The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1877-06-15
Harriet Mariineau.

Inc pen was her sword, which she
welded with warriors joy, in the
conflict Of truth with error, of right
with wrong. She wrote many books;
but her articles in reviews and newspa-
pers were innumerable We find no
attempt In either part of this biography
to give complete list of her writings.
Perhaps it would be impossible. She
never seems to have thought of keeping
such record herself, any more than q
hero records the number of the blows
he strikes In battle. No sooner had she
dismissed one task than another came !;
and sometimes several were going on
together. Like other volunlinous writ
ers, she enjoyed the exercise OF her pro-
ductive powers and, as she somewhere
tells us, her happiest hours were those
in which she was seated at her desk
with her pen.
Each thing she did had for its pur-
pose nothing merely personal, but some
good to mankind. Though there was
nothing in her character of the senti-
mentalism Of philanthropy, born re-
former, she inherited from her Hugue-
not and Unitarian ancestors the love of
truth and the hatred of error, with the
courage which was ready to avow her
opinions, however unpopular. Thus,
her work was warfare, and every arti-
Gle or book which she printed was a
blow delivered against some fragrant
wrong, or what she believed such; in
defence of some struggling truth, or
something supposed to be truth. She
might be mistaken; but her purpo ses
through life were, in the main, noble,
generous, and good.
In 1884, at the age of thirty-two, Har-
riet Martineau sailed for the United
States, where she remained two years.
She went for rest; but the quantity of
work done in those two years would
have been enough TO fill five or six years
of any common life. AT this point she
began new career; forming new ties,
studying new problems, and beginning
a new activity in another sphere of la
Dor. The same great qualities which
she had hitherto displayed showed them
selves here again; accompanied with
her corresponding defects. Her won-
derful power of study enabled her to
enter into the very midst of the phe-
nomena of American life; her noble
generosity induced her to throw her.
self, heart, hand, and mind into the
greatest struggle then waglng OH the
face of the earth. The anti-slavery aues-
ton, which the great majority of peo-
pie Of culture despised or dlsliEed, took
possession of her eoul. She became one
of the party of Abolltionists, of which
Mr.. Garrison was the chief, and lived
to see that party triumph In the down
fall of slavery. She took her share of
the hatred or the scorn heaped on that
fiery body of jealous propagandists, and
was counted worthy of belonging to
what she herself called "the Martyr
Age of the United States"
1n 1888, when thirty-six years old,
she was taken with serious illness,
which confined her to her room for six
years. She attributes this illness to
her anxiety about her aged aunt and
mother. Her mother, she tells us, was
irritable on account of Miss Martineau's g
fame and position IN society, In short,
she was jealous of her daughters sue
cess. Miss Martineau was obliged, she
says, to sit up late after midnight to
mend her own clothes, as she was not
allowed to have maid, or to hire a
working woman, even at her own ex-
pense. How she could have been pre-
vented Is difficult to see, especially as
she was the money-making member OF
the family. 1t seems hardly worth
while to give US this glimpse into do.
mestic difficulties. But no doubt she
Is quite correct in adding, as another
reason for her Illness, the tolls which
were breaking her down The strong
est men could hardly bear such strain
on the nervous system without giving
way.
The last years of Miss Martinoau were
happy and peaceful She had pleas
ant home at Amblesidc, on Lake Win
dermere. She had many friends, was
conscious of having done good work
aud If she had no hopes in the hereafter,
neither had she any fears concerning it.
She was strong, upright, true-hcarted
woman one of those who have helped
to vindicate "the right Of women to
: learn the alphabet. = james Freeman