious      
outward signs of those inner harmonies  
which none could deny made beautiful the
 lives of many of her fellow-worshippers
 in the humble1 yet not inelegant       
,chapel of ,saint ,polycarp8  ,the young
 ,marylander1 who was born and bred to  
that mode of worship1 had introduced her
 to the chapel1 for which he did the    
honors for such of our boarders as were 
not otherwise provided for4 ,i saw them 
looking over the same prayer-book one   
,sunday1 and ,i could not help thinking 
that two such young and handsome persons
 could hardly worship together in safety

 for a great while4 ,but they seemed to 
mind nothing but their prayer-book4     
,by-and-by the silken bag was handed    
round4--,i don't believe she will2--so  
awkward1 you know2--besides1 she only   
came by invitation4 ,there she is1 with 
her hand in her pocket1 though1--and    
sure enough1 her little bit of silver   
tinkled as it struck the coin beneath4  
,god bless her6 she hasn't much to give2
 but her eye glistens when she gives it1
 and that is all ,heaven asks4--,that   
was the first time ,i noticed these     
young people together1 and ,i am sure   
they behaved with the most charming     
propriety1--in fact1 there was one of   
our silent lady-boarders with them1     
whose eyes would have kept ,cupid and   
,psyche to their good behavior4 ,a day  
or two after this ,i noticed that the   
young gentleman had left his seat1 which
 you may remember was at the corner     
diagonal to that of ,iris1 so that they 
have been as far removed from each other
 as they could be at the table4 ,his new

 seat is three or four places farther   
down the table4 ,of course ,i made a    
romance out of this1 at once4 ,so stupid
 not to see it6 ,how could it be        
otherwise8--,did you speak1 ,madam8 ,i  
beg your pardon4 7,to my lady-reader47  
,i never saw anything like the          
tenderness with which this young girl   
treats her little deformed neighbor4 ,if
 he were in the way of going to church1 
,i know she would follow him4 ,but his  
worship1 if any1 is not with the throng 
of men and women and staring children4  
,i1 the ,professor1 on the other hand1  
am a regular church-goer4 ,i should go  
for various reasons1 if ,i did not love 
it2 but ,i am happy enough to find great
 pleasure in the midst of devout        
multitudes1 whether ,i can accept all   
their creeds or not4 ,one place of      
worship comes nearer than the rest to my
 ideal standard1 and to this it was that
 ,i carried our young girl4  ,the       
,church of the ,galileans1 as it is     
called1 is even humbler in outside      

pretensions than the ,church of ,saint  
,polycarp4 ,like that1 it is open to all
 comers4 ,the stranger who approaches it
 looks down a quiet street and sees the 
plainest of chapels1--a kind of wooden  
tent1 that owes whatever grace it has to
 its pointed windows and the high1 sharp
 roof1--traces1 both1 of that upward    
movement of ecclesiastical architecture 
which soared aloft in cathedral-spires1 
shooting into the sky as the spike of a 
flowering aloe from the cluster of      
broad1 sharp-wedged leaves below4 ,this 
suggestion of mediaeval symbolism1 aided
 by a minute turret in which a hand-bell
 might have hung and found just room    
enough to turn over1 was all of outward 
show the small edifice could boast4     
,within there was very little that      
pretended to be attractive4 ,a small    
organ at one side1 and a plain pulpit1  
showed that the building was a church2  
but it was a church reduced to its      
simplest expression4  ,yet when the     
great and wise monarch of the ,east sat 

upon his throne1 in all the golden blaze
 of the spoils of ,ophir and the        
freights of the navy of ,tarshish1 his  
glory was not like that of this simple  
chapel in its ,sunday garniture4 ,for   
the lilies of the field1 in their       
season1 and the fairest flowers of the  
year1 in due succession1 were clustered 
every ,sunday morning over the          
preacher's desk4 ,slight1 thin-tissued  
blossoms of pink and blue and virgin    
white in early spring1 then the         
full-breasted and deep-hearted roses of 
summer1 then the velvet-robed crimson   
and yellow flowers of autumn1 and in the
 winter delicate exotics that grew under
 skies of glass in the false summers of 
our crystal palaces without knowing that
 it was the dreadful winter of ,new     
,england which was rattling the doors   
and frosting the panes1--the whole year 
told its history of life and growth and 
beauty from that simple desk4 ,there was
 always at least one good sermon1--this 
floral homily4 ,there was at least one  

good prayer1--that brief space when all 
were silent1 after the manner of the    
,friends at their devotions4  ,here1    
too1 ,iris found an atmosphere of peace 
and love4 ,the same gentle1 thoughtful  
faces1 the same cheerful but reverential
 spirit1 the same quiet1 the same life  
of active benevolence4 ,but in all else 
how different from the ,church of ,saint
 ,polycarp6 ,no clerical costume1 no    
ceremonial forms1 no carefully trained  
choirs4 ,a liturgy they have1 to be     
sure1 which does not scruple to borrow  
from the time-honored manuals of        
devotion1 but also does not hesitate to 
change its expressions to its own       
liking4  ,perhaps the good people seem a
 little easy with each other2--they are 
apt to nod cheerfully1 and have even    
been known to whisper before the        
minister came in4 ,but it is a relief to
 get rid of that old                    
,sunday--no1--,sabbath face1 which      
suggests the idea that the first day of 
the week is commemorative of some most  

mournful event4 ,the truth is1 these    
people meet very much as a family does  
for its devotions1 not putting off their
 humanity in the least1 considering it  
on the whole quite a cheerful matter to 
come together for prayer and song and   
good counsel from kind and wise lips4   
,and if they are freer in their demeanor
 than some very precise congregations1  
they have not the air of a worldly set  
of people4 ,clearly they have not come  
to advertise their tailors and          
milliners1 nor for the sake of          
exchanging criticisms on the literary   
character of the sermon they may hear4  
,there is no restlessness and no        
restraint among this quiet1 cheerful    
people4 ,one thing that keeps them calm 
and happy during the season so evidently
 trying to many congregations is1 that  
they join very generally in the singing4
 ,in this way they get rid of that      
accumulated nervous force which escapes 
in all sorts of fidgety movements1 so   
that a minister trying to keep his      

congregation still reminds one of a boy 
with his hand over the nose of a pump   
which another boy is working1--this     
spirting impatience of the people is so 
like the jets that find their way       
through his fingers1 and the grand rush 
out at the final ,amen6 has such a      
wonderful likeness to the gush that     
takes place when the boy pulls his hand 
away1 with such immense relief1 as it   
seems1 to both the pump and the         
officiating youngster4  ,how sweet is   
this blending of all voices and all     
hearts in one common song of praise6    
,some will sing a little loud1          
perhaps1--and now and then an impatient 
chorister will get a syllable or two in 
advance1 or an enchanted singer so lose 
all thought of time and place in the    
luxury of a closing cadence that he     
holds on to the last semibreve upon his 
private responsibility2 but how much    
more of the spirit of the old ,psalmist 
in the music of these imperfectly       
trained voices than in the academic     

niceties of the paid performers who take
 our musical worship out of our hands6  
,i am of the opinion that the creed of  
the ,church of the ,galileans is not    
quite so precisely laid down as that of 
the ,church of ,saint ,polycarp4 ,yet ,i
 suspect1 if one of the good people from
 each of those churches had met over the
 bed of a suffering fellow-creature1 or 
for the promotion of any charitable     
object1 they would have found they had  
more in common than all the special     
beliefs or want of beliefs that         
separated them would amount to4 ,there  
are always many who believe that the    
fruits of a tree afford a better test of
 its condition than a statement of the  
composts with which it is               
dressed1--though the last has its       
meaning and importance1 no doubt4       
,between these two churches1 then1 our  
young ,iris divides her affections4 ,but
 ,i doubt if she listens to the preacher
 at either with more devotion than she  
does to her little neighbor when he     

talks of these matters4  ,what does he  
believe8 ,in the first place1 there is  
some deep-rooted disquiet lying at the  
bottom of his soul1 which makes him very
 bitter against all kinds of usurpation 
over the right of private judgment4     
,over this seems to lie a certain       
tenderness for humanity in general1 bred
 out of life-long trial1 ,i should say1 
but sharply streaked with fiery lines of
 wrath at various individual acts of    
wrong1 especially if they come in an    
ecclesiastical shape1 and recall to him 
the days when his mother's              
great-grandmother was strangled on      
,witch ,hill1 with a text from the ,old 
,testament for her halter4 ,with all    
this1 he has a boundless belief in the  
future of this experimental hemisphere1 
and especially in the destiny of the    
free thought of its northeastern        
metropolis4  --,a man can see further1  
,sir1--he said one day1--from the top of
 ,boston ,state-,house1 and see more    
that is worth seeing1 than from all the 

pyramids and turrets and steeples in all
 the places in the world6 ,no smoke1    
,sir2 no fog1 ,sir2 and a clean sweep   
from the ,outer ,light and the sea      
beyond it to the ,new ,hampshire        
mountains6 ,yes1 ,sir1--and there are   
great truths that are higher than       
mountains and broader than seas1 that   
people are looking for from the tops of 
these hills of ours1--such as the world 
never saw1 though it might have seen    
them at ,jerusalem1 if its eyes had been
 open6--,where do they have most crazy  
people8 ,tell me that1 ,sir6  ,i        
answered1 that ,i had heard it said     
there were more in ,new ,england than in
 most countries1 perhaps more than in   
any part of the world4  ,very good4     
,sir1--he answered4--,when have there   
been most people killed and wounded in  
the course of this century8  ,during the
 wars of the ,french ,empire1 no        
doubt1--,i said4  ,that's it6 that's    
it6--said the little gentleman2--where  
the battle of intelligence is fought1   

there are most minds bruised and broken6
 ,we're battling for a faith here1 ,sir4
  ,the divinity-student remarked1 that  
it was rather late in the world's       
history for men to be looking out for a 
new faith4  ,i didn't say a new         
faith1--said the little gentleman2--old 
or new1 it can't help being different   
here in this ,american mind of ours from
 anything that ever was before2 the     
people are new1 ,sir1 and that makes the
 difference4 ,one load of corn goes to  
the sty1 and makes the fat of           
swine1--another goes to the farm-house1 
and becomes the muscle that clothes the 
right arms of heroes4 ,it isn't where a 
pawn stands on the board that makes the 
difference1 but what the game round it  
is when it is on this or that square4   
,can any man look round and see what    
,christian countries are now doing1 and 
how they are governed1 and what is the  
general condition of society1 without   
seeing that ,christianity is the flag   
under which the world sails1 and not the

 rudder that steers its course8 ,no1    
,sir6 ,there was a great raft built     
about two thousand years ago1--call it  
an ark1 rather1--the world's great ark6 
big enough to hold all mankind1 and made
 to be launched right out into the open 
waves of life1--and here it has been    
lying1 one end on the shore and one end 
bobbing up and down in the water1 men   
fighting all the time as to who should  
be captain and who should have the      
state-rooms1 and throwing each other    
over the side because they could not    
agree about the points of compass1 but  
the great vessel never gelling afloat   
with its freight of nations and their   
rulers2--and now1 ,sir1 there is and has
 been for this long time a fleet of     
heretic lighters sailing out of ,boston 
,bay1 and they have been saying1 and    
they say now1 and they mean to keep     
saying1 ,pump out your bilge-water1     
shovel over your loads of idle ballast1 
get out your old rotten cargo1 and we   
will carry it out into deep waters and  

sink it where it will never be seen     
again2 so shall the ark of the world's  
hope float on the ocean1 instead of     
sticking in the dock-mud where it is    
lying6  ,it's a slow business1 this of  
getting the ark launched4 ,the ,jordan  
wasn't deep enough1 and the ,tiber      
wasn't deep enough1 and the ,rhone      
wasn't deep enough1 and the ,thames     
wasn't deep enough1--and perhaps the    
,charles isn't deep enough2 but ,i don't
 feel sure of that1 ,sir1 and ,i love to
 hear the workmen knocking at the old   
blocks of tradition and making the ways 
smooth with the oil of the ,good        
,samaritan4 ,i don't know1 ,sir1--but ,i
 do think she stirs a little1--,i do    
believe she slides2--and when ,i think  
of what a work that is for the dear old 
three-breasted mother of ,american      
liberty1 ,i would not take all the glory
 of all the greatest cities in the world
 for my birthright in the soil of little
 ,boston6  --,some of us could not help 
smiling at this burst of local          

patriotism1 especially when it finished 
with the last two words4  ,and ,iris    
smiled1 too4 ,but it was the radiant    
smile of pleasure which always lights up
 her face when her little neighbor gets 
excited on the great topics of progress 
in freedom and religion1 and especially 
on the part which1 as he pleases himself
 with believing1 his own city is to take
 in that consummation of human          
development to which he looks forward4  
,presently she looked into his face with
 a changed expression1--the anxiety of a
 mother that sees her child suffering4  
,you are not well1--she said4  ,i am    
never well1--he answered4--,his eyes    
fell mechanically on the death's-head   
ring he wore on his right hand4 ,she    
took his hand as if it had been a       
baby's1 and turned the grim device so   
that it should be out of sight4 ,one    
slight1 sad1 slow movement of the head  
seemed to say1 ,the death-symbol is     
still there6  ,a very odd personage1 to 
be sure6 ,seems to know what is going   

