The Cecil Whig., 1854-06-10
Il)e 1,euicutr.
For The Cecil Wig.
FREDERlKA BREMER
W..
NJ A RG \ r EFT FU L l. Z II.


Although Miss Brcmcr's Homes of The Nem
World has been for several months before the
American public, we have never until within
a few days had Il glance at its contents. The
fact is, our rccolcctions Of the fair Swcdc on
the occasion of our introduction to her,
through the instramcntalty of '.Thc Prcsi-
dents Daughtcrs,' were not of that happy
character to excite Il very strong desire for
better acquaintance. s'lloncs Of the New
World,' however, promises better. many Of
her descriptions OF persons, but more par
ticularly of scenes, are fresh and lifclkc, and
barring sort of egotistical, od-maidish pru-
derry, which runs through the work, we rather
like it. There is however one thing which
strikes us unworthy other, either as a woman
of good taste or gent,inc feeling, and that is
her allusion to Margaret Fuller.
At Concord Miss Brcmcr met with Mar
garet's circle Of friends, and also with some
of her enemies. among whom hal recently
been started the report of her socialist mar
ragc in Italy. Notwithstanding Miss Bremen
here heard those who knew Margaret best
had made thoroughly acquainted with her
real character-dcny the very possibility of
such thing, she rctcratcS the infamous ru-
mor-without even the explanation which
must have been within her rcacl-n her let
tcrs which she knew would be published in
her own and other countries Of Europe and
worst of all, allows it TO remain in the Amer
lean edition Of her WORKS. while friends and
loved ones were yet weeping for the untmclv
fate of Il daughter, sister and friend. Apart
from every other consideration. should not
the fact Of Margarct's death have prevented
the publication of this libel. even if it were
true and Miss Bremen knew it. When all
that was left to mother, sister and brothers,
was the memory Of their lost ones purity of
heart and life, should not those common feel
ings Of respect, Of which even ii savage would
be ashamed to be thought destitute, have
prompted Miss Bremen to withhold that which
she knew would cause the deepest wound Of
all!
But why give currency to the rumor at all
by inserting it in her letters. which from the
first were intended for publication Admit
ting it were true, and Margaret had added one
more evidence to the truth Of the axiom that
ito err is human" had she no charity for the
misfortune ola weak though crring sister
Must she lend the influence of her popularity
to publish the Shame of one who had never
wrongrd her, and from whose intimate friends
she had received nought but the kindcst at
tcnion? What before WAS Il mere verbal re-
port, through her obtained "a local hahitaton
and Il place. in the world Of literature, with
the almost absolute certainty that no rciuta-
ton, however explicit, could ever reach all
those whose minds had been biased by the
sander.
Thus far have gone upon the hypothesis
that the report was true, or that Miss Bremen
had reason for believing it so. That such
was the fact in either case we think no one
will allow when the evidence is adduccd.
Miss Bremen only mentions it as ga report
but ad Is she herself, (MargareD has written
about it,, (llcr child) and about her maternal
joy, bat not anything about her marriagc'
Homes Of the New World. vol. l, PILOT
Now the only letter which Margaret had
written to 4imcricl about her ::child,'' was
the letter to her mother published upon PIP.
21l-23i-j-G, vol. . Of her memoirs, which
letter does speak Of her marriage, and, as we
before stated, if Miss Bremen had taken the
trouble to look, the information was within
her reach, which would have satisfied her as
to the falsity of the s'rcport." And even if
she is not liable to the charge of having stated
what she knew to be untrue, she has at least
given evidence upon Il matter Of which she
knew nothing, and such evidence too as
would blast the reputation ola woman, whose
only portion was her good name above even
suspicion. Stripped all supcrnuous matter
this charge against Margaret was Il mere YER
bal report, set afoot, as Miss Bremen says, by
those .'who loved neither herself nor her turn
Of mind,'' and who were glad of any oppor-
tunity to dctract from the merit Of one by
whose intellectual elevation they were over
shadowcd. Originated by Margarcts bitter
est tcncmics-unsupportc by Il single particle
of ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS by documentary evil
dencc, the unlimited confidence of her friends
"hV WY l''>NN'~"' VI NV iiSs ssh1 titSh "
have place in work which was to be dis
tributed freely both in Europe and America,
and that work written by a woman who knew
the blighting effect ofcven a suspicion, seems
almost Incredible.
Now as to the truth of the charge itself.
Mrs. Story, to whom Margaret in an hour of
deep atlliction confded her secret, gives the
clearest and most ndubitablc evidence OF the
falsty ofthc report. To her she gave all the pa
pers i'll connection with the marriage, andalso
the reasons for keeping it secret. There were
briefly, her husband S fear of loosing his inter-
est in his fathers estate, and being banshed
from his country for marrying II protestant
and a liberal, as Margaret was well known to
he. Ofthe trials which Margaret endured in
keeping her marriage secret there are many
painful instances in Mrs. Story's history of
the affair, but it was "decepton'' of which,
she says, s'subsequent events have shown me
the WISDOM OF the numerous Americans
who were in Italy at the time the marriage
became known, not one ever showed the least