ANNA MARIA SCHURMAN.――Anna Maria Schurman was born in the year 1607.
Her extraordinary genius discovered itself at six years of age, when
she cut all sorts of figures in paper with her scissors, without a
pattern. At eight, she learned to draw flowers in a few days, in a very
agreeable manner. At ten, she took but three hours to learn embroidery.
She was afterwards taught music, vocal and instrumental, painting,
sculpture and engraving, in all of which she succeeded admirably.
She excelled in miniature painting, and in cutting portraits upon glass
with a diamond. Hebrew, Greek and Latin were so familiar to her that
the most learned men were astonished at it. She spoke French, Italian
and English, fluently. Her hand-writing in almost all languages was so
beautiful, that the curious preserved specimens of it in their cabinets.
* * * * *
AN INDIAN YOUTH.――A native gentleman of India, in relating his history
to one of the missionaries, said:
“My father was an officiating priest of a heathen temple, and was
considered in those days a superior English scholar; and by teaching
the English language to wealthy natives, realized a very large fortune.
At a very early period, when a mere boy, I was employed by my father
to light the lamps in the pagoda, and attend to the various things
connected with the idols. I hardly remember the time when my mind was
not exercised on the folly of idolatry. These things, I thought, were
made by the hand of man, can move only by man, and whether treated well
or ill, are unconscious of either. Why all this cleaning, anointing,
illuminating, &c.?
“One evening, these considerations so powerfully wrought on my youthful
mind, that, instead of placing the idols according to custom, I threw
them from their pedestals, and left them with their faces in the dust.
My father, seeing what I had done, chastised me so severely, as to
leave me almost dead.
“When I recovered, I reasoned with him, that, if they could not get
up out of the dust, they were not able to do what I could; and that,
instead of being worshipped as gods, they deserved to be down in the
dust, where I had thrown them. My father was implacable, and said he
would disinherit me, and, as the first step to it, sent me away from
his house. He relented, however, on his death-bed, and left me all his
wealth.”
Jumping Rabbit’s Story.
CHAPTER II.
_I am carried to an Indian village.――The scene described.――Am
insulted by the young Indians.――They get well punished.――
Painful thoughts._
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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