on1--reads books1 old and new1--has many
 recent publications sent him1 they tell
 me1--but1 what is more curious1 keeps  
up with the every-day affairs of the    
world1 too4 ,whether he hears everything
 that is said with preternatural        
acuteness1 or whether some confidential 
friend visits him in a quiet way1 is    
more than ,i can tell4 ,i can make      
nothing more of the noises ,i hear in   
his room than my old conjectures4 ,the  
movements ,i mention are less frequent1 
but ,i often hear the plaintive cry1--,i
 observe that it is rarely laughing of  
late2--,i never have detected one       
articulate word1 but ,i never heard such
 tones from anything but a human voice4 
,there has been1 of late1 a deference   
approaching to tenderness1 on the part  
of the boarders generally1 so far as he 
is concerned4 ,this is doubtless owing  
to the air of suffering which seems to  
have saddened his look of late4 ,either 
some passion is gnawing at him inwardly1
 or some hidden disease is at work upon 

him4  --,what's the matter with ,little 
,boston8--said the young man ,john to me
 one day4--,there a'n't much of him1    
anyhow2 but 't seems to me he looks     
peakeder than ever4 ,the old woman says 
he's in a bad way1 'n' wants a nuss to  
take care of him4 ,them nusses that take
 care of old rich folks marry 'em       
sometimes1--'n' they don't commonly live
 a great while after that4 ,no1 ,sir6 ,i
 don't see what he wants to die for1    
after he's taken so much trouble to live
 in such poor accommodations as that    
crooked body of his4 ,i should like to  
know how his soul crawled into it1 'n'  
how it's goin' to get out4 ,what        
business has he to die1 ,i should like  
to know8 ,let ,ma'am ,allen 7the        
gentleman with the diamond7 die1 if he  
likes1 and be 7this is a                
family-magazine72 but we a'n't goin' to 
have him dyin'4 ,not by a great sight4  
,can't do without him anyhow4 ,a'n't it 
fun to hear him blow off his steam8  ,i 
believe the young fellow would take it  

as a personal insult1 if the little     
gentleman should show any symptoms of   
quitting our table for a better world4  
--,in the mean time1 what with going to 
church in company with our young lady1  
and taking every chance ,i could get to 
talk with her1 ,i have found myself     
becoming1 ,i will not say intimate1 but 
well acquainted with ,miss ,iris4 ,there
 is a certain frankness and directness  
about her that perhaps belong to her    
artist nature4 ,for1 you see1 the one   
thing that marks the true artist is a   
clear perception and a firm1 bold hand1 
in distinction from that imperfect      
mental vision and uncertain touch which 
give us the feeble pictures and the     
lumpy statues of the mere artisans on   
canvas or in stone4 ,a true artist1     
therefore1 can hardly fail to have a    
sharp1 well-defined character4 ,besides 
this1 many young girls have a strange   
audacity blended with their instinctive 
delicacy4 ,even in physical daring many 
of them are a match for boys2 whereas   

you will find few among mature women1   
and especially if they are mothers1 who 
do not confess1 and not unfrequently    
proclaim1 their timidity4 ,one of these 
young girls1 as many of us hereabouts   
remember1 climbed to the top of a       
jagged1 slippery rock lying out in the  
waves1--an ugly height to get up1 and a 
worse one to get down1 even for a bold  
young fellow of sixteen4 ,another was in
 the way of climbing tall trees for     
crows' nests1--and crows generally know 
about how far boys can shin up1 and set 
their household establishments above    
high-water-mark4 ,still another of these
 young ladies ,i saw for the first time 
in an open boat1 tossing on the ocean   
ground-swell1 a mile or two from shore1 
off a lonely island4 ,she lost all her  
daring1 after she had some girls of her 
own to look out for4  ,many blondes are 
very gentle1 yielding in character1     
impressible1 unelastic4 ,but the        
positive blondes1 with the golden tint  
running through them1 are often full of 

character4 ,they come from those        
deep-bosomed ,german women that ,tacitus
 portrayed in such strong colors4 ,the  
negative blondes1 or those women whose  
tints have faded out as their line of   
descent has become impoverished1 are of 
various blood1 and in them the soul has 
often become pale with that blanching of
 the hair and loss of color in the eyes 
which makes them approach the character 
of ,albinesses4  ,i see in this young   
girl that union of strength and         
sensibility which1 when directed and    
impelled by the strong instinct so apt  
to accompany this combination of active 
and passive capacity1 we call genius4   
,she is not an accomplished artist1     
certainly1 as yet2 but there is always  
an air in every careless figure she     
draws1 as it were of upward             
aspiration1--the elan of ,john of       
,bologna's ,mercury1--a lift to them1 as
 if they had on winged sandals1 like the
 herald of the gods4 ,i hear her singing
 sometimes2 and though she evidently is 

not trained1 yet is there a wild        
sweetness in her fitful and sometimes   
fantastic melodies1--such as can come   
only from the inspiration of the        
moment1--strangely enough1 reminding me 
of those long passages ,i have heard    
from my little neighbor's room1 yet of  
different tone1 and by no means to be   
mistaken for those weird harmonies4  ,i 
cannot pretend to deny that ,i am       
interested in the girl4 ,alone1         
unprotected1 as ,i have seen so many    
young girls left in boarding-houses1 the
 centre of all the men's eyes that      
surround the table1 watched with jealous
 sharpness by every woman1 most of all  
by that poor relation of our landlady1  
who belongs to the class of women that  
like to catch others in mischief when   
they are too mature for indiscretions1  
7as one sees old rogues turn to         
thief-catchers17 one of ,nature's       
gendarmerie1 clad in a complete suit of 
wrinkles1 the cheapest coat-of-mail     
against the shafts of the great little  

enemy1--so surrounded1 ,iris spans this 
commonplace household-life of ours with 
her arch of beauty1 as the rainbow1     
whose name she borrows1 looks down on a 
dreary pasture with its feeding flocks  
and herds of indifferent animals4       
,these young girls that live in         
boarding-houses can do pretty much as   
they will4 ,the female gendarmes are off
 guard occasionally4 ,the sitting-room  
has its solitary moments1 when any two  
boarders who wish to meet may come      
together accidentally1 7accidentally1 ,i
 said1 ,madam1 and ,i had not the       
slightest intention of ,italicizing the 
word17 and discuss the social or        
political questions of the day1 or any  
other subject that may prove            
interesting4 ,many charming             
conversations take place at the foot of 
the stairs1 or while one of the parties 
is holding the latch of a door1--in the 
shadow of porticos1 and especially on   
those outside balconies which some of   
our ,southern neighbors call stoops1 the

 most charming places in the world when 
the moon is just right and the roses and
 honeysuckles are in full blow1--as we  
used to think in eighteen hundred and   
never mention it4  ,on such a balcony or
 stoop1 one evening1 ,i walked with     
,iris4 ,we were on pretty good terms    
now1 and ,i had coaxed her arm under    
mine1--my left arm1 of course4 ,that    
leaves one's right arm free to defend   
the lovely creature1 if the             
rival--odious wretch6--attempt to ravish
 her from your side4 ,likewise if one's 
heart should happen to beat a little1   
its mute language will not be without   
its meaning1 as you will perceive when  
the arm you hold begins to tremble1--a  
circumstance like to occur1 if you      
happen to be a good-looking young       
fellow1 and you two have the stoop to   
yourselves4  ,we had it to ourselves    
that evening4 ,the ,koh-i-noor1 as we   
called him1 was in a corner with our    
landlady's daughter4 ,the young fellow  
,john was smoking out in the yard4 ,the 

gendarme was afraid of the evening air1 
and kept inside4 ,the young ,marylander 
came to the door1 looked out and saw us 
walking together1 gave his hat a pull   
over his forehead and stalked off4 ,i   
felt a slight spasm1 as it were1 in the 
arm ,i held1 and saw the girl's head    
turn over her shoulder for a second4    
,what a kind creature this is6 ,she has 
no special interest in this youth1 but  
she does not like to see a young fellow 
going off because he feels as if he were
 not wanted4  ,she had her locked       
drawing-book under her arm4--,let me    
take it1--,i said4  ,she gave it to me  
to carry4  ,this is full of caricatures 
of all of us1 ,i am sure1--said ,i4     
,she laughed1 and said1--,no1--not all  
of you4  ,i was there1 of course8  ,why1
 no1--she had never taken so much pains 
with me4  ,then she would let me see the
 inside of it8  ,she would think of it4 
,just as we parted1 she took a little   
key from her pocket and handed it to    
me4--,this unlocks my naughty book1--she

 said1--you shall see it4 ,i am not     
afraid of you4  ,i don't know whether   
the last words exactly pleased me4 ,at  
any rate1 ,i took the book and hurried  
with it to my room4 ,i opened it1 and   
saw1 in a few glances1 that ,i held the 
heart of ,iris in my hand4         99   
99       99       99       99  --,i have
 no verses for you this month1 except   
these few lines suggested by the season4
   ,,midsummer4  ,here6 sweep these     
foolish leaves away1-- ,i will not crush
 my brains to-day6-- ,look6 are the     
southern curtains drawn8 ,fetch me a    
fan1 and so begone6  ,not that1--the    
palm-tree's rustling leaf ,brought from 
a parching coral-reef6 ,its breath is   
heated2--,i would swing ,the broad gray 
plumes1--the eagle's wing4  ,i hate     
these roses' feverish blood6-- ,pluck me
 a half-blown lily-bud1 ,a long-stemmed 
lily from the lake1 ,cold as a coiling  
water-snake4  ,rain me sweet odors on   
the air1 ,and wheel me up my ,indian    
chair1 ,and spread some book not        

overwise ,flat out before my sleepy     
eyes4  --,who knows it not1--this dead  
recoil ,of weary fibres stretched with  
toil1-- ,the pulse that flutters faint  
and low ,when ,summer's seething breezes
 blow8  ,o ,nature6 bare thy loving     
breast ,and give thy child one hour of  
rest1-- ,one little hour to lie unseen  
,beneath thy scarf of leafy green6  ,so1
 curtained by a singing pine1 ,its      
murmuring voice shall blend with mine1  
,till1 lost in dreams1 my faltering lay 
,in sweeter music dies away4            
,,reviews ,,and ,,literary ,,notices4   
,life and ,liberty in ,america3 or      
,sketches of a ,tour in the ,united     
,states and ,canada in #aheg-h4 ,by     
,,charles ,,mackay1 ,,ll4,d41 ,f4,s4,a4 
,london3 ,smith1 ,elder1  ,co4 #ahei4   
,let him come back and write a book     
about the ',merrikins as'll pay all his 
expenses and more1 if he blows 'em up   
enough1 urged ,mr4 ,anthony ,weller1 by 
way of climax to his scheme for ,mr4    
,pickwick's liberation from the ,fleet  

,prison4 ,whether ,mr4 ,dickens1 in     
putting forth this suggestion through   
one of his favorite characters1 had or  
had not a view to subsequent operations 
of his own1 has long been a sore        
question among his admirers on this side
 of the ,atlantic4 ,we believe that he  
had not2 and that such blowing-up as he 
imparted to the people of this country  
was wholly unpremeditated and           
spontaneous1 besides being of so        
harmless a nature that the patriot of   
most uneasy virtue need have been nowise
 distressed in consequence4 ,the        
language can show few more amusing books
 than the ,american ,notes1 especially  
the serious parts thereof4  ,mr4        
,dickens had plenty of objects besides  
his future self at which to aim his     
satirical shot4 ,at the time he         
discharged it1 the literary market of   
,england was overstocked with books on  
,america1 the authors of which had      
apparently tasked the best energies of  
their lungs in incessant blowings-up of 

all that came within range of their     
breath4 ,up to that period1 though      
viewing ,america from various           
stand-points1 they had seldom failed to 
recognize this one essential element of 
success4 ,since then1 however1 attempts 
have been made to satisfy the prejudices
 of all sides1--in which the bitter and 
the sweet have been deftly mingled1 with
 the obvious belief that persons        
aggrieved1 while suffering from the     
authors' stings1 would derive comfort   
from the consciousness of accompanying  
honey4 ,these hopes generally proved    
fallacious1 and the authors1 falling to 
the ground between the two stools of    
,american sensitiveness and ,british    
asperity1 were regarded in the light of 
stern warnings by many of their         
successors1 who straightway became      
pitiless4  ,the critical works on       
,america by ,english writers1 published 
during the last fifty years1 may be     
numbered by hundreds4 ,of these1 nearly 
half have at different times been       

reprinted in this country4 ,most of them
 are now unknown1 having passed to that 
oblivion of letters from whose bourn no 
short-sighted and narrow-minded         
traveller ever ought to return4 ,the    
annual harvest began to appear about a  
half-century ago1 when little more than 
descriptions of scenery and geographical
 statistics were ventured               
upon1--although one quaint explorer1    
,john ,lambert1 vouchsafed1 in #ahaj1   
some sketches of society1 from which we 
learn1 among other interesting facts1   
that a species of ,bloomerism pervaded  
,new ,york1 and flourished on ,broadway1
 even at that early day4 ,our visitors  
very soon enlarged the sphere of their  
observations1 and entered upon the      
widest discussions of republican manners
 and morals4 ,slavery1 as was to be     
expected1 received immediate attention4 
,in the course of ten years1 ,american  
,tours had set in with such rigor1 that 
one writer felt called upon to apologize
 for adding another to the already      

