The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-05-10
Wiz.

Writing to an old school friend In February.
1888. Holmes said: And so you are married.
l wish | were. too. l have firted and written
poetry long enough, and | feel that / am grow
Ing domestic and tabby-ish. l have several
very nice young women IN my eye. and 1t Is by
no means impossible that another summer or
So may see M name among the hymencal vic
tins. LIDO. indeed, congratulate you on chang
ing your isolated condition into the beatilc
state Of duality. Tho'very moment one feels
that he Is falling into the old age Of youth
which | take TO be from twenty-five TO thirty
in most cases-ho must not daily any longer:
the first era Of his life is fairly closed,
and he may live half his bright days over
again II 'woman's pure kiss sweet and long
comes only to his lips before 1t is too late. II he
waits till the next epoch OF his lie begins there
is great danger lest he marry his vito as Il
Jockey buys n horse, sensibiy, shrewdly. and
merely as n convenience in his domestic opera
tions. such arc my sentiments on this matter.
and two years will give me-a certain age l
shudder to repeat" The certain age" to
which Holmes referred. the age of 81, found
him married TO Amelia Lee jackson, a daughter
of Charles jackson OF Boston, an Associate
Justice OF the Massachusetts supreme Court.
or this lady the biographer tells us that for
DIR. Holmes she was an ideal wife a comrndc
the most delightful, n helpmnte the most useful.
whose abilities seem to have seen arranged
by happy foresight for the express purpose OF
supplying his wants. She smoothed his why
for him. removed annoyn noes from his path.
did for him with nm easy executive capacity q
thousand things which otherw ise he would have
missed, or have done with difficulty for him
self; she hedged him carefully about ard pro-
tected him from distractions. and bores. and
interruptions-in a word, she took care of him.
aud gave him every day the fullest and freest
chance to be always at his best, always able to
do his work amid cheerful surroundings" In
fine, an Intimate acquaintance with the family
enables tho biographer to aver that she con-
tributed immensely TO his success" He adds:
"lf. in thus ordering all things alike
within and without the daily routine with such
wIstful reference to the occupations and the
comfort of her husband, she often gave herself
In sacritice-as, no doubt, She did She always
did 80 with such amiable tact that the fact
might easily escape notice, and the fruit OF her
devotion was enjoyed with no disQuieting sense
OF what II had cost her" We are assured,
moreover, that, while she cschowed the idea of
having wit or literary and critical capacity, yet,
In point OF fact, she had raro humor and n sem
sitiye good taste which could have been lnfalli-
bly, counted upon for good service II, on any oo-
cAsion, these qualities could bring assistance 10
the Doctor-and, as to this, no man probably
knows"
The children OF this marriage were three; tho
eldest, Oliver Wendell, after rising from the
ranks TO be iieutenant-Co Colonel in tho civil war,
studied law, aud Is now an Associate Justice Of
the Massachusetts supreme Court, The second
child, n daughter named after her mother, mar
r'nd Mr.. Turner Sargent, after Whose death tho
was her fathers companion during his hundred
days in Europe, She died in 1889, having been
preceded five years before BY the third child,
Edward Jackson, who had Inherited not II little
OF his fathers Wit and humor, IL appears that
Edward Holmes left n son, who alone represents
the name in tho tl..rd generation.