130 KEW GARDENS 



schoolroom ; while her History of the Robins 

 stands still on our publishers' lists. One of the 

 group of literary - minded ladies who had the 

 privilege of sitting at Dr. Johnson's feet, she 

 married a Brentford man, and went to live across 

 the river, where she brought up a round dozen of 

 children on the best of principles. She seems to 

 have been a model of virtues from her youth. 

 When at Kew she carried on a contest of early 

 rising with a friend on the opposite bank, the 

 first up hanging a handkerchief out of her window 

 as triumphant token. Mrs. Barbauld's popularity 

 as a writer for the young stirred Mrs. Trimmer 

 to publish her lessons to her own large family, 

 which won great success, helped by her earnest 

 Evangelical Churchmanship, whereas the author 

 of Evenings at Home was no better than a 

 Unitarian. After the example of Raikes of 

 Gloucester, Mrs. Trimmer took a prominent part 

 in starting Sunday-schools in her own neighbour- 

 hood, and was consulted by Queen Charlotte on 

 this matter. Other causes she had at heart were 

 kindness to animals, and "the injured African" ; 

 it may have been one of her sons who objected 

 on principle to being caned at school because he 

 understood the instrument to be the fruit of slave 



