Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1857-07-16
VOL. 5-.-NO. 996.
DAILY VIRGlNIAN.
urrni.m MI lArennd n..

II is the eant of the day that the age of hero
ism has past. Men talk of Leonidas or Tell with
knding eyes, and lament that no such noble
souls survive in modern days If need were,
however. we could show thnt hearts as bold as
ever matched TO Thermopyn still existed, and
that Inke,mann and the Malakof proved it, to
rny nothing of Lexington and Bunker Ilill.-
But it is radically false notion 10 look only to
war for hcroism. Tho truest courage, perhaps
is that which fights tho battle Of life. under ad.
verse circumstances, day by day, month by
month, md year by year, rather than that whiol,
rushes TO tho assault or defends the Imminent
brench.' And of such heroism modern times is
iul. Ono of tho most prominent examples of
such n life has come to light since the death of
Charlotte Bronte, the author of jane Eyre"
woman who from her childhood was called to
struggle with griefs aud care, who had but little
hope constiulionelly, and from whom that little
was taken away by the saddest experience, yet
who went through all unoompainingly, doing
her duty in straightforward honest manner that
ought to shame those who sentimentalised about
the license that ought, as they sny. to be allowed
10 genius.
Charlotte Bronte was the oldest surviving child
of an eccentric though strong minded clergyman
who held ouracy at Haworth. York shire, in tho
midst of bleak, wild, lonely mooIs Left moth.
orless when quite young, she grew up, with her
sisters. apart from tho world. Her writings
show how remarkable wus her genius, yet she
did not consider this as eaetopting her from the
duties of her loi aud rhe performed even COM
pntntivey menial services without complaint, rs
the family circumstances were narrow. One by
ono her sisters died. They preceded by
her brothcr.a young man originally of grcnt pro.
mise, but who fell Mt last into evil courses, came
homo TO live n confirmed sot. and filed tho house
for three years with shame and terror. She bore
up brovcy however. against all 'Dhjs, cheering
he, ogcd nnd half blind father. writings" Shirley"
and ',Villeite," nnd denying even 'the lover OF
her choice To please her parent; and al this with
out II murmur, because it was in the line of her
duty. An eloquent critic well says of her. biog-
rnphy; I'll depicts poor, plain dtpendenI wo-
nnn. sore beset by social soorn and suspicion,
fighting her little battle of life, which great
81 in the history of her soul than Marathon or
Waterloo ia tho history of the world; and the sto-
~ is so told TINT the little battle becomes as po
olc and pathetic as those greater oombnts and
| every honest heart cries out God spoed!''
Yes while two continents were wondering who
| wrote ".ane Eyre, while every newspaper that
| reached her rung with Acknowledgements of her
genius, Chnrott Bronte quietly waiting on the
| sick brother, nursing the eccentric father. do
! ing what her hnnd, found to do."1ke ab}y other
true woman. She listened TO no suggestions Of
Of tho pardonablo morbidness of genius; though
| her own constitutional constituencies had been de-
veopcd to excess by hor solitary mode of Kft but
| went straight on, with her heroism 'ofa martyr.
clingng to her family becuass it was family
and resisting every temptation TO desert it for a
moro brilliant destiny elsewhere. For eight and
| thirty years she waged its battle increasingly
md hopeessly. raddor life, indeed Is not on
| record. At Inst with her fathers consent. she
married, but in less than year Afterwards died
! The glenm ofbrighness was the prophetic sunset
of brighter day. but day thai dawned in an
other world "We have been so happy" she
said to her husband Just before che expiPed. Alas
IT was the only happy year she had ever beheld
| II would almost seem if she was stsLt<o strive
and suffer thus with all her respondent genius,
10 shame those who. with vastly less excuse,
seek to eyade the duties of life when repusive
or hard. If there ever hero, Charlotte
Bron.c wus onc,- Ledger, ="