The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1880-04-18
MADAnE IN sTAEL.
The Most brilliant woman of uci
Generation Account Of Tho
Times la which She Lived
GIlmpscs of Napoleon.
llrom lho rhlInlolphlA pro...

nry Munltn VINO hhNo NWhH WV hHHulou
years distinguished themselves In u field
which was formerly supposed TO belong to
men alone. She arose on the eve of the
French revolution, tho daughter Of Nockar.
Nine. do Stael WAS brilliant In CONVEX.
sation from her youth, and at this period,
whom her father wa. high in power and his
house the resort Of the most cultivated pee
ple in Paris she was the idol and admir-
ton of every circle She WINS not techni-
cally beautiful, but the expression of her
animated countenance was exceedingly Mt
tractiye. The soul was painted in the face,
full of sympathy, good nature, intelligence,
intuition; intellect and heart radiated in her
smiles Her dark, lustrous eyes, flashing with
genius, and the tingling expression OF her lip
gave splendor and variety 10 her whole aspect
now languid and pensve, then energetic
and commanding. Her compliments were
sincere, her humor playful. her disposition
kind, her eloqucnce irresistible. She played
sang, wrote poetry, offered the most original
views upon every subject, seemed a prestess,
sybil, full of inspiration, radiant, hopeful,
witty, so that every one listened to her rs 10
an oracle and went away with sentiments
bordering on i1olatry. Added TO these gifts
of nature and culture, she was the richest
heiresses in the kingdom and her father was
one Of its most illustrous mon.
She was married NJ the age Of twenty, and
her house was the resort of the best society
of the wicked and intellectual capital, of
which she was the brightest ornament, She
was m eyewitness Of the terrible scenes Of
the revolution, and escaped judicial assassin
alton almost by miricle Still she had faith
IN the great movement, and thought anarchy
might be subyerted and law reign supreme
Great was her surprise and sadness when
Napoleon appeared to her inspired eyes IN
his true light, and commenced that regime
which ended ina fabric ofdespo!ism, cement
ed in tears and blood. She det4stcd, she deied
him, and her house became the centre Of OPP
position and the headquarters Of enmity, and
she was banished to without forty leagues of
Paris. This waS most severe punishment
She could not live contentedly away from
the centre of the social ard intellectual at
fractions. Paris was to her what Boston is
to the New England people" the hub of
the universe" But, with wandering steps
and slow, she took her way from the Eden
she loved, and sought in Germany to enjoy
high intellectual life. She wrote the great
est dissertation on that country ever pro-
duced.
Forced again to fee the prosecutions OF
Napoleon. she visited the classic and hall
lowed land, above all Others dear to the poet,
the artist, the antiquarian, the philanthropist
Italy.
In this unfortunate and illustrious land,
ever fresh 10 travellers, Nine, de Stael lin
gered mora than year, visiting every scene
that had history, and every monument that
shall decay only with time. The result of
that tourney was "Cornnc, one of those i'm
mortal books which the heart Of the world
chershes, u painting, poem, tragedy, Il
novel. crtlQue, interesting to all classes,
ages and countries; to the boy in college, to
the philosopher in his cell, the woman in
her boudor, since it is record of the miste-
ries and cravings of great soul, and de-
scription of what is most beautiful or
venerable in nature or in art. 1t
is the most brilliant and oomprehen-
sive of all books ever written on Italy,
the transcript of profound sorrows of lofty
aspirations. It.may seem exaggerated in its
lThIspOlts' buL N'"Alc HptNo N'ii 'b'Ni ~ wv
highly colored, since no language can be as
vivid rs sensation, and enthusiasm fully ex-
pressed ceases to be u rapture. The soul
that fsncies it has reached the heights of
love. or beauty, or truth claims 10 nave APP
pretended the immortal, the infinite; it can
not only aspire to renewed, but to never end
ing revelations.
On the fall of Napoleon, Nine. de Stael re-
-. hu;ia1 hnr
with enthusiasm. The press implored her
assistance. Authors sought her encourage
1nent. The salons caught inspiration from
her presence. Never was woman seated on
a prouder throne But she did not live long
enough TO enjoy her honorS. She was stitled,
like Voltsire, by incense and idolatries. wo II
out by excessive mental activities, and died
prematurely at the age Of 81.
Her liteis memorable for inaugurating a
new period in literary history. With her
commenced new class of female authors.
Mira. Barbauld wrote poetry and essays, and
stirred to lofty devotional sentiments Han
nah More exercised n powerful influence
upon ethical writers. Mrs Radcliif invented
new style Of romance in the mysteries OF
Udolpho." Mrs. Hemans, Browning, Nor
ton and a score OF Others, won honorable re-
nown rs poets. Charlotte Bronte shared with
Bulwer and Dickens the honor which the
age gives its great noveists. Harriet Marti
neau sought to solve the gravest questions OF
political economy. Agnes Strickland won
laurels as historian. Mrs. Somerville
showed grasp OF historical genius which
placed her in the ranks of great astronomers.
need not enumerate the catalogue of great
female writers which this century has pro-
duced in France, in Germany, in Sweden and
in our own country. Three-fourths of the
material furnished for our literary newspa-
pers is prepared by women.
There was time when woman's sphere
was narrowed down to domestic duties-the
care of children, embroidery, music, the
dance. dress, dallisDce gossip. scandal. Even
now, in Noodledom, conceptions of her arc
scarcely higher. No enlarged, generous, SEN
sible person would now doom woman to such
insignifcance. Every man as father re-
ioic,,s in the new sc0pe for her energies which