"Madam: If you discover any more comets, can you not wait until they are announced by the proper authorities?" These words, penned by an exasperated George P. Bond were addressed to Maria Mitchell, an early suffragist and 19th century mathematician and astronomer. The words did not deter Mitchell, elected the first woman member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, the first woman appointed as a full professor in the United States and co- founder of the American Association for the Advancement of Women.

Mitchell, born a Quaker, later joined the Unitarian Church of Nantucket. She is the subject of a one-woman play, Sweeping Maria, written by Rev. Jenny Justice. The title derives from the work of astronomers, who "sweep the sky" each night with telescopes and look for unusual objects, such as comets.

Justice performed a staged reading of Act I for an enthusiastic overflow crowd on Saturday. Bringing a modem interpretation to material written more than 150 years ago, Justice was dressed in high-necked period costume. Performing with only a chair, a ladder and a table, and using all her superb voices, She found the heart of Mitchell and laid it bare with tenderness. "She was a lovable person, but always longed for that human connection," said Justice.

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