New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-06-13
MISS BEECHER'S SCHOOL.
PERSONAL. MEMOIRS OF FAMOUS TEACHERS
AND SCHOLARS.

-l,o+sd IN the year 500 from the famous school
for vourg ladies' IN this city conducted by Miss
Catherine f. Beccher and her sister, Mrs Harriet
Reecher stowe. has given the writer OF tins letter
son,e pleasant "reminiscences OF the days she spent
thsre At the time mentioned there was only one
other school in this country having so VIDE fepu
&at;on a. tine one in question that of Mrs. Emma
willard IN Troy. v Y. which WAS larger more
fashionable aud probably more expensive. Miss
paecher hal macmillan views upon the proper
u.thods of training Young women for their future
au.iss ~ wives and mothers which she carried ont
a. far "a IL was practical 10 do SO, ana she lived
lo,o enough to see many OF her pnpils grace charm
in, homes IN exalted stations OF hte as well as De-
come teachers OF younger generations In wlley
distant parts of the Middle and Western States
The st of her theories this subject was that the
nbysica and moral training of her pupls was quite
n important as the development of their Intel
lcctual powers Her younger sister, Harriet was her
assistant in 1929 well as Miss Dntton, VINO mas
since been principal OF school Tor girls III Ne"
Haven.
There seems to have been no indication at TINS
time that Harriet the teacher OF rhetoric and com
nos;tion wonld he world renowned ~ an author IN
later years She is represented as being plaln III
her nersonll APPEARANCE. quiet in manner, absent
minded and somewhat eccentric. On one occasion
her class in rhetoric gathered around ner as usual
when she was seemingly UNCONSCIOUS OF their pres
epce as she neither spoke 10 them, nor raised her
ewes from the floor upon which they were turned
10 mental abstraction that was not broken by tue
young LADIES' passing to their seats after valnly
vaitinc 4 half hour for recognition. Sarah Payson
WILTSHIRE sister of y. p. Willis the poet and
bstter known as Fanny Fern was pupil. She
was tall fn-y formed anc stylish in her bearing
wa. fair. had blue eyes. and lght-curly hair which
she wore short and was the very counterpart OF her
brother who was at Yale College AMI came fire.
oueptly tn visit her. The two were apparently
much attached each other at the time. whatever
their dissenslons may have been later IN life, ana
were a hands me lght-nearted pair rs they prone
naded the streets of Hartford. Their father was
then editor of The Boston RecOrdr which has since
| believe been merged into The Boston Dd'g ID
rertissr Sarah Willis del gifted in the practical
Jokes which she played on teachers and pupils
alike was fairly lions. and gave her lntiihates
petnames calling the .pretticst girl IN the school
,vbo had goden hair. Bird of Paradise She
always spoke of her brother as Nat" She was
considered humorous. keen-wltted cratic and an
average scholar. Prizes given at the end OF
the year for scholarship and department sarah
Willis tor one of these occasions wrote a con-
position which she called The Art OF Puihng.' 1t
was a clever performance for girl OF seventeen IL
took only the second prize. however which so
wounded her pride that she gore 1t INTO atoms ms
fact l. worth mentioning. as she was the one mem
Der of her class who is known to the world OF liter
ature.
OF the large school there were thirty pupils who
boarded with their teachers az private residence.
Harriet Reecher, then nineteen or twenty years Oh
aye exerte herself at times to entertain the young
Ladies in the evenings. and invented games to
amuse them. One gaTe .was 10 give out SUBJECT
and then ask questions concerning II. After Har-
riets marriage TO Professor stowe, Miss Catherine
I-rcher retire from this school, but forty years
later resumed her charge of the Hartford Female
Seminary for one year with Mrs. Stoves assistance.
