Obituary

MARY WHEELER LILLEY was born October 14, 184S1 !lt Wahash, Indiana, and died January 25, 1S7S, Vokoliaina, in Japan. SIk: was the daughter of John M. Wheeler, Esq., of Ann Arbor, who removed to this city in the year 1857 with his wife and three littlc daughters, of whoin Mary was the oldcst. His principal object in coming here was to ive lii.s children better opportnnities for an education than they could liave at Wabash. Her education as a cbild was mostly of a domcstic character, her mothcr bjeiog her principal teacher. When shc came to Ann Arbor she entered the Grammaf School, and afterwards the High School, where she ínuliniu-d with honor as a French and Germán, as well as an linglish scholar. She afterwards ae(uired a kTiowlede of the Italian languáfe. In May, 1S72, she went with her father and familv to Europe, and spent about fifteen months in the old country, travdin and in Germany, the western part of Austria, Italy, Switzerland, [■ranee, and Belgiuin. They went again in the fall f 75, and spent nearly another year abroad, visitng and stopping in the principal cities of Scotland ind England, and visiting again Germany and Italy, Sw it.erland and France. During Üiese visits she saw a great variety of people, tlie most highly culüvated countries, the larg-est and most important cities, the grandest and most splendid churches and cathedrals, the finest public and private buildings uid castles, the finest specimeos of architecture and he fine arts, and the gnindest niins in Europe. She ■isited ra'ftny of the galleries of Art of Rome, Florence, Venice, Paris, Londnn, and many other ities, and had rare opportunities to cultívate her aste as well as to improve her mimi, and acquire a arge stock of knewledge and useful information ; uid well did she improve them. She g-enerally enoyed g-ood health, had a gOQÓ constitution, a happy emperament, much buoyancy of spirit, industrious ind studious habits and was distingiiished for -quanimity öf feeling-, and cheerfuïness of inind. She had a sprightly, inquiring, and well balanced nind, which was cultivated and improved hy travel md observation, and rellection, and by ocial intercourse witli cultivated people as weil by the instruL-tïon reccived in the schoois. Her pereepie faculties, and reasoning powers, vere all well developed, so that she could see md read umlerstnndinjily, and forni opinions of her )wn. She was a meniber ot' the Episcopal Churcli, ïad agreeable manners and a social disposition, v;is L-niark;iblv exempt froni hauhtiness and vanity, vas a lovelv woman, and a noble specimen of :in ntellig-ent Christian lady. On her passage home froni Europe the gecond me, she became acquainted with Mr. Robert IJ lev, i Scotch gentleman who had spent several years in China, and was then and is still employed inJapAii by a Scotch Missionary Society, in superintendinghé transhition and publication in the Japanese ïanfuafe, and the distribution of the Bible. That acuainlance oon ripened into a marriag-e eng-ag;enent ; and she went with her father to San Franisco, met Mr. Lilley there, and they were mairieil Vpril 3, 1S77, and sailed the same day for Japan, t was an heroic undertaking, and required a brave pirit to leave father and inother and sister, the leasant home of her childhood and early woinanïood, her church with its hallowed associations nd g-o half around the lobe to find a new home] nd forni new associations a strang;e oaqple, 1 a strange land. There was a spicc of romance in ie whole transaction ; hut the idea dawned upon ïer that she coujtd help her husband in the discharge f his duties, and thus cnlarge the sphere of her wn useiulness,, and aid Ín promoting the cause of Christianity and Christian civilization. Mrs. I.illey traveled Bome with her husband in apun, visited many places of interest, made one rtig trip of nearly 300 miles to Kioto, saw much of ie country and its pcople, became well acquuintcd vith many Iiuropea.11 and American families residid in Yokohama, and wrote a larg-e number of longml very interesting letters to her famüy and friends n Ann Arbor,- much that shc had scen, nd many common sensc remarks, and somt eally philosophical comments, upon the Japaiwse nd tlieir charactcr and eustoms, thcir building-s and ïodes of living-, and upon the instituüons and ccnitions of the country. If shc could have been pared a few years she wou ld probably have ïrepared for the press some views of that country, ■Inch woukl have been interestini to the American eople. Shc g-ave birth to a daughter on the i7th 1 Jammry, and enjoyed the pleasures of maternity nd was happy with lier babe a few days, and but ery few. Her constitution and temperment seemed veil fitted for the enjoyment of a long and happy fe ; and yet she was cut off so suddcnly and uncxectedly, at so early a period of life, aftcr a brief Iness of only nine days. How brittle is the thread ! ifc ! and how mysterious are often the operations f the causes which undermlne and destroy it ! Though Kee had suffered intensely yet she had no onception of her dang-er, and no apprehensions of eath until within the last two days of' her earlhly istL■n(e. She has been cut off in the midst of lier scfulness here, hut will enjoy a blessed and gloous immortality. lier remains were cmbalmed nd sent to Ann Arbor, where the funeral was atended at St. Andrew's Church on the 2Sth of Febuary, wlu-n they were deposited in our cemetery, ly tlic side of theae of her mother and sister.