Year: 1879

dence of on her deathbel. Niebuhr had
never spoken to her of her approaching
death, much as he loDged to receive her
parting wishes, because the physician for
bade all excitement. Once only. few days
before her death, as he was holding her in
his arms, he asked her if there was no pleas
ure he could give her, nothing that be could
do for her sake she replied, with look of
unutterable love: You shall finish your
history whether live or die" That was
her only desire.


Or, as we have said, failing such nobility
of mind, it would appear that the next best
hope of happiness for the genius Is to be
found in the opposite extreme-that is, per-
feet humility or simplicity. or in the down
right stupidity of his wife. An example of
this latter success, more particular and strik-
ing than those we haye given, is to be found
IN the life of one OF the greatest OF German
authors. He was subject to fits of the ferc-
est passion, in which he denounced his wife
Ia simple crea.ure) in torrents of the most
tragical and scathiDg language. Any woman
of finer susceptibility or better education
must have trembled with terror under such
paroxysms of rage; but this lady listened
with calm admiration; she did not under
stand syllable of the speech; but the un-
hesitating flow of high soundings words and
the expressive gestures ceptivated the mind
of the simple woman, and the torrent of
abuse which should have overwhelmed her
with grief, only drew from her some iDgenu-
Gus expressions of sincere admiration. She
was always under the impression that at
these moments her husband was but re-
hearsing to her parts of the play he bad just
written; and she was, no doubt, fiastered,
too, in her little way, with the role of critic
apparently assigned her. Obviously, pas
sion which had SO entirely missed its mark
could not be continued with any reasonable
hope of success; beside the failure was not
more signal than comical and it never
failed to restore the good humor OF the cho
leric author.


MEDIOCRE WOMEN.


Now If we turn to instances IN which men
of great genius have married women who
have been neither distinguished for sense
nor for the want of it-whose mental cslibre
has been of a mediocre kind-we can not
but be struck with the frequent unhappi-
ness which has followed. Such ladies are
not foolish, as the term is usually under
stood; they perform the duties which they
lmegine belong to their station, and they ex-
pect the privileges which also pertain to it.
Thus they make excellent partners for our
business men, whose duties and whose pleas
ures they understand and generally share.
But If such lady thinks of uniting herself
70 man of great genius, let her reflect upon
the fate of her sisters who have made that
experiment. Take first the experiences of
Dryden, our great English poet, and of his
wife Lady Elizabeth. The lady, though be-
longing to the aristocracy and therefore
presumably well educated. had DO sympa-
thy with the genius of her husband-a genius
that required his retirement SO frequently
from the family circle; she was, moreover, a
woman of a violent tempe and of but mod
crate intelligence. Dryden had suffered
much from that temper; and "his invec-
tiyes," says Malone. against the married
| state were frequent and bitter, and were con-
tinued to the latest period of his life." And
as Sir Walter Scott gently remarks: "His
excursions to the country seem to have been
| frequent; perhaps the more SO as Lady Eliz-
abeth always remained in town."


MILLIONS CASE.


Millions unfortunate matrimonial engage
meats are well known to all, and his Treat.
Use on Divorce which his domestic misfor-
tune stuug HIM into writing, has been widely
perused by all classes. But In this instance


we can feel less sympathy for the austere
Milton than for that girl of seventeen, who
was brought up in a home where there was
plenty of company and merriment and
dancing, and who, when she came to live
with the author of Paradise Lost, )" found il
SO solitary. No merriment and dancing in
Millions house. assuredly; but all studying
as if for their llves-the great poet reading,
writing and converslng In dozen or more
] languages his nephews struggling hard with
/ two or three. A veritable mill, this new
house of hers, from attic to basement, and
! the never ceasing grinding Of verbs and de-
clensions plague to her ears. What would
the poor child not have given to have il
changed into a real mill the one, for in
stance, near her home at Forest Hill in
\ Oxfordshire and instead OF hearing the
valuable opinions of Lucretius aud Epictetus
and Demosthenes, how her hear5 would have
thumped with joy TO have heard the voices
of Tom and Jerry shouting TO the terriers
| Some such thoughts the young BRIDE must
| have had, for after few TeeEs she fled back
/ to her country home, promising to return
some day-.as all children do en- the eve OF
| their release.


| And now, in conclusion, may we venture


to ask the yourg ladies who may read these


lines to reflect before giving their hands te
| genius, let genius press them ever so eagerly


Let them ask themselves if they are stupid


enough for such fate; or are they clever


enough. Perhaps no better test in the mat


ter could be applied than that mentioned


above. Having duly reflected, let the young
| lady say to herself: do feel certain tha


l shall always prefer Eplctetus and Lucretiu
to Tom and Jerry and their more activ'
| pursuits?n