The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-04-21
Charlotte Bronte Centenary

This month not only commemor-. ates the 3OOth anniversary of the pass ing of Shakespeare from the worlds stage and the tercentenary of the death of Cervantes, but it offers an-
 other notable literary landmark in the centenary of the birth of Char lotte Bronte. It was just one hum drede years ago today that the fam ous woman novelist was born in
 Yorkshire. She was one of the five daughters of Rev. Patrick Bronte, a
 native of Ireland. and a graduate of Cambridge. He was curate at Thorn ton, in Yorkshire. when Charlotte was born.
 Rev. Patrick Bronte was a kind, Fearnest and upright man, but with an Irish inflamma bility of temper which made him subject to violent fits of anger. His anger was nearly
 always vented on inanimate objects,
 however, and his children, who were
 early left motherless. suffered little
 from his explosions. Charlotte and
 her sisters knew little of luxury, and their plainness of living set them to a course of high thinking. At the age of eight Charlotte and three of her sisters were sent to, a school conduct ed by a clergyman who was more
 anxious that his pupils should be good than that they should be hap py or attain useful knowledge. Two
 
 ed in health by their experiences in this schoo that they died after few months. The recollection of this | tragedy embittered Char1otte's whole life, and exercised a profound influ- ence upon her literary career. Mem ories of$ that horrible school were doubtless responsible for the sombre fascination which brooks over the
 pages of Jane Eyre" and recolIec- tions of her school days were largely drawn, upon for the incidents and Icharacters of that remarkable novel 1 Charlotte was removed from the school, but her craving for Knowledge Icontinued strong, and at fifteen she was placed in another school kept by a. kind and motherly woman named | Wooler. Four years later she became a teacher, but the labor so wore up
 on her health and spirits that she had to give it up. After. a rest she tried
 the work of a governess, but the oc- cupation was against the whole grain
 of her nature. She then planned to open a school, in partnership with her
 sister Emily, and the two went to Brussels to study French at Mime. Heger's school. The handsome and 1 accomplished Professor Heger won Charlotte's deep admiration, and they were on very friendly terms, but the scandal -mongers were utterly and ma1ici ously mistaken in { imputing l more than friendship to their re1a- tiohs. Upon the return of the Bronte
 sisters to England they attempted to open a school, but no pupils came, and they were obliged to bandon the project. In 1S46 Charlotte and Emily put forth a joint volume of poems, but the work met with little favor Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte
 then turned to prose and each wrote tale, but, while the efforts of Elm fly and Anne found publishers, Char Iotte's was everywhere rerused. Per- sistent in spite Of this discourage
 ment,f Charlotte toiled on, and began the comp position of pttJane Eyre, y which was published in 1847. It was decided triumph, and the novel was translated into several tongues and made the author famous all over the
 world In the midst of this triumph came the death Of her beloved sister
 Emily, and Anne soon followed. She
 turned to work as a solace for sher grief and wrote Shirley and '4Vi1- 1ette, z which disappointed the critics,
 but won popular applause In 1854
 Miss Bronte became the bride of the
 Rev MT. NicholIs. her fathers cur ate. She was married in June. and the poor woman at last reached
 season of rest and joy;f but the cup
 was soon snatched from her lips, for she died the following March, in her isffatrty-nirlth year,