The Heritage of the Ages

The final theme that the immigrant, and especially the immigrant child, inherits the whole human past and the shining American future.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The Dream Inherited

The Dream Inherited The Princess of Exile Mary was taught to call herself a princess in memory of forefathers who had ruled a nation. Though an outcast, she felt a halo on her brow. The Covenant God needed her and she needed God, for they two together had a work to do. The ancient covenant of Israel was her birthright. The Seed Among Heirlooms In the prickly husk of tradition she later found the living seed of the dream. The heritage could not be lost.

The Long Line of Ancestors

The Long Line of Ancestors The Tinker and the Innkeeper Mary traced her family to Lebe the Innkeeper and Hayyim the Glazier, honest and poor. Israel Kimanyer's piety redeemed the whole clan. The Pedler and the Merchant's Daughter Her grandfather Joseph grumbled through a life of country peddling; her mother's father Raphael built a prosperous business. Two streams met in her parents' marriage. The Inherited Stuff She reasoned like her father and endured like her mother. The ancestors were present in her blood and her choices.

The Heir in the Slum

The Heir in the Slum The Waiting Princess Mary believed she was an heir on Dover Street awaiting maturity, a princess waiting to be led to the throne. Her kingdom would come if she was worthy. The Open Doors Through books, noble conversations, and communion with the stars she entered every noble chamber of the palace of life. Her patent of nobility was her longing for abundance. The World Come to Her In America a child of the slums owns the land and all that is good in it. She needed only to reach out.

The Vision of Infinite Inheritance

The Vision of Infinite Inheritance The Steps of the Library Standing before the grand building, Mary saw herself as the youngest child of the youngest nation. The whole majestic past and the shining future were hers. The Past That Belongs to Me It was not she who belonged to the past but the past that belonged to her. America inherited all that went before in history. The Legacy Received The last white star, the last great thought of the philosopher, the entire heritage of freedom was in her hands. The promised land had given her everything.

The Bold Finis

The Bold Finis The Ancient Mariner's Charm Mary hoped that by telling her tale she would finally be rid of it. She would write a bold "Finis" and shut the book with a bang. The Past as Cradle She no longer needed to feel the weight of a long past vividly remembered. The past was a cradle, not a chain. The Heritage Embraced The whole point of the memoir was that the heritage was not a burden but a gift. She was free to live.

Mary's infancy in Polotzk

the family history chapters

the Dover Street years

the return from Nahant

the end of the memoir