childhood, remember his own
age, and the date of his birth was only fixed in his memory by a
watch given him in 1820 by Madame Catalani, which bore the following
inscription: "Madame Catalani to Frederic Chopin, aged ten years."
Perhaps the presentiments of the artist gave to the child a foresight of
his future! Nothing extraordinary marked the course of his boyhood;
his internal development traversed but few phases, and gave but few
manifestations. As he was fragile and sickly, the attention of his
family was concentrated upon his health. Doubtless it was from this
cause that he acquired his habits of affability, his patience under
suffering, his endurance of every annoyance with a good grace; qualities
which he early acquired from his wish to calm the constant anxiety
that was felt with regard to him. No precocity of his faculties, no
precursory sign of remarkable development, revealed, in his early years,
his future superiority of soul, mind, or capacity. The little creature
was seen suffering indeed, but always trying to smile, patient and
apparently happy and his friends were so glad that he did not become
moody or morose, that they were satisfied to cherish his good qualities,
believing that he opened his heart to them without reserve, and gave to
them all his secret thoughts.

But there are souls among us who resemble rich travelers thrown among
simple herdsmen, loading them with gifts during their sojourn among
them, truly not at all in proportion to their own wealth, yet which are
quite sufficient to astonish the poor hosts, and to spread riches and
happiness in the midst of such simple habits. It is true that such souls
give as much affection, it may be more, than those who surround
them; every body is pleased with them, they are supposed to have been
generous, when the truth is that in comparison with their boundless
wealth they have not been liberal, and have given but little of their
store of internal treasure.

The habits in which Chopin grew up, in which he was rocked as in a
form-strengthening cradle, were those peculiar to calm, occupied, and
tranquil characters. These early examples of simplicity, piety, and
integrity, always remained the nearest and dearest to him. Domestic
virtues, religious habits, pious charities, and rigid modesty,
surrounded him from his infancy with that pure atmosphere in which
his rich imagination assumed the velvety tenderness characterizing the
plants which have never been