Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1857-06-06
miscellaneous.
THE BRONTE FAMILY.

TIE LIFE OF CHARLOTTE BRoNrE, author of "Jane
Eyre "Shiriey," "Iilette," etc. By =. c.
Gdskiu, author of MARY Barton" ''Ruth," etc.
NeO. York d. Appelton and Co.
The life of one woman of genus written by
another is not an every day treat and the life
of the author Of Jane Eyre" would be sufficient
ly attractive, by whomsoever written, That this
life was. an %eventful one, we know. All Ameri-
can readers are aware that Charlotte Bronte was
the daughter of the clergyman of a small Eng.
lish village, in which she resided the whole Of her
life, with the exception Of short absences as pupil
or teacher that she had two sisters. who also
wrote books, but much inferior to her own that,
when nearly forty years old, she married her faith
er's curate, and died in less than n year afterwards.
The interest of the book we expect naturally there
fore, to arise from the account of the Development
Of her genius, while the few incidents of her life
must be of value, we infer only as illustrating her
her writings. Some additional interest, if san
guine, we might hope to be impaired by the inter.
course or correspondence with distinguished liter
airy persons to whom her writings may have intro
duced her. .
Such. at leust, we're our expectations on open
ing tbs book, and we were most thoroughly aston
ished at finding ourselves forgetting Charlotte
Bronte, the author, in Charlotte, the woman car
ing very little for her genius, while most intensely
interested in her character-remembering her
books only as they threw light upon passages in
her life. Nor is Charlotte herself the sole OBJ
ject of attraction. "Tho History of the Bronte
Family" would be the more correct designation of
the first of these two volu mes. Maria, and Pat
rick, and Emily, and Anne Br onte divide, to say
the least, our interest with Charlotte herself. A
strange family living in a strange place, and among
a strange people.
The village of Haworth, in which the Bronte
family lived, is situated on tho side of a hill, so
steep that the flag. stones with which the principal
street is paved nre "placed end-ways, in order to
give q better hold to the horses feet ; and, even
with this help, they seem to be in constant dan
ger Of slipping backwards" All around the hor-
lion, similar hills are to be seen, crowned with
bleak moors--as strange to an American as q prair-
lie to an Englishmau-where mot a flower or a
vegetable would flourish" where "a tree of even
moderate dimensions might be hunted for, far and
wide" and where 'often, on autumnal or winter
nights, the four winds of heaven seemed to meet
aud rage together, tearing wound the house as if
they were wild beasts striving to find an entrance.
The parsonage, q hundred years old, is of gray
stone, two stories high, "heavily rooted with flag g
in order to resist the winds that might strip off G
lighter covering" 1t is surrounded on three side:
by an old church-yard, terribly full Of uprigh'
iOmbstones," and this cemetry beng higher thar
the house, would be no more favorable to the
health than the cheerfulness OF its inmates. TIL,
exquisite neatness of the parsonage, and IA mar
row flower border under the windows, carefully
tended, though only the most hardy flowers could
grow there" were its only attractions.
The inhabitants of these moors would seem to
be well suited to the country. They are for the
most part the defendants OF those Scandinavians
who, under the name of Danes, at one time rul
ed over England, formed afterward settle
ments in her northern counties, and they
have many Of the characteristics of their Morse
ancestry. Strong sagacity and logged power OF
will, quick perception of character and keen sense
of humor, harshness of speech, and bluntne IS and
coarseness of manner, selt-reliance and distrus'
of others, capability of strong friendship and
faithful service, and an equal capacity for hate
form prominent features in their character. A
an evidence of the last, we are toll that 1t is q com
mon saying around Haworth keep a stone il
thy pocket seven years ; turn it and keep it seve1
years turn it and keep it seven years longer
that it may be ever ready to thine hand when thin
enemy draws near"
Mrs. Gaskell gives her own first impressions Q
the inhabitants in the following anecdote -
1--WE were driving along the street, when on
of those ne'er.do-well lads who seem to have
a kind of magnetic power for misfoItunes. havin.
jumped into the stream that runs through tn
place, Just where all the broken glass and bottle
are thrown, staggered naked and nearly covere
with blood into a cottage before US. Besides RI
ceiving another bad cut in the arm, he had con
pletely laid open the artery, and was in q fair wa
Of bleeding to death-which. one of his relation
comiorted him by saying, would be likely to 'sav
adeal O. trouble
when my husband had checked the efusio
of blood with a strap that one of the bystander
unbuckled from his leg, he asked if a surgeon ha
been sent for.
"Yoi,' was the answer but we dunna thin
he'll come
"Why notT
Hes owd, 20 seen, and asthmatic, and its UP
hill
my husband, taking a boy for his guide, drov
as fast as he could to the surgeons house, whic
was about three-quarters of a mile off, and meth
aunt of the wounded lad leaving it.
as he coming? p inquired my husband.
"Well, he didna' say he wouldna' come
"But tell him the lad may bleed to DEATH
~ did,
UAnd what did he saw -
"Why, only, oh him what do / care"
at ended, however, in his sending one of h
sons, who, though not brought up to the surge
ing trade was able to do what was necessary
the way of b~andages and plasters. The excuJ
made for the surgeon was, that he was near eighl
and getting a bit dotted, and had a matter O. tive,
ty childer.'
"Among the most unmoved of the lookers-o
was the brother of the boy so badly hurt an
while he was lying in a pool of blood on the fla
floor, and crying out how much his arm wa
'warching,' his stoical relation stood cody smokin
his bit Of black pipe, and uttered not a singl
word OF either sympathy or sorrow"
That the "squires" of the neighborhood did no
differ in character from the laboring classes, is eyi
dent from one or two other anecdotes:
"a singular account was recently given me O
a land owner Giving, it is true, on the Lancs
shire side OF the hills. but Of the same blood an
nature as the dwellers on the other who waa sn,
posed to be in the receipt Of seven or eight I'm,
dred q year, and whose house bore marks of bant
some antiquity, as if his forefathers had been f.
along time people of consideration. NV inform
ant was struck with the appearance Of the plac
and proposed to the eountryman who was accom-
panying him, to 20 up to it and take a nearer il
specton. The reply was, 'Yo'd better not; he
threa2 20 down tn loan. He's let hy at some folk
legs. and let shot lodge in 'em afore now. for q
ing too near his house, And finding, on clos,
inquiry, that such was really the inhospitable en-
tom ot this moorland Squire. the gentleman ga,
is still living.
"Another squire, of more distinguished fami
and larger property-one is thence led 10 imag;,
of better ecu cation, but that does not alwavs e
low-died at his house. not many miles from Ha,
amusement and occupation had been cool. e gbf;n