RF 448 HARVARD "L'homme est un apprenti, la douleur est son maitre, Vielle comme le monde et la fatalité Qu'ils nous font du malheur recevoir le baptême, Et qu'a ce triste prie, tout doit être acheté, Pour vivre et pour sentir; l'homme à besoin de pleurs Humide encore de pluie et couverte de fleurs." -ALFRED DE MUSSET. ORPHANS' PRESS, CHURCH CHARITY FOUNDATION, INTRODUCTION. THE authoress of the original tale mo- Royal Navy of the Netherlands, and of destly published it three years ago, before her marriage, under a nom de plume, "Christine Muller "—I have received her permission to state her actual name, E. C. W. van Walrée, her maiden name having been Gobie. these unfortunately one only survives. She was not educated at a boardingschool, but resided with her parents, attending a day-school at Amsterdam. After she was grown up, she entered much into society, and being gifted with a great powers of observation, she had opportunities of becoming thoroughly conversant with the habits and feelings of the She is the wife of M. van Walrée, gentleman engaged in an extensive manufacturing concern at Brummen, a small town situate between Zutphen and Arn-class of society to which she belongs, and heim in Gelderland. with the details incidental to town life in Madame van Walrée was born at Herto-Holland. genbosch (Bois le Duc), in Brabant, where her father, a physician in the medical department of the army of the Netherlands was stationed. Until she was twelve years old, her home was necessarily in various towns in the Netherlands, according to the duties and requirements of her father's profession. On coming to Amsterdam her father retired from the service, and for twelve years practised as a physician in that city with much success and reputation. At the end of that time a severe illness obliged him to leave his practice and to settle in the country, at Brummen, where the authoress met and married M van Walrée. She had five brothers, of whom three died in infancy, the other two entered the The fidelity and accuracy with which, owing to the circumstances of her life and position, she has been able to describe the characters and events of her narrative, correspond with the like qualities which we find in the paintings of the Dutch school, and give additional value to her tale. The tale itself, her first and only literary production, has been very favorably received in the Netherlands, and has reached a second edition. It has been much eulogized in the principal Dutch literary periodicals, especially in the Gids, the Spectator, and the Java Messenger, and they warmly welcome this lady authoress. They praise her flowing narrative, the simplicity, clearness, and grace of her style, which unfortunately cannot be transferred into another language. They On these special subjects of commendation, however, the English public can as notice the reality and nationality of her religious feeling pervading the whole of heroes and heroines, who, it is said, seem the work, which appropriately concludes like old acquaintances, and the faithful with the sentiment that "God makes Hist delineation of Dutch character and Dutch creatures happy, but in His own way and family life, which can only be clearly not in theirs." discerned and duly appreciated by Dutch critics. They commend the liveliness of her descriptions, the variety of the inci- well form a correct judgment as the fellowdents she has invented, the ingenuity with countrymen of the authoress; and in the which the several plots and episodes in hope of that judgment being favorable, the story have been combined and devel- the translator respectfully offers these reoped, the judicious mixture of light and marks. shade in the several characters, the knowledge she displays of the human heart, and the good moral tone and the unobtrusive | Dec. 12, 1872. J. S. L. |
