The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1884-09-03

night ago INC dnnOunCeulenJ VI hOl uo"'h
flashed over the wires and thousands who
had never seen her felt that they had lost
long familiar friend and acquaintance.
Mary Clemmer, whose father was
Pennsylvania, was born in Utica, N. Y.
in 1880, and received her education at the
normal school at Westfeld, Mass. 1t will
be remembered that she wrote the biogra-
ply of the Cary sisters, their poems hav-
ing stimulated and cultivated her literary
ambition and taste. Hers was not life
of ease but one of great care She early
began to earn money for the family sup
port-a sick father, mother and younger
sisters depending upon her. She came
from Harper's Ferry TO Washington to live
and at last owned home there and could
place her dependent ones in it and sur
round them with comforts and luXuries.
She was modest and w0manly, feminine
in her tastes and employments, attractive
in person, lovable in character, and fair
embodiment OF the model supposed by the
narrow.minded and ignorant not to exist
literary woman who was marvelously
industrious and capable with her pen, and
also thoroughly domestic, a skillful nurse
and good house-keeper and as neat in her
person and cunning with her needle as il
her endowments were only ordinary
Every one who has been familiar with her
writings found in them not only entertain
ment but vigorous thought and food for
thinking. In March 1871 recalling men,
ories of Lincoln, she wrote: what is
greatnessg 1t is not intellect alone; it is
not moral and emotional quality only; ii
is character compounded of both; it is
wisdom, it is high thought it is wide
vision, it is magnanimity, it is mercy it is
love, il is gentleness and child.heartcdness,
il is forgiveness, it is supremacy lover all
littleness." All the world who appreciated
this woman must mourn that one who
could write like that should die Of over
work at forty five. She had tried for
years to meet all the demands upon her,
social and domestic as well Gs literary,
and counted upon her splendid native
physical powers to bear the strain. She
had never felt satisfied with mere news
paper work, it was so "ephemeral". She
wanted to do better work and that which
should live after her Like Lille G. Darst
that thought saddened her last days when
she felt herself breaking down, and had
lost recuperative power, the feeling that
she had only been day-laborel doing
such work as the hour and her circum-
stances compelled, meyer situated with
leisure to do her best. Last winter she
wrote to a friend: "My mind teens with
unwrltten themes, but whether shall
have the strength to write any of them
out, Heaven only knows"
She had Just reached the goal where
the necessity for such hard work had
passed had married happily not two years
ago, and as she said Gall the conditions
for doing good work are greatly enhanced,
II | am only we'll enough TO do it." The
voyage to Europe last year was taken
under circumstances Of such feeble health
that instead of entering the society Of the
renowned and the gifted, where she would
have been welcomed and in her rightfnl
place, she described herself as being "Too
tired TO seek single human being, so
quietly accepted only what came to her,
and much came delightful to remember"
The readers OF. the Independent will
remember her letter from Coppet, Swilzer.
land. the home and burial place ofMadame
dc Stael. Like that iilustrious womnn's
Mary Clemmer's last marriage. Was to
a gentleman younger than herself, though
neither were known in literature by the
new name. Perhaps a knship Of sympa
thy led the newly married pair to that
Alpine sepulturc where 50 many ass0cin-
lions clustered connected with the life
and family of the gifted De Siae, who
past her youth could yet inspire with de-
voted affection the accomplished young
soldier Rocca, whose wife she became.
Mrs. Clemmer's vocation was one OF
prosy hard work, but her letters were rare
that discoursing chiefly Of political life NJ
the Capital, did not reveal her innate
sympathy with and recognition Of the
subtlest moods and raIest qualities Of
nature. Hers was that cast Of mind
that responded TO all forms of beauty and
"In natures kingdom" she was "iIee"Three
or four years ago at this season she wrote
the lines that, repeating themselves In the
memory, have always recalled her when
the yellow CLEAN of this autumn flower
appeared in the country wastes, and the
verses read like presentiment
81 lie amid the goldenrod,
love TO see II lean and nod;
love TO feel the grassy sod
Whose kindly breast will hold me last;
| Whose patient arms will hold me fast,
Fold me from sunshine and from song,
Fold me from sorrow and from wrong
Through cleaning gates Of golden-rod
I'll pass into the rest Of God.".
Devoted daughter, patient toiler, con.
quering aud achieving much, adorning
every position in life, fitted for love and
happiness, she passed from the vestlbule
of life's sacred bliss into the rest which has
infinite compensations' and into the sum.
mer which is eternal.
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