The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-09-11 00:00:00

ME BYRON CONTROVERSY.

The Saturday Ratio° has an elAborate article upon
this env...tow topic It labours hard to prto,e that
Mn.. Stowe's ghastly story is the true Ime, and ,on-
chutes thus: I. it probable, or even possible, that Mr,
Stowe invented this history? Most improbable all
hut impossible. Is it probable, or even vettapttle, that
Lady Byron invented this hi-toy? Mart improbable
—all but unpoesible. Is it probable, or even possible.
that Lady Byron, without intenoing to misstate ur
ntisiintievtand, did tat, an rirtettz some foolish and
culpable affectation of vice, some swagger and boast on
her husband's part of POMO great and secret irime,
which only existed in his own morbid imagination, and
was only uttered for the sake .4 annoying his wife anti
in his ordinary or extramdinary evil temper? Just
p4mt.ble— but vt. ry iwlrobalils. Is the story an
hallucination on Lady Byron's part? Not at Ali likely,
but of course possible. If therefore, there is nothing
absolutely to dituredit Mr.'. Stowe's truthfulness or
Lady B.rart'is truthfulness, and if the probabiLt
cc
against illusion or nosunderstaming are Si great, we
are driven ti the conclusion that, on the white, the
history in its eseence—tha is. as a charge ..f incest— is
rani, iikvly on all at counts to be true than nt. 1 hat
it ought never to have appeared in this most utisatistac-
tory form, and that great blame attaches to the author
of the revelation, we make no doubt.

The Spectator notices that there is a strong feeling
that Mrs. Be. cher Stowe had much better have held
her tongue, that nothing hen been gained by the reve-
lation of a secret wild) will only initisrt • rather
stronger fl•vour of the pit to Lied 'Voss's poem..
without diminishing the r circulation. That feeling
linds expression elsewhere in Our colutnns, but we ate
wholly unable to join in the controversy BM to the
matter of tact. DIM Beechi r Stowe has not in our
j•idgment shown proper diegro•oin in her revelation, or
proper respect for Lady Byron's own wisher; hot it is
quite clear that Phe bag told very hilly, with COMO
goes bliluders and some wretched att. mote at sensa-
tional writing, the truth, as Lady Byron believed it to
be. that it was the truth, there is and elm be no proof
whatever until the data for Lad, Byron's belief are
made clear, and the good to be gained to making them
clear is, to us, imperceptible. Why not leave the cm-
noel aloue ?

The Athennum has the following remarks :—A, great
nand's!, suspected by none has been published, to the
indignant yorrow rather :hen the edification of the
many. Some years ago Lady Byron Is now said to
have Imparted to Mrs. Beecher Stowe the secret. of the
cause which led to Laity Byron's separatiiin from her
husband. Thin alleged revelation. which wraps in
horrible guilt Lori Byron and his half-eister AUcth4la
(who became the wife of Col. Leigh). Mrs. Stowe has
itight proper to publish, in jontilicatiou of the wife
of the p4dit—a hoble wi man, who needed no aisiloght.
None but painful coney:queuees can result from this
iud tenet, not to nay ine reusable, utterance. The et.iry,
its tr 44141 by Mrs. S ,eme, is irrernmcilable with the turns
of respeut in which 'Poly Byron always epoke of
her husband. True or false, it is to he regrc ted that
a womah should stain herself with hanitlifig this story
at all. There is nimething inipleanaut in the tact thdt
the lightning which is (Imbed to bleat the nanda roil
memory of Lord Byron burst simultaneonnly fnan two
hemispheres. The story is in an American as well as
an Ehglish magazine. In every respyct, however, the
inia ter i. Bernina. Those who merely speak of it as a
subject of allich a eensational magazine article has
nee', made, misunderstaiid the question. To suppose
that Mn,,. Stowe has mold the secret she could no longer
keep, for money, is to yuppose her capable of an act by
which she would forfeit the public respect for ever.
Mr. William Howitt makes a contribution to the
growing literature of this unpleasant subject. Hie
view is that Lady Byron was a person who was ac-
customed to take extraordinary dislikes to people with-
out any imaginable cause, and he belletree that theetory
which nhe told Mrs Stowe had no foundatioh in fact
As to Lady Bynin's peculiarities Mr. Howitt art en:—
I ban her for sime than, and visited her at her house In
town, at her summer residence at Richmond, at Eton, and
met see at her son-in-law, Lord Lovelace'n, at ilckham she
also start. ti 41.0 at E•her and Hight are. lam sure that Lady
By iou. was a sthrnali 01 the ilint honourable and conscieur Mu.
migrant., but the was subject to a cunstlllltlonal
thee) of • moat peculiar kind, which rendered ter, when under
its influeuee, absoint. ly and persistently unjust. I ani quite
sure Iron, my own ot ion of her that, when Selie4l by
this peculiar condition of the nerves, she was helplessly
under its control. Through snis the change in her mood
were midden, and mo t painful to all shout her. I hove
seen her of an everii-g lii the most and•ble, Cordial, and
sunny humour, Itill oi Interest and sympathy; and I have
barn her the next morning Come down as if .he had lain all
night not on • feather bed, but on • glacier—frozen as II
were to the very soul, altd no efforts on the part of those
around her could restore her for the day to a genial social
warmth. In such moments she seemed to take sudden and
chep impressions sgsltist perons anti things, wrinth, th lush
the en nt rn glut para away, left a permanent effect. het me
give an instaiice or two.
lady Byron was, at the period I speak Of, deepty interested
in the establishment of working schools for the education of
child, en of the labouring classes. She Induced Lord LneelliCe
to elect one at ()ahem ; site built Olin On net nut, e at Kirin
Mello. 7, In Liecestershirs. On one occodon, in one if her unit
amiable moods, site asked n.e to lunch with her in town, that
we might discuss her plans for this eyat.m if education. She
promise.' to anomie that we should not be interrupted for
some hours. I went at tire time limed, but, 10 .outamn.
...., hound her In nue of her frosen fils. The touch of her
hold was like that of de ; 1,, her manner there was th
ill e
nth of the arsee. We sat &len Lo Inualenn by oursei•ea,
snd I evideanotind to break tie ice by sta slims of hid...mos
of the •biy. It wet in yam Tim deed of the Nort h Pole was
upon her, a1..1 1 c extract icy m. no,rllablen Wbe°
we 10,5,0.1 E., the .4 ran Nonni I Solight Ui intereat hes in
the thine fr c 111,14 we 14.141 net, aid sthieh the bad so truli
at I cart. It was houeleth She said the lel, linable to go
Into. It, and I was glad t .get away,
Again. she was in great dassity as to the selection of a
muster for her ono king school at Kirby Mallory. It was
necessary for him to Ilona the very rarely united qualities of
a thoroughly practical knowledge of the oper•tions.c,..f
maws end gardening with the edseattea aat .