onversations

sa, have been published under the title of "Comic Tragedies." They are thrillingly melodramatic, thickly sprinkled with villains and heroes, witches and ruffians, lovely ladies in distress, gallant knights to the rescue, evil spirits and good fairies, gnomes and giants. All are direfully tragic and splendidly spectacular. Louisa as a child showed the dramatic quality which later found ar

s made by the children were fastened to the branches. Father and mother made much of the spirit of the Christ b

her father held moral and intellectual discussions when Anna was four. Louisa was writing a daily journal before she could more than print. As soon as a ch

s of information. Louisa, poor little soul, in her happy, hoydenish childhood, found time one day in a fit of mentality to set down in black and white her chief faults. One of her

s decisive, with a determination and surety of self and brilliancy of mind that reflected the best in both parents. Elizabeth, the third child, was, in some respects, the most beautiful character of all. About her, from the hour of her conception, seemed to hover a spiritual, protecting love. Seemingly from earliest infancy she stood on the borderland of the spiritual world, in flesh all too fra

She seemed made for love, sunshine, and happiness, and had them all, but she was brave to face hardships and equally ready to acce

ere was no discussion of faults or mistakes in the Alcott household; reproofs remained little secrets between father and daughter, or mother and daughter, and the effect of this wise and constant watchfulness grows more apparent as the children advance

anniversary and at Christmas. Anna was six years old when he g

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8

Daught

e brightly. Shepherds watched their flocks by their light. The Babe was laid in his Manger-cradle. And harmles

e was Jesus. And he is also called Christ. This is h

f Jesus. Think how beautiful he was, and try to shine in lovely actions as he did. God never had a child

stma

er 24t

m y

th

cribes to his little daughter of eight years he

ought just how she would look and pictures to her the joy and the love with which she was surrounded befo

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8

that we might see you and have you for our own. At last you came. We felt so happy that joy stood in our eyes. You looked just as we wanted to have you. You were draped in a pretty little white frock, and father took you in his arms every day, and we loved you very much. Your large bright eyes looked lovingly into ours, and you

Fat

stma

h St

24,

ths later, he continues the th

16,

ar Da

their names. Now you are a still dearer object of Love and hope to them as your love buds and blossoms under their eye. They watch this flower as it grows in the Garden of Life, and scents the air with its fragrance, and delights the eye by its colours. Soon they will look not for Beauty and fragrance alone, but for the ripening and ripe fruit. May it be the Spiri

16 Mar

h St

st

o

n

Garden

nly his belief in life eternal, for Bronson Alcott considered

tt household, and Elizabeth the little shadow child of four, he wrote Christmas letters to his daughters, which show his apprec

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ty o

h

Anna

es

om

th

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e father's mes

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sa l

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of

u

some

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a

s Eve, D

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ehold, the father's love

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ty h

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et

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some

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beg

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ent of the Alcott girls through their father's letters. This o

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her's

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ug

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th Bir

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re addressed a few words to you on these interesting o

ttery. And you know too, that your father never gave you a word of flattery in his life. So there remains for you the true and purest pleasure of being instructed and benefited by words of love and the deepest reg

te of it and how shall you become more gentle? Only by governing your passions, and cherishing your love to everyone who is near you. Love is gentle: Hate is violen

s comes of Love too. Love is Patient: it bears; it suffers long; it is kind; it is beautiful; it makes us like angels. Patience is, indeed

your foot, will carry you. Hate all excuses: almost always, these are lies. Be quick in your obedience: delay is a laggard, who never get

d fix your thoughts on your doings. Halfness is almost

meeting you on the 16th March, 1843 (the good God sparing us t

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cor

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ronson

picture book, something pretty for her body, not much for her mind. The spirituality and the wisdom of the

s sent away from home for a time. To his little absent daughter the f

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ou to come home. You want to see us all I know. And we want to see you very much.

me so long before. It has g

note. I hope you can

od

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tu

in the Sc

8

ost wonderful letters of the many that have been p

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ence, and have no real pleasure unless you obey it. You cannot love yourself, or anyone else, when you do not mind its commandments. It asks you always to BE GOOD, and bears, O how gently! how patiently! with all endeavors to hate, and treat it cruelly. How kindly

r, and Sisters, with your little friends, show their love on this your Birthday

Fat

h St

ning, Nov.

of his belief. It is not surprising that, given such thoughts at seven, Louisa at ten or eleven wrote that she was sure in some previous life she must have

Sunday

8

he little mates at School, and Miss Russell, the House Playroom, Dolls, Hoop, Garden, Flowers, Fields, Woods and Brooks, all be to see and answer the voice and footsteps, the eye and hand of their little companion. But yet all m

ost as well as its own mother; to-day (Sunday) they all came to see the house and took their breakfast from their nice little feeding trough; you would have enjoyed the s

well as your sober fathe

see Louisa, when will she come home, Moth

o

th

ite how much K

birthday, her

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strong divi

ove, or boist

sic Ang

rd Di

her F

th birthday

ay greeting from h

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ing you to guide and govern your heart, keeping it in a state of sweet and loving peacefulness, so that you may feel how good and kind is that Love which lives always in our breasts, and which we may always feel, if we will keep the passions all in stillness and give up ourselves entirely to its soft desires. I live, my dear daughter, to be good and to do good to all, and especially to you and your mother and sisters. Will you not let me do you all the good that I would? And do you not know that I can do you little or none, unless you give me your affections, incline your ears, and earnestly desire to become daily better and wiser, more kind, gentle, loving, diligent, heedful, serene. The good Spirit comes into the Breast of the meek and loveful to abide long; anger, discontent, impatience, evil appetites, greedy wants,

s y

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pe an

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rt

cor

29,

ion of father and mother, that by speech rather than written word, their message

Eliz

8

I I

three

th-

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tt

dear lit

ourself, and make everybody else happy too. Father wants to have his little girl happy all the time. He hopes her little friends and her presents and plays will make her happy to-day; and this little note too. Last birthday you were in Beach Street, in the great C

TH

very much, and knows that

y,

the

and

ry

of

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ce of

my s

od, kind, gentle, and patient, and his appreciation of her ac

rd, C

ry 2nd

r Eliz

ng first to help yourself. Trying is doing; doing is but trying; try then always and you will do; and every one loves to help those who try. I will print a little

firs

ask

entl

have

bes

ill n

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cc

Fat

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l the Alcott kin. This quaint little dolly letter, written to her by her Uncle Jun

Junius S

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tle

smi

o

, the

port a

Birthday, in

her s

er vis

ame, to

time, wi

you, pleas

treasure, to

t, neat, an

your Mother

at, by, mi

dest, little

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