BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 
87 
On the twenty-sixth of November, she presented a note of 
introduction given to her by Mr. Christy to Dr. Murie, Li¬ 
brarian of the Linnsean Society. She says: “The old man 
placed every book in the library at my disposal. I spent nearly 
four hours in taking notes and shall return on Monday. He 
allowed me to bring home with me some books from the 
library. One is in manuscript. I think women have every 
opportunity for advancement if they will only persevere. 
It will require very little effort to throw over the last bar¬ 
riers.” 
Professor Armstrong had criticised Miss Abbott’s Yucca 
paper as showing evidences of hunting out methods and means 
for herself, and he discouraged this as a waste of time, and 
thought that she ought to be near some one who could teach 
her rapidly the very newest methods, and really help her in 
arriving at a successful termination of any research work. 
He thought that before going to Germany, it would be well 
for her to stop in England and have a good deal of personal 
supervision, since in Germany “one is left to carry out one’s 
own fate a good deal.” 
On her return to America, she went to Boston, where she 
studied for a time under the direction of Professor Arthur 
Michael, of Tufts College, to whom she was married in 
June, 1888. In the summer of the same year Professor and 
Mrs. Michael started on a trip around the world. 
It is unfortunate that we do not possess even brief and hasty 
notes of this memorable journey, which lasted about a year 
and a half. With her keen powers of observation, her unusual 
interest in art, science, and life, she would have chronicled 
a host of varied experiences, especially in Japan and in 
India, where the prevailing phases of religious thought would 
naturally appeal to her ever-widening sympathies. 
In Japan she added materially to her unique collection of 
art objects, — rich silken embroideries, keramics, and kake¬ 
monos, especially those portraying “ the harmless necessary 
cat.” She had a host of bronze and porcelain effigies of her 
favorite pet animal, and among her treasures was one painted 
by a Chinese emperor hundreds of years ago. When she was in 
