The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1894-08-18
WAS A SHERIDAN,
An Inter esting Tribute by Lord
Dufferin to His Celebrated
Mother.
AN ACCOUNT OF HER LIFE.

She Inherited the Gifts and Graces
Of an Extraordinary
Family.
In these days Of the ''New Woman
talk and fiction it is refreshir g to take
up book like "Songs, Poems, and
Verses by Helen Lady Dufferin, edited
by her son, the Marquis of Dutferin
and Ava John Murray, saya the Chica-
20 Tribune. The work is tribute by
che most distinguished of England's
diplomatists to his justly celebrated
mother a-woman who united noble gifts
with personality Of surprising sweet
ness.
The late Lady Dufferin, one of the
three granddaughter of Richard Br1nsley
Sheridan, shared with her sis ers, the
Hon. Caroline Norton (Mrs. Stirling.
Maxwell of Keir) and Geofgina, Duchess
of Somerset, q full measure of the gifts
and charms of the hheridans. In her
beauty and wit were exemplified in re-.
markable degree. and these all conquer
ing sources of attraction we're combined
with others which, if they could not in-
crease the brilliancy Of that beauty and
wit, were potent allies in producing the
sweet attractive grace whict all who
knew Lady Dnfferin acknowledged and
found abiding. There have been many
ladies who have been beautiful, charm
ing, witty, and good,' Lord Dufferin
writes in his touching memoir, ''but 1
doubt if there have been any who have
combined with so high spirit and with
SO natural gayetY and bright an i'm
sgination as my mothers such strong,
unerriDg good sense, tact, and womanly
discretion The "lovableness" of her
character, to use Lord Duferin's apt
serm, is the one word that EXPRESSES her.
flne Of the tb1ee sisters married the
Uuao Of Somerset, and, as Lady Sey~
mour, was often chosen to represent the
Queen of Beauty at the old fashioned
tournaments. She had large deep blue
or violet eyes, black hair, black eyebrows
and eyelashes, and complexion of lilies
and roses-a kind of coloring, Lord Duf-
ferin saye, rarely seen out of Ireland.
Another sister was Mrs. Norton, a bru-
nette, with pure Greek profile and a
clere olive complexion. Lord Dufferin's
mother, although her features were less
regular than those of her sisters was
recognized on ali haIds as lovely and at
tractive, with figure distinguished for
its grace and symmetry, and sweet
voice, to which, in company with Mrs.
Norton, she often did justice at concerts
and assemblies Her other gifts were
numerous, the chief one being that of
poetry, which alone would have won her
an enduring fame. Frances Kemble, in
her Records of q Girlhood,' mentions
en- evening she past at Mrs. Norton's
house, when a host Of distinguished
public and literary men were crowded
into their small drawing room, which
was resplended with the light of Sheri-.
dan beauty, male and female-Mrs.
Sheridan (Miss Callendar,) the mother Of
the Graces, more beautiful than anyone
but her daughters; Lady Graham, their
beautiful aunt; Mrs. Norton; Mrs. Black
wood Lady DuHerin; Georgina( Duchess
OF Somerset ind Queen OF Beauty by
universal CONSENT and Charles Sheridan,
their younger brother, sort OF younger
brother of the Apollo Belvedire. Ger
tsinly never saw such bunch of bean
tiful creatures all growing on one stem.
I remarked it to Mrs. Norton, who looked
complscently around her tiny drawing
Room and eaid, Yes, We ara rather good
looking people," Rarely, indeed, has
there been such an instance of the trans
mission of luxuriantly brilliant gifts as
the Sheridan family presents. The mon,
who were all over six feet high, as we'll
as handsome, might have become dis
tinguished intellectually, in politics or
letters, had consumption NOT swept tnem
away before their prime.
Lady Dufferin's grandmother was that
celebrated Bath singer, Miss Linley
theroine OF Ned Sothern's late comedy,
Sheridan; or, The Maid Of Bath, y,
whose marriage with Sheridan forms 90
beautiful page in the romance OF his
life. Her father, Tom Sheridan, was no
mean wit, while other distinguished
members Of the came house were Joseph
Sheridan le Fanu, who wrote" The House
of the Church -yard, z and .Uncle silas. I
as we'll 90 The BALLAD Of Shamus
OBrien; and Sheridan Knowles, the
author of No Hume chback', and Nir-
glnius, q tther works and
!. poems.a married frstt
B to q al q j BlaclkI