--Democracy of the Church--Government--A Russian
family--London, 1873--Frances Power Cobbe--Bookstores in London--Glasgow
College for Girls

CHAPTER XI

Papers--Science--Eclipse of 1878, Denver, Colorado--Colors of stars

CHAPTER XII

Religious matters--President Taylor's remarks--Sermons--George
MacDonald--Rev. Dr. Peabody--Dr. Lyman Abbott--Professor Henry--Meeting
of the American Scientific Association at Saratoga--Professor Peirce--
Concord School of Philosophy--Emerson--Miss Peabody--Dr. Harris--Easter
flowers--Whittier--Rich days--Cooking schools--Anecdotes

CHAPTER XIII

Letter-writing--Woman suffrage--Membership in various societies.--Women's
Congress at Syracuse, N.Y.--Picnic at Medfield, Mass.--Degrees from
different colleges--Published papers.--Failure in health--Resigns her
position at Vassar College--Letters from various persons--Death--Conclusion

APPENDIX

Introductory note by Hon. Edward Everett

Correspondence relative to the Danish medal

CHAPTER I

1818-1846

BIRTH--PARENTS--HOME SURROUNDINGS AND EARLY LIFE

Maria Mitchell was born on the island of Nantucket, Mass., Aug. 1, 1818.
She was the third child of William and Lydia [Coleman] Mitchell.

Her ancestors, on both sides, were Quakers for many generations; and it
was in consequence of the intolerance of the early Puritans that these
ancestors had been obliged to flee from the State of Massachusetts, and
to settle upon this island, which, at that time, belonged to the State
of New York.

For many years the Quakers, or Friends, as they called themselves,
formed much the larger part of the inhabitants of Nantucket, and thus
were enabled to crystallize, as it were, their own ideas of what family
and social life should be; and although in course of time many "world's
people" swooped down and helped to swell the number of islanders, they
still continued to hold their own methods, and to bring up their
children in accordance with their own conceptions of "Divine light."

Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell were married during the war of 1812; the former
lacking one week of being twenty-one years old, and the latter being a
few months over twenty.

The people of Nantucket by their situation endured many hardships during
this period; their ships were upon the sea a prey to privateers, and
communication with the mainland was exposed to the same danger, so that
it was difficult to obtain such necessaries of life as the island could
not