Maria Mitchell: Life, Letters, and Journals | Page 4

he by no means
gave up studying his favorite science, astronomy, and Maria was his
willing helper at all times.
Mr. Mitchell from his early youth was an enthusiastic student of
astronomy, at a time, too, when very little attention was given to that
study in this country. His evenings, when pleasant, were spent in
observing the heavens, and to the children, accustomed to seeing such
observations going on, the important study in the world seemed to be
astronomy. One by one, as they became old enough, they were drafted
into the service of counting seconds by the chronometer, during the
observations.
Some of them took an interest in the thing itself, and others considered
it rather stupid work, but they all drank in so much of this atmosphere,

that if any one had asked a little child in this family, "Who was the
greatest man that ever lived?" the answer would have come promptly,
"Herschel."
Maria very early learned the use of the sextant. The chronometers of all
the whale ships were brought to Mr. Mitchell, on their return from a
voyage, to be "rated," as it was called. For this purpose he used the
sextant, and the observations were made in the little back yard of the
Vestal-street home.
There was also a clumsy reflecting telescope made on the Herschelian
plan, but of very great simplicity, which was put up on fine nights in
the same back yard, when the neighbors used to flock in to look at the
moon. Afterwards Mr. Mitchell bought a small Dolland telescope,
which thereafter, as long as she lived, his daughter used for "sweeping"
purposes.
After their removal to the bank building there were added to these an
"altitude and azimuth circle," loaned to Mr. Mitchell by West Point
Academy, and two transit instruments. A little observatory for the use
of the first was placed on the roof of the bank building, and two small
buildings were erected in the yard for the transits. There was also a
much larger and finer telescope loaned by the Coast Survey, for which
service Mr. Mitchell made observations.
At the time when Maria Mitchell showed a decided taste for the study
of astronomy there was no school in the world where she could be
taught higher mathematics and astronomy. Harvard College, at that
time, had no telescope better than the one which her father was using,
and no observatory except the little octagonal projection to the old
mansion in Cambridge occupied by the late Dr. A.P. Peabody.
However, every one will admit that no school nor institution is better
for a child than the home, with an enthusiastic parent for a teacher.
At the time of the annular eclipse of the sun in 1831 the totality was
central at Nantucket. The window was taken out of the parlor on Vestal
street, the telescope, the little Dolland, mounted in front of it, and with

Maria by his side counting the seconds the father observed the eclipse.
Maria was then twelve years old.
At sixteen Miss Mitchell left Mr. Peirce's school as a pupil, but was
retained as assistant teacher; she soon relinquished that position and
opened a private school on Traders' Lane. This school too she gave up
for the position of librarian of the Nantucket Atheneum, which office
she held for nearly twenty years.
This library was open only in the afternoon, and on Saturday evening.
The visitors were comparatively few in the afternoon, so that Miss
Mitchell had ample leisure for study,--an opportunity of which she
made the most. Her visitors in the afternoon were elderly men of leisure,
who enjoyed talking with so bright a girl on their favorite hobbies.
When they talked Miss Mitchell closed her book and took up her
knitting, for she was never idle. With some of these visitors the
friendship was kept up for years.
It was in this library that she found La Place's "Mécanique Céleste,"
translated by her father's friend, Dr. Bowditch; she also read the
"Theoria Motus," of Gauss, in its original Latin form. In her capacity as
librarian Miss Mitchell to a large extent controlled the reading of the
young people in the town. Many of them on arriving at mature years
have expressed their gratitude for the direction in which their reading
was turned by her advice.
Miss Mitchell always had a special friendship for young girls and boys.
Many of these intimacies grew out of the acquaintance made at the
library,--the young girls made her their confidante and went to her for
sympathy and advice. The boys, as they grew up, and went away to sea,
perhaps, always remembered her, and made a point, when they returned
in their vacations, of coming to tell their experiences to such a
sympathetic listener.
"April 18, 1855.