New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-12-31
BOSTON,.
LITERARY NOTES.


.yv vNcorNTTREp-HER LONG LIFE OF GOOD
Virgo .Nn usrFrLNEss--HER TRANQUIL DEATH
All, .pour "sATAN TIN DEAD ALIVE" A
Nrw NOVEL BY wTLKIE CoILINs-wHAT HE
THINKS OF THE AMERICAN GIRL.
t,nom A REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THB TRIBUNEJ
BosroN, Dec. 29-Roberts Brothers are about
70 reprint, from the English edition. the "Pefsonai
Recoleotions early life to old age, OF Mar soner
VILE with selections from her correspondence oy her
daughter, Martha Somervile." 1t fs BOOK 10 warm
the heart Of the coolest critic; so pnra Si'' 81
frank and yet served. To know such
Mrs Somervilles imperfo'ty Us IL eau oo SCI
forth in pnnt. is worth many sermons; ana all the
speeches at all the women's nights conventions Oh %
year have not so ueh 70 saw to the hard common sense
of the world in favor of LARGER opportunities for women
story OF this life rich in persevering ana sue
cessfu endeayor very long lie u was too LOT MIS-
eomerye was torn 1850 and died only in the Novem-
Der OF 1872 Ninetywo years OF noble living are set
forth in these Personal Recoectons," with modest
simplicity which Ia unmstakabe and as unobrusiye
~ the perfume of violet. II complained at all of
this book IL be OF its personal reticence Not only
did Mrs sonerve not her heart upon her sleeve
put she scflpulousy avoids taking the public into her
confidence regards the most intimate relations
of her life. In the Records of Quiet LIFE
We have seen how confession may be as delicate
n reserve. Maria Hare lost nothing by letting the
world look on love and her sorrow, for both were
holy. But 10 Mrs. somerve-who lived less absolutely
III afectionsthis frankness of disclosure was I'M
possible In the Introductory Chapter, Martha Somer-
Vile speaks of her mother singularly averse to rev.
Citations Of private life, or intimate correspondence
single page. accordingly, would comprise all that is
SAID of Mrs Somervilles two wocings. single sem
chronicles the death of her FIRST husband MI
Greg; only two three sentences are devoted to
passing away in old Of her beloved second nus
band VIM somervle who was for AZ years the tender
companion of her life proud Of her fame glad IN her
rucoess. utterly devoted 20 her interest.
To me- the interesting portion OF these Personal
Recoeeons is that devoted to the early years OF the
writer Mary Fairfax born IN the house OF her aunt
Martha Somervile, who in after years her mother
in-law Her father a naval officer afterward Adj
mlra VIM. Fairfax, who greatly distinguished him
cell at the of Camperdown. He had just left for
foreign service in 1850, when his little daughter was
born Mary mother was bright, ouckwitted woman,
of gentle blood and gracious bear but by no means
scholarly since told that she seldom read any
thing beyond the Bible, sermons, and the newspaper.
Ths tender mother loved flowers and prded herself Cd
her moss roses she loved her little human flower, too
and let her grow up, in the sunshine, without much
restraint. Most of Mary's childhood was passed
ct Burptisland small. quiet seaport situated on the
coast OF Fife. They had great, roomy garden much
frequented by BIRDS and here Mary used to amuse her
self; for she did not for dolls, and seldom had
playmate But the birds were her companions and her
through her long life. She Knew their times OF hight
AND their habits The swallows wore suffered 10 build
IN peace beneath the Fairfax caves. and when about W
migrate they used u assemble the friendly roof by
hundreds try their wings by short flights, prepar
story their longer Journey Mary was taught to say
her prayers morning and evening-otherwise she was
Wild the BIRDS who may perhaps their prayers
TOO. for sught that know 10 the contrary The little
girl liked, however. to make herself useful, and
o. seven she used 20 gather fruit for preserving
and shell the peas and beans and feed the poultry.
When Mary between eight and nine years Old her
father home from and was shocked 10 find her
such little savage. SO, at she sent TO school
ut Musselpurgh for" said her aiher Mary must at
know how to write and TO keep accounts" At the
Bnsseburgh school the little iassie WAS perfectly
wreobed" The change from utter freedom TO absolute
restraint hard IN self and the teacher, Miss Prm
rose wore perpetual frown. The child ncosed in
stiff stays with steel busk in 'front.' while bands drew
her shoulders back till the shouderbades met Then
steel rod, with o semNrcle that went under the chin,
wa clasped TO the steel busk ard thus tortured and
confined sbe like most Of the younger pupils, had to
learn her essons.
She returned home. after year OF this discipline 80
little profted by it that she spelled bsnknote "bank-
knot" IN a letter 10 her brother Thc school had been
expensive and the careful soul Of good Mrs. Fairfax
vexed within her. To read aud write and keep
accounts was indeed, learning enough for any hdy;
but that so much time and money should have been
spent at Musselbureh and sadly little progress have
been made toward even this limited standard OF
education, no doubt sore Ila While the moihei
sionplaiDea the daughter Was like some wild
creature let out Of cage. No tame delights
Of the garden suffced her any more. Che
roaed about the country gathering shells on the sands
And flowers on the hills. But now, when the bad
weather shut doors she began to read with fresh
eaeerness She devoured Shakespeare. and passed SO
her a
planned because not sewing; and she sent
70 the village school TO learn plain needlework Mary
was annoyed that reading met wtho little favor, and
about time she began, she says to be intensely
ambitious, feeling that women were capable Of taking
higher place the world than that which 1t was the
custom TO assign them.
When Mary was tabOut thirteen Der mother took
small APARTMENT in Edinburgh for the Winter and here
the young girl TO have begun to dev9e herself &c
seeuuyation most assiduously Shortly after this she
visited Jedburgh, and under the wise and kindly
influence Of Dr. scmerve the father Of her future hus
band He fully approved her thrst for knowledge and
used to read Virgil with her for hour two before
breakfast Not long Afterwards being again in Edin-
burgh abe was sent 20 Stranges dancing school, The
ysupg ladies went In fun evening dress and their part
ners used TO give them gingerbread and oranges She
also went 70 a small day school, where she learned
writing and arithmetic But IL was at Burnsland aud
in an illustrated magazine of fashions that she found
her introduction TO the higher mathematics the great
study of her life. She had been turning over the
book with Miss oglve and came upon certain puzzles
baades etc. the last part. All the end of page she
found what appeared to her arthmetca question:
but she surprised 10 strange looking lines, min
sled with letters, chiefly Ks and w. and asked what
they were "Oh," said Miss Oglivie. cit is kind of
arithmetic they caE 1t algebra; but tell you moth
ing about H." Mary Fsiraxs intellectual curiosity
very strongly excited but she could find nothing at home
70 satsfy IT, and IL some time before she able
70 procure even elementary book on algebra. She
met the resi- Of the studyipf Greek and prac
tcipg ON the piano: and in the II they went again TO
Edinburgh Then she took lessons OF Nasmyth,