New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-02-03
MARIA EDGEWORTH.
A COLLECTION OF HER LETTERS.

Of all the writer's OF her sex who have trodden
,his Garth there surely never lived one who
uas moro womanly gentle and womanly wise
than Maria Edgeworth. She had not a trace of
masculine aggrcssveness. not a trace OF the pro-
verbal blue-stocking of her time. She was
modest and Undetermined to a fault-one can
NOT but regret indeed that she should have 30
often allowed her father to dominate her talents
and direct her pen Clever az was Richard Edge
worth. his daughter was the cleverer OF the two;
and on many occasons-notably during the writ
ing OF ''Belinda"-her work was the worse for her
submission to his judgment Her nodesty for
bade her to give to the world any details Of her
career AS a woman" she said. my life, Who'll
" domestic can offer nothing Of interest to the
pubc" No adequate biography. therefore. OF
this good and charming woman has found place
in literature and these volumes. delightful as
they are. cannot quite take the place OF such a
work. The letters are transparently indicative OF
their writer's character. and brightly descriptive
Of a large part OF her life. But there are many
omissions which should be repaired, "a there are
some which we should like to make. In the case OF
notes which, IL pleasant. are sadly unimportant.
Mr. Hare has not. apparently. spent many pains
upon his editing beyond making the selections
and connecting them with the merest thread OF
narrative II is a pity that the collection private
" printed by Maria's stepmother-the collection
from which these selections were made-should
not have been published in its entirety
The family Of which Maria Edgeworth was all
her life queen and darling was singulariy
happy one. and queer IL was happy. Rich
ard Edgeworth. the descendant OF an excellent
English family resident in Ireland for 300 years,
married four times. having children by each OF
his wives All these different sets Of children
lived together in the utmost harmony and the
elder ones not only welcomed their successive
stepmothers. hut loved them dearly. and cher
Is he'd them tcndorly. The first Of Maria's step
mothers 1t may be added was that beautiful and
gifted Honora Sneyd. whom Major Andre had
adored in vain We know OF no plcasanter pict-
ure Of home life than that 50 artlessly revealed
in these volumes The father was a man OF
brains sincerely and actively Interested in liera-
ture and science and continually experimenting
in both His children were as clever and a. busy.
a bsorbed in one study or another, making ma
chimes with their own def fingers. working In
the beautiful flower gardens. or writing COM
edies. which they played themselves on winter
evenings Nobody dull or bored In that
Therein was the best OF nurture for the quick
brain and warm heart - Maria. the eldest
daughter OF Edgeworths first wife IL was for
the benefit OF her swarm OF young brothers and
sisters that the girl frst invented the stories
which afterward made her famous. and II was
the home verdict which was always the most
important TO her throughout her working life.
Her devotion 70 her family ended only AT her
grave. For years after her fathers death she
managed the estates for her hah-brother with
wonderful prudence and tact. IL needed all she
had % these qualities To- steer the property
safely through the period Of distress In ireland
The great difficulty" We are told. was pay
ing every body when rents were not To be had,
but she undertook the whole. borrowing money
In small sums. paying IN encumberancer. ana re-
paying the borrowed money AZ times improved.
thus enabling her brother to keep the land which
50 many proprletors were then obliged 10 sell.
vet never distressing the tenants. The skill
with which the novelist conducted the business
affairs OF this large family must have puzzled
those who had no faith In the practical qualities
Of the writing woman. Her literary habits would
puzzle equally the writers Of to-day. All her
books were written little desk In tho library
at Edgeworthstown, which was the common sit
ting-room Of the family The noisy and busy
group Of people about her never seemed to dis
turb her In the least What would strike the
modern novelist with greater iiI'i "'u' w ~
requirement to submit 10 a critical relative the
full sketch OF story before its FIRST chapter
was begun. This was Mr.. Edgeworths demand
and his daughter always yielded 10 1t.
There are no more delightful feminine letters
than the best OF these. They are full of shrewd
of quick appreciation Of the humorous.
and with these qualities there liz a kindness and
broa d-mindedness that speak az winningly TO the
readers heart as to his understanding. The
style ~ always unaffected, simple and vivid;
and many Of the epis;les sent forth from the
rustic seciusion Of the writer's Irish home are
animated and entertaining as those written dur
ing her travels abroad. In France. whittier
she went while still a young lady. though
already distinguished writer. she met
many famous peopl" and was received
with enthusiasm. Much was due 10 her
literary reputation but something also to her
kinship with the Able Edgeworth. the coura-
geous confessor OF Louis XVI, who accompanied
the King to the scaffold All that was pleas
ATTEST In the Paris Of 1909 was open to his young
cousin. She was much Interested In Nine.
D'Ouditot. the lady who inspired Rousseau with
the idea OF julie and who at seventy-two was
a "shockingly ugly" little woman with squnt,
yet a most fascinating creature. Il felt In her
says the young Irishwoman. the
delightful influence Of a cheerful temper and
soft. attractive manners,-enthusasm which age
cannot extinguIsh and which spends but does
not waste itself on small but not trhng objects.
She seems as gay and open- hearted as girl 81
fifteen. II has been said " her that she not
only never did any HARM but never suspected
any. She Is possessed Of that art which Lord
Kamcs said nc would prefer TO the finest gift
from the queen of the fairiesthe art OF selling
the best side Of every object. She has had great
misfortunes. but she has still retained the power
of making herself and her friends happy. Even
during the horrors Of the Revolution. II she met
with flower a butterfly. an agreeable smell. a
pretty color she would turn her attention TO
these. and for the moment suspend her sense Of
misery not from frivoty. but from real philos-
orhy." Miss Edgeworth asked II Rousseau was