a high footing in Bavaria, and Maximilian now wished to do the same thing for science in general, and he therefore endeavored to collect from all parts of Germany the best men whom he could attract. One of these was Liebig, the king having made him president of the Academy, with the condition that he should undertake no laboratory teaching; that he should deliver lectures only, and at the same time be the Curator of the Botanical Gardens. In that position he remained up to his death, devoting himself mainly to the public part of his duties, which he performed with grace, honor, and glory, and in the laboratory which had been constructed for his own immediate wants he only performed such analyses, partly himself, and partly by a number of assistants, as were necessary to give him the data for the publication of his several works.
At last, in the year 1873, on April 18th, he died, nearly seventy years of age, and in full possession of his faculties, not having, as other philosophers have had the pain of doing, experienced any diminution of his mental powers.
| CAROLINE LUCRETIA HERSCHEL. |
By ELIZA A. YOUMANS.
II.
WHATEVER may be thought of the intellectual differences between men and women, the broad mental contrast between Caroline Herschel and her brother Sir William Herschel is undeniable. Intellectual activity and a love of knowledge for its own sake influenced his boyhood, characterized his manhood, and dominated his whole life. He became an eminent astronomer because his passion for physical inquiry, directed toward the constitution of the universe, mastered every other sentiment of his nature. But the mind of Caroline Herschel was of another mould. She learned various things, from a desire to please her friends and to earn her living; but there is no evidence that she ever studied anything from a love of knowledge. Her whole life was inspired by purely personal feelings. In a former article we saw how submissively she delved for the family throughout her youth, and left them full of concern about their daily comforts. It was an all-absorbing love for her brother which led her to study astronomy, and at his death her devotion to science ended. Some people, perhaps, will admire her less on this account; yet, while it diminishes her claims as a philosopher, it certainly increases her claims as a woman. The tendency of women to act from intense personal motives is a fact of vital moment to the community, because the very existence of the family depends upon it; and it is difficult to imagine any future
