Maria Mitchell
MARIA MITCHELL.
PROFESSOR MARIA MITCHELL, the distinguished astronomer, whose face is so vividly remembered by
Vassar students of recent years, is of Quaker parentage, and a native of the island of Nantucket.
She was born on the first of August, 1818, one of a numerous family. During her childhood she attended
with her brothers and sisters, the school taught by their father, who had the pleasure of finding them his best
pupils. The little Mitchells, quick and intelligent as they showed themselves to be, were as well constituted
physically as mentally; they romped, raced, and shouted as healthy children do. In appearance they differed widely,
some being fair-haired and of blonde complexion, while others were strongly marked brunettes ; but all possessed
the family characteristics of intelligence and perseverance.
They were, as one of them afterwards expressed it, " all alike inside." Maria, a brown-skinned, dark-eyed, lively
little girl, was not considered by the family to display any greater ability than the others, although at the age of
eleven, while still her father's pupil, she became his assistant teacher. Nor did she rate her intellectual gifts
as highly as without vanity she might.
"Born of only ordinary capacity, but of extraordinary persistency," she said of herself in later years, looking
back upon her career. But she added with a simplicity as rare as it is pleasing :
"I did not quite take this in myself until I came to mingle with the best girls of our college, and to be aware
how rich their mines are, and how little they have been worked."
Her education, both in and out of school, was of the best and most suitable kind. In the intelligent home of
which she was a member the news of the day was eagerly gathered and discussed; scientific topics received a fair
share of attention; and many strange facts, not to be found in books, were related and commented upon. She
learned, moreover, to use her hands helpfully and skillfully, to dress tastefully but simply, and to live
contentedly a plain, frugal life, brightened by study, affection, and society.
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She had many good friends upon the island, and visitors of distinction who landed upon its shores seldom failed to call at her father's house, where a
hospitable welcome awaited them, as well as the pleasure of imparting whatever store of knowledge or anecdote
they might possess to a group of curious young people with a gift for listening.
At sixteen she left school, and at eighteen accepted the position of librarian of the Nantucket library. Her duties
were light, and she had ample opportunity, surrounded as she was by books, to read and study, while leisure was
also left her to pursue by practical observation the science in which she afterwards became known.
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Those who dwell upon the smaller islands learn almost of necessity to study the sea and sky. The Mitchell family
possessed an excellent telescope. From childhood Maria had been accustomed to the use of this instrument, searching out with its aid the distant sails upon the horizon by
day, and viewing the stars by night. Her father possessed a marked taste for astronomy, and carried on a series of
independent observations. He taught his daughter all he knew, and she studied for herself besides.
At half past ten in the evening, on the first of October, 1847, she made the discovery which first brought her
name before the public. She was gazing through her glass with her usual quiet intentness, when suddenly she
was startled to perceive " an unknown comet, nearly vertical above Polaris, about five degrees." At first she
could not believe her eyes; then hoping and doubting, scarcely daring to think that she had really made a discovery, she obtained its right ascension and declination.
She then told her father, who. two days later, sent the following letter to his friend, Professor Bond of Cambridge:
NANTUCKET, 10th mo., 3d. 1847.
My dear Friend :—I write now merely to say that Maria discovered a telescopic comet at half-past ten, on the
evening of the first instant, at that hour nearly above Polaris five degrees. Last evening it had advanced westerly ; this evening still further, and nearing the pole. It
does not bear illumination. Maria has obtained its right ascension and declination, and will not suffer me to
announce it. Pray tell me whether it is one of Georgi's; if not whether it has been seen by anybody. Maria supposes it may be an old story. If quite convenient just
drop a line to her ; it will oblige me much. I expect to leave home in a day or two, and shall be in Boston next
week, and I would like to have her hear from you before I can meet you. I hope it will not give thee much
trouble amidst thy close engagements. Our regards are to all of you most truly,
WILLIAM MITCHELL.
The answer to this letter informed them that the comet was indeed a discovery. Meanwhile it had been observed
by several other astronomers, including Father da Vico at Rome, and another lady, Madam Hunker, at hamburg;
but Miss Mitchell was able to prove without difficulty that she had been the first to observe it. There was another
thing to be considered, however. Frederick VI of Denmark had, about fifteen years before this time, established
a gold medal of twenty ducats' value to be bestowed upon any person who should first discover a telescopic comet ;
and this prize Miss Mitchell might fairly claim. But the provisions concerning the award required that the discoverer should comply with several conditions. " If a
resident of Great Britain or any other quarter of the globe except the continent of Europe," he was to send notice, " by
first post after the discovery," to the astronomer-royal of London.
Miss Mitchell, desiring to be certain that her discovery was indeed original, had omitted to do this, and she was
therefore in doubt whether she might claim the medal. But as the intent of this neglected formality could have
been nothing more than to insure the medal's falling into the right hands, and as proof existed that she was the
earliest discoverer, she succeeded, with the assistance of Edward Everett; who warmly took her part, in obtaining
her well-merited distinction.
For ten years after this event she retained her position in the library, faithfully discharging her duty toward the
institution, and at the same time performing, to the satisfaction of the government, much difficult mathematical
work in connection with the coast survey. She also assisted in the compilation of the American Nautical
Almanac.
