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Show HERSCHEL'S SISTER. Caroline Herschel was born at Hanover in 1850, the daughter of a musician, who thought his daughters properly employed in "the drudgery of the scullery." In 1772 she joined her brother William at Bath, where he had already become famous as a teacher of music, and she at once began that career of devotion to his interests which made his astronomical achievements possible. He ground his own mirrors for the telescope; for, as Miss Edwards quotes from Lord Rosse, such grinding used always to be done by hand, and the work required the very greatest care and industry. "Upon one occasion, while engaged on a seven-foot mirror, he did not remove his hands from it for sixteen hours together." Meanwhile Caroline read to him from Sterne of Fielding, and from time to tome actually "kept him alive by putting the victuals by bits into his mouth." Little by little the famous music master began to make himself known as a man of science. In 1781 he was elected F.R.S., then he was appointed "Royal Astronomer," (not astronomer-royal,} with a salary of 200 a year, and on this the brother and sister left Bath and the musical profession behind forever. They settled at Datchet, near Windsor, and Caroline, not without some regrets, for she was in a fair way to become distinguished as a public singer, her special business being "to sweep for comets." But the old housewifely instincts were by no means obliterated, as will appear from such extracts in her diary as this, written at their new house at Slough, in 1786: July 3 - My brothers William and Alexander left Slough on their way to Germany. By was of not suffering too much by sadness, I began with bustling work. I cleaned all the brass-work for the seven and ten-foot telescopes, and put curtains before the shelves to prevent the dust from settling upon them again. July 4 - I cleaned and put the polishing-room in order, and made the gardener clear the work-yard, put everything in safety and mend the fences. July 6 - I put all the philosophical letters in order, and the collection of each year in a separate cover. July 18 - I spent the whole day in ruling paper for the register, except that at breakfast I cut out ruffles for shirts. I tried to "sweep," but it was cloudy and the moon rose at 10:30. July 19 - In the evening "swept from eleven to one. For years and years she went on with this nightly "sweeping," although in 1788 her brother married and she removed to lonely lodgings near by. The work she [line obliterated by fold] was somewhat enormous; it is to be explained by the fact that till William died, in 1822- her seventy-second year - she went steadily on without check or hinderance, "calculating and copying," watching and recording. Then, after that date, when she had already lived to a ripe age and achieved results enough for three lifetimes, she settled down for another quarter of a century in her Hanoverian home. But on this evening of her days we need not dwell; nor, indeed, need we dwell at greater length upon her earlier time, for Mrs. John Herschel's Memoir must be still fresh in the recollection of many readers. - Saturday Review. |