With some faults of character, she still possessed those
strong qualities which are required for the conduct of a great
enterprise. She had that personal magnetism which comes from courage,
confidence, and clear perceptions. She inspired great enthusiasm in
others for whatever she was interested in herself.
As a talker, she was the rival of Carlyle and Coleridge; the best we
have ever had on this side of the water, and with such an artistic style
that one could hardly decide whether it was studied or natural. She was
a terrible antagonist; for she united the tongue of a woman to the
logical faculty of a man, and it was impossible to get the better of
her. Her faults were the faults of youth, as she was occasionally vain,
saucy or overbearing, and always self-conscious. It was this last trait
that Lowell referred to when he represented her as saying that since her
earliest years she had "lived cheek by jowl with the Infinite Soul."
Much youthful vanity, however, can be forgiven to those who are generous
and faithful. Besides, Margaret Fuller was splendidly domestic. She
advocated women's rights to a certain extent; but she was no forerunner
to the modern brood of platform women who fumble their night-keys while
they discourse on the duties of wives and mothers. She carried a helping
hand into the families that she entered, as well as stirring all the
inmates to an unwonted mental activity.
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