profuse supply4 ,this was in #ahah4 ,for
 the next fifteen years1 the principle  
of unlimited mockery was quite          
faithfully observed4 ,the ,honorable ,de
 ,roos1 who made a naval examination in 
#ahbf1 and satisfied himself that the   
,united ,states could never be a        
maritime power1--,colonel ,maxwell1 who 
entered upon a military investigation1  
and came to a similar conclusion        
respecting our prospects as to army1 and
 who gained great credit for independent
 judgment by pronouncing ,niagara a     
humbug1--,mrs4 ,kemble1 frisky and      
fragmentary1 excepting when her father  
was concerned1 and then filially        
diffuse1--,mrs4 ,trollope1 who refused  
to incumber herself with amiability or  
veracity1--,mr4 ,lieber1 who was        
principally troubled by a camp meeting  
at which he assisted1--,miss ,martineau1
 who retailed too much of the gossip    
that had been decanted through the      
tunnel of her trumpet1--and ,captain    
,marryatt1 who was simply               

clownish1--afford fair examples of the  
style which dominated until about #ahcf 
or #ahcg4 ,then works of a better order 
began to appear4 ,america received      
scientific attention4 ,it had been      
agriculturally worked up in #ahah by    
,cobbett1 whose example was now followed
 by ,shirreff and others4 ,in #ahci1    
,george ,combe subjected us to          
phrenological treatment1 and had the    
frankness to acknowledge that it was    
impossible for an individual to properly
 describe a great nation4 ,afterwards   
came ,lyell1 the geologist1 who did not1
 however1 confine himself to scientific 
research1 but also analyzed the social  
deposits1 and ascertained that ,slavery 
was triturable4 ,the manufacturers of   
gossip1 meanwhile1 had revolutionized   
the old system4 ,mr4 ,dickens blew hot  
and cold1 uniting extremes4 ,godley1 in 
#ahda1 disavowed satire1 and was        
solemnly severe4 ,others evinced a      
similar disposition1 but the result was 
not triumphant4 ,alexander ,mackay1 in  

#ahdf1 returned to ridicule2 and ,alfred
 ,bunn1 a few years after1 surpassed    
even ,marryatt in his flippant          
falsehood4 ,mr4 ,arthur ,cunynghame1 a  
,canadian officer1 entertained his      
friends1 in #ahej1 with a dainty volume1
 in which the first personal pronoun    
averaged one hundred to a page1 and the 
manner of which was as stiff as the     
ramrods of his regiment4 ,of our more   
recent judges1 the best remembered are  
,lady ,emmeline ,stuart ,wortley who    
gave to the world the details of her    
private experiences1--,mr4 ,chambers1 of
 whose book there is really nothing in  
particular to say1--,mr4 ,baxter1 who   
considered ,peter ,parley a shining     
light of ,american literature1--,miss   
,murray1 who sacrificed her interests at
 ,st4 ,james's upon the shrine of       
,antislavery1--,mr4 ,phillipps1         
scientific1--,mr4 ,russell1             
agricultural1--,mr4 ,jobson1            
theological1--and ,mr4 ,colley ,grattan1
 who may be termed the ,sir ,anthony    

,absolute of ,american censors1         
insisting that the ,lady ,columbia shall
 be as ugly as he chooses1 shall have a 
hump on each shoulder1 shall be as      
crooked as the crescent1 and so forth4  
,last of all comes ,mr4 ,charles        
,mackay's book4 ,before proceeding to   
the few general words we have to say of 
it1 let us look for a moment at a       
question which he1 like a number of his 
predecessors1 has considered with some  
attention4 ,why it is that the people of
 the ,united ,states manifest such acute
 sensibility to the strictures of       
,english writers1 and receive their     
criticisms with so much suspicion1 ,mr4 
,mackay is unable fully to determine4   
,he is forced to believe that it is only
 their anxiety to stand well in ,english
 opinion which causes them to wince2    
particularly as ,french and ,germans may
 condemn1 and nobody cares what they    
say4 ,this is but a part of the truth4  
,unquestionably1 ,americans do1 as ,mr4 
,mackay says1 attach undue importance to

 what ,english travellers may say2 but  
this does not account for the universal 
feeling of mortification which follows  
the appearance of each new tourist's    
story4 ,americans have not failed to    
observe1 that1 of the hundreds of       
writers who come over1 only a few of the
 most prominent of whom we have         
mentioned above1 not one in fifty is    
animated by a sincere impulse of honest 
good-will4 ,they have learned to        
mistrust them all1 as triflers with our 
reputation1 if not predetermined        
calumniators4 ,they have witnessed over 
and over again the childish ignorance1  
the discourtesy1 the vulgar deceptions  
of this class of bookmakers4 ,they are  
not blind to these repeated struggles to
 digest a mass of mental food for years1
 in days or weeks4 ,they know their     
nation cannot be understood by these    
chance viewers1 feebly glancing through 
greenest spectacles1 any more than the  
,atlantic can be sounded with a         
seven-fathom line4 ,they have become    

familiar with the ,english traveller    
only to regard him with contempt4 ,each 
new production has opened the old wound4
 ,each new announcement awakens only    
derisive expectations4 ,as for ,french  
and ,germans1 with them it is very      
different2 and ,mr4 ,mackay ought to    
know it4 ,they commonly write1 if not   
with comprehensive vision1 at least with
 integrity of purpose4 ,the best works  
on ,america are by ,frenchmen4 ,what    
,englishman has shown the sincerity and 
fairness of ,de ,tocqueville or         
,chevalier8 ,knowing1 then1 that absurd 
malice and a capacity for microscopic   
investigation of superficial            
irregularities in a society not yet     
defined are the principal1 and in many  
cases the only1 qualifications deemed   
necessary to accomplish an ,english book
 on ,america1 is it matter for wonder   
that ,americans should hesitate to kiss 
the clumsy rods so liberally dispensed8 
,we hasten to say that ,mr4 ,charles    
,mackay's ,life and ,liberty in ,america

 is unusually free from the worst of    
these faults4 ,hasty judgments1 offences
 against taste1 inaccuracies1 occasional
 revelations of personal pique it has2  
but it is not malicious4 ,sometimes it  
is even affecting in its tenderness4 ,it
 breathes a spirit of paternal regard4  
,but it is1 perhaps1 the dullest of     
books4 ,if not icily regular1 it is     
splendidly null4 ,the style is as       
oppressive as a ,london fog4 ,it is     
marked1 to use the author's own words1  
by elegant and drowsy stagnation4 ,after
 the first few pages1 it is with        
weariness that we follow him4 ,we are   
inclined to think ,mr4 ,mackay has      
written too much1 ,mr4 ,squeers had milk
 for three of his pupils watered up to  
the necessities of five4 ,mr4 ,mackay's 
experiences might have sustained him    
through a single small volume1 but he   
has diluted them to the requirements of 
two large ones4 ,this would injure the  
prospects of his work in ,america1 but  
may not interfere with them in ,england4

 ,minute details of toilet agonies1     
pecuniary miseries1 laundry             
tribulations1 and anxieties of appetite 
may possess an interest abroad which we 
are unable to appreciate here4 ,we are  
not excited by the intelligence that    
,mr4 ,mackay had an altercation with a  
negro servant on board a ,sound steamer1
 because he could not have lager-beer at
 table4 ,such things have been noticed  
before4 ,we do not shed a sympathetic   
tear over the two dollars which he once 
had to disgorge in ,new ,york1 in       
payment for a ride of two miles2 nor do 
we mourn for the numerous other dollars 
with which he reluctantly parted to     
satisfy the rapacity of hack-drivers all
 over the ,union4 ,we do not thrill with
 indignation1 when we learn that he was1
 on a certain occasion1 swept by        
crinolines into the middle of ,broadway4
 ,neither are we in any way stirred by  
such information as1 that he1 like an   
,english lord of whom he tells1 was     
accustomed to eat oysters every night in

 ,new ,york2 or that he was pervaded1   
permeated1 steeped1 and bathed in a     
longing desire to behold ,niagara1 and  
that1 when he beheld it1 his feelings   
were not so much those of astonishment  
as of an overpowering sense of ,law2 or 
that a peddler in a railroad-car sold   
nine bottles of quack medicine at a     
dollar a bottle2 or that he had eight   
pages of interview with a ,baltimore    
madman1 who proved his insanity by      
perpetually calling ,mr4 ,mackay the    
,prince of the ,poets of ,england4 ,the 
dreary solemnity with which these       
incidents are narrated renders them     
doubly tedious4 ,a flash of humor might 
enliven them1 but we never see a spark4 
,mr4 ,mackay's comic stories1 too1 of   
which there are not a few1 are most     
lamentable specimens of wit1 suggesting 
forcibly the poppy-seeds spoken of by   
,mr4 ,pillicoddy1 which are soporific in
 tendency1 and which1 if taken          
incessantly for a period of three weeks1
 produce instant death4  ,mr4 ,mackay's 

experiences were not of a startling     
character4 ,he travelled leisurely1 and 
recorded discreetly4 ,his blunders on a 
large scale are not numerous2 but of    
minor facts1 he announces many which may
 be classed among the remarkable        
discoveries of the season4 ,he states   
that ,new ,york1 ,new ,jersey1767 and   
,brooklyn form one city2 that ,broadway1
 ,n4,y41 is decorated with elms1        
willows1 and mountain-ashes1 drooping in
 green beauty2 that persons with decent 
coats and clean shirts in ,boston may be
 safely put down as lecturers1          
,unitarian ministers1 or poets2 that    
,maryland and ,virginia are one         
commonwealth2 that eighteen months      
before every ,presidential election1 a  
cause of quarrel is made with ,england  
by both the principal political parties1
 for the purpose of securing the ,irish 
rote2 that measly pork is caused by too 
hasty insertion in brine after killing1 
and consequent rapid fermentation2 that 
the people of the ,united ,states1      

unless they have travelled in ,europe1  
are quite unable to appreciate wit4 ,mr4
 ,mackay's wit8 ,if so1 certainly4      
,these are but random pluckings from a  
rich blossoming4  ,the subject upon     
which the author has labored most       
earnestly is that of ,slavery4 ,if the  
views he sets forth are the result of   
his own investigation1 he is entitled to
 credit for unusual exactness4 ,there is
 nothing new about them1 to be sure2 but
 there is also nothing absurd1 which is 
a great point4 ,he maintains the        
argument against ,slavery1 that it is to
 be practically considered in its       
injurious influences on the white people
 of the ,slave ,states1 and1 through    
them1 on the nation at large4 ,when he  
undertakes an emotional view of the     
institution1 he becomes feeble again4   
,he thus describes his sensations while 
visiting a slave-market in ,new         
,orleans3--,i entertained at that moment
 such a hatred of slavery1 that1 had it 
been in my power to abolish it in an    

instant off the face of the earth by the
 mere expression of my will1 slavery at 
that moment would have ceased to        
exist1--an avowal which will hardly be  
likely to confound the ,american people 
by its boldness4  ,the statistical      
information in these volumes is as      
accurate as that of ordinary gazetteers4
 ,in most cases1 the author appears to  
have drawn his information from proper  
sources4 ,the principal exceptions to   
this are shown in one or two statements 
which he makes on the authority of his  
,pylades1 ,colonel ,fuller1 and in his  
remarks upon ,canada1 which are colored 
with excessive warmth4 ,mr4 ,mackay     
rests greater hopes upon the future of  
,canada than upon that of the ,united   
,states4 ,he considers the ,canadians as
 the rivals in energy1 enterprise1 and  
industry of the people of the ,united   
,states4 ,his testimony differs from    
that of ,lord ,durham1 who had good     
opportunities for knowing something     
about the matter when he had charge of  

