Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1851-01-27
The Author of Lnne Eyre.

Is IN sister, The Bells three sisters, two Of
whom are dead. She describes their home as a
village parsonage, among the hills, bordering York
SHIRE and Lancashire. The scenery which sur
rounded their home she says is neither grand nor ro-
mantle The following is her history of the author
ship of these books, one of which has attracted SO
much attention, and excited so much curiosity for
the others
g About five years ago, my two sisters and myself
after somewhat prolonged period of separation,
found ourselves reunited and at home. Resident
IN remote district where education had made little
progress, and where, consequently, there no In
ducement to seek social intercourse beyond our own
domestic circle, wholly dependent on our
selves and each other, on books and study, for the
enJoyments and occupations of life. One
day, in the autumn of 1916, accdentIy lighted on
a NJ. 5. volume of verse in my sister EIniy's hand
writing OF course, was not surprised, knowing
that she could and did write verse; looked it over,
and something more than surprise seized me-a deep
conviction that these not common effusions nor
at all like the poetry women generally write. =
Meantime my young sister quietly produced some Of
her own compositions intinating that as Emily's had
given me pleasure, might like to look at hers. |
could not but be partial judge, yet thought that
these verses too had sweet sincere pathos of their
own. We had very early cherished the dream of
one day becoming authors This dream, never re-
lnquished even when distance divided and absorb
ing tasks occupied us, now suddenly acquired
strength and consistency it took the character of
resolve. We agreed to arrange small selection of
our poems, and, if possible, get them printed
Averse to personal publicity, we yelled our own
names urde. those of Currer Ellis, and Acton Bell
the ambiguous choice being dictated bv sort of
conscientious scruple at assuming Christian names
positively masculine, while we did not like TO de-
clare ourselves women, because-without at that
time suspecmg that our mode of writing and think
ing was not what is called &C feminine we had
vague impression that authoressas are liable to be
looked on with prejudice we had noticed how crit
les sometimes use for their chastisement the weapon
of personality, and for their reward, fattery
which is not true praise The bringing out of our
little book was bard work. = Il-suc-
cess failed to crush us the mere effort to succeed
had given wonderful zest to existence it must be
pursued. We each set to work on prose tale FL
lis Bell produced " Wuthering Heights" Acton
Bell "Agnes Grey" and Currer Bell also wrote
narrative in one volume. These MSS. were per-
seyerlngy obtruded upon various publishers for the
space of year and half; usually, their fate was
an ignominious and abrupt dismissal At last.
sWuthering Heights and Agnes Grey were ac-
cepted, on terms somewhat impoverishing to the two
authors
In the meantime the manuscript of short story
by Currer Bell had been offered TO Messrs Smith &
Elder, and had met with so much favor from them,
that they had requested the writer of it to prepare
larger tale, in form which they thought would be
more saleable. Miss Bell says:
81 was then just completing Jane Eyre at
which | had been working while the one volume tale
wac rledding its weary round in London in three
tlH,fff- i
in. This was the commencement Of September,
lS47 1t came out before the close Of October fol-
lowing, while 'Wuthe ing Heights and Agnes
Grey, my sisters works, ich had already been
in the press for months, still fingered under differ
ent management. Th appeared at last. Critics
failed to do them JUSTICE
The following is her account of the last DAYS of
the two sisters:
'Neither Ellis nor Acton allowed themselves for ono
moment to sink under want of encouragement. En-
ergy nerved the one, and endurance upheld the 9TH
err They were both prepared to try again. would |
tam think that hope and the sense of power was |
yet strong within them. But great change an.
preached: aflliction came in that shape which TO
anticipate is dread to look back on grief In the
very heat and burden of the day. the aborers failed
over their work. My sister Emily first declined
The details OF her illness are deep branded in nv
memory, but to dwell on them, either in thought or
narrative, Is not IN my power. Never in all her life
had she fingered over any task that lay before her,
and she did not llnger now. She sank rapidly. She
made haste to leave Yet, while physically she
persisted, mentally she grew stronger than we had
yet known her. Day by day, when saw with
what front she met suffering, looked or her with
an anguish of wonder and love. nave seen moth.
ing like 1t; but, indeed have never seen her paral
lei IN anything Stronger than man, simpler than
child. her al 2 10 III |
was that, while full of truth for others, on herself
she had no pity the spirit was memorable to the
iesl, from the trembling hand, the unncrved limbs
the faded eyes, the service was cxacted as they
had rendered in health. To stand by and witness
this, and not dare to demonstrate, was pain no
words can render Two cruel months of hone ard
fear passed painfully by, and the day came at last
when the terrors and pains Of death were to be un
dergone by tins treasure, which had grown dearer
and dea1er to our hearts as it wasted before our
eyes Towards the decline of that day we had
nothing of Emily but her mortal remains as con-
sumption left Them She died December l848.-
We thought this enough ; but we were utterly and
presumptuousy wrong. She was not buried, ere
Anne tell Ill. She had not been committed to the
grave a fortnight, before we received distinct init
nation that 1t was necessaryto prepare our minds to
see the younger sister 90 after the elder. Accord
ngly she followed in the same path with slower stem
and with patience that equaled the ohers's for
titude. have said that she was religious, and il
was by leaning on those Christian doctrines IN which
she firmly believed that she found support tbrougb
her most painful journey. witnessed their elicIno-
cy IN her latest hour and greatest trial and must
bear my testimony to the calm triumph with which
they brought her through. She died MAY 2s, ls49.
what more shall say about them? cannot and
need moi say much more. In externals, they were
TOO unobstruslye perfectly secluded life gave them