Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1872-10-25
NUMBER II.

~ - h1I11 L.
The DkATH OF ''FANNY FERN, :" occurred
at New York on Thursday, and was sur
prise to the public, though her friends have
She was born at Portland, Me, in 1911,
being sister of n. p Willis. The father
of Sara Payson Willis, was founder of the
Puritan Recorder, religious jo-rnal pub
lished in Boston, and Of the Yoafh's Com
pdnion, printed in the same city. The
mother Of the Willis children, Nathaniel,
Richard and Jane, Is described as a large
Drained, great-hearted woman Of most low
able character When Sara was yet child
her family removed to Boston. where she
passed all her early years. She was edueat-
ed at Hartford. Ct, by Miss Catherine
Beecher, and was recognized a. a clever
young lady, high-spiriteda and eccentric, and
addieated TO misehievous and eomieal esca-
pades. While yet young, and soon after
leaving school, she married Charles Eldridge
of Boston. After the birth Of three children
she was left widow and in somewhat en-
barrassed circumstances. Of these straits
tdlut ltI uIsl Literary NeuluTt. anu III lotI
she offered an essay signed - Fanny Fern -
to one Of the literary weeklies of Boston. Ii
was accepted, and acceptable, for the great
reading public Immediately demanded more,
and Fanny Fern grew into fame and
favor. These leaflets were gathered into a
volume with the title Of Fern Leaves" and
had a great sale, no less than 70 900 copies
of the book having been sold. Little Ferns
for Fanny's Little Friends, her next book,
had a fair sale, and. second series Of the
s" Leaves" reached very large edition.
In 1854, her first novel - Ruth Hall,
appeared it was not a genial book, and
over its family revelations and allusion-
generous charity draws a veil of forgetful
ness. Rose Clarke" published in 1857.
was Il more sunny work, and commanded
wider circle Of readers than even the unhap
py notoriety of its predecessor had attract
ed These two novels were the only cnes
which Fanny Fern" ever published they
provoked much criticism, and were read By
thousands who sought in their pages the
same grace and yiyacity which had been the
charm of her less pretentious writings. In
1856 she was married To James Parton, the
brilliant and effective historical writer and
essayist Since her marriage her published
writings have not been yoluminOus, but
their character has been considerably modi-
fed and improved, compared with those
of her earlier career. She was "a good
hater,' and her pen, gentle and mild
enough when pursuing cOngenial themes,
was pointed and Calling when engaged in
the chastisement of vice, cant, or SnObberv.
She had fierce hatred for every sort Of hy-
pOcrisy, and, with the inevitable tendency
of one who pursues these subjects with per
tinacity, she sometimes drifted into extrav-
agance and uncharitableness. As a writer
of brief sketches and essays for the weekly
press she exeelled and in the production
of these she was indOmitable in industry,
fertile in resource, and boundless in patience
She has shown her struggling sisterhood
what woman can dc with the pen for, in
spite of numberless obstacles, she won her
self place in current literature, generous
income, and many honest friends and admir-
rers. Her life was not always sunny but
its closing years were unclouded save by
bodily ills ; and, after a long, busy wrestle
with liie's problems, she sleeps well at last.
Harvard College having refused even to
consider the question Of admitting women
to its courses of study on an equal footing
with men. j. endeayoring TO make some lit
tie amends for its cruelty By volunteering to
examine a many ladies a. choose 10 submit
to the ordeal, giving them such certificates
of scholarship as they may deserve They
must acquire their learning elsewhere but
if it prove to be genuine Harvard VIII give
the seal Of her august approval. This l.
surely long progressive step and if - the
girls " accept it in the spirit that common
sense would seem 10 dictate they may make
the irregular sheep-kin a. valuable in time
a the regular one The plan which has just
been adopted BY the board Of overSeers. Is 10
20 into operation at once, and the first ex
aminations will be made next June. They
are TO be conducted under the auspices Of
an association of women, who are to pay the
incidental expenses hut the college author
tiles lay down the requirements, appoint the
examiners, and give certificates Of merit.
This system of examination has been in use
in Cambridge university. England, for some
fifteen years, and all reports concerning its
results are in the highest degree favorable.
The Business IssuE-The North AHieri-
can Rerie,c fos October contains well con-
sidered article upon political issues. tire
CARDS the decisive objection TO Mr. Gree
ley's election TO be that it would involve
redctioa in relation tn reconstruction and
the security of all those great results
which have been bought by the blood and
treasure Of the country. One extract places
Mr. Greeley before the business men Of the
country in a prettyclear. if not favorable
light
Slr. Greeley Is the first of our Presilen-
tial candidates 70 give public pledge as To
TO the manner in which he shall distribute
the Offices and reward his supporters at the
polls Ii Is understood, therefore, that his
Inauguration will be the signal for 4 geneT-
al revolution among the fifty thousand
oiiice-holders under the government and in
the midst of that hurly-burly, who will re-
member competitive examinations, un-
less it be some applicant for place successful
and happy enough to indulge in the best
joke OF the season? Neither can such a
prospect be regarded as favorable to the ma
tional finances. In the first place 1t would
involve change, and no change Is wanted,
least Of all one TO be inaugurated by a Presi-
dent who believes that card tackled upon
the treasury doors would accomplish the in
slant resumption cf specie payments. by
making the gold in the treasury-which he
also thinks ought TO be sold of-conyertible
into FIVE or six times the same amount of
paper money who has in his train repudia-
tion,sts on the one hand. and on the other
those who advocate the payment of pen
sions to rebel soldiers and even compensl-
ton for the loss of slaves, and who think
they see the way for approaching such
schemes through sO-called revenue measures,
which Mr.. Greeley has disabled himself
from resisting by renOuneing the use of the
veto.