,canadian affairs1 and who declared1    
that on the ,american side of the       
frontier all is activity and bustle1    
etc41 on the ,british side all seems    
waste and desolate4  ,mr4 ,mackay gives 
correctly the most prominent names of   
,american literature1 but his list of   
artists is very imperfect4 ,the little  
that he says about ,american music is   
all wrong4 ,the first opera by an       
,american was produced in #ahde2 and it 
is not true that this is a solitary     
example4 ,were it possible for us to    
pursue them1 we should run down more    
errors of this kind than a prudent man  
would have put into print4  ,altogether1
 while we readily admit that ,mr4       
,mackay has honestly1 and1 in general1  
good-naturedly1 performed his duty as an
 ,american chronicler1 renouncing in a  
great measure the old principle of      
blowing-up1 and that his essays do not  
reek with ignorance1 like those of many 
of his predecessors1 it is yet proper to
 say that he has achieved a stupendous  

bore4 ,his two volumes are to us a      
melancholy remembrance4 ,their life is  
spiced with no variety4 ,the same dead  
level of dry personal detail speaks     
through each chapter2 or if occasional  
relief is afforded1 it is in liquid     
lines mellifluously bland1 and prosier  
than all the rest4 ,the one source of   
amusement that the reader will discover 
is the complacent self-confidence which 
no assumption of modesty can hide4 ,a   
controversy had been raging for at least
 a week in ,philadelphia about the      
author's letters in the ,illustrated    
,london ,news4 ,his defender was one of 
the most influential and best-conducted 
papers of the ,union2 his assailant     
behaved scurvily4 ,we cannot lavish     
examples4 ,this is the type of a        
hundred4 ,mr4 ,mackay seems to expect   
that his ,jeremiad on tobacco-chewing   
and spitting will act in ,america as    
,st4 ,patrick's spells did on the vermin
 of ,ireland4 ,unfortunately1 it will   
not4 ,mr4 ,dickens attempted the same   

thing in a much better                  
manner1--excepting where ,mr4 ,mackay   
has copied him exactly1 as he has once  
or twice1--and even the novelist's      
efforts were fruitless4 ,on the other   
hand1 the main source of annoyance will 
be found in the needless elevation of   
minute evils1 and the determination to  
form general judgments from isolated    
experiences4 ,but of this we do not much
 complain4 ,rome derived some benefit   
from the cackling of a goose4 ,possibly 
we may be made in some respects a wiser 
and a better nation through ,mr4        
,mackay's influence4 ,for ourselves1    
however1 if our aspirations ever turn   
toward a literary ,paradise1 we shall   
pray that it may be one where travellers
 cease from troubling and dull tourists 
are at rest4         99       99        
99       99       99  #a4 ,the ,new and 
the ,old2 or ,california and ,india in  
,romantic ,aspects4 ,by ,j4,w4 ,,palmer1
 ,m4,d4 ,new ,york3 ,rudd  ,carleton4   
#ahei4  #b4 ,up and ,down the ,irawaddi2

 being ,passages of ,adventure in the   
,burman ,empire4 ,by the ,same4  ,it has
 passed into a scornful proverb1 that it
 needs good optics to see what is not to
 be seen2 and yet we should be inclined 
to say that the first essential of a    
good traveller was to be gifted with    
eyesight of precisely that kind4 ,all   
his senses should be as delicate as     
eyes2 and1 above all1 he should be able 
to see with the fine eye of imagination1
 compared with which all the other      
organs with which the mind grasps and   
the memory holds are as clumsy as       
thumbs4 ,the demand for this kind of    
traveller and the opportunity for him   
increase as we learn more and more      
minutely the dry facts and figures of   
the most inaccessible corners of the    
earth's surface4 ,there is no hope of   
another ,ferdinand ,mendez ,pinto1 with 
his statistics of ,dreamland1 who makes 
no difficulty of impressing fourscore   
thousand rhinocerots to draw the wagons 
of the ,king of ,tartary's army1 or of  

killing eight hundred and fifty thousand
 men with a flourish of his quill1--for 
what were a few ciphers to him1 when his
 inkhorn was full and all ,christendom  
to be astonished8--but there is all the 
more need of voyagers who give us       
something better than a census of       
population1 and who know of other       
exports from strange countries than can 
be expressed by ----4 ,give us the      
traveller who makes us feel the mystery 
of the ,figure at ,sais1 whose veil has 
a new meaning for every beholder1 rather
 than him who brings back a photograph  
of the uncovered countenance1 with its  
one unvarying granite story for all4    
,there is one glory of the ,gazetteer   
with his fixed facts1 and another of the
 ,poet with his variable quantities of  
fancy4 ,the fixed fact may be unfixed   
next year1 like an almanac1 but the     
hasty sketch of the true artist is good 
forever4  ,critics have a good-natured  
way of stigmatizing1 for the initiated1 
all poetry that is not poetry1 by saying

 that it is elegant1 harmonious1 or1    
worse than all1 descriptive4 ,this last 
commonly means that the author has done 
for his readers precisely what they     
could do for themselves1--that he has   
made a catalogue of the natural objects 
to be found in a certain number of      
acres1 which differs from the literary  
efforts of an auctioneer only in this1  
that each line begins with a capital and
 contains the same number of syllables4 
,he counts the number of cabbages in a  
field1 of cows in a pasture1 and tells  
us how many times a squirrel ran up 7or 
down7 a given tree in a given time4 ,he 
informs us that the bark of the shagbark
 is shaggy1 that the sleep-at-noon      
slumbers at mid-day1 that moss is apt to
 grow on fallen tree-trunks in damp     
places1--treats us as the old alchemists
 do1 who give us a list of the materials
 out of which gold 7if it had any moral 
sense7 would at once consent to be made1
 but somehow won't1--and leaves us      
impressed with that very dead certainty1

 that things are so-and-so1 which is the
 result of verses that are only so-so4  
,readers of the ,atlantic need not be   
told that ,dr4 ,palmer is not a         
descriptive poet of this fashion4 ,they 
have known how to appreciate his        
sketches of ,east ,indian life1 so      
vivid1 picturesque1 and imaginative that
 they could make ,griffins feel twinges 
of liver-complaint1 and so true that we 
have heard them pronounced incomparable 
by men familiar with ,india4 ,dr4       
,palmer is no mere describer2 he sees   
with the eye of a poet1 touches only    
what is characteristic1 and1 while he   
seems to surrender himself wholly to the
 ,circe ,imagination1 retains the       
polished coolness of the man of the     
world1 and the brownness of the man of  
the nineteenth century4 ,he not only    
knows how to observe1 but how to        
write1--both of them accomplishments    
rare enough in an age when everybody is 
ready to contract for their display by  
the column4 ,his style is nervous and   

original1 not harassingly pointed like a
 chestnut-burr1 but full of esprit or   
wit diffused1--that ,gallic leaven which
 pervades whole sentences and paragraphs
 with an indefinable lightness and      
palatableness4 ,it is a thoroughly      
,american style1 too1 a little          
over-indifferent to tradition and       
convention1 but quite free of the       
sic-semper-tyrannis swagger4 ,uncle     
,bull1 who is just like his nephew in   
thinking that he has a divine right to  
the world's oyster1 cannot swallow it   
properly till he has donned a white     
choker1 and refuses to be comforted when
 ,jonathan disposes of it in his rapid  
way with the shell for a platter4 ,we   
confess that we prefer the free-and-easy
 manner in its proper place to the      
diplomatic way of always treating the   
reader with sentiments of the highest   
consideration1 and like a book all the  
more for having an ,occidental flavor4  
,but it is not merely or chiefly as     
being among the cleverest and liveliest 

of modern light literature that we value
 ,dr4 ,palmer's books4 ,they have a true
 poetic value1 and instruct as much as  
they entertain4 ,while he is telling us 
a ,san ,francisco story1 the truth of   
the accessories and the skill with which
 they are grouped bring the ,california 
of #ahdi before us with unmatched       
vividness4 ,we have been getting        
knowledge and learning a deep moral     
without suspecting it1 as if by our own 
observation and experience4 ,in the same
 way ,asirvadam the ,brahmin is a prose 
poem that lets us into the secret of the
 ,indian revolt4 ,it is seldom that we  
meet with volumes of more real power    
than these1 or whose force is so        
artistically masked under ease and      
playfulness4 ,we prefer the ,old part of
 the book to the ,new4 ,it seems to us  
to show a better style of handling4     
,there is something of melodrama in the 
style of the ,california stories1--a    
flavor of blue lights and burnt cork4   
,at the same time1 we must admit that   

there is a melodramatic taint in our    
,american life3--witness the ,sickles   
vulgarity4 ,young ,america is b'hoyish  
rather than boyish1 and perhaps the ,new
 may be all the truer to ,nature for    
what we dislike in it4  ,the ,new and   
the ,old is fittingly dedicated to the  
,autocrat of all the ,breakfast-,tables1
 than whom no man has done more to      
demonstrate that wit and mirth are not  
incompatible with seriousness of purpose
 and incisiveness of thought4         99
       99       99       99       99    
,napoleonic ,ideas4 ,by ,prince         
,,napoleon ,,louis ,,bonaparte4         
,translated by ,,james ,a4 ,,dorr4 ,new 
,york3 ,d4 ,appleton  ,company4 #ahei4  
,this publication has at least that     
merit which is one of the first in      
literature1--it is timely4 ,though we   
look upon the ,emperor of the ,french as
 a kind of imperial ,jonathan ,wild1 it 
does not the less concern us to make a  
true estimate of his intellectual       
capacity4 ,nothing is more unwise than  

to assume that a man's brain must be    
limited because his moral sense is      
small2 yet no mistake is more common4   
,napoleon the ,third may play an        
important part in ,history1 though by no
 possibility an heroic one4 ,in reading 
this little volume1 one cannot fail to  
be struck with the presence of mind and 
the absence of heart of which it gives  
evidence4 ,it is the advertisement of a 
charlatan1 whose sole inheritance is the
 right to manufacture the ,napoleonic   
pill1 and we read with unavoidable      
distrust the vouchers of its wonderful  
efficacy4 ,we do not fancy the          
,bonapartist grape-cure1 nor believe in 
it4  ,mr4 ,dorr's translation is        
excellent4 ,he understands ,french1 and 
is able to do it into ,english elegantly
 and accurately without any trace of    
foreign idiom4 ,this is no easy thing2  
for our general experience has been that
 translators read ,french like          
,englishmen and write ,english like     
,frenchmen4         99       99       99

       99       99  ,country ,life4 ,by 
,r4 ,,morris ,,copeland4 ,boston3 ,john 
,p4 ,jewett  ,company4 #ahei4  ,in an   
article on ,farming ,life in ,new       
,england1 published in a former volume  
of the ,atlantic1 a valued contributor  
drew attention to the painful lack of   
beauty in the lives and homes of our    
rural population4 ,some attempts were   
made to show that his statements were   
exaggerated2 but we are satisfied that  
they were true in all essential         
particulars4 ,the abolition of entails1 
7however wise in itself17 and the       
consequent subdivision of estates1 will 
always put country life1 in the ,english
 sense of the words1 out of the question
 here4 ,our houses will continue to be  
tents2 trees1 without ancestral         
associations1 will be valued by the     
cord2 and that cumulative charm1 the    
slow result of associations1 of the     
hereditary taste of many generations1   
must always be wanting4 ,age is one of  
the prime elements of natural beauty2   

but among us the love of what is new so 
predominates1 that we have known the    
largest oak in a county to be cut down  
by the selectmen to make room for a     
shanty schoolhouse1 simply because the  
tree was of no account1 being hollow and
 gnarled1 and otherwise delightfully    
picturesque4 ,our people are singularly 
dead also to the value of beauty in     
public architecture2 and while they     
clear away a tree which the seasons have
 been two centuries in building1 they   
will put up with as little remorse a    
stone or brick abomination that shall be
 a waking nightmare for a couple of     
centuries to come4 ,but selectmen are   
not chosen with reference to their      
knowledge of ,price or ,ruskin4  ,mr4   
,copeland's book is specially adapted to
 the conditions of a community like     
ours4 ,its title might have been ,rural 
,a,esthetics for ,men of ,limited       
,means1 or the ,laws of ,beauty         
considered in their ,application to     
,small ,estates4 ,it is a volume happily

 conceived and happily executed1 and    
meets a palpable and increasing want of 
our civilization4 ,whatever adds grace  
to the daily lives of a people1 and     
awakens in them a perception of the     
beauty of outward ,nature and its       
healthful reaction on the nature of     
man1--whatever tends to make toil       
unsordid1 and to put it in relations of 
intelligent sympathy with the beautiful 
progression of the seasons1--adds       
incalculably to the wealth of a country1
 though the increase may not appear in  
the ,report of the ,secretary of the    
,interior4  ,mr4 ,copeland's volume is  
calculated to do this1 and his own      
qualifications for the task he has      
undertaken are manifold4 ,chief among   
them we should reckon a true enthusiasm 
for the cause he advocates1 and a hearty
 delight in out-of-doors-life4 ,he      
writes with the zeal and warmth of a    
reformer2 but these are tempered by     
practical knowledge1 and such a respect 
for the useful as will not sacrifice it 

to the merely pretty4 ,his volume       
contains not only suggestions in        
landscape-gardening1 guided always by   
the true principle of making ,nature our
 ally rather than attempting to subdue  
her1 but minute directions for the      
greenhouse1 grapery1 conservatory1 farm1
 and kitchen-garden4 ,one may learn from
 it how to plant whatever grows1 and to 
care for it afterwards4 ,engravings and 
plans make clear whatever needs         
illustration4 ,the book has also the    
special merit of not being adapted to   
the meridian of ,greenwich4  ,we do not 
always agree with ,mr4 ,copeland2 we    
dissent especially from his prejudice   
against the noble horsechestnut-tree1   
with its grand thunder-cloud of foliage1
 its bee-haunted cones of bloom1 and its
 polished fruit so uselessly useful to  
children1--,bushy ,park is answer enough
 on that score2 but we cordially        
appreciate his taste and ability4 ,his  
book will justify a warm commendation4  
,it is laid out on true principles of   

landscape-farming4 ,the stiff and square
 economical details are relieved by     
passages of great beauty and            
picturesqueness4 ,the cockney who owns a
 snoring-privilege in the suburbs will  
be stimulated to a sense of latent      
beauty in clouds and fields2 and the    
farmer who looks on the cosmic forces as
 mere motive-power for the wheels of his
 money-mill will find the truth of the  
proverb1 that more water runs over the  
dam than the miller wots of1 and learn  
that ,nature is as lavish of ,beauty as 
she is frugal in ,use4 ,even to the     
editor1 whose only fields are those of  
literature1 and whose only leaves grow  
from a composing-stick1 the advent of a 
book like this is refreshing4 ,it       
enables him to lay out with a judicious 
economy the gardens attached to his     
,spanish manor-houses1 and to do his    
farming without risk of loss1 in the    
most charming way of all1 7especially in
 ,july weather17--by proxy4 ,without    
leaving our study1 we have already      

