Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1871-11-30
j. Fennimore Cooper's Domestic Life.

Rcsigning his position in the navy.
Mr.. Cooper, at the age of TWENTY-FIVE,
married Miss Susan De Lancey, sister
of the Bishop of Western New York :;
and now that twenty years have passed.
since the graves of husband and wife
were made in the little churchyard m
der the pines, comment may be per-
mittcd. anl with more freedom since,
sooner or later. the lives OF eminent
acn must necessarily become the prop
erty of the public. Among the sad
hcart-histories which the biographies
of men of genius are almost sure 10
reveal, the charming love-story Of Fen
imorc Cooper and his wife shines out
with pure radiance, an ideal picture OF
happy marriage. A lovely, accom-
p.1hed woman, Mrs. Cooper Was
hi"ssci with the unchanging. tender
devotion of her husband through forty
long years; and even in death they
were not separated. for within four
months after the husbands departure
his gentle wife followed him, a lit resi-
''"N A'' NiisiS 44ti' CH iOt WHICH iSI
whole life hsd been one :2nstaat. pre-
paration. Mrs. Cooper Mas retiring
and feminine in every movement. word.
and action. Her strong, impetuous
husband-massive and vigorous In
frame. decided and Independent in ac-
tjon-yiclded 10 her chivalrous devo-
tion most beautiful and rare. She was
his preferred companion above all 9TH
ers, and in his daily drives to his
mountain farm. called the Chalet. he
ALWAYS wanted her hy his side, while
IN the evening his favoritc amusement
was game of chess with his wife Us
antagonist Although children grew
up aroani them, although the hospita-
blc mansion was often filled with lis
tingulshed and delightful guests, al
though time passed and they grew old,
the husband and wife never sank into
the mere father and mother, but To the
last they cherished for each other that
fresh affection which is so seldom seen
after the bloom of youth and the charm
of novelty have passed away. The
fair, ge0tle woman who hover over
Cooper's pages were patterned after
his beloved wife, who, happily occupied
in her own quiet sphere, <Gas content
to follow tue old.iashioncd rule of the
Bible, that 1.-THE husband is the head Of
the wife, even as Christ is the head Of
the Church, in every thing"
After his marriage, Mr.. Cooper
lived for some time at Scarsdale in
Westchester County, and here he wrote
his first story, 'Precaution' tale Of
English life. Hewas reading an Eng
fish novel aloud to his wife, when sud
denly he threw down the book and ex-
claimed, IL believe | could write 4
better myself" Following the i'm
pulse, he Immediately composed few
chapters and read them to Mrs. Coop
er, who encouraged him in the work.
and urged him to publish it when COM
pleted, although at this time he had no
intention of appearing before the pub
lie. The manuscript, however, was at
length submitted to the late Charles
Wilkes, and meeting with his approval,
was published in 1920, winning favoa-
bic notice both in this country and
England, and showing germs of that
genius which, when employed upon a
more congenial and original subject,
gained for the author such triumphant
success. In 1921, Mr.. Cooper pub
Iished the "Spy," which was immedi-
ately and brilliantly successful, being
the first spirited story Of our Revolu-
tionary war, and thus opening a new
era in American literature. The ''Spv''
has been translated into all the Ian
guages of Europe, and even crossed
the borders into Asia, Persian ver-
sion having appeared in lS47 at Ispa-
han.
From 1921 until his death, period
of thirty. years, Mr.. Cooper published
no less than thirty-nine volumes, thir-
ty-two being novels-an amount OF
mental and physical labor which justly
entities him to be called hard-work-
ing man; for although he sometimes
employed his daughter as amanuensis,
still the work of composing and pre-
| pairing even one book for the press is
arduous, as any doubter will find if he
tries it.-CoNsrANcE FENNIMoRE in
Harper's Magazine for December.
Pottsville, Pa, boasts of cabbage