, 1874-09-20
LITERATURE.


1t,:* - oDrScE or WILLIAM EL1ERy CHAN
cCl;!:t:eD cCl;;Et: - D., AND LUCY A1EES, FROM la2G to
49, died ly ANNA L$Tr11A L.: tAz7os. limo,
80 -. t. sta: Roberts D:uti4tr6.
T., 1870. Dr. Claiming made ? visit to Europe,
-i..ro l,s Was cordially welcomed and Hospitality
Entertained ly many Of tho most distinguished
seo-}c il the world OF letters. at the house Of
IT,. Eutaull Ut stoEo Hevington), who was
.1a NJ the literary celebrities OF the dag, ho
"a t1e .c:,ueiotaacc Of her niece, Miss Lucy
.;ten TIE latter iaJy Was tho daughter OF DR..
49, AIKEN. man ;of refined tastes ard consid-
'-.,,a culture nEI pa Industrious and useful wri-
~ He aided his sister, Mrs. Barbauld, in the
.o-,,csitioo OF half-dozen popular volumes OF
sxz--. and stories for children, entitled ''Eyen-
;.rs Il: Home: produced, with the assistance
~ seu.lcy aud otlcEa, . work on Genera!
r;c-raply in ten volumes; and himself pub
r<.st IN edition Of the ''Seiect Works Of Tho
r~ti.h Poets" which has enjoyed wide repu-
.,t;cn. Mas Lucy Alien Inherited the love and
.,,.c;.y for literary labor which married her
t,,iIy ard, by her Memoirs Of the Court of
1.r,cs l., Of Queen Elizabeth, Of Charles L,
,,a of Addison, made s rra!seworshy contrlbu-
sor 70 The library Of biography. Both she and
-, f..her ranE, however. among the minor En-
-,;sh y,5:e.:. AID only in pretty full catalogue
= Ike aStAors OF England will their names find
,r!acs.
ct.nnat ;yc5an, in 1876, by her acknowledge
s.D: Of Inc ,ecclpt Gf his work on Milton. aud
.oonucd until his dca:h III tho year lsA2
When the first letter PASSED bstwecn the two
ltctl had attained to years OF maturity, Or.
TI.nnrs bciu5 aged II and his correspondent
~ ,[,ss Aiken reached the ripe age Of 81. he.
ascease occurring Jan. %, lSGi. The correspond
euco which Is Eere given to the public does
honor to the head aud the heart OF both writer's
r Is characterized by the freedom aud tie ffanL-
ness Of L!gl-toncG friendship: and ali subjects
r.c;atcI 70 interest active and thoughtful minds
r-7d,sc,sscl one after another. as they happen tu
z-isc. with tie intelligence and the gravity
Which their importance demands. Eaca WI1tef
cayc TO tl,a other the ienetlt of lis or Acf bc7t
t.ousl:s and sounlcst opinions: aud, Ms con-
sequence, the letters. which we're o mutual al
vantage to themselves, are instructive TO tho
ceuc-al reader. While they arc not marked OH
t;ti.er side by any extraordinary charms anu
erac5a Of the eEist5IaTy style, they arc repete
viii entertaining and suggestive passa3es,
which int.r7n u,,on TOPICS of both temporary and
re71nsnc:,t interest. and afford pleasing IN
s;rl: into two earnest and elevated characters.
Ne mako roo.n for u few extracts from tho
correspondence. which, in tho reading, "ero
noted ~ particularly striking III themselves, or
ns converting the clearest c1iress!ons O1 somo
iIo--nc1acy of lie writer. III treating OF reilg-
if,o-a subject near to tic hearts ct both,-
Hiss Aiken writes to DR.. Claiming:
viii, f7ilatics religion rather substitute for mo.
rally sl-u SUPPORT to it; anu nave sei4ota stle
A.. character ri thorough paced enthusiast without
itl,v. 1cas OIL believe that it contained cas1 u
l.ayerr. -, lhavc ~ much rresbsteri iau blood
IL my ye.1,s rs auy ef your Observation-Disclosures Aiis
ailrI5 rTa1ulfatArr WAS tie Rev. JOAN Aiken, Dis
entin lGiscrj; aad, from tie elders o our t@Hl:t
Layr picked VI! yoiu1nt4 Of lore cohcsf1-
Inv tic Old D:*:eu,yrs Of Bedford, who built meet.
-l,a,la fir,I
,;cthIrl,'. au Lcic:* es-siA st:oI;'ho!ds ol eal-
y:ai- Ill., Irun tue wil-r, conelade tuat they were
u sl!v rlis husbands harsh parents, 1nertIe~s cen.