raised some astonishing                 
prize-vegetables1 and our fat cattle    
have been approvingly mentioned in the  
committee's report4 ,we have found an   
afternoon's reading in ,mr4 ,copeland's 
book almost as good as owning that place
 in the country which almost all men    
dream of as an ideal to be realized     
whenever their visionary ship comes in4 
99       99       99       99       99  
,high ,life in ,new ,york4 ,by          
,,jonathan ,,slick4 ,philadelphia3      
,peterson  ,brothers4  ,the advantages  
of a favorable introduction are very    
obvious4 ,a person who enters society   
fortified with eulogistic letters1      
giving assurance of his trustworthiness1
 so far as respectability and good      
behavior are concerned1 is tolerably    
sure of a comfortable reception4 ,but   
if1 unable to sustain the character his 
credentials ascribe to him1 he          
immediately begin to display bad        
manners1 ignorance1 and folly1 he not   
only forfeits the position to which he  

has gained accidental access1 but also  
brings discredit upon his too hasty     
indorser4  ,in literature it is not     
different4 ,the collection of printed   
matter which appears under the title of 
,high ,life in ,new ,york is accompanied
 by a note1 signed by the publishers1   
who are naturally supposed to know      
something of the real value of the works
 they issue1 in which editors are       
forewarned that it is a volume which1   
for downright drollery and hearty humor1
 has never had its equal in the         
productions of any ,american pen1 and   
are otherwise admonished in various ways
 calculated to inspire lofty            
expectations1 and to fill the mind with 
exalted visions of coming joy4 ,but when
 it appears1 on examination1 that the   
book is as utterly unworthy of these    
elaborate commendations as any book can 
possibly be1--that it is from beginning 
to end nothing but a dead level of      
stagnant verbiage1 a desolate waste of  
dreary platitude1--the reader cannot but

 regard the publishers' ardent          
expressions of approbation as going     
quite beyond the license allowable in   
preliminary puffs4  ,high ,life in ,new 
,york represents a class of publications
 which has1 of late1 in many ways1 been 
set before the public with too great    
liberality4 ,the sole object seems to be
 to exhibit the ,yankee character in its
 traditional deformities of stupidity   
and meanness1--otherwise denominated    
simplicity and shrewdness4 ,mr4         
,jonathan ,slick is in no respect       
different from the ordinary fabulous    
,yankee4 ,an illiterate clown he is1    
who1 visiting ,new ,york1 contrives by  
vice of impudence1 to interfere very    
seriously with certain conventionalities
 of the metropolis4 ,he overthrows1 by  
his indomitable will1 a great many      
social follies4 ,he eats soup with a    
knife and fork2 wears no more than one  
shirt a week2 forces his way into       
ladies' chambers at unseemly hours1 to  
cure them of timidity2 and introduces   

sundry other reforms1 all of which are  
recorded as evidences of glorious       
independence and a true nobility of     
spirit4 ,sometimes he goes              
farther1--farther than we care to follow
 him4 ,it would be easy to show wherein 
he is offensive1 not to say disgusting2 
but we are not so disposed4 ,it is not  
considered necessary for the traveller  
who has dragged his way over a muddy    
road to prove the nastiness of his      
pilgrimage by imparting the stain to our
 carpets4  ,in this book1 as in most of 
its class1 the ,yankee dialect is       
employed throughout1 the author         
evidently believing that bad spelling   
and bad grammar are the legitimate      
sources of ,new ,england humor4 ,this   
shows that he mistakes means for        
ends1--just as one who supposes that    
,mr4 ,merryman1 in the circus1 must1 of 
necessity1 be funny1 because he wears   
the motley and his nose is painted red4 
,the ,yankee dialect is ,mr4 ,jonathan  
,slick's principal element of wit2 his  

second is the onion4 ,the book is       
redolent of onions4 ,that odorous       
vegetable breathes from every page4 ,a  
woman weeps1 and onions are invoked to  
lend aromatic fragrance to a stale      
comparison4 ,in one place1 onions and   
education are woven together by some    
extraordinary rhetorical machinery2 in  
another1 religion is glorified through  
the medium of the onion2 until at last  
the narrative seems to resolve itself   
into a nauseating nightmare1 such as    
might torture the brain of some unhappy 
dreamer in a bed of onions4  ,why such  
works are ever written at all1 it is    
difficult to imagine2 but how it is1    
that1 when written1 they find           
publishers1 is inconceivable4         99
       99       99       99       99    
,great ,auction-,sale of ,slaves1 at    
,savannah1 ,georgia4 ,new ,york3        
,published by the ,american             
,anti-,slavery ,society4  ,this little  
pamphlet1 reprinted from the columns of 
the ,new ,york ,tribune1 possesses a    

double interest4 ,it furnishes the best 
and most minute description of an       
auction-sale of slaves that has ever    
been published2 and it admirably        
illustrates the enterprise and prompt   
energy which often distinguish the      
journalism of ,america above that of any
 other country4  ,the slave-sale of     
which it is a record took place on the  
second and third days of ,march last1 in
 the city of ,savannah4 ,for many       
reasons1 it had been looked forward to  
with more than usual interest4 ,the     
position of the owner1 ,mr4 ,pierce ,m4 
,butler1 of ,philadelphia1 and the large
 number 7no less than four hundred and  
thirty-six7 and superior quality of the 
human chattels offered for sale1 added  
to the importance of the event4 ,the    
,tribune had one of its best descriptive
 writers1 ,mr4 ,mortimer ,thomson1 on   
the spot4 ,the duty ,mr4 ,thomson       
undertook was not without danger2 for a 
somewhat extensive notoriety as an      
attache of the ,tribune was not likely  

to insure him the most cordial reception
 at the ,south4 ,had his presence been  
discovered1 the temper of the people of 
,savannah would speedily have betrayed  
itself2 and had his purpose been        
suspected1 their wrath would assuredly  
have culminated in wreakages of a nature
 unfavorable to his personal comfort4   
,but with caution1 and the aid of       
,masonic influences1 he escaped         
detection1 and accomplished his aim4    
,the result of his observations was a   
report of considerable length1 in which 
every striking incident of the sale was 
narrated with accurate fidelity4        
,although written mostly on the rail and
 against time1 under circumstances which
 would be fatal to the labors of any man
 not inured by newspaper experience to  
all sorts of literary hardships1 the    
style is clear1 distinct1 and often     
eloquent4 ,the scene and the transaction
 are brought vividly to the reader's    
mind4 ,the throng of eager              
speculators1--the heavy-eyed and brutal 

drivers1--the sprightlier               
representatives of ,chivalry1--the      
unhappy slaves1 abandoning hope as they 
enter the mart1 excepting in rare cases1
 where1 grasping at straws1 they pray in
 trembling tones that their ties of love
 may remain unsevered1--the operations  
of the sale1--the shrinking women1      
standing submissively under the vile    
jests of the reckless crowd1--are       
portrayed with all the emphasis of      
truth4 ,one little episode in           
particular1 the love-story of ,jeffrey  
and ,dorcas1 is a more affecting history
 than romance can show4  ,the effect of 
this publication in the ,tribune was    
prodigious4 ,it was widely circulated   
through all the journals of the ,north4 
,the ,anti-,slavery ,society preserved  
it in a pamphlet4 ,the ire of a good    
portion of the ,southern journals was   
ludicrous to witness1 and proved how    
keenly the blow was felt4 ,the report   
was republished in ,great               
,britain1--first in the ,london ,times1 

and subsequently1 as a pamphlet1 in     
,edinburgh1 in ,glasgow1 and in         
,belfast4 ,in one publisher's           
announcement1 at least1 it was          
advertised as ,greeley's ,account of the
 ,great ,slave-,sale4         99        
99       99       99       99  ,popular 
,tales from the ,norse4 ,by ,,george    
,,webbe ,,dasent1 ,d4,c4,l4 ,with an    
,introductory ,essay on the ,origin and 
,diffusion of ,popular ,tales4 ,new     
,york3 ,d4 ,appleton  ,co4 #abmo4 pp4   
lxix41 #cgi4  ,the tales of which this  
volume presents the first ,english      
translation--though1 as regards some of 
them1 hardly the first ,english         
version--appear to have been collected  
about twenty or twenty-five years ago4  
,two gentlemen1 ,messrs4 ,asbjoernsen   
and ,moe1 7the name of the first of whom
 begets much confidence in his ability  
for the task17 went out among the most  
unlettered and rudest of the common folk
 of ,norway and ,sweden1 and there1 from
 the lips of old women and little       

children1 gathered these stories of the 
antique time4 ,of what age the stories  
are1 nobody knows1--those who listened  
to them in their childhood1 to relate   
them in turn in their declining years1  
least perhaps of all4 ,for they are a   
part of the inheritance common to all   
the races that have sprung from the     
,asiatic ancestor1 who1 at periods the  
nearest of which is far beyond the ken  
of history1 and at intervals of         
centuries1 sent off descendants to find 
a resting-place in ,europe2 and it is   
one great object1 if not the principal  
object1 of the original collectors and  
the translator of these tales to exhibit
 in them a bond of union among all      
,european peoples4  ,indeed1 the tales  
in their present form may be regarded as
 examples in point appended to the      
translator's ,essay which opens the     
volume4 ,for they will add little to our
 stock of available stories1 for either 
youthful or adult reading4 ,the best of 
them already are a part of our nursery  

lore1 and are known to the ,english race
 under forms better adapted to ,english 
taste and sympathies than those under   
which they are here presented2 and      
nearly all of those that are exceptions 
to this remark are unfitted for home    
consumption1 either by the objectionable
 nature of their subjects1 by the still 
more objectionable tendency of their    
teaching1 or by a yet more fatal        
demerit1--their lack of interest4 ,they 
are in some respects notably tame and   
puerile1--with a puerility which is not 
childish simplicity1 but a lack of      
inventive fancy1 and which exhibits     
itself in bald repetition4 ,the giant1  
for instance1 always complains of a     
smell of ,christian blood1 and is always
 answered by the formula1 that a crow   
flew over the chimney and must have     
dropped a bone down it2 the hero almost 
always meets three old women1 or three  
,trolls1 or three enchanted beasts or   
birds1 of whom he in that case always   
asks the same questions1 receiving the  

same replies1 verbatim4 ,there is a     
reason for this sameness1 which is      
indicative of the rude condition of the 
people among whom the tales have been   
perpetuated2 but the sameness palls none
 the less upon more cultivated minds4   
,mr4 ,dasent characterizes these people 
as an honest and manly race1--not the   
race of the towns and cities1 but of the
 dales and fells1 free and unsubdued1   
holding its own in a country where there
 are neither lords nor ladies1 but      
simple men and women4 ,brave men and    
fair women1 etc4 7p4 lxviii47 ,and he   
says of the tales1 that in no other     
collection is the general tone so       
chaste1 are the great principles of     
morality better worked out1 and right   
and wrong kept so steadily in sight4 7p4
 lxii47 ,we cannot agree with him in    
this appreciation of the moral tone of  
the stories1 many of which certainly    
speak ill for the honesty and manliness 
of the race among which they have been  
for centuries cherished                 

household-treasures4 ,for in a large    
proportion of those that have a         
successful hero1 he obtains his success 
either by lying or some kind of deceit  
or treachery1 by stealing1 or by        
imposing upon the credulity or          
feebleness of age2 and of those in which
 the hero is himself victorious over    
oppression1 we are not able to recollect
 one which exhibits the beauty of       
moderation and magnanimity1 not to say  
of ,christian charity and forgiveness4  
,mr4 ,dasent mentions it as an admirable
 trait of the tales1 that1 in the midst 
of every difficulty and danger1 arises  
that old ,norse feeling of making the   
best of everything and keeping a good   
face to the foe4 ,certainly the heroes  
of these tales do make the best of      
everything1 but they are not at all     
scrupulous as to their way of making it2
 and they do also keep a good face to   
the foe1 when 7often by craft1 theft1 or
 violence7 they have obtained some      
implement or other gift of supernatural 

power which places their opponents      
entirely at their mercy and with no risk
 to themselves4 ,but of a manful contest
 on equal terms1 or of a victory        
obtained over tyrannous power by a union
 of patience1 boldness1 and honest      
skill1 or even by undegrading stratagem1
 the collection affords no instance that
 we remember4  ,the story of            
,shortshanks may be taken as a fair1 and
 even a favorable example of the tone of
 these ,norse tales4 ,shortshanks and   
,king ,sturdy are twin brothers1 who set
 out to seek their fortunes within a few
 minutes of their birth1 driven thereto 
by a precocious perception of the res   
angustae domi4 ,they part at two roads  
almost immediately1 and the story       
follows the fortunes of ,shortshanks1   
the younger2 for in these miniature     
romances the elder is1 as usual1        
continually snubbed1 and the younger is 
always the great man4 ,shortshanks has  
not gone far before he meets an old     
crook-backed hag1 who has only one eye2 

