The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-04-25

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the scene. We can see the three re-
naming girls, Charlotte, Emily and
Annie, with this fresh grief on their
hearts, pacing the dreary room, when
their household work was over, pom
dering mournfully on their present,
and sending their glances into the
future They talk and walk In dark
ness; for the sake of economy, the
light has been extinguished, for not
the least of the dark shadows that
rested Oh the parsonage house was
that of poverty. They turn their
thoughts to the uncertain path of
literature. No doubt these girls, shut
out from all the world, left alone with
their own dreams, their own hopes,
looked forward with pleasurable emo
ton to a literary career. Many girl
has done so before; there is nothing
more alluring in the distance, but
thexe are few things less satisfactory
when realized The road has been
found thoTny, the roses scentless, the
beautiful blue lakes only mirage.
Disappointment tracks even the most
successful literary career, and fate
determined that the Misses Bronte
were not to be any exception to this
rule They wrote to Southey for his
! advice; no answer came for Il length
of time; when it did, it was anything
but encouraging to their hopes. Thus
disappointment attended their first
step; their plans for adding to their
small hoard were frustrated, and they
must look for some other way of en-
riching themselves than by literature
Then came their first bitter expe-
rience of the world. Heretofore,
they had moved only in the little
arena of home; now they must learn
what it is to battle outside of its pro-
tecting walls, to grapple with cold,
hard world for living. In the ca
pacity of nursery governess, Char
lotte commenced to drudge away her
life, serving steadily day by day,
teaching the same lessons over and
over to needless and dull children,
and compelled to constant and close
intercourse with race of beings with
whom she had no sympathy, and for
whom she felt no natural love. Fresh
from the solitude of home, where, if
not very happy, they were at least
protected from insult, we can fancy
the indignant blush that must have
mounted to the cheek Of one of the
Bronte's at the mothers response to
the child, who declared that he s'loved
Miss Bronte.'' ''Love the governess,
my dearr' Anti-climax of impro-
priety! so denounced by hard
hearted ignorance No wonder that
Charlotte Bronte, with her whole
heart set on literary career, pined
like Gagged eagle for the precious
sunlight of liberty. We can under
stand that vehement impatience of
restraint" of which she speaks: "The
strong wish for wings, such as wealth
can furnish; thirst to see, to know,
to learn. Charlotte Bronte was pur-
suing career which, from the very
depths of her heart, she utterly de
spised. This state of feeling was not
calculated to make her task any
easier. Day by day, the burden
seemed to grow heavier, and yet the
adamantine chains of necessity held
her fast to the loathed occupation.
It was not merely teaching the chill
dren Of whom she had the supervi-
sion, but all the time not thus occu-
pied was given up to the needle. Ah
that needle, it is a cruel bondage
| when one has no talent or lcve for
the useful little implement.
At twenty, Charlotte Bronte goes
to tho continent to perfect herself in
French. A vision of n school of their
own dances in the heads Of the Misses
Bronte. This once accomplished,
they can be happy, for then there
would be no more weary separations;
the duties of the day over, they could
sympathize with each other, and take
''sweet counsel together" There is
o magic sound in that word together,
which none but the long-separated
and yearning heart can fully appre-
ciate. In the home Of strangers, far
away fr, m each other, there was no
tender, loving heart into which to
pour the tale of WEAKNESS and sor-
row; love must be locked in the bo-
som until it froze there; cold, unan-
swering faces met the fearful eye; and
mere civility-not always that-was
all the poor wanderer from home had
to greet heart sick for affection,
and pining for sympathizing compa-
nionship.
At school, Charlotte Bronte per-
fected herself in the language for
which she had left her native coun-
try. Upon the whole, this seems to
have been happy period of her life,