Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 8.djvu/757

Rh illustrious Sir William Herschel. It is supposed that she rose above the narrow sphere of woman's usual domestic life, and spent her time in studying the universe and making astronomical discoveries. She has been often cited, in the recent discussions of the woman question, as an illustration of the intellectual equality of the sexes and as demonstrating to the world what woman is capable of doing in science when she gets a fair opportunity.

Miss Herschel's memoirs have just appeared, made up mostly from her diary and correspondence, edited by Mrs. John Herschel. In this interesting volume we get a view of her real character, and discover that the notions generally accepted are widely mistaken. We learn from her diary and letters that, while she was a thrifty and interested housekeeper, she had neither the taste, the ambition, nor the mental qualities, that would have insured distinction in an independent intellectual career. It is seen that she became an astronomer by accident, as it were, and through the strength of her affection rather than of her intellect. When she found that her brother had resolved to take her as his assistant in his astronomic labors, it made her miserable for a time; and he chose her instead of either of his brothers, not because of her brilliant mind, but on account of her persevering devotion to his interests and her dexterity and readiness in doing an assistant's work.

The lesson of this book is very important to ambitious girls who despise domestic concerns, and long for an "intellectual" career. Her science, as such, gave Miss Herschel no great enjoyment; her happiness came from her womanly devotion to her brother's ambitious work; and the book will be found painfully interesting as it discloses the suferingsuffering [sic] she also experienced as the penalty of this unselfish devotion.

Miss Herschel lived to the great age of ninety-seven years and ten months, and retained her faculties bright to the last. We give a portrait, taken from the biography, which represents her at the age of ninety-two. In the following sketch we shall let her speak for herself, as far as practicable, as nothing can exceed the graphic simplicity of her diary. But, as she was a German, and did not begin to study English till she went to England, at the age of twenty-two, there are defects in her writing, for which the reader will make due allowance.

was the eighth of a family of ten children, four of whom died in childhood. Her father was band-master in the regiment of Guards at Hanover, and all his children had musical genius. He took great pains to cultivate his sons in music, and sent them to the garrison school for their routine education. As they grew up they all became musicians and joined the regiment band. At Dettingen, in 1743, the father was wounded and left all night in a wet furrow, and he had ever after an impaired constitution and an asthmatical affection. This event cast a shadow upon the family, and when Caroline was born, in 1750, in the gloomy period of the Seven Years' War, the mother's temper seems to have been already warped by trouble.