MRS. SOMERVILLE. 



YOUNG people are generally very much pleased when 

 they can induce old ones to tell stories of their early 

 days ; for the old people remember such curious events. 

 In looking back at the past, they seem to become 

 children again ; they recollect how mischievous they 

 were, and what scrapes they got into. For a while 

 they forget to give advice, or point the moral which 

 adorns their tale. 



Some old people enjoy telling these stories as 

 much as the young ones enjoy listening, and some 

 have even of their own accord written down their 

 recollections, for the benefit of those who should 

 come after them. Mrs. Somervillc, the subject of 

 this biography, was one of these. 



Mrs. Somerville, the grown-up lady, was a great 

 mathematician and philosopher. She was exceedingly 

 clever and accomplished ; she knew a great number 

 of celebrated persons ; and she was very observant, 

 witty, and genial. She was one of the WORLD'S 

 WORKERS, because by her writings she made ignorant 

 readers understand some of the difficult truths of 

 Science. She engaged in studies which before her 

 time had been considered quite beyond the capacity 