and he commences his career by gouging  
out or snapping up the single comfort of
 this helpless creature4 ,to get her eye
 back again1 she gives ,shortshanks a   
sword that will put a whole army to     
flight2 and he1 charmed with the result 
of his first manoeuvre1 puts it in      
practice successively upon two other    
decrepit1 half-blind women1 who1 to get 
their eyes again1 give him1 one1 a ship 
that can sail over fresh water and salt 
water and over high hills and deep      
dales1 the other1 the art how to brew a 
hundred lasts of malt at one strike4    
,the ship takes him to the king's       
palace1 on arriving at which he puts his
 vessel in his pocket1 when he summons  
his craft to his aid1 and gets a place  
in the king's kitchen to carry wood and 
water for the maid4 ,the king's daughter
 has for some inscrutable reason been   
promised to three ogres1 who come       
successively to fetch her2 and a certain
 ,ritter ,red professes to be man enough
 to rescue her1 but on the approach of  

the first ogre proves to be a coward and
 climbs a tree4 ,but ,shortshanks slips 
off from his scullery2 and having a     
weapon which can put a whole army to    
flight by a single stroke1 he is very   
brave1 and keeps a remarkably good face 
to the foe1 giving him with his tongue  
as good as he sends1 and1 laughing the  
ogres' dubs to scorn1 cuts off the      
ogrous heads1 7there are five on the    
first individual1 ten on the second1 and
 fifteen on the third17 and carries off 
much treasure from the ships in which   
his foes came to fetch their victim4    
,ritter ,red descends1 and takes the    
lungs and the tongues of the ogres1     
7though1 as the latter were thirty in   
number and of gigantic size1 he must    
have had trouble in carrying them17 and 
wishes to pass them off as evidence that
 he is the deliverer of the princess1 of
 which they would seem to have been very
 satisfactory proof3 but the gold1      
silver1 and diamonds carry the day2     
,shortshanks has the princess and half  

the kingdom1 and ,ritter ,red is thrown 
into a pit full of snakes1--on the      
,french general's principle1 we suppose1
 who hung his cowards pour encourager   
les autres4 ,but the king has another   
daughter1 whom an ogre has carried off  
to the bottom of the sea4 ,shortshanks  
discovers her while the ogre is out     
looking for a man who can brew a hundred
 lasts of malt at one strike4 ,he finds 
the man at home1 of course1 and puts him
 to his task4 ,shortshanks gets the ogre
 and all his kith and kin to help the   
brew1 and brews the wort so strong1     
that1 on tasting it1 they all fall down 
dead1 except one1 an old woman1 who lay 
bed-ridden in the chimney-corner1 and to
 her our hero carries his wort and kills
 her too4 ,he then carries off the      
treasure of the ogres1 and gives this   
princess and the other half of the      
kingdom to his brother ,sturdy4  ,now we
 have no particular fault to find with  
such stories as these1 when they are    
produced as characteristic specimens of 

the folk-lore of a people2 as such1 they
 have a value beside their intrinsic    
interest2--but when we are asked to     
receive them as part of the evidence    
that that people is an honest and manly 
race1 and as an acceptable addition to  
our stock of household tales1 we demur4 
,the truth is1 that the very worth of   
these tales is to be found not only in  
the fact that they form a part of the   
stock from which our own are derived1   
but in the other fact that they         
represent that stock as it existed at an
 earlier and ruder stage of humanitarian
 development4 ,they were told by savage 
mothers to savage children2 and although
 some of them teach the few virtues     
common to barbarism and civilization1   
they are filled with the glorification  
of savage vice and crime2--deceit1      
theft1 violence1 even ruthless vengeance
 upon a cruel parent1 are constantly    
practised by the characters which they  
hold up to favor4 ,such humor as they   
have1 too1 is of the coarsest kind1 and 

is expressed chiefly in rude practical  
jokes1 or the bloody overreaching of the
 poor thick-headed ,trolls1 who are the 
butts of the stories and the victims of 
their heroes4 ,there is good            
ethnological and mythological reason why
 the ,trolls should be butts and        
victims1 it is true2 but that is not to 
the present purpose4  ,but although this
 judgment must be passed upon the       
collection1 considered merely as tales  
to be told and read at this stage of the
 world's progress1 there are several    
notable exceptions to it1--tales which  
are based upon healthy instincts1 and   
which appeal to sympathies that are     
never entirely undeveloped in the       
breasts of human beings above the grade 
of ,bushmen1 or in which the fun does   
not depend upon the exhibition of       
unexpected modes of inflicting death1   
pain1 or discomfort4 ,it is not1        
however1 in these that we are to look   
for the chief attraction and            
compensating value of the collection4   

,those are to be found1 as we have      
already hinted1 in the relative aspects 
of the tales1 which the general reader  
might consider for a long time          
fruitlessly1 save for the help of ,mr4  
,dasent's ,introductory ,essay4 ,this is
 at once an acute and learned commentary
 upon the tales themselves1 and a       
thoroughly elaborated monograph upon    
mythology in its ethnological relations4
 ,we know no other essay upon this      
subject that is so comprehensive1 so    
compact1 so clear1 and so well adapted  
to interest intelligent readers who have
 little previous knowledge on the       
subject1 as ,mr4 ,dasent's1 although1 of
 necessity1 it presents us with results1
 not processes4 ,a perusal of this      
,essay will give the intelligent and    
attentive reader so just a general      
notion of the last results of           
philological and ethnological           
investigation into the history of the   
origin and progress of the              
,indo-,european races1 that he can      

listen with understanding to the        
conversation of men who have made that  
subject their special study1 and        
appreciate1 in a measure at least1 the  
value of the many references to it which
 he meets in the course of his          
miscellaneous reading4 ,and should he be
 led by the contagion of ,mr4 ,dasent's 
intelligent enthusiasm to desire a more 
intimate acquaintance with a topic which
 rarely fails to fascinate those whose  
tastes lead them to enter at all upon   
it1 he may start from this ,essay with  
hints as to the plan and purpose of his 
reading which will save him much        
otherwise blind and fruitless labor4    
,this1 however1 is not all4 ,it is but  
right also to say that the readers whose
 religion is one of extreme orthodoxy1  
that is1 who deem it their bounden duty 
to believe exactly and literally as     
somebody else believed before           
them1--such readers will find their     
orthodoxy often shocked by the tales    
which ,mr4 ,dasent has translated1 and  

yet oftener and more violently by       
conclusions which ,mr4 ,dasent draws    
from a comparison of these stories with 
others that bear the same relation to   
other races which these do to the       
,norsemen4 ,the man who believes that   
,hell is a particular part of the       
universe1 filled with flames and melted 
brimstone1 into which actual devils1    
with horns1 hoofs1 and tails1 dip1 or   
are to dip1 wicked people1 whom1 for    
greater convenience1 they have          
previously perforated with three-tined  
pitchforks1--such a man will be puzzled 
by the story1 ,why the ,sea is ,salt1   
and horrified with this comment in ,mr4 
,dasent's ,essay3--      ,the ,north had
 its own notion on this point4 ,its     
mythology     was not without its own   
dark powers2 but though they1 too1      
were ejected and dispossessed1 they1    
according to that     mythology1 had    
rights of their own4 ,to them belonged  
all the     universe that had not been  
seized and reclaimed by the     younger 

race of ,odin and ,a,esir2 and though   
this upstart     dynasty1 as the        
,frost-,giants in ,a,eschylean phrase   
would have     called it1 well knew that
 ,hel1 one of this giant progeny1 was   
fated to do them all mischief1 and to   
outlive them1 they took     her and made
 her queen of ,niflheim1 and mistress   
over nine     worlds4 ,there1 in a      
bitterly cold place1 she received the   
souls of all who died of sickness or old
 age2 care was her     bed1 hunger her  
dish1 starvation her knife4 ,her walls  
were     high and strong1 and her bolts 
and bars huge4 ',half blue was     her  
skin1 and half the color of human flesh4
 ,a goddess easy     to know1 and in all
 things very stern and grim4' ,but      
though     severe1 she was not an evil  
spirit4 ,she only received those     who
 died as no ,norseman wished to die4    
,for those who fell on     the gory     
battle-field1 or sank beneath the waves1
 ,valhalla     was prepared1 and endless
 mirth and bliss with ,odin4 ,those     

went to ,hel who were rather unfortunate
 than wicked1 who died     before they  
could be killed4 ,but when ,christianity
 came in     and ejected ,odin and his  
crew of false divinities1 declaring     
them to be lying gods and demons1 then  
,hel fell with the     rest1--but1      
fulfilling her fate1 outlived them4     
,from a person     she became a place2  
and all the ,northern nations1 from the 
,goth to the ,norseman1 agreed in       
believing ,hell to be the     abode of  
the ,devil and his wicked spirits1 the  
place prepared     from the beginning   
for the everlasting torments of the     
damned4 ,one curious fact connected with
 this explanation of     ,hell's origin 
will not escape the reader's attention4 
,the     ,christian notion of ,hell is  
that of a place of heat2 for in     the 
,east1 whence ,christianity came1 heat  
is often an     intolerable             
torment1--and cold1 on the other hand1  
everything     that is pleasant and     
delightful4 ,but to the dweller in the  

,north heat brings with it sensations of
 joy and comfort1 and     life without  
fire has a dreary outlook2 so their ,hel
 ruled in     a cold region1 over those 
who were cowards by implication1        
while the mead-cup went round1 and huge 
logs blazed and     crackled1 for the   
brave and beautiful who had dared to die
 on     the field of battle4 ,but under 
,christianity the extremes of     heat  
and cold have met1 and ,hel1 the cold1  
uncomfortable     goddess1 is now our   
,hell1 where flames and fires abound1   
and     where the devils abide in       
everlasting flame4  ,still more will    
orthodoxy be shocked by ,mr4 ,dasent's  
neglect to except ,christianity from the
 conclusion1 7no new one1 it need hardly
 be said1 to those who know anything of 
the subject17 that the mythologies or   
personal histories of all religions have
 been evolved the one from the other1 or
 grafted the one upon the other1--and by
 his intimation1 that ,christianity1    
keeping pure in its spirit and          

undiverted from its purpose1 has yet not
 hesitated to adapt its outward forms to
 the tough popular traditions which it  
found deeply rooted in the soil where it
 sought to grow1 thus making itself all 
things to all men1 that it might by all 
means save some4  ,it will be seen that 
this book is not milk for babes1 but    
meat for strong men4 ,among the tales   
are some--and those1 perhaps1 the most  
interesting--which ,mr4 ,dasent justly  
characterizes as intensely heathen1 and 
yet in which the ,saviour of the world  
or his apostles appear as interlocutors 
or actors1 which alone unfits the volume
 for the book-table of the household    
room4 ,we are led to insist upon this   
trait of the collection the more1       
because the translator's choice of      
language often seems to be the result of
 a desire to adapt himself to very      
youthful readers1--though why should    
even they be led to believe that such   
phrases as the following are correct by 
seeing them in print8--,tore it up like 

nothing2 ran away like anything2 it was 
no good i4e4 of no use2 in all my born  
days2 after a bit i4e4 a little while2  
she had to let him in1 and when he was1 
he lay1 etc42 the ,giant got up cruelly 
early4 ,these1 and others like them1 are
 profusely scattered through the tales1 
apparently from the mistaken notion that
 they have some idiomatic force4 ,they  
jar upon the ear of the reader who comes
 to them from ,mr4 ,dasent's admirably  
written ,introductory ,essay4  ,the book
 is one which we can heartily recommend 
to all who are interested in popular    
traditions for their own sake1 or in    
their ethnological relations4         99
       99       99       99       99    
,love1 ,from the ,french of ,m4,j4      
,michelet4 ,translated from the ,fourth 
,paris ,edition1 by ,j4,w4 ,palmer1     
,m4,d41 ,author of ,the ,new and ,the   
,old1 ,up and ,down the ,irawaddi1 etc4 
,m4 ,michelet perhaps longs1 like       
,anacreon1 to tell the story of the     
,atrides and of ,cadmus1 but here we    

find him singing only of ,love4 ,it is a
 surprise to us that the historian      
should have chosen this subject2--the   
book itself is another surprise4 ,it    
starts from a few facts which it borrows
 from science1 and out of them it builds
 a poem1--a drama in five acts called   
,books1 to disguise them4 ,two          
characters figure chiefly on the        
stage1--a husband and a wife4 ,the unity
 of time is not very strictly kept1 for 
the pair are traced from youth to age1  
and even beyond their mortal years4     
,moral reflections and occasional       
rhapsodies are wreathed about this      
physiological and psychological         
love-drama4  ,here1 then1 is a book with
 the most taking word in the language   
for its title1 and one of the most      
distinguished personages in contemporary
 literature for its author4 ,it has been
 extensively read in ,france1 and is    
attracting general notice in this       
country4 ,opinions are divided among us 
concerning it2 it is extravagantly      

