Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-30
THE LIBRARY TABLE
By the Bookloper

Perkins institution for the Blind, where
Laura Bridgman was his most famous
pupil, was the husband Of Julia Ward
Howe, author Of THE Battle Hymn Of
the Republic" Their five children all
found 1t natural to express themselves
through writing. Their second child.
Mrs. Florence Howe Hall, IN her book
Memories Grave and Gay" gives a
pleasing picture OF the home life OF
the Howe family in pre-Civil War days.
The South Boston Winter home OF the
Howes, Green Peace, was very warm
In Summer, SO DR.. Howe and his friend
HI. w. Longfellow hired house together
at Newport, which they called "Cliff
House." and which became the resor'
of many of their friends. Another in
Institution for the Blind, where the
doctors wing" was often occupied
during periods of domestic upheaval.
But, says Mrs. Hall, while the Insti-
tuition for the Blind was our pleasant
refuge, our permanent and dearly loved
home was Green Peace. AS you came
In the main door Of entrance and looked
down the long hallway Of the house you
saw directly opposite to you Byrons
helmet, fitting symbol Of the man who
dwelt there. My father had hung It
up, as returned pilgrim did his stan
and cockle-hat in the olden time, or q
warrior his sword and shield" DR..
Howe had aided the Greeks, as had
Byron, in their revolution against the
Turks. To Green Peace came many
distinguished visitors, for DR.. Howe was
famous as the educator who had estab-
lished communication with the world
for the blind and deaf Laura Bridgman:
"All European travellers of note wished
to see Laura Bridgman, the Helen
Keller of the nineteenth century, and
the man who had brought her into the
human fold" DR.. Howe's sympathy with
all foreign movements for freedom also
brought many refugees to his home and
the Howe children had a number OF
tutors from among them. Among the
famous guests at Green Peace were
Charles Sumner. DR.. Kane. the Arctic
explorer; the Hungarian patriot Kos
suth. James T. Fields, Arthur Hugh
Clough. Fredericka Bremen, Charles
Dickens Edwin Booth and Charlotte
Cushman.
The Howe children went to various
schools, in addition to having a success
sion Of governesses and tutors. but
there was always time for fun in the
Howe family. and, what was more i'm
portant, there was mother VINO was
able to make fun for herself and her
children, Under her direction the older
children edited and published Cat
home) a weekly periodical. the Listener
which chronicled the events OF the
family, their friends and the school at
tended at that time. Some stories were
contributed by schoolmates and the
mother wrote occasional editorials
The Howe children were permitted all
the elegant amusements OF the time.
riding, dancing. swimming, physical
culture, music. dramatics ana partles
Mrs. Hall SAYS: "Our physical culture
began early. We learned to swim with
out especial instruction, each Of US fol-
lowing out his or her own ideas, brother
Harry keeping his head under water.
sister Julia padding dog fashion, ]
swimming on my back. We learned to
ride very young, beginning with Jose, a
little Spanish donkey presented to us
by Albert Sumner, a brother oil
Charles" Dancing was learned from
the famous dancing master OF three
generations Of Boston!ans. Lorenzo
Papanti. "Mr. Papanti duly instructed
the elect Of the class in the gavotte. II
was a proud moment when you were
CHOSEN to take part in this. The shawl
dance was even more select. The single
couple-a brother and sister-who
danced this had reached the height OF
human ambition at Papanti's." In VIM
ter, skating took the place Of some OF
the other amusements. MY father
taught us to skate first with one foot,
thereby avoiding some tumbles. There
was a great revival of skating shortly
before the Civil War. Jamaica Pond
was In high favor. the cars going there
being damned with people. Father re-
vived his skating, as did many older peo-
pie. a certain general arousing unfavor-
able comment by appearing on double
runners. lie, skates with two blades.
When DR.. Howe bought Lawtor's Valley
r. l., as a Summer home many new
pleasures were brought into the lives Oh
his children, boating, tramping, sketch
ing, picnics, in all Of which relatives
and friends shared, for Lawton's valley
was always full of guests. As the chill
dren became young men and womer
and the Civil War spread cloud ovel
comuensating pleasures. Weekly hop.
at the Naval Academy at Newport ane
on board the old frigate Constitut1oI
were attended by the Howe girls ane
their guests. They were rowed over II
the ships boats and danced happily
with midshipmen to the strains OF the
naval band.
one of the ladies in waiting OF the
last Empress of Russia has written al
intimate biography-'The Lie ane
Tragedy of Alexandra Feodorovna, EN-
press OF Russia" by Baroness Sopnie
Buxhoeveden. The portrait drawn ]!
much the same as that by other biog'
raphers-a fanatical, narrow, old-fash'
toned. kindly, domestic woman, who
might have been happy leading simple
private life. but was entirely unsuitet
to the complicated intrigues of the Rus
sian court. The blind devotion of the
Empress to the impostor Rasputin, sc
hard to explain In the granddaughter
of Queen Victoria, Is attributed by the
baroness to the belief that Rasputir
was the only one who could cure the
heir to the throne Of his mysterious dis
ease.
streaming over the dunes, the storm
howled on west over the moors. The
islands Of the marsh were brownish.
black, the channels leaden and whipped
I'D by the wind, and along the shores
Of the desolate islands channel wave;
broke angrily, chidingly, tossing ur
heavy ringlets of lifeless white. A scene
of incredible dissolution and cold.
For a mile or so offshore the North At
lantic was convulsion of elemental
fury whipped by the sleety wind. the
great parallels of the breakers tumblins
all together and ningling in one seeth,
ing and immense confusion, the SOUND
Of this mile of surf being an endless
booming roar, a seethe and dread
grinding, all intertwined with the high
scream of the wind" This is a de-
scription of a February storm on Cape
Cod to be found In "The Outermost
House-A Year of Life on the Great
Beach of Cape Cod" by Henry Boston
The authors house. so near the sea
that the highest tides almost reached
it, was his observation tower, and from