The Kalida venture. [volume] (Kalida, Ohio) 1841-1865, 1851-04-11
A LEARNED AMERICAN WOMAN.

Whoever has chlnced TO take rye from
Boston TO Jamaica Plains in the summer
months, and on approaching that village has
turned from the Providence railroad on the
right, and dashed down sandy avenue to
the left, has thera seen a handsome farm
house almost covered up in the embraces Of
magnificent elm. Around he has noted the
ample barn, the generous garden, the teem-
ing orchard, and perchance has said to HIM
self, "If there is peace to be found in the
world. the heart that is noble might hope for
it here" If he has entered the house he has
seen group of rosy children and a scene Of
thrifty housowi(ery, If his call has been in
the morning the stranger has seel the presi-
ding genius, lady of accomplished address,
experimenting the affairs OF the family; in
the afternoon, he has doubtless found her in
magnificent library, with circle Of tones
before her, lettered in languages to him. un-
known. This is Mrs. Putnam, and.as the
readers will doubtless desire to hear more,
we copy a farlh'r account from the Boston
Atlas OF Dec %.
"In the Christian Examiner for November,
1850, appeared an article entitled The North
American Review on Hungary in which the
statements and conclusions Of Mrs. Francis
Bowen, on the subject of the late Hungarian
struggle for freedom, were discussed and re.
futed. In the printed list Of contributors
which accompanies each copy OF the Exa.
miner. the article was attributed to Mary
Lowell Putnam, whose initials are also at
tached TO It. This name was known to be
that Of lady in the highest class ol society,
whose extraordinary attainmentsin in languages
had long commanded the respect of a wide
circle Of friends and acquaintances, though
from her modest Indifference to notoriety, her
reputation had hitherto scarcely reached the
public ear. OF the. extent OF those attain.
ments some idea may be formed from the
fact that Mrs. Putnam has made horself ac-
quainted and in most cases well acquainted
| with Greek, Latin and Hebrew; with French
Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, German Swe-
dish, Danish Hungarian, Polish and Russian
with Turkish and Salscrit, aud believe the
several European and Asiatc languages
which am not able at present to designate
with accuracy.
And creditable as Is the acquisition of thi'
mass of knowledge the circumstances undei
which it has been effected render it still
more meritorious: for besides the imped.
iments to literary labor Of large household
and a family OF children, all the duties incl
! dent to which have been performed with ex.
GI1pldTH uutllllf hio' iuOSiSe
under the disadvantage of weak eye sight
so that for years she did not open book, bu
was forced IN the study of several languages
to rely wholly on the aid of readers ant
amanuenses, who in some cases did not un
derstand word Of what they were assistin!
her to acquire The obstacles Of this kline
which her energy and perseverance hav'
surmounted were indeed full as great as thu os
with which the historians, Auguslin, Ther,
and Prescott have had 90 contend, and he
| triumph over them deserves the game ap
pyause that has been 30 Justly bestowed oil
| theirs" r3.
..Mrs. Putnam's knowledge OF the Ian
guaees have enumerated is not limited Il
the grammar and dictionary. She has made
herself familiar In many cases with the lite
nature and the history of the nations by whom
they are spoken. and of the result of her re
searches she has given some specimens, II
8 series of contributions to the North Amer
lean Review and the Christian Examiner
written with vigor and style of thought al
creditable to her intellect, as the matter
they treat of are to her learning and industry
To the literature and history of Hungay
and Poland she has Of late years given spe
cia attention, and her studies in this direc
ton have been facilitated by an acquain
tance with eminent scholars Of those coun
| tries resident among us, and by the possess
lion of very fine collection of books Il
nearly all the languages of Europe"
"With these qualifications for the task
Mrs. Putnam accepted the challenge whic
Mr.. Bowen in the North American Review
had offered to the public on the subject {
his article OH Hungary. She reviews him
T the Christian Examiner, and demonstrated
the satisfaction of everybody who has req
her review that he had pretended TO know
edge on the subject which he did not POI
sess. and that he had greatly misrepresente
the Hungarians and their causeR