praised1 and hastily condemned4  ,on the
 whole1 the book is destined1 we        
believe1 to do much more good than harm4
 ,admit all its high-flown              
sentimentalism to be half-unconscious   
affectation1 such as we pardon in       
writers of the ,great ,nation1--admit   
that the author is wild and fanciful in 
many of his statements1 that he talks of
 a state of society of which it has been
 said that the law is that a man shall  
hate his neighbor and love his          
neighbor's wife1--admit all this and    
what lesser faults may be added to them1
 its great lessons are on the side of   
humanity1 and especially of justice to  
woman1 founded on a study of her organic
 and spiritual limitations4  ,woman is  
an invalid4 ,this is the first axiom1   
out of which flow the precepts of care1 
bodily and mental1 of tenderness1 of    
consideration1 with which the book      
abounds4 ,to show this1 ,m4 ,michelet   
has recourse to the investigations of   
the physiologists who during the present

 century have studied the special       
conditions which according to the old   
axiom make woman what she is4 ,as       
nothing short of this can by any        
possibility enable us to understand the 
feminine nature1 we must not find fault 
with some details not commonly thought  
adapted to the general reader4 ,they are
 given delicately1 but they are given1  
and suggest a certain reserve in        
introducing the book to the reading     
classes4 ,not only is woman an invalid1 
but the rhythmic character of her life1 
as if scanned by ,nature1 is an element 
not to be neglected without total       
failure to read her in health and in    
disease4 ,there is a great deal relating
 to this matter1 some of it seeming     
fanciful and overwrought1 but not more  
so than the natures of many women4 ,for 
woman herself is an hyperbole1 and the  
plainest statement of her condition is a
 figure of speech4 ,some of those       
chapters that are written1 as we might  
say1 in hysteric paragraphs1 only more  

fitly express the extravagances which   
belong to the nervous movements of the  
woman's nature4  ,the husband must      
create the wife4 ,much of the book is   
taken up with the precepts by which this
 new birth of the woman is to be brought
 about1 ,m4 ,michelet's entire affection
 hateth those nicer hands winch would   
refuse any1 even the humblest offices4  
,the husband should be at once nurse and
 physician4 ,he should regulate the food
 of the body1 and measure out the doses 
of mental nourishment4 ,all this is kind
 and good and affectionate2 but there is
 just a suspicion excited that ,madame  
might become slightly ennuyee1 if she   
were subjected to this minute           
surveillance over her physical and      
spiritual hygiene4 ,everything must     
depend on individual tendencies and     
aptitudes2 we have known husbands that  
were born for nurses1--and others1 not  
less affectionate1 that worried more    
than they helped in that capacity4  ,we 
cannot follow ,m4 ,michelet through his 

study of the reaction of the characters 
of the husband and wife upon each other1
 of the influence of maternity on       
conjugal relations1 of the languishing  
of love and its rejuvenescence4 ,still  
less can we do more than remotely allude
 to those chapters in which his model   
woman is represented as ready on the    
slightest occasion to prove the name of 
her sex synonymous with frailty4 ,we    
really do not know what to make of such 
things4 ,the cool calculations of       
temptation as certain1 and failure as   
probable1--the serious advice not to    
strike a wife under any                 
circumstances1--such words have         
literally no meaning to most of our own 
,american readers4 ,our women are       
educated to self-reliance1--and our men 
are1 at least1 too busy for the trade of
 tempters4  ,in a word1 this book was   
written for ,french people1 and is      
adjusted to the meridian of ,paris4 ,we 
must remember this always in reading it1
 and also remember that a ,frenchman    

does not think ,english any more than he
 talks it4 ,we sometimes flatter        
ourselves with the idea that we as a    
people are original in our tendency to  
extravagance of thought and language4   
,it is a conceit of ours4 ,remember     
,sterne's perruquier4  ',you may immerge
 it1' replied he1 'into the ocean1 and  
it will stand4'  ',what a great scale is
 everything upon1 in this city6' thought
 ,i4 ',the utmost stretch of an ,english
 periwig-maker's ideas could have gone  
no farther than to have dipped it into a
 pail of water4'         99       99    
99       99       99  ,how much such    
experiences as the following amount to  
we must leave to the ecclesiastical     
bodies to settle4  ,the ,church is      
openly against her1 woman1 owing her a  
grudge for the sin of ,eve4  ,it is very
 easy for us1 educated in the religion  
of the indulgent ,god of ,nature1 to    
look our common destiny in the face4    
,but she1 impressed with the dogma of   
eternal punishment1 though she may have 

received other ideas from you1 still1 in
 her suffering and debility1 has painful
 foreshadowings of the future state4    
,but here are physiological statements  
which we take the liberty to question on
 our own responsibility4  ,a ,french    
girl of fifteen is as mature as an      
,english one of eighteen4 ,what will    
,mr4 ,roberton of ,manchester1 who has  
exploded so many of our fancies about   
the women of the ,east1 say to this8  ,a
 wound1 for which the ,german woman     
would require surgical aid1 in the      
,french woman cures itself4 ,we must say
 of such an unproved assertion as the   
,french ,general said of the charge at  
,balaklava1--,c'est magnifique1 mais ce 
n'est pas la--medecine4  ,generally1 she
 woman is sick from love1--man1 from    
indigestion4 ,what a pity ,nature never 
makes such pretty epigrams with her     
facts as wits do with their words6  ,we 
have enough1 too1 of that self-assertion
 which ,carlyle and ,ruskin and some of 
our clerical neighbors have made us     

familiar with1 and which gives flavor to
 a work of genius4 ,i was worth more    
than my writings1 more than my          
discourses4 ,i brought to this teaching 
of philosophy and history a soul as yet 
entire1--a great freshness of mind1     
under forms often subtle1--a true       
simplicity of heart1 etc4  ,m4 ,michelet
 does not undervalue the importance of  
his work4 ,he thinks he has ruined the  
dancing-gardens by the startling        
revelations respecting woman contained  
in his book4 ,he announces a still      
greater triumph3--,i believe ,i have    
effectually suppressed old women4 ,they 
will no longer be met with4 ,m4         
,michelet has not seen the columns of   
some of our weekly newspapers4  ,these  
are scales from the husk of his book1   
which1 with all its fantasies1 is a     
generous plea for woman4 ,wise persons  
may safely read it1 though they be not  
,parisians4  ,the translation is1 and is
 generally considered1 excellent4 ,we   
notice two errors1--,jerres1 instead of 

,serres1--and would1 for should1 after  
the ,scotch and ,southern provincial    
fashion2--with some questionable words1 
as reliable1 for which we have ,sir     
,robert ,peel's authority1 which cannot 
make it as honest a word as             
trustworthy1-- masculize1 which is at   
least intelligible1--and fast1 used as  
college-boys use it in their loose talk1
 but not with the meaning which sober   
scholars are wont to give it4 ,with     
these slight exceptions1 the translation
 appears to us singularly felicitous1   
notwithstanding the task must have been 
very difficult1 which ,dr4 ,palmer has  
performed with such rare success4       
99       99       99       99       99  
,farm-,drainage4 ,the ,principles1      
,processes1 and ,effects of ,draining   
,land1 with ,wood1 ,stones1 ,ploughs1   
and ,open ,ditches1 and especially with 
,tiles2 including ,tables of ,rainfall1 
,evaporation1 ,filtration1 ,excavation1 
,capacity of ,pipes2 ,cost1 and ,number 
to the ,acre1 of ,tiles1 etc41 etc42 and

 more than ,one ,hundred ,illustrations4
 ,by ,,henry ,e4 ,,french4 ,new ,york3  
,a4,o4 ,moore  ,co4 #ahei4 #hvo4 pp4    
#chd4  ,we remember standing1 thirty    
years ago1 upon the cupola of a         
court-house in ,new ,jersey1 and1 while 
enjoying the whole panorama1 being      
particularly impressed with the superior
 fertility and luxuriance of one farm on
 the outskirts of the town4 ,we         
recollect further1 that1 on inquiry1 we 
found this farm to belong to a ,judge of
 the ,court of ,common ,pleas1 who also 
exercised the trade of a potter1 and    
underdrained his land with tile-drains4 
,his neighbors attributed the           
improvement in his farm to manure and   
tillage1 and thought his attempts to    
introduce tile-drains into use arose    
chiefly from his desire to make a market
 for his tiles4 ,thirty years have made 
a great change2 and a ,new ,hampshire   
,judge of the ,court of ,common ,pleas  
gives us a book on ,farm-,drainage which
 tells us that in ,england twenty       

millions of dollars have been loaned by 
the government to be used in            
underdraining with tile6  ,we believe   
that ,judge ,french has given the first 
practical guide in draining to the      
,american farmer1--indeed1 the first    
book professing to be a complete        
practical guide to the farmers of any   
country4 ,his right to speak is derived 
from successful experiments of his own1 
from a visit to ,european               
agriculturists1 and from a personal     
correspondence with the best            
drainage-engineers of ,england and      
,america1 as well as from the study of  
all available magazines and journals4   
,no one could handle the subject in a   
more pleasant and lucid style2 flashes  
of wit1 and even of humor1 are sparkling
 through every chapter1 but they never  
divert the mind of the reader from the  
main purpose of elucidating the subject 
of deep drainage4 ,the title-page does  
not promise so much as the book         
performs2 and we feel confident that its

 reputation will increase1 as our       
farmers begin to understand the true    
effects of deep drainage on upland1 and 
seek for a guide in the improvement of  
their farms4  ,the rain-tables1         
furnished by ,dr4 ,e4 ,hobbs1 of        
,waltham1 afford some very interesting  
statistics1 by which our climate may be 
definitely compared with that of our    
mother country4 ,in ,england1 they have 
about #aef rainy days per annum1 and we 
but #ef4 ,in ,england1 one inch in #bd  
hours is considered a great rain2 but in
 ,new ,england six inches and           
seven-eighths 7#f4hh7 has been known to 
fall in #bd hours4 ,in ,england1 the    
annual fall is about #ba1--;in ,new     
,england1 #db inches4 ,the experiments  
on the retention of water by the soil   
are also interesting2 showing that      
ordinary arable soil is capable of      
holding nearly six inches of water in   
every foot of soil4  ,not the least     
valuable portion of the book is a brief 
discussion of some of the legal         

questions connected with drainage2 the  
rights of land-owners in running waters1
 and in reference to the water in the   
soil2 the rights of mill-owners and     
water-power companies2 and the subject  
of flowage1 by which so many thousand   
acres of valuable arable land are ruined
 to support unprofitable manufacturing  
companies4 ,the rights of               
agriculturists1 and the interests of    
agriculture1 demand the care of our     
governments1 and the hearty aid of our  
scientific men2 and we are glad to find 
a judge who1 at least when off the      
bench1 speaks sound words in their      
behalf4  ,agriculture in the ,atlantic  
,states is beginning to attract the     
attention which its great importance    
demands4 ,thorough draining is1 as yet1 
little used among us1 but a beginning   
has been made2 and ,judge ,french's book
 will1 doubtless1 be of value in        
extension of the practice4 ,if any      
reader has not yet heard what thorough  
draining is1 we would say1 in brief1    

that it consists in laying tile-pipes1  
from one and a half to three inches in  
diameter1 four feet under ground1 at    
from twenty to sixty feet apart1 so     
inclined as to drain out of your ground 
all the water that may be within three  
feet of the surface4 ,this costs from   
#cj to #fj per acre1 and is in almost   
all kinds of arable land an excellent   
investment of capital1--making the      
spring earlier1 the land warmer1 rain   
less injurious1 drought less severe1 the
 crops better in quality and greater in 
quantity4 ,in short1 thorough draining  
is1 as our author says1 following       
,cromwell's advice1 trusting in         
,providence1 but keeping the powder dry4
         99       99       99       99  
99  ,the ,novels of ,james ,fenimore    
,cooper4 ,illustrated with ,steel       
,engravings from ,drawings by ,darley4  
,new ,york3 ,w4,a4 ,townsend  ,co4  ,the
 ,british ,museum1 it is said1 has      
accumulated over twenty-seven thousand  
novels written since the publication of 