The daughter of the lady who has given ne the
ahovp items WAS "A pnpil during this year The SIS
1ers trvd To TeoTganIze the Institution winch ihry
had made tamONs. Mrs. Joseph Harper, MIS- Mar
shall Jewell. aud the wife OF tue present rONcfhoT
OF Massachusetts, were all pupils during Ills periuh
Mrs. stone resided AT some q. stah'e from ,ne
school but had in lite atuFe. etc. Whe ITO
fcs~OT stowe taught ancient nls'"Ty auu SUM otVI
lrauche.. Miss Catherine BeecAer was noi onif
.err s rc gious, but was eAetclSeu as we" on '-'
subject of cookery. ~ she Was preparing ner Ooohs
on that topic. She ShO that "a LouNee'epo' - 10
~ ,usible for the health of all the inmates OF lei
family. ESPECIALLY OF children aNd servants VINO
have not the rerdfu knowledge and discretion.
She was constantly making experiments. an prdc-
tis.d them upon the girls weighing a.! thrr 700
b,iorr they at A. holding th9t graham Hour ana me
graham diet VAS better for them tian ucnrr iood
One day zen OF her pupils invited hcr To- ONE WIN
them at a restaurant SAe ac, opted the invitation
The varied de icate dinner when they PI'F'uru
sen ed 10 change her views somewhat a. 10 lhcii
wants al table. and thereafter they were served
with more. palatahe food. Desiring recipes ioi Her
e,ok-huoA tie yOui ladies' were occasl"hdIi\ r.
ou->rd to call at une residences ana ASH the Lazy
OF the house for inventions III puhHlhG,; pastry
soups etc. Miss Beecher liked 10 near r"lc,sor
Stowe talk ancient history. but a'er the Ie'''-
tlou y as over she quite sure 10 dispute some
unipf with " alvin a. size called MN. OtcaS On
allv she remarked to Lcr pupils that she had no
sympathy with the womans nights gIe"s OF her
sister Isabella Beechei iooaer Nearly every l"y
She walked ont to Mrs. stoves house ia the al, er
noon 10 learn how she was getting on VII" h'i
novel Pink and White Tyranny. one evening
on her return she informed her pupils WITH burst
OF enthuS a,n. that the lovers were married.
"tail Hamilton sometime visited Miss heccher
She Il Described beng shy III her manuer. plaln
in dress. and talking well lie distinguished SIS
ts.. visited a ueigubOriug city one sunday ana AT
TENDED church The pastor. "ho vas h",e" Tor ms :
wit Wa, giving ont the hvmn as they entered ana
looking up al the chou read tIie nIS' INC Wy
gracio"S G0d how PLAIN WIN en- ehp''lsis 'ud IT,
vs. uuderstnnd-bcfOre add.ng" ny plecepfs are
Ia passing il may be added thai MIS- Stowe mas
orpyyn more colnely with increasing Ne.us Miss
lcccher iu the a~t years Of her lie was pleased 10
d,y. ON l rcnOwn of heTmnTe - ted SISTER she re-
lated the following anecdotes of her TO me mo her
ounfcd ~ authorities Tor these "reminiscences, uu-
iu- hrr last visit at their house. MIS-. stowe hid
a-rre' u give a 'ec1ulc III '".hN'' - =. -. H.
some charity. ! lie morning OF the DAY IL was J." u
&c ive4et she working m her garden several
miles from that city, when suddenly rcmrnbcilnS
her engagement she htlled Il FARMER HIl'lhE 10
town with "a load of yegrta Jles. and went on her
way IN a calico dress, and hands sci.ed with her
orcuuatiOn once in the cltV she asked PERMISSION
~ = otel 10 make her toilet ne ore gong 10 the
lecture room. she wa> informed that there was
;uf one vacant room ami that was Tor MIS- stowe
Her asseycratOns that she was the person IN cues
fioo had 10 be- verified before she obtained her re-
7u.st N hen Mrs. stowe was IN ingand Qneen
Victoria sent her word that on certain daX she
.oulI Inc nlea,ed 10 see II e author OF ncle Tom
Cabin" Mrs stowe replied that she had an on
,3ceuent for that day. The Queen wond see her
and sent lady ~ waiting-a personal iricn,i Oh
Mrs stowe 10 make the necessary arrangement foi
nm observation There WAS to be pageant OF some
kind that day in which the Queen would take part
uassiug the motel where MIS- Stowe was residing
and the royal messenger had agreed to place her
hand on tie authors left shoulder to distinguish