The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1860-02-28

the girls. also. became much excited, and
evinced great alarm whenever they hap.
pened to witness So strange and inexplica.
bic thing Tie natural result was that
their parents began to scruple about leav.
INC them under such an influence. One
after another, as they went home for the
holidays. failed to return, and though the
true reason was not assigned to the direc-
tors, they knew it we'll Being strictly
upright and conscientious men, however,
and very unwilling that a well-ccnducted,
dlllIgent aud competent teacher should lose
her position on account of a popularity that
was entirely beyond her control-a misfor-
tune, and not q fault-they perseyered in
retaining her, until, at the end of eighteen
months, the number Of pupils had decreased
from forty-two to twelve. 1t then became
apparent that either the teacher or the in
stitution must be sacrificed and with
much reluctance, and many expressions of
on the part of those to whom her aminable
qualities had endeared her, Mademoiselle
Sagee was dismissed.
The poor girl was in despair. "Ah :"
(Mademoiselle de Guldensturbbe heard her
exclaim, soon after the decision reached
herl All the nineteenth time, 1t is
very, very hard to bear ~ When asked
what she meant by such an exclamation,
she reluctantly confessed that previous to
her engagement at Neuwelcke she had
been teacher in eighteen different schools,
having entered the first when only sixteen
years Of age, and that, on account of the
strange and alarming phenomenon which
attached to her, she had lost after COM
paratively brief sojourn, one situation after
another, As, however. her employers
were in every other respect well satisfied
with her, she obtained in each case favora-
BILE testimonials as to her conduct and abili-
ties. Dependent entirely on her labor for
support, the poor girl had been compelled
to avail herself of these in search of live.
lihood, in places where the cause of her
dismissal was not known even though she
felt assured. from experience. that few
months could not fail again to disclose it.
After she left Neuwelcke, she went to
live, for time, in the neighborhood, with
a sister-in-law, who had several quite young
Children. Thther the peculiarity pursued
her. Mademoiselle de Guldensturbbe, go.
ing to see her there. learned that the child.
rem of three or four years of age all knew
of it being in the habit of saying that
"they saw two Aunt Emelies" Subse-
quently she set out for the interior of Rus
sia, and Mademoise!le de Guldenstubbe
lost sight of her entirely.
That lady was no. able to inform me
whether the phenomenon had shown itself
during Mademoiselle Sagee's infancy, or
previous to her sixteenth year, nor whe;h.
er. in the case Of any of her family. or her
ancestors. n similar pcculiarity bad ap-
peared
had the above particulars form Made
moiselle de Guldenstubbe herself; and she
kindly gave me permission to publish it,
with every particular of name, place and
date. She remained as pupil at Neuw-
cickc during the whole time that Made.
moisellc Sagec was teacher there No one,
therefore, could have had better opportu-
nifty of observing the case in all its aspects