Authors, American -- 19th century -- Biography; Feminists -- United States -- Biography; Howe, Julia Ward, 1819-1910
BEETHOVEN'S FUNERAL MARCH.
The heavy steps that 'neath new burdens tread,
The heavy hearts that wait upon the dead,
The struggling thoughts that single out, through tears,
The happy memories of bygone years,
And on the deaf and silent presence call:
O friend belov'd! O master! is this all?
But as the cadence moves, the song flowers fling
To us the promise of eternal spring,
Love that survives the wreck of its delight,
And goes, torch bearing, into darksome night.
Trumpet and drum have marked the victor's way,
The seraph voices now their legend say:
"O loving friends! refrain your waiting fond;
The gates are passed, and heaven is bright beyond."
In March, 1885, I had the unspeakable grief of losing my dear eldest
daughter, Julia Romana, of whose birth in Rome I have made mention. She
was a person of rare endowments and of great originality of character,
inheriting much of her father's personal shyness, but more of his
benevolence and public spirit. She was the constant companion and
faithful ally of that beloved parent. During the years of our residence
in the city, she would often walk over with him to South Boston before
breakfast. She delighted in giving lessons to the blind pupils of the
Institution, and succeeded so well in teaching German to a class of the
blind teachers that these were enabled, on visiting Germany, to use and
understand the language. She read extensively, and was gifted with so
retentive a memory that we were accustomed to refer to her disputed
dates and other questions in history. A small volume of her verses has
been printed, with the title of "Stray Chords." Some of these poems show
remarkable depth of thought and great felicity of expression.
[Illustration: JULIA ROMANA ANAGNOS
_From a photograph._]
A new source of delight was opened to her by the summer school of
philosophy held for some years at Concord, Mass. Here her mind seemed to
have found its true level, and I cannot think of the sittings of the
school without a vision of the rapt expression of her face as she sat
and listened to the various speakers. Something of this pleasure found
expression in a slender volume named "Philosophiæ Quæstor," in which she
has preserved some features of the school, now, alas! a thing of remote
remembrance. The impressions of it also took shape in a club which she
gathered about her, and to which she gave the name of the Metaphysical
Club. It was beautiful to see her seated in the midst of this thoughtful
circle, which she seemed to rule with a staff of lilies. The club was
one in which diversity of opinion sometimes brought individuals into
sharp contrast with each other, but her gentle government was able to
bring harmony out of discord, and to subdue alike the crudeness of
skepticism and the fierceness of intolerance.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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