New-York tribune., 1891-03-01
FANNY KEMBLE.
A FRESH BATCH OF HER LIVELY LETTERS
FURTHER RECORDS. 1s4s1ss3. series OF Le,
ters by Frances Anne Kemble forming as sefS ifC
Win a Portrait OF Mrs. Charles KemOc. LIMO
PIP. $50. Henry Holt Co.


With a Portrait OF Mrs. Charles hemve' i-mo'
PIP. $50 Henry Holt 70
This third instalment Of Fanny kembles rem-
niscences has been put together in rather confus
ing way. as regards chronology, for beginning with
1874. il suddenly and without explanation goes
back 10 1916, and then. in the same abrupt man
nor forward amin. II may also be said that the
hulk NJ the volume would have been reduced
considerable il the numerous rcpettions had been
cancelled Mrs Kembe has habit OF telling the
same things twice over. and Sometimes more than
twice even when writing 10 the same cor
RESPONDENT. and this needless reiteratlon should
have been obviated in preparing the letters Tor
nnblication. We have however, no more fault
10 find with the correspondence, which Will De
,yelcomed MS heartily as were the preceding vol
umcs Of rcminiscencc and anecdote by this keen
observer and candid if not always friendly critic OF
American manners and customs The present
volume contains even more ana Sharper CRITICISM
than Tho Others and the reason for this Is not far
to sock. Fanny Kemble when she wrote these
lottcrs WAS growing into years, and with age
ueuaIlv comes recrudcsccnce OF early modes Of
thought. tastes and prcjudices. She was herself
ouite conscious of this and once declares that
she is getting more English than ever as She grows
Older. Yet few women have been more closely
allied with this country not being Americans. for
bcr children we're married here, and her grand
children were wholly Americans
During the years most fully represented here
Mrs Kemble occupied an old farmhouse near
Germantown Philadelphia. and a good part OF
the time she was alone there. The domestic
servant question pressed heavily upon her and
her married children and scores of her letters are
filled with bewailngs over the wrctchcd quality
Of servants to he had. their inSolence greed and
incniciency While she was in this country these
complaints were coupled with rcgretiul references
10 the English servants but when, presently
she returned TO England. il was 10 discover that
n Widespread dcmonli2ation had been proceeding
during her absence. and that il had become quite
IS hard to find good house servants trre aS IN the
United States She herself had been so fortunate
as t. retain an English maid, whose devotion 10
her mistress went the length of postponing her
own marriage two years: arrangement which
in these davs has ceased 70 be much as think
able.
She dcscantS often upon tho corruption OF Amcr-
can politics. and in the course of one oi these
diatrbcs she falls into the anecdotal vein apropoS
OF tie manner in which foreign representatives
were appointed during BuchananS Administration
There j.. size says, "n no such thing as any
special training for diplomatic career, there i
no such thing school of diplomacy or a
diplomatic career. properly so-called man j.
taken from his practice at tho bar. or his pro-
fessorship in a collccc, or even ms practice ~ Il
phys.cian Dr Rush. Of Philadelphia, was an in
stance Of ths and is sent - represent his countrF
at foreign court, sometimes without even
knowledge Of the French language the universal
language of European diplomacy. ! was myself
acquainted with q comcal instance OF disregard
cf any such considerations on the part of one
of the Presidents OF the United states. \ gentle
man having been rec. mmrudcd 30 Mr.. Buchanan
a., cminently fitted +, ill the post of Minister 10
Spain. because, to all other requisite qualities Tor
the place he aided that Of understanding and
speaking Spanish. the Presidents sole rcplr was
Oh. that is too d aristOcntic' and another
candidate for the Office was named, who, l. must
be supposed, was not disqualified for it by any
supcrluous acquaintance with the Spanish
langua e.. 1t may be said Of this story That !!
not truc il is well invented
American women may like to hear what Fanny
Kemblc has thought Of them. Here is one oi her
views:
think American women deficient in softncss-
sensbity-at least they do not exhibit much; {;
bat they are less dcmonstratiVc than women gen
cr3lly are and this may make thrh appear less
tender. They undoubtedly love their husbands
and children, and fathers and mothers. ami
brothers and sisters, and uuclrs ana aunts, ana
all their gool friends and relations but there
is a drynrss Of manner i'm their habltual lnt'r-
course which seems 10 me HaiI'haI lrmlitinc
pcculiariy. and which makes the women of ths
country unlike any others have ever seen. Ihc
animal nature j. feeble and Ill-lcvclopcd "a thea.
Their pLy,ical organization is apt to hr weak and
poor and sicly. and the intellectual element pre-
dominates over the emotional aul sensual 10 a
degree that makes them apparently deficient IN
softlcSs aud sen>ibllIly, and drprlv'S Their man
ucr of good deal Ol feminine charm and attract
ivcupsS and very often gives II character singu-
arly Ht variance IN its sharp abruptncss with the
delicate. refined order oi beauty for which they
are remarkable. ! attribute their dry. cold man
ncr in great measure T. physiological causes in
both men and women: bui IN the latter the
desperate spelling i'm their training" and their un-
reasoning and unrcasona r. tyranny over the
softer scX" las Lady Morley used f. call tire
men. has good deal 10 do with this ungracci al
ungracl0usncss.
In another letter Mrs. Kcmblc includes the
American men in her criticism. observing that
Tho men have no backs 10 their heads, and the
women no backs 70 their bodies and adding in
a note tho observation that The brain develop
mcnt in this country is earlier and it's action
more rapid than elsewhere and the mental
processes OF the Americans quicker and more vivid
than those OF any other people Their intellect IS
suhtcr than That Of the English and there is a
tendency 10 insanity with them which does not
exist with us. They want our heavy. sound,
material ballast 70 qualify their highcr and finer
brain. The Americans as a rule are wanting in
animal spirits, properly sO-clll"d. because they
are generally the result Of vigorous animal health
and abOund in the young in whom the animal
vital element prpdominates. Tie Americans know
nothing Of the nursery life of English children.
that existence 50 carefully devoted to physical
habits Of the whoesomcst simplicity and rrgu-
larity 50 carefully deprived Of all Intellectual in
fuence or nervous EXCITEMENT There is no Ameri-
can childhood, and the athletic sports of English
men are comparatively little cultivated By Ameri
cans Business life begins much earlier in the
United States and the carelcssness of youth is
shorter lived there than in any other country. s.
1t seems difficult TO believe that this was written
in 1879 but certainly il is impossible to recognize
the portrait in 1891, rapid have been the