,waverley4 ,with the general diffusion  
of education the ambition of authorship 
has had a corresponding increase2 and   
people who were not inspired to make    
rhymes1 nor learned enough to undertake 
history1 philosophy1 or science1 as well
 as those who despaired of success in   
essays1 travels1 or sermons1 have all   
thought themselves capable of           
representing human life in the form of  
fiction4 ,very few of the twenty-seven  
thousand1 probably1 are wholly destitute
 of merit4 ,each author has drawn what  
he saw1 or knew1 or did1 or imagined2   
and so has preserved something worthy1  
for those who live upon his plane and   
see the world with his eyes4 ,the       
difficulty is1 that the vision of most  
men is limited2 they observe human      
nature only in a few of its many        
aspects2 they cannot so far lift        
themselves above the trivial affairs    
around them as to take in the whole of  
humanity at a glance4 ,even when rare   
types of character are presented to     

view1 it is only a genius who can for   
the time assimilate himself to them1 and
 so make their portraits life-like upon 
his canvas4 ,in every old-fashioned town
 there are models for new ,dogberrys and
 ,edie ,ochiltrees2 our seaports have   
plenty of ,bunsbys2 every great city has
 its ,becky ,sharpe and ,major          
,pendennis4 ,one has only to listen to a
 group of ,irish laborers in their      
unrestrained talk to find that the      
delicious non sequitur1 which is the    
charm of the grave-diggers' conversation
 in ,hamlet1 is by no means obsolete4   
,but who can write such a colloquy8 ,it 
would be easier1 we fancy1 for a clever 
man to give a sketch of ,lord ,bacon1   
with all his rapid and profound         
generalization1 than to follow the slow 
and tortuous mental processes of a      
clodhopper4  ,to secure the attention of
 his readers1 the novelist must         
construct a plot and create the         
characters whose movements shall produce
 the designed catastrophe1 and1 by the  

incidents and dialogue1 exhibit the     
passions1 the virtues1 the aspirations1 
the weaknesses1 and the villany of human
 nature4 ,it is needless to say that    
most characters in fiction are as       
shadowy as ,ossian's ghosts2 the proof  
is1 that1 when the incidents of the     
story have passed out of memory1 the    
persons are likewise forgotten4 ,of all 
the popular novelists1 not more than    
half a dozen have ever created          
characters that survive1--characters    
that are felt to be representative men4 
,after ,shakspeare and ,scott1 ,dickens 
comes first1 unquestionably2 although1  
in analysis1 philosophy1 force1 and     
purity of style1 he is far inferior to  
,thackeray4 ,parson ,adams will not be  
forgotten1 nor that gentle monogamist1  
the good ,vicar of ,wakefield4 ,but as  
for ,bulwer1 notwithstanding his        
wonderful art in construction and the   
brilliancy of his style1 who remembers a
 character out of his novels1 unless it 
be ,doctor ,riccabocca8  ,after this    

rather long preamble1 let us hasten to  
say1 that ,cooper1 in spite of many and 
the most obvious faults1 has succeeded  
in portraying a few characters which    
stand out in bold relief1--and that his 
works1 after years of criticism and     
competition1 still hold their place1 on 
both continents1 among the most         
delightful novels in the language4      
,other writers have appeared1 with more 
culture1 with more imagination1 with    
more spiritual insight1 with more       
attractiveness of style2 but            
,leatherstocking1 in the virgin forest1 
with the crafty1 painted savage         
retreating before him1 and the          
far-distant hum of civilization         
following his trail1 is a creation which
 no reader ever can or would forget1--a 
creation for which the merely           
accomplished writer would gladly        
exchange all the fine sentences and     
word-pictures that he had ever put on   
paper4 ,it is also due to ,cooper to    
say1 that ,the ,pilot was the first1 and

 still is the best1 of nautical novels2 
we say this in fell recollection of its 
trace of stupid heroines4 ,the very air 
of the book is salt4 ,as you read1 you  
hear the wind in the rigging1--a sound  
that one never forgets4 ,the form and   
motion of waves1 the passing of distant 
ships1 the outlines of spars and cordage
 against the sky1 the blue above and the
 blue below1 all the scenery of the sea1
 here for the first time found an       
appreciative artist4  ,we have not space
 to mention these novels separately4 ,we
 are glad to see an edition which is    
worthy of the author's genius1--each    
volume graced with the designs of       
,darley4 ,the style in which the work   
has been issued is creditable to the    
publishers1 and cannot fail to be       
remunerative4         99       99       
99       99       99  ,ettore           
,fieramosca2 or1 the ,challenge of      
,barletta4 ,the ,struggles of an        
,italian against ,foreign ,invaders and 
,foreign ,protectors4 ,by ,,massimo ,d' 

,,azeglio4 ,boston3 ,phillips1 ,sampson1
  ,co4 #afmo4  ,the recent war led to   
the publication of a great number of    
books upon the state of ,italy and the  
relative positions of the contending    
powers2 now that the wave has receded1  
all these are left high and dry4 ,this  
novel1 however1 does not depend upon any
 transient interest in the affairs of   
,italy for its success4 ,as the         
production of an eminent author1 who is 
also one of the first of ,italian       
statesmen1 it demands a respectful      
consideration4 ,the condition of the    
country in the sixteenth century        
presents a striking counterpart to that 
of the present year3 two foreign        
monarchs were at war in the ,peninsula2 
and then1 as now1 it was a question     
whether unhappy ,italy had not as much  
to fear from her allies as from her     
invaders4  ,the scene of the story is   
laid in the little town of ,barletta1 on
 the ,adriatic coast1 in the present    
kingdom of ,naples4 ,the action turns   

upon the fortunes of the day in a       
contest a l'outrance1 wherein a dozen   
,french knights1 the flower of the      
invading army1 were met and vanquished  
by an equal number of ,italians1 of whom
 the hero1 ,ettore ,fieramosca1 was the 
chief4 ,the ,english reader will not    
expect to find in this book any of the  
traits with which he is familiar in the 
novels of our own authors4 ,there is    
little scenery-painting1 few wayside    
reflections1 and no attempt at          
portraying the comic side of human      
nature1 or even the ordinary gayety of  
domestic life4 ,the times did not       
suggest such topics2 and if they did1 we
 suspect that the ,italian novelists    
would turn from such commonplace affairs
 to the more stirring events with which 
,history has been heretofore concerned4 
,but the story before us has no lack of 
incident4 ,when the persons of the drama
 are fairly brought upon the stage1 the 
action begins at once2 surprise follows 
surprise1 plot is matched by plot1 until

 the fortunes of the actors are entwined
 inextricably4 ,the portraits of the    
famous ,colonna and of the infamous     
,caesar ,borgia 7the latter being the   
arch villain of the story7 are drawn in 
sharp and decisive lines4 ,the          
tournament which forms the scene of the 
catastrophe is a brilliant picture1     
though not a pleasing one for a ,friend 
or a member of the ,peace ,society4  ,of
 course the element of ,love is not     
wanting2 two golden threads run through 
the crimsoned web2 but whether they meet
 before ,atropos comes with the fatal   
shears1 it is not best to say4 ,when the
 modern novel-reader can answer the     
momentous question1 ,did they marry8 the
 charm of the most exciting story1 for  
him1 is gone4  ,aside from the interest 
which one feels in the changing fortunes
 of the hero1 the book is especially    
valuable for the light it throws upon   
that period of ,italian history1 and    
upon the subtilties of ,italian         
character4     ,,recent ,,american      

,,publications4   ,the ,goodness of     
,god4 ,sermons by ,charles ,kingsley4   
,new ,york4 ,burt1 ,hutchinson1  ,abbey4
 #abmo4 pp4 #cgj4 #a4jj4  ,theodore     
,parker's ,experience as a ,minister2   
with some ,account of his ,early ,life  
and ,education for the ,ministry4       
,contained in a ,letter from him to the 
,members of the ,twenty-,eighth         
,congregationalist ,society of ,boston4 
,boston4 ,rufus ,leighton1 ,jr4 #afmo4  
pp4 #ahb4 #ej cts4  ,the ,roman         
,question4 ,by ,e4 ,about4 ,translated  
from the ,french1 by ,h4,c4 ,coape4 ,new
 ,york4 ,d4 ,appleton  ,co4 #abmo4 pp4  
#bai4 #fj cts4  ,tent and ,harem4 ,notes
 of an ,oriental ,trip4 ,by ,caroline   
,paine4 ,new ,york4 ,d4 ,appleton  ,co4 
#abmo4 pp4 #cjj4 #a4jj4  ,the ,french   
,revolution of #aghi1 as viewed in the  
,light of ,republican ,institutions4 ,by
 ,j4,s4,c4 ,abbott4 ,with ,one ,hundred 
,engravings4 ,new ,york4 ,harper        
,brothers4 #hvo4 pp4 #dci4 #b4ej4       
,popular ,tales from the ,norse4 ,by    

,george ,webbe ,dasent1 ,d4,c4,l4 ,with 
an ,introductory ,essay on the ,origin  
and ,diffusion of ,popular ,tales4 ,new 
,york4 ,d4 ,appleton  ,co4 #abmo4 pp4   
#cgi4 #a4jj4  ,personal ,recollections  
of the ,american ,revolution4 ,a        
,private ,journal4 ,prepared from       
,authentic ,domestic ,records4 ,together
 with ,reminiscences of ,washington and 
,lafayette4 ,edited by ,sidney ,barclay4
 ,new ,york4 ,rudd  ,carleton4 #abmo4   
pp4 #bea4 #a4jj4  ,hartley ,norman4 ,a  
,tale of the ,times4 ,by ,allen         
,hampden4 ,new ,york4 ,rudd  ,carleton4 
#abmo4 pp4 #dbi4 #a4be4  ,the ,science  
of ,education and ,art of ,teaching4 ,in
 ,two ,parts4 ,by ,john ,ogden1 ,a4,m4  
,cincinnati4 ,moore1 ,wilstach1  ,keys4 
#abmo4 pp4 #dgh4 #a4be4  ,observations  
on the ,growth of the ,mind4 ,by        
,sampson ,reed4 ,fifth ,edition4        
,boston4 ,crosby1 ,nichols1  ,co4 #afmo4
 pp4 #ii4 #ej cts4  ,italy and the ,war 
of #ahei4 ,with ,biographical ,notices  
of ,sovereigns1 ,statesmen1 and         

,military ,commanders2 ,description and 
,statistics of the ,country2 ,causes of 
the ,war1 etc4 ,by ,julia de            
,marguerittes4 ,with an ,introduction1  
by ,dr4 ,r4 ,shelton ,mackenzie4 ,with  
,map and ,portraits4 ,philadelphia4     
,geo4 ,g4 ,evans4 #abmo4 pp4 #cei4      
#a4be4  ,here and ,beyond2 or1 ,the ,new
 ,man1 the ,true ,man4 ,by ,hugh ,smith 
,carpenter4 ,new ,york4 ,mason          
,brothers4 #abmo4 pp4 #cde4 #a4jj4      
,temper4 ,a ,novel4 ,by ,miss ,marryatt4
 7,daughter of ,captain ,marryatt47 ,new
 ,york4 ,dick and ,fitzgerald4 #abmo4   
pp4 #cfe4 #a4jj4  ,shelley ,memorials3  
from ,authentic ,sources4 ,edited by    
,lady ,shelley4 ,to which is added an   
,essay on ,christianity1 by ,percy      
,bysshe ,shelley3 now first ,printed4   
,boston4 ,ticknor  ,fields4 #afmo4 pp4  
#cjh4 #ge cts4  ,sparks from a          
,locomotive2 or1 ,life and ,liberty in  
,europe4 ,by the ,author of ,belle      
,brittan4 ,new ,york4 ,derby  ,jackson4 
#abmo4 pp4 #cje4 #a4jj4  ,the ,life of  

,general ,garibaldi4 ,written by        
,himself4 ,with ,sketches of his        
,companions in ,arms4 ,translated by his
 ,friend and ,admirer1 ,theodore        
,dwight4 ,embellished with a ,fine      
,portrait1 engraved on ,steel4 ,new     
,york4 ,a4,s4 ,barnes  ,burr4 #abmo4 pp4
 #hbj4 #a4jj4  ,ettore ,fieramosca2 or1 
,the ,challenge of ,barletta4 ,the      
,struggles of an ,italian against       
,foreign ,invaders and ,foreign         
,protectors4 ,by ,massimo d',azeglio4   
,boston4 ,phillips1 ,sampson1  ,co4     
#afmo4 pp4 #cef4 #a4jj4  ,idyls of the  
,king4 ,by ,alfred ,tennyson1 ,d4,c4,l41
 ,poet ,laureate4 ,boston4 ,ticknor     
,fields4 #afmo4 pp4 #bbg4 #ge cts4      
,lectures for the ,people4 ,by the ,rev4
 ,hugh ,stowell ,brown1 of ,liverpool4  
,first ,series4 ,with a ,biographical   
,introduction1 by ,dr4 ,shelton         
,mackenzie4 ,authorized ,edition4       
,philadelphia4 ,g4,g4 ,evans4 #abmo4 pp4
 #dad4 #a4bf4  ,the ,roman ,question4   
,translated from the ,french of ,edmund 

,about1 by ,mrs4 ,annie ,t4 ,wood4      
,edited1 with an ,introduction1 by ,rev4
 ,e4,n4 ,kirk1 ,d4,d4 ,boston4 ,j4,e4   
,tilton  ,co4 #afmo4 pp4 #cjh4 #fj cts4 
,the ,pilot4 ,a ,tale of the ,sea4 ,by  
,j4 ,fenimore ,cooper4 ,illustrated from
 ,drawings by ,f4,o4,c4 ,darley4 ,new   
,york4 ,w4,a4 ,townsend  ,co4 crown     
#hvo4 pp4 #dhf4 #a4ej4  ,the            
,mathematical ,monthly for ,july and    
,august4 ,cambridge4 ,john ,bartlett4   
,from ,dawn to ,daylight2 or1 ,the      
,simple ,story of a ,western ,home4 ,by 
a ,minister's ,wife4 ,new ,york4 ,derby 
,jackson4 #abmo4 pp4 #cci4 #a4jj4  ,a   
,system of ,surgery2 ,pathological1     
,diagnostic1 ,therapeutic1 and          
,operative4 ,by ,samuel ,d4 ,gross1     
,m4,d41 ,professor of ,surgery in the   
,jefferson ,medical ,college of         
,philadelphia1 etc4 ,illustrated by     
,nine ,hundred and ,thirty-,six         
,illustrations1 a ,large ,number of     
which are from ,original ,drawings4     
,philadelphia4 ,blanchard  ,lea4 #b     

vols4 #hvo4 pp4 #aafb1 #aaih4 #ab4jj4