Of their nrghlo.s, syst,natc4!y n.ss.e 10 az
t:l .,aliGs o. lie, but not cEs fond u. n"ney, Or
7.re .?l,ns N the ut.ne Ut Ac4L1r.ae H. 1nan
tl- Workings whom thtT reproduced.
lii that gentle and charitable spirit that natIo
n-. CAau,ne cm,ueut among men and clergy
men, he replies to .diss Alaen:
III mich which you sad Of the Tu1itans, accc:!1
will 1ou. D.: Ease yna made allowance enough tps
tau 1in:scr of se,f-lcceElun7 ! suppose tho bert
1.T. t: t.ir to taa country. 2rd they uu-
t.,:ciy posses. Ell much devotion to what they
t:ya.it tight They had the stronger virtues III no
cr,,,:ou cErse hut false Ind theology, and
:Ae ns.rew ruazims Of their ago. turned their very
s1*gh os principle into Larsaness intolerance, aud
u1si:,t,,.s: Tho Taritans hare were more hcccst
r:,c 3E;a you eup14-e, Lut, am afraid, not 1uoE
L.a;a1,e Their fe.!o.-scc;arics at home were. l
d,ut u&t. terribly corrupted py struggles tor power,
Eud by political success.
u4llam, the historian. was personal friend
Of Miss Aiken, and. among other lliustrious
worthless. stlo frequently alludcs to him. For
example:
Iv;el sou could put yoas historic d!.cultes to the
.,,:,,r himself e did eo.e IF mine few months
l.o II party E!1ere glad to discuss instead
6; dining. SHch to--tut Of knowledge Ae poured
up7u re lie tails fas.er than any other mortal who
tAh Witty Au MO In loa< A1s @ettl 1A1 14ai1 .AcA
Il Is to follow him.
OF another great parsonage ehe writes. in a
letter dated l53u:
E7ousham Is or7 new Lord-Chancclor,- Edtr-
nrs s -:eyewer,-.he Radical whig.-tle apostle Of
~ arc as,ouisncd and dc!ishtcl to lehold in that
highest ,guity Of aubjevs! This is the man, the
Only man. whose powers efntetnr!ato With rondsT.
Hon: nevtr can,assing for audience ,unn
as il lies, with careless aud unriraled skill Ills
EtGe narratives are tmtsAb!e; the touch.and-so Of
as remarks leaves trail Of light behind .,ho,; it.
1ar1do1 and without effort einp1y, as it ecc1ns, be-
cause Nature has interdcted him from comuos-
piacc. With that tremendous pcwtr Of sarcasm which
tempered ,nan in private life tue hladcs IN is rea
tips the 1aost attractive n his short, IS
House # PEERS, On Lis i.aa for distributing cheap
justice to the people Afforded curious eSAo1ton OF
the uAuners pf The House. have the account from
Mr. WhishAw. who accosnE:u1ed the Chancellor:
" None OF tho cheers none Of the applause, OF the
House Of Co:uuons.-no interest IN 20 grtas and u.s.
fal = subject On the inpassivc ice the hghtninGs
rlaycl.n Aud, when he had concluded no orc rising
uo one thanking him. They Sat in their c1lrule
chairs mite and mo;uu1ess {hoHercr wo of tEet in
other rect the Roman Senate in the presence IT
H.cnnus.7 No 1n:t,er, England hears hia1.
In description of Archbishop Whately. best
known in America by his ablo work On rhetoric,
Miss Aiken relates the following anecdotes:
One day. 1T great set dinner st the Io.d-Lieuscn-
as:s (DuDn1, question arosc how long man could
live With Ais head Under waLcr- The Archbishop
quilted the room and presently returned with great
h-s:n full OF water, which he sat Oh the table Rni
plunged his head ii before the whole company. HaT-
ing held il there euoruou. length Of time. liz drew
uat, crying, ''Tlcrc! none Of yon could have kept
,eu1 heats in lung, but kuow tic method Of It."
Another time, also 1t formal party at the Castic ho
eicEc ct tie great weight man could stlrpot on lie
c.I Ct Lin cr tead:uE it outwards. "H your G..ce
If Ca>hel said be- will stand upon mine, rs stretch
!. out cn hear WON'T weight without the slightest
difficulty" But Els Grace Of Caehc1 would not have
doce odd thing i'll that company for millions.
take fzncy 10 metropolitan who dares 10 be odd to
eoacia:e the Irish Catholics, sod to provoke tito
I.Its, alias ligo;s.
Bet tho spicicst pnragraiha in the whole co:-e
srondence occur in the very last letters escllanE-
ed between ths parties. sii>s Aiken. like her
Rult Mrs. Ba1taall, w2s etauch conservative |
on tic woman-tluestior- The elder lady was
Strongly opposed to tha higher education of
Eomen, believing it not becoming that they |
study the scyerer branches OF learning. although |
Ehe herself had been as thoroughly instructed in
tae classics as were the young men Of her time. |
Asfs Aiken dcca,cs her owo position in the re- |