. Review of reviews and world's work . e of re-incarnation,holds a key that would unlock many mysteries, forthe poet is born, not made, and Louise Michel is apoet in politics. When each comes forth from hismothers womb, says Emerson, the gate of giftscloses behind him. What pre-natal influencesmolded this strange and pathetic character, who cansay? Louise herself, in her Memoires, does notgo back beyond her infancy. All that we can know,therefore, is the kind of surroundings in which theseed germinated ; we know nothing of the seed that, of course, is the essential thing. Thousands
. Review of reviews and world's work . e of re-incarnation,holds a key that would unlock many mysteries, forthe poet is born, not made, and Louise Michel is apoet in politics. When each comes forth from hismothers womb, says Emerson, the gate of giftscloses behind him. What pre-natal influencesmolded this strange and pathetic character, who cansay? Louise herself, in her Memoires, does notgo back beyond her infancy. All that we can know,therefore, is the kind of surroundings in which theseed germinated ; we know nothing of the seed that, of course, is the essential thing. Thousands ofyoung girls wore short frocks in the romantic border-land of old Lorraine in the days when Louise Michel wasromping under the cherry trees, were played upon bythe same influences, enjoyed the same sun, and wereencompassed by the same atmosphere of legend andromance ; but of all the thousands there came forthbut one Louise. Her environment influenced her nodoubt, as the hammer of the smith influences the 156 THE REl/IEW OF LOUISE MICHEL S MOTHER. iron which, glowing from the forge, is laid on hisanvil. But the primary question is not enviroment,but character, as with the smith the first essential isthat he should have iron to deal with, and not woodor lead. Lov ise. an illegitimate child, was born in the ruins of anold feudal castlewith four castel-lated towers,known to thecountry folk astlie Strongholdf r the this old ruin,surrounded by amultitude of ani-mal pets, theim-i ^inative childv\as brought up1) Y her gra ndpar-tnts, feeding hermind from earl-iest years uponeverything thatcould minister toa romantic fan-cy. In the longwinter nights,while the snow lay white on the hills, and the vdndwhistled shrill through the ruins, the wolves, drivenby hunger, would surround the castle, and theirhowls, mingled with the answering baying of thehounds, made strange music. Of the scenery fromthe windows she was reminded by the blue mountainswhich looked down on Sydney
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