The Republican journal., 1871-12-07

| Alice Cary, has felt constrained, in Justice
to her memory, to tell the story of her
private life, copied as follows, from the
independent
/ Ii public career comes to Il womanv
woman, the secret almost always lies in
the story Of her heart. Alice Cary was
born singer. Whittier's words of her
are tenderly true:
"Foredoomed to song she seemed to me;
queried not with destiny:
! knew the trial and The need,
YET all the more | said, God speed?'
Had she been happy wife and mother
her song would not have been less, but
| gladder But it was not the faculty di-
vine, - it was inexorable facts of fate that
made her a writer by profession. Had
she married the man whom she loved, she
would never have come to New York at
all, to coin the rare gifts of her brain and
soul into money for shelter and bread.
Phoebe Cary in her touching sketch of her
sister Alice written last spring says of her:
''lf in her mortal life she never felt any
deeper or holier affection than that for her
kindred, except in dreams of poesy, she
rolled the stone over the mouth of lis
dead sepulchre, and sealed it with ever
ed b. her use there was not left a single
relic which could reveal such secret.
And SO, knowing there was one chamber
in her heart kept by her always as q safe
and sacred sanctuary, mine is surely not
the hand to lift from it now the solemn
and eternal curtain of the past"
Yet, no less because of these words.
saerilegious hands have rudely attempted
10 lift it. The sanctuary Of that pure
heart is ruthlessly invaded even in the
grave. A story under the title of the
Unknown Love of Alice Cary in the
newspapers, is still travelling through the
length Of the land. II asserts that in her
youth she was the aiiianecd bride to Rufus
W. Griswold; that he was false to her
lorsaking her for a woman of the world,
that, long after, when he returned to New
York, triendless, poor, and sick. she for
gave him the great wrong he had done,
and nursed him till he died. This story,
in many conflicting phases, was often, to
her great annoyance, told of her during
her life, The fact that Rufus w Girls
wold did in his last will bcqueath to her
his personal effects was made much of in
public and private circles, and used as an
nnanswerable proof that at one time Ne
had been her lover. Within week |
have read in 4 letter ia tbc New York
Evening Post that the will proved the love
and relationship between thp two persons
beyond II doubt,
But no less. in its foundation, the story
is false. Referring to it once. while we
two sat alone together. Alice said to me
Il will tell YOU Just the truth. If vou
ever think it necessary, you can tell it,"
believe it to he but Justice to her sacred
life, with which idle gossip is too busy. to
tell it now
Bereavement in death and in life had
made her Western home too desolate to
be borne. These, with the impulse of the
brave will that served her to the last,
brought her to New York to make not the
life that she would have chosen for her
self, yet life worthy to he lived "Ipno-
rance stood me ms cad of courage" she
said " Had | known the great world
as | have learned it since. | should not
have dared but didn't. Thus came"
The leading litterateur at that time was
DR.. Rufus w. Griswold. He had COM
plled the books called-'Ihe Female
lfose " rlters' and - he Female foets OF
Anel1ca- lie was sharply on the look
Out Tor every new genius in literature that
appeared. lie had visited the sisters in
their OmG nome, and IN lS5O obtained a
punhsher LOT their 1lrst volume, and had
added both their names with selections
from their poems to his own "Poets OF
America" lie knew everything necessary
TO their success in the sphere of labor
winch they had chosen, while they practi-
cally knew nothing He encouraged and
helped them in many ways and thus com
menced their gratitude
For Alice to incur debt OF gratitude |
was to pay it, II ut the cost OF her own !
HE. Yet even the good will OF one type /
Of man to woman is often misfortune.
Her soul may be white as snow yet he |
cannot take her innocent name upon his |
ilps without Smlrchlng 1t with somewhat
o. ms own Viiehess. his vanity mas oeen
hatfered by IDLE women, hil conquest has |
become not only the habit. but the neces-
Slty OF his morbid and miserable soul; |
I'll, where he knows he has not won it,
yet he is base enough to boast of it. Such |
a man (judging by every record left of
him) was Rutns w. Griswold. He was a
man ol poetic temperament, of fine schol
arship, OF generous impulses, and IN GER
tain directions, of rare gifts, yet no less
he was man OF tickle fancies, of violent |
temper, which often fell upon his dearest |
friends, OF monstrous vanity, and of un-
governed passions. Il was never en-
gagged to him in marriage, never loved
MN, SAID Alice Cary to me. Il could |
not have loved such man, though |
learned nun III his best phases. l came
to pity him, because he was his own
worst enemy AS friend owed him
much and before his death found it IN
my power to pay back in part my large
debt OF gratitude When he returned to
New orK' poor ana SICK with certain
death before him, with Miss : hired
a a, room ana nurse Tor hlm. From that
they nave made the romantic story OF my
nursing nm Tor unreqmted love 1t was
"'d {, betsy VINO nursed nm. You know
no" big ana strong she IS yet even she
became worn out, tor his sickness was
lohS ana very painful. Many nnklnd'
Even e ;f's f[uei lhlngs nave oeeh sald because
NV ne M'',Gu . 10 % me MS personal ei'eels pc
e,,'e nc poohs ~ ssHa pictures Mn'cli ne
~, ~ " .lio llls1oilc', soc'ety, .hese