The sun., 1888-06-17

rIRsr ARTICLE.

biography OF tho eminent phiiologist from his
birth In 1901 to 1861, whom he was appointed
Minister to Italy For second volume arc
reserved the scientific and literary nchievo-
ments OF his later years. rs we'll rs the record
o. his political and social experiences In Flor
ence and Romo during the most momcn-
tous epoch OF modern italian history.
A regards the work Of the editor. 1t
win sufice to say that II has been per-
formed with singular discretion and modesty.
her aim maniicstly being to allow tho subject
Of the memoir to tell his own story as far as
possible through his extant letters. and to sup
piy only such thread OF narrative and COM
mont rs should be needed to mako tho cor
respondence inteligible Caro- has Mt the Same
tfmo been taken to expunGe such personal
illusions, made In the freedom OF confidential
Communication, rs might wound tho persons
criticised or their surviving relatives.
Joseph Marsh. tho grandfather OF the man
whose life and letters are here presented. was
Q Colonel In the Revolutionary war, and the
6fst Lieutenant-G Governor OF Vermont. He
married a sister Of Jeremiah Mason. His son,
Charles Marsh, was appointed United States
District Attorney by President Washington.
and sent to the House Of Representatives in
1915. He married daughter OF Dr. Elisha
Perkins OF Plalnield. Conn. and thcir second
son. George Perkins Marsh. was born ut Wood
stock. Vermont. March Is, 1901.
How early and with what distinctness his
thirst for knowledge showed Itself. appears
from the following incident: His mother. 1t
seems. "in her later years, often told her inti-
mate friends that at the age Of seven 1t was the
habit other son George to take down a volume
Of the Encyclopaedia Britannica which hs
could scarcely lift, lay 1t open on tho floor. and,
leaning over It on his elbows, read for hours at
. time. When those readings were too pro.
lonRed the volume was sometimes taken from
him, and he was sent out to play. After q few
experiences ofthis kind the book was no longer
brought into his mothers room, and she, sup
posing the child had lost his fancy for 1t,
thought no moro Of It for months. Passing.
however. ono day through an unfre-
Quented hall. she saw tho boy lying
under the table in tho old posture.
poring In the imperfect light over one of his
favorite volumes. This had no doubt been
going on for long time. and here was the sx-
Dlanation OF tho pain In his head and eyes. from
which he had been suffering for somo weeks"
Tho injury to his eyes seems to have been per-
manent. for It was not until tho age Of II that
he was allowed to read with any freedom.
having up to that time received his lessons
viua uocc In the meanwhile he had become 50
near-sighted as to be compelled to use glasses
for reading and for every other purpose. He
once long aftsrward. told friend what grief
he felt on discovering one day that he could
scarcely make out the general form Of clear
ingon mountain side. where. few months
before, he had watched from his fathers door
the woodmen at their work"
With the exception Of few months passed at
Phillips Andover Academy the education Of
young Marsh was obtained at homo from his
father and elder brother. until, In 1915, he en-
tered the freshman class at Dartmouth Col
lege. His close attention to the regular cur
riculum (which then at Dartmouth. as at most
American colleges. was mainly confined to the
Latin and Greek classics and mathematics) Is
proved by tho fact that although ono of the
very youngest members Of his class he
experienced no difficulty in graduating
with the highest honors. That even at
this time. however. his own studies were
not limited to the college course is evident
from bills, found among his papers, for books
purchased. Among these are the following:
Lusiad. Gerusalsmme Dante. Pastor Fido.
Boccaccio. Dictionnairc Portugais- Francais.
italian Grammar. Cartas Marruscas, Fabulas
Literarias do Yriarte. Spanish Dictionary,
Portuguese Grammar. Italian-EnRlish Die
tionary." As to his proficiency in Greek. we
are told ON the authority Of one OF his class
mates that when he left college he read the
Greek poets and historians with as much ease
as an ordinary man would read q newspaper"
To those who are themselves Greek scholars
this assertion may seem somewhat exas-
gerated, but 1t at all events implies that his
scholastic attainments were much above
the average at Dartmouth In his time.
After graduation, young Marsh began tho
study OF the law. and, having been admitted to
the bar In 1926. entered on professional prac-
tice in Burlington. Here it may be said that,
although he proved n sound and able lawyer.
and was 30 effective o public speaker as to be
thrice called upon to represent his district in
Congress- it was only with reluctance that he
subtracted from the pursuits OF science and lit
erature the time expended on his professional
and political life. Had he inherited means ade-
Quate to the support Of himself and OF q fam
ly. he would have wholly devoted himself to
study and research. Yet in that case he would
have missed some opportunities for observing
contemporary events which his diplomatic
posts Afforded him. and which. as those letters
show. were turned to great account.
It was seemingly during the early years OF
his professional career at Burlington that
Marsh was first attracted to the languages OF
northern Europe "As early as 1882 he was In
frequent correspondence with Prof. c. c. Rain
! the eminent antiquarian Of the University OF
Copenhagen. - In the course Of 1888 lie
printed IN Icelandic grammar, chiefly compiled
from work Of Lask. This grammar. intended
from the beginning for private circulation only
was found to be SO full of Typographical crrors
that every copy required many hundred cor
rections with pen. This was too delicate
atask for the authors eyes, and 1t was also
one that he could not delegate to another
From time to time he corrected q single
copy for friend. but. as rule. he did not even
send this grammar to the institutions OF learn
ing for which it was especially designed
Grouping together various illusions to Scan.
dinavian studies. we may mention that in
January Mr.. Marsh published in the Whg Re,
vtep an article on tho Atiantica OF Olaf Rud.
beck. This article consisted in a large part o.
translations, either Of Swedish critical notices
Of the work or Of copious extracts from the
work itself In March Of the same
year appeared another article from his pen
containing notice Of The Life and Works O.
H. n.inA A-l--- A liz