Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1879-12-05
MARGARET FULLER OSSOLI

SKETCH OF THE LIFE, AND A TRIBUTE TO THE
CHARACTER OF ONE OF AMERICAS MOST RE
MARKADLE WOMEN.
Some forty or fifty miles from New York,
off the southern coast of Long Island, from
which it is divided by n narrow inlet, is n
long, low heap of sand flung up by the restless
Atlantic through unnumbered ages. No tree
or shrub, hardly q blade of grass gives a
touch of life to this Sahara of the deep. The
tall lighthouse, whose flaming torch is the
last object which Alutes the Europc-bound
traveller and the first to welcome his return,
and the rambling barracks of hotel and
government life-saying station, are almost
the only indications that human beings ever
visit this utterly desolate spot. Upon the
hard and yellow beach, thickly sprinkled
with shining shells and pebbles, the waves
break with monotonous roar that SLOW
song of the sea-" which seems as if it were
the voice of the eternal soul of nature, call
ing to our own. Standing there under II
summer sun, and when only the softest
breezes stir the heaving bosom of the main,
it is hard to realize that such Il scene Of sol
eun snlcndor can have within If tbe elements
of terror and of death harder still. perhaps.
to realize that somewhere beneath these smil-
ing waters the most brilliant woman America
has grown found an untimely grave.
Margaret Fuller is so completely forgotten
by the present generation that n brief bio
graphical sketch must introduce this tribute
to her memorv Rorn in Cambridgenort
Massachusetts NAV %. $50. the eldest child
of Timotbv Fuller and Morgnrct Crane she
received her earliest education. and all of her
preliminary intellectual training from her
father. who was a LAWYER and n politician of
soue prominence and a graduate of Harvard
He anu,ars to have been somewhat sucb a
character MS James Mill the father of John
Stuart and subiectod his child IN discipline
not altopether dissimilar to TINT which the
preat nhilosonher received She respected
and feared more than she loved him. and
poured ont the wealth of her affection upop
her mother-a woman in every way worthy
os :. Nv F,iio~ howavar- had wisdom
enough to appreciate the advantage of that
knowledge of human nature which schoolllfe
gives and finally, with much reluctance
for he was passionately fond of teaching his
daughter her to a seminary at Groton
Mass, from which she was afterwards trans
ferred to an institution OF higher order. But
Margaret was her own best educator She
says; Very early l knew that the only OBJ
ject in life was to grow'-and the growing
process began when she was hardly out OF
her cradle, and never ceased until the day OF
her death. She not only devoured books
but SO absorbed them that their contents lit
orally became portion of herself The So
ciety of Cambridge, university town, is pc
cularly favorable for culture and under its
happy influences she speedily developed the
genius which made her famous. What that
genius was the testimony of some of those
who knew her best and are best qualified to
judge will shown the extracts given below.
Enough now to say that while an uncommon
ly vigorous and versatile writer, who only
lacked opportunity to win great name in
literature, her specially was conversation. In
this direction she has probably never had an
equal on our side of the ocean. If we may
trust witnesses of the highest repute, her con-
versation was closely akin to inspiration, and
carried with it fascination none could resist
Aud this marvellous faculty was employed for
the nOblest purposes. While it gave the
owner exquisite pleasure, it was the means OF
stimulating others not to imitation, but to
individuality. She knew, as if by instinct,
the strong and weak points of all she met )
and without abusing the involuntary conf
dence, she utilized it for the benefit OF the
persons themselves. She was, as it were, a
priestess in her own right; and no priestess
ever had more devoted followers, and none
was ever more deserving of devotion.
Returning to our biography, the family re-
moved to Groton in 1888, where her father
died two years later leaving a property 80
small that Margaret was compelled TO teach
languages in a private school III Boston, In
1897 she became principal of female school
in Providence, Il. l., but in 1889 took up her
,,si5.roa AZ Jamaica Plain. near Boston.
- =. ,oro eho oss,p,od editorial charge
here' III lofo' DUO
OF the Dlal, quarterly literary -Plii'0'o'II'0'
journal established by Emerson, George hlp-
lev and others. This occupation-yariedb by
,vooLIv IN, ,reysazoines in which she presided
-. ,,,,,,,o,,,, of lodias--continued
o'ei '''''I Iaia - - | A., ToI,e O.,
two years. In 1910 she 'lSi!eu inc AaAe ''", =,
perior region, and gave her impressions OF II
in a book entitled Summer on the Lakes )
and we may remark, that between 1910 and
1sIG we're nrepared all her works-very few
io'o "eio P'or1'I - - ,u;,taS Tn
IN numOer-"hi'h nave Deen Piin'e. .,i. -
December, 1874, she accepted Positloh as
editorial writer on the New York Tribune,
and was temporarily a member of Mr.. Gree
Iey's family. In the summer or 1916 she
Ny ia"iI3' S-I1s,. "A