In 1857 she went abroad and visited most of the famous observatories of Europe. She was everywhere
received with distinction, and acquired the friendship of many of the leading astronomers of the day, besides
being elected a member of several important scientific societies. On her return home she had the pleasure of
finding that her friends had caused an excellent observatory to be fitted up for her in her absence, and here she
continued her astronomical pursuits until the year 1865, when she was invited to become Professor of Astronomy
at Vassar College, in the State of New York. She did not feel certain that she could suitably fill this interesting post, and hesitated some time before accepting it. It
is certain that the institution has never regretted her favorable decision.
She at once proved herself an excellent teacher, and the course in astronomy soon came to be regarded as
one of the pleasantest, as well as one of the best that the college afforded. It is elective and informal, her classes
being the only ones that are not begun and ended at the tap of an electric gong. The course consists, besides a
few lectures in the Sophomore year, of regular lessons during the Junior and Senior years. It is chiefly practical and mathematical ; including, however, some popular
astronomy. The practical portion is that which most interests the professor, who is continually urging her
pupils to use their eyes. She encourages them to make use also of the smaller telescopes every fair night, and
allows the Seniors some independent use of the great Equatorial telescope in the observatory. She is apt to
display some anxiety on these occasions, however, and seldom fails to warn a student who is going up to take
an observation, not to hit her head against the telescope. Her fears, as she explains, are not for the head, but for
the instrument. Drawings of the observations are invariably required.
In class, Miss Mitchell is abrupt but kindly, expecting and obtaining from each student the best that she can
do. With the plodding, modest girl, possessed of no brilliant qualities, but willing to work, she is always
patient, and ready to give encouragement and assistance. To the superficial and the conceited she shows little
mercy, considering it a part of her duty to abate their vanity. She has, as a Vassar girl remarks, "little
patience with fancy theories."
She lodges at the observatory with one or two assistants, and takes her meals at the college. Men are
employed at the observatory only for heavy lifting, all the intellectual work being accomplished by Miss
Mitchell and her students. It is the duty of one of these to photograph the sun at noon every pleasant day, and
daily observations are several times taken upon the temperature, clouds, and rainfall.
Miss Mitchell's "Dome Party," which recurs every June a few days before commencement, is the unique
social event of the college year. All present and former students who are in town receive an invitation to attend,
and are expected to appear with mathematical accuracy at the appointed hour. The guests are received in a
pretty parlor, whose furniture satisfies the requirements of both society and science. Behind a railing at one
end stand the chronograph and sidereal clock, while between them in a window framed with vines, is placed
a bust of Mrs. Somerville, presented to the college by Frances Power Cobbe. Near by are two tall bookcases
containing a miscellaneous collection of books, including a little of everything from poetry to the Principia.
When all have arrived breakfast is announced, and the company form in a procession, ranging themselves according to the year of graduation. Two large baize doors
then swing open, and the party, mounting a short flight of stairs, find themselves in the dome itself, with the great equatorial telescope overhead, pointing to the
sky here he repast is served, upon tables arranged in a circle around the walls, a rosebud and a tiny photograph of the dome being laid at each plate. The meal is
pleasant both to the palate and to the social sense ; but it is not until the tables are cleared that the most enjoyable
part of the entertainment begins.
Every one receives a motto paper, containing a few amusing lines about some member of the company, written by Miss Mitchell or her assistants. These are often
witty but never caustic, and their reading is productive of much mirth. When they have all been read, the hostess brings out a good sized basket which, during the few days preceding the dome party, has been filled with some. what similar effusions, dropped in anonymously by college
poets. Songs follow, by the "Pleiades" Glee Club, and to this impromptu rhyming by those present succeeds, the subjects selected being personal or scientific, and the
best verses composed are hastily set to familiar tunes, and sung by a chorus of girls perched above their fellows
on the movable observatory stairs. Sometimes the spirit of poetizing becomes so prevalent that no one speaks
except in rhyme, :Miss Mitchell herself, whom all pronounce to be the most delightful of hostesses, bearing a
leading part in the game.
Beside her constant and successful labors in teaching, the public is indebted to Miss Mitchell for several important essays upon scientific subjects. Until a short time
ago she edited the Astronomical Notes in the Scientific American. These appeared every month, and were based
on calculations made by her students. At one time also she made a journey to Colorado to observe a solar eclipse.
At another she had traveled as far as Providence on her way to visit friends in Boston, when she learned of the
discovery of a new comet, and at once renounced the expedition and returned to Vassar to observe it. For
five nights all went well ; on the sixth a large apple tree obstructed her view, but she promptly summoned a man
to cut it down, and carried her observations to a satisfactory conclusion.
She has always been noted for her liberal and enlightened opinions upon religious and social affairs, and has
taken of course deep interest in the advancement of her sex. She once read before the Society for the
Advancement of Women an interesting paper upon the Collegiate Education of Girls, a subject which few people could be
more competent than she to discuss. She is a member of the New England Women's CIub of Boston, which in the
winter of 1881–2 held a reception in her honor, and, moreover, voted that the same tribute should be rendered
to her yearly. The meeting, it was decided, should be held in the holidays between Christmas and New Year's,
and the day should be called "Maria Mitchell's Day."
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