Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1893-11-16

In the old Hellenic days when Jove,
father Of gods. reigned supreme on high
Olympus, he was wont to summon his
nine daughters from Mt Parnassus to pre-
side over song, and to assist at festivals.
In this royal household these youngest
daughters held subordinate position !;
but the years have rolled away and in the
XIXth century the nine MUSES. have super
seeded their ruder brothers. aud hold gen
tie sway over the whole world.
1t was in lS06 that Agnes, third daugh-
ter of Thomas Strickland of Roydou Hail
Suffolk, was born. The spirit of Clio,
which was strong within her, was MAJ l.
tested first in 1888 when she published
historical romances In verse In the style
of Walter Scott. From these she passed
| to prose histories, written for the young,
and in 1856 published picturesque
sketch of the Pilgrims Of Wasngham
and two volumes of Tales and Stories
from History"
In 1910 the first volumes of Lives Of
the Queens of England" appeared, maxim.
| its author the queen Of history writer's.
| II was an ambitious work comprising
twelve volumes aud requiring niue years
| to bring II 10 completion. 1t was during
these years that she edited the Letters
of Mary, Qneeu of Scots" whose limo
cence she enthusiastically Championcd.
In 1850 the Queens of Eng land" was fol-
| lowed by the Lives of the Queens OF
Scotland" the eight volumes OF which
were written in as many years.
tAle of the most untiring of writer's.
| Miss Strickland now turned 10 the Bache
| lor Kings Of England" about whom >hc
| published q volume in 1851. Her next
| books were The Lives OF the Seven
| Bishops" and an abridged version Of
| The Queens OF England" and her last.
the Lives Of the Last Four Stuart Prn-
| cesses.
| In spite OF the fact that she was a warm
| partisan on the side of royalty and The
| church. her histories are surprisingly non
| partisan, and We are told that she made
"an industrious study OF official records
and other public documents from which
| she made copious extracts.
! In ISL. 10 recognition of her merits. she
| obtaiued a civil list pension Of cl0o which
she was not long 10 enjoy, for She died at
the place Of her birth In 1874. IL Wa
| family of authors, three OF Miss StriCk-
| lands sisters and one brother having made
valuable contributions H. the literature Of
| their century.
| Poiyhymnia has had no more faithful rep
resentatiyc throughout the years than
| Sarah Slddons, who, although born III
| l755, lived until ISL. doing some uf her
best work in the MINI century, and exert
| ing lasting Influence over the age. Re
| garding oratory in It's highest and broad
est sense. a. the art OF expression which
can only be manifested by the inherent
| qualities OF the orator, Mrs. Siddons de.
serves the highest place among orators,
not so much tor her performance, which
Is. however, uBexceled. but for her power
Of raising dramatic art from the lowest
| depths of degradation to the high plane it
now occupies.
Those no prefer 10 regard oratory iu
| its more restricted sense can recall the
time, when in later life. She gave Shakes.
! pearean reading. before the royal family
| AT Windsor castle. and small audiences IN
| London. 4 member OF the kembe family.
/ afterward rendered famous Ia the draiuAt-
ic world by the talent ot Mrs. Siddons and
her brother John, the little girl WAS almost
| born upon the stage.
Her father. Roger k-mble. was the man
| ager OF a troupe of strOliiug players, him
| self and hi. wife both being actors. W hen
scarcely more than baby, Sarah appeared
| In minor parts, and worked her way up
/ until rumor- OF her rare Gifts reached the
ear of the great David GarFick, who upon
seeing her act in 4 provincial town. en-
gagged her TO star at the Drury Lane
| theatre, OF which he was manager. Her
husband, whom she married when only
nineteen, WAS a member of her fathers
troupe, and far Inferior. intellectually, to
his brilliant wife.
Mrs. Siddons' life was by no means a
| bed of roses. Poverty, Illness the cares
of an ever-increasing family, and above all
the lack OF early educational advantages
! would have discouraged less brave and
dauntless hear. She was thirty years Old
when she reached the meridian Of her
po.er-thirteen years Older than Rachel
! was when she carried the English stage BY
storm. To Mrs. Siddons is due the credit
Of making Shakespesre's plays popular,
and her conception of Lady .Hdcbeth is
accepted by critics and actresses of the
present day. One writer says: 1T fitted
her as no other character did, and as
perhaps it will never fl another actress"
But Mrs. Siddons the woman, must for
ever triumph over Mrs. SIddons the
actress. \ faithful wife and a devoted
| mother, her family were never neglected
that her art should prosper. We have
| records of her working up parts in the
night after her children had gone 10 bed
and later exchanging congenial engage
| ments for more lucrative ones that her
boys and girls might be educated in the
best schools in England A shrewd WON
an of business, she called down upon her
self the maledictions Of many manager
while her success made jealous actresses
her enemies but in spite Of the tempta-
tons her profession afforded, so unim-
peachable was her character that not one
dared utter a word of private caumny
Arts and letters had appealed more to
the feminine mind than had scientific stud
les, until the mantle of Urania fell on Car
olne Lucretia Herschel who was born in
Hanover in 1850. She was the sister of
Sir VIM. Herschel and the eighth child of
their parents. Though eager for an edu-
cation she was allowed only the rudiments.
owing to the prejudice of her mother who
did not wish her to know more than was
necessary for being useful in the family.
In 1867 her father died. and in order to
earn her own living Caroline learned milli-
merry and dressmaking, at which she work
ed five years, when she went to England to
live with her brother William. who was a
music teacher at Bath. At once she be-
| came u VALUABLE RESISTANT 10 MIN, not only
as principal singer at his oratorio concerts,
but in the astronomical researches in which
he spent his leisure. So famous did she
become as vocalist that she was invited
to sing at the Birmingham festival. which
honor she declined.
When William Herschel was made as
troDomer royal his sister gave up her pro-
fession and became his assistant in obser
vations and the calculations which were
entailed. For these services the king
granted her pension of ESQ. During
these years she discovered seven comets
and in 1897 presented the Royal society
; with catalogue of $50 stars. not included
iD the British catalogue.
In 1922 Miss Herschel returned to Han
over, but continued her studies, making
valuable contributions to science. In 1873;
the astronomical society unanimously yot
. ed to bestow on her their gold medal, anc
to make her an honorary member of thei
society, and eleven years later she received
+, another gold medal from the king OF
5 Prussia.
l. In 1880 while Caroline Herschel, theI
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