The Express.
London, England, 1859-02-24 00:00:00

LITERATURE

Adam Bede. By Owens Elam, author of " Scenes
of Clerical Life." In 3 vols. Blackwood and Sons.
This work answers more nearly to oar idea of
what a novel should be than any we bare read for a
long time. Like Scott's, neither the charac-
ters, nor the incidents, " overstep the modesty
of nature." There is no exaggeration or
caricature. The persons of the story are is-
divides's, and not specimens of classes. The moral
tone of the book is pure and sound, but it has no
moral purpose;" its religious feeling is strong, but
it is too thoughtful and enlightened not to be com-
prehensive. Here is a well-bred, comfortable, un-
enthunutic clergyman, bat he is not rebuked; and
there are Methodists, but they are neither sneered at
nor ridiculed. In short, the author's mind, as a
novelist's should be, is of that easy, capacious struc-
ture which can conceive, without irritation or eager
preference, the most various forms of cha-
racter and opinion; and if it fails to give
us that minute and profound delineation of
any which is derived from exclusive sympathy,
it compensates us by doing more ample justice to all.
We hare not here one or two strongly marked cha-
miters moving about amidst scenes shaped and co-
loured by their overbearing moods, but a cheerful
little community, in which the people act and re-act
,eassielasither,„elso week On the strong Is jell at
the string on the weak, where lasting consequences
spring from trivial things, where there is a stir of
general life and a solid world nntoeched by the emo-
tions of a separate mind. This careful and loving
treatment of every figure which he introduces was
characteristic of -Mr. Eliot's former stories, and is
still more remarkable in " Adam Bede." The ser-
vants, the little children, the very dogs and cows in
the farm-yard are described with wonderful truth
and humour.
Here is a picture not unworthy of Herring :
The some had quite changed le the ball-hour that Adam
had been to the garden. TM yard wee full of lib now :
Marty wee letting the eessemiag cab through the gem, end
M l, and movokieg p
the alter by liming at him ; the
grew, doer wee snobs es Its IMgm as Allah shut It,
after balky; set the oars • the homes were being hi eat to
watering, amidst much barkinget all the three doge sod
many whops" from Tim the ploughmen, es if the heavy
animals who held down their meek, IMMO/pat benle, and
lift d Muir shaggy kat so deliberately, wen
Ttlektipreeh
wildly in every direction but the right. E wee
come beck ham the meadow • and whim etty mod
Adam entered the home-pace, Mr. Piper wee
seated to the thus-eolnered Mak, sad the grendhther
in the lug. arm-chair opposite, leek/ft an with plea-
mat exconstion while the nipper was being hid on the
oak table. Mrs. Peyote had lad the cloth herealf-a cloth
mode of bolos-spun lines, with a Minim checkered patties
on It, sad of ea agreeable wbitey-brown bee, seek se all
eendble housewives liked to me-nose of your birthed
" shop-mg" that would wee, isto kiss to so time, bet geed
boneopea that would last for two generedons. The ea/4
veal, the *soh Mtwara, end the stead Mine, might well
leek I .I:bg to heavy men who had dined at leaM•pest
13 o'cloelt. On the large dell-table essinet the waS there I
were bright pewter-plates and spoons sod um, ready be
Ali& sad hi. map Mom ; Sir the norther em mamma ate
their sapper not tar all seele ether ; whisk was all the plea,
mentor, because if s monk about temerrier morning's week
occurred to Mr. royale, Ali* was at bend to bear it.
We cannot withstand the temptation of extract-
ing a little more description of the family of which
we have just caught a glimpse, and which plays an
important part in the story-an English farmer's
hmily, in one of the north midland counties, somd
fifty Two ago:
- - •

