The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1895-09-21

ard Brinsley Sheridan, Frances Sheri-
! dan. OF remarkable literary talent her
I;slf, she transmitted her ability to her son,
who not only used his own powers but his
mothers creations to aid ehts success in
life. Mrs. Sheridan, the daughter OF Or.
Philip Cham berlayne, was born In Ire
| land in 1874 and died in France in 1856.
From an early age Mrs Sheridan mad
| shown literary taste. When only 10 years
! of age she wrote a romance In Two vol
umes, s'Eugenia and Adelaide" which
! was afterward adapted for the stage as d
! comic drama. Another OF her works was
| the M emoirs Of Miss Sidney Biddulph,' '
which was translated into French, and
part of which was dramatized. It was
! highly SPOKEN CT by the critics OF the day
ana from it, though he denied the charge,
! her famous son drew the plot for his
School Of Scandal She also wrote two
comedies, "The Discovery and The
Dupe,'' which had considerable success.
! Her last work was the History Of Nour-
ianad," which was intended to De the f1rst
of series Of MORAL 1ations, but which
! death prevented her completing. Be-
sides these published works she wrote
! nIay. '&rrhe Trip to Bath, which is said to
| have been the basis of 'The Rivals, :
though in this case, as III the other, the
/ son denied that ne was indebted TO- DIS
mother fer the idea. Besides her novels
and plays she wrote considerable verse
/ 1t was not so good as her prose. \
| Mrs. S,leridan's life was a most happy
one until Just before it's Close, when the
pain caused by the ravages OF consump-
! ton troubled her. Her husband had
pension of $1,000 from the government
ana Oh this they retired to France, where
she died in 1853. To the last she retain
ed her full mental powers.
The mother OF Alexander Won fiuEa-
boI,st is another instance where woman,
by he1. careful training OF her sons, mas
enabled them 10 accomplish much for
The world. His mother was Marie Eliza
beth Won Colomb, widow of Baron Won
Ho}lweae. In 1885 she married AleXan-
der George yon Hum boidt, who was then
the confidential adviser. and trusted COM
panion of Frederick the Great. She had
raceived an unusual education for VIC
man Of that day and determined that he1'
SONS should have every advantage IN the
same line. During their Childhood she
taught them all she could and When IL
nancial reverses had crippled her for
tune she rnortgaged her property that her
two boys might complete their educat1on
Retiring TO q country seat, she hired the
best tutors she could secure. During The
latter years of her life shs was al li-
valid and suffered greatly. Geld and
austere by nature, Frau Won Humboldt
soon grew away from her sons ana Tor
wears before her death saw almost moth
ing of them,
CARLYLE grabbed and cross as he WAS to
most, says Of his mother, Margaret AIT
ken: '';;,!le was the best OF all lnoihers
and toher owe endless gratitnde Eis
father was q reserved, silent man, aDa
the mother was the idol Of the family
She appreciated the advantages OF edu-
cation and gladly supported her husband
when he suggested that they ecnEoEla1ze
so as to send their SON to the college ;4t
Ed;nburg.
Having always led a homely peasant
life. Mrs. Carlyle sgas far from having
any knowledge OF cities. All that She
knew of this she guessed from the talk
OF her son. When on his visits to her
she would sit quietly by the fireplace and
smoke her pipe while he recounted MS
struggles with the world. 1t is said that
it was his mother that prompted Carlyle
to write his t'Llfe of Cromwell l. This
statement is borne out by one OF Carly le> S
remarks. In 1858 death put an end to
her life. which, in spite OF "lln7'emftting
toll and painful sickness, lasting for
wears, she made bright and CHEEKY for
others.
,Goethe's mother is one Of the few wo-
men to whom it is impossible to trace Tue
trait which made the son famous. Yet
she was far more like her son than Was
his father. She was not a. woman OF gen
ius nor was she deeply cultured. stu.
she had read the best of German and ltai-
ian literature, and was possessed OF a
broad and, aside from religion, q liberal
mind. Size was born in 1749, and pos
sessed q happy, loving disposition. Ihls
her son undoubtedly Inherited. lie has
said that he learned from her his love of
stories and poems that appealed to the
|imagination.
Having thoroughly good physical
health Frau Goethe had ali equally
healthy mind, and made the boyhood OF
her sou bright and happy. She was
great lover of the theater and went con-
stantly. the leading actors being her
friends and keeping up regular cores
pondence with her. Goethe idolized his
mother. and she placed the utmost conf
do1ce in him. She believed SO implicitly
In his ability that when friend said that
he, son was the foremost man in Ger
mary'' she replied: "Of course he is.
WHY should he alot be, with his goodness
and ability"
The unfortunate life led by the mother
Of Byron is well known, and 1t is little
wonder that her son was born With the
nature that wrecked his life An orphan,
with ample property, but so unattract1Ve
personally that she had never received
an offer Of marriage she iel} an easy prey
| to "Mad Jack" Byron, when, left penTi-
les by the death Of his first wife, he
sought to retrieve his fortunes IN marriage.
There was evidently a touch OF insanity
in her family as well as in that OF her
husband. and her actions can only be ac:-
counted for by reason of a diseased mind.
Cant. Byron sooa dissipated all her prop;
erty that he could get hold Of and then
fled to France 10 escape creditors. There,
he died. or. as Lord Byron has said, killed
himself. sA
Although possessed Of an ungoyerna ple.
temper and cruel and heartless n many,
ways toward her son. Mrs. Byron had
gsnt1er instincts and showed the best
side Of her ssharacter in the care she took
Of her step-daughter, her husband IS child
bv his first marriage. But with Byron she
was very different, constantly quarreling
with him and often swearing at him,
and at one time calling him a lame
brat" Of$A1rs Byron's temper there is.
abundant proof aside from the statement
of the me1nbers OF the, family So far
apart did mother ard son grow that Mrs
Byron was the last to hear Of the poets
succession to the peerage and entasled
ay14<H III yfyn