The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1860-09-07
Michelet'S Model Husband.

than the friendship of those to whom every
thing is told-I mean physicians. l have
been intimately acquainted with several of
the most illustrious of this century. l have
been for ten years more than the friend,
may say the brother, of an eminent physiol-
OSist, who carried with him into the natura
sciences an exquisite sense of moral things.
l learned much from him on many sub
Jects, but especially of love.
One thing struck me in this very delicate
and gifted man, the systematic perfection of
his domestic life. He had wife, comely
but graceful, ignorant but charming, ia ma
tive of Savoy) He had found means to en-
gage her in his ideas, his researches and his
K, discoveries.
He worked with no display of ofinstruments
no laboratory, near her and by his freside-
lnventing such reduced and convenient ap
! paratus as to carry on in common room
experimentation complicated, which, on
large scale, would have taken him away from
home and from his wife, and thus broken up
this union and harmony of minds
great trial came upon him. His wife,in
consequence of family malady, became in
sane, and continued SO for year or two. He
kept her with him, and continued his labors
in the midst Of this narrowing distraction.
Her madness was mild enough, but she
talked continually. She dreamed wide a.
wake. She was troubled with vain fears.-
She interlarded all conversation with queer
speeches, and hardly permitted you to follow
the thread of an idea. Her husbands pa
| tience never failed him. One day express
ed my admiration of his conduct. lie said
to me, "ln an asylum, where they would
treat her harshly, where they would not put
up with her little whims, she would become
entirely mad and never recover. But well
treated, not being startled or frightened, see
ing only friendly face, hearing only concer-
ted and sensible words, she will be cured at
last, and without any other remedy And
SO it did really happen.
| do not believe that more remarkable
example of affection can anywhere be found
Young men, in their first transports for Il
young and pretty mistress. who has nothing
but roses for them, think themselves yer,
far advanced in love. They would give
their life for her dare say. Life itself is
often easy to give, and to give is but the af
fair of an instant; bat the persevering gen
tleness Of well tried patience, which en-
'dures for Years the pains of continued inter
ruption, the tranquil endurance which cease
essl y rectities, treasures, strengthens a poor
wandering and diseased mind, possessed by
evil dreams, is, perhaps, proof of the great
est, of the highest love-
What surprised me more than all was the
obedience that he obtained from her as to
matters she could not understand. A resul,
of the complete harmony and perfect moral
development in which she had lived. With
a body very much impaired, mind utterly
bewidered, something still remained in her,
surviving all the rest-companionship and
the necessity of pleasing in word, love.
felt assured by this fact, and by others a
nalagous to it, that between the prescribed
world Of Psychologists, and the world, more
or less free. wherein moralsts abide, is a
mixed sphere, which may call that of vol
untary fatallty-:hat is to say, Of habits in
dulsed, and free at first, which, through love
become at last happy necessity and sec
ond nature.
1t is the great work of love to create this.
-Palmers Translation.