Awl now the little prommion set off. Mr. Pope, wee in
his Sunday suit of drab, with a red end gram weiatecet, and
a green watch• ribbon baying a large eoradina seal attached,
pendeot like a plumb-line nem that semester, when hie
watch•pocket was sittist4 ; a milk handkereldet of a
tone mead his neck, and ezeelleat grey ribbed et
knitted by Kee. Poymis own hand, main tithe pews-
tions of his leg. Mr. Peyote bad ne nem to be mimed
of his leg, end magented that the growth( ethos of
and other fashions temlbegter elk gone the nether Itm"Vrel
their origin in a *able d,grarearey ei the Imam eall. &WI
lies had he r. aeon to be ashamed et his mad jolly hoe,
which was good-hamar Itself as he said, "Come, Betty—
come, little use." and, giving his arm to his wile, led the
way through the causeway gate into the yard.
The " little tuts" addremeel were Marty sad Tommy• boys
of nine and seven, In little fustiest .iled coats and knee-
breech-o, relieved by ruby cheeks and black eye. ; looking as
much like their feller as a very small elephant is like a very
large me. linty walked between them, and behind came
patient Molly, whose task it was to any Totty through
the yard and over all the wet plum on the road ; for Totty,
bath/ speedily recovered from her threatened fever, bed ia-
Mind on going to church to-day, and especially as wearing
her red-sad-black necklace meted. her tippet. And then
were many wet places for her to be tarried over this after-
sooty for th, re had been heavy showers Is the morning,
though now the clouds had roiled off and lay in towering
silv.ry =Wee on the horiscia.
Yost might have knows it was Baader, If you bed only
metrid up in the fezenyard. The seeks sell twee seemed to
know it, and made osly erasing annised noises ; the very
bull-dog looked low ravage, as if he would have bees setts-
6ei with a smaller bite than usual. The susthise mewed to
cell ell thing to te.t sad not te labour : it was asleep itself
on the mane-growa cow-shed ; en the group of white darks
settling together with their bills iseked under their wings
on the old Math sow stretched languidly on the straw, while
her lamest young one found an excellent spring bad on his
stothees let rile; on Aleck, the shepherd, is hie new atria
frock, taking en nuemy siesta, half-standing on
the granary steps. Wick was of opinion that church,
bk. other hunries, was set to be indulged in often by a
foremen who had the weather and the ewes on his mind.
"Church l nay—l's gotten grammat elite t ) think on," was
an gamer which ha often att-red in a tone of bitter algal.
Banos that alleseed further question. I feel sure Alick
meant no irreverence; indeed, I know that his mind was
sot of a speculative, negative case, and he would on no so-
onest have seined going to cher* ea Christmas Day,
Easter &Imlay, end " Whhernatide." But be had a general
impieties that public worship and religions ceremonies,
like other nen-productive railitnents, were intend- d far
people who hod leisure.
• There's father meteadieg at the yard gate," mid Martin
Toper. " I reckon he wants to watch us down the Orli.
It's wonderful what sight he his, and him turned seventy-

Bre."
"Ah. I ohm think wi' tit' old folks as It is wr the
babbie. " said Mrs. Freer • " they're satiated In' looking,
to matter what they're looking at. it's O. d Aniglity'?
way o' quietening Nes, I reran, afore they go to sleep.' I
Old Martin opened the gate as he saw the family wrote ,
skin approaching, set held it wide open, Issuing ea Ids ,
stick—plowed t a do this hit et work ; toe, like ail old men
whose life has been snot in labour, he liked to feel that he
wee still metal—that there wee a better mop of wire In
the garden because he wee by at the sowing—end that the
coin would be miikel the better 1/ be staid at hoer on • ,
bond q a'ternoon to look on. He dry. went to rune os
Bacrareent Sundays, but nut wry regularly at other time. :
op wet Sundays, or whenever be hod a tour of rhetimatier
he used t a read the three dret eheptrn of Genesis retest.
" They'll hie putt n Thies Bed.. I' the ground afore ye get
to the church) ard," he said, r his son rune op. " Itit
ha' been better ter if they'd he' boned him i' the /Gessoes
elms the rain woe fellia' : theta's so bkeihoods eta drop
sew • ea' the moon lies like • brat there, dot sea f That's a
save kips o' Lir weather—there's a many as is false, bet
that's save."
" Ay, ay," odd the eon, " run la hopes it'll hold up
sow'
" Wed whet the n says, need what the parer says,
my said lather to the black-eyed
in youngsters in
Inewirrehee, carious of ••nimble or two their parrs,
whir they looked forward to handling a 1 ttle, errelly,
drag the soros.
" Ord bye, deeded," raid Totty. " dote to church.
Me dot my scrisce cm. Dive me • peppeeeeint."
Orread, adder with laughter at this " deep Huh
meek" slowly tsar/weed his stick to his lett hand which
held the gate opts, mad slowly thrust his finger kart the
wautooss pocket era which Tatty had geed h. r eyes with a
mordent look M espectati.n.
And when they were all gone, the old run leased on the
pre again, watching them across the lame slung the Home-
r/or, end through the fey gate tl3 they disappeared behind
a bend in the hedge. For the hedgerow. in there days stun
out cat's stew, ens es the better-managed farms; and this
aftereen, the ,dog-reers wens toesiag est their oink wrestba.
the sightrade was ha its yellow sell perils, glory, the psis
honeysuckle grew oat of reser prep lag Mak net of
W
and over Mt, ea ash or sycamore ray sew
end this threw ire shadow sense the path.
There were acquaintance* at ether gates who bed to more
aide end let them par : st the gate of the Hems Clow there
was half tbe dairy of cows stealing re baled the caw,
eatereely slow to madentead that their her bolls
be le the way ; at the fir g~aate there wee the mere
her heed over the bare, end .dde bee Ihe liversorerella
with its her t mare its zestires flask, spianatly
L orb ealsemassi by its own eYatllheg'arra The
,weIZ Wisely tree& Mr. Tomes ova Lids Oa they
e
• the leak Toad Iraq to the vidope, sad be tame
a Imes eye oe the stock sad the mops se they west slag,
l while Mrs. Prue wee reedy te supply a maw rams-
try on theme ell, The woods who omega • Say bra •