The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-07-08
Thackeray ON Charlotte Bronte.

Of the multitude that has read her
books, who has not known and de-
plored the tragedy of her family. her
own most sad and untimely fate?
Which of her readers has not become
her friend? Who that has known
her books has not admired the artists
noble English, the burning love of
truth, the bravery, the simplicity, the
indignation at wrong, the eager sym
pathy, the pious love and reverence,
the passionate honor, so to speak, of
the woman? What story is that of
that family of poets in their solitude
yonder on the gloomy northern moors?
At nine o'clock at night. Mrs. Gaskell
tells, after evening prayers, when their
guardian and relative had gone to bed,
the three poetesses-the three maid
ems, Charlotte, Emily and Anne
Charlotte being the .'motherly friend
and guardian of the other two" began,
like restless wild animals, to pace up
and down their parlor, making out"
their wonderful stories, talking over
plans and projects, and thoughts of
what was to be their future life.
One evening, at the close of 1854, as
Charlotte Nichols sat with her hus-
band by the fire, listening to the howl
ing of the wind about the house, she
suddenly said to her husband: IF
you had not been with me | must
have been writing now" She then
ran up stairs and brought down and
read aloud the beginning of a new
tale. When she had finished her hus-
band remarked: 1.-The critics will ac-
cuse you of repetition" She replied:
30, [ shall alter that. | always begin
two or three times before l can please
myself" But it was not to be. The
trembling little hand was to write no
more. The heart, newly awakened to
love and happiness, and throbbing
with maternal hope, was soon to cease
to beat; that intrepid outspeaker and
champion of truth, that eager, impet-
nous redresser of wrong was to be
called out of the worlds fight and
struggle, to lay down the sh ming arms
and to be removed to a sphere where
even a noble indignation, cor uIterius
meguu lacerare, and where truth COM
| plete, and right triumphant no longer
need to wage war.
1 can only say of this lady, vidi tan
tuna. | saw her first just as | rose out
of an illness from which l had never
thought to recover. | remember the
trembling little frame, the little hand,
the great, honest eyes. An impetuous
honesty seemed to me to characterize
the Twice / recollect she
took me to task for what she held to
be errors in doctrine. Once about
Fielding we had a dispute. She spoke
her mind out. She jumped too rapid
y TO conclusions. q have smiled at
one or two passages in the "Biogra-
ply" in which my own disposition or
behavior forms the subjectOf talk. }
She formed conclusions that might be
wrong, and built up whole theories of
character upon them. New to the
London world. she entered it with an
independent, indomitable spirit of her
own and judged of contemporaries, and
especially spied out arrogance or affec-
tatlon with extraordinary keeness OF
vision. She was angry with her favor
ties if their conduct or conversation
fell below her ideal. Often she seem
ed to me to be judging the London
folks prematurely; but perhaps the
city is rather angry at being judged.
| fancied an austere little Joan of Arc
marching in upon US, and rebuking
our easy lives, our easy mOrtals. She
gave me the impression of being a very
pure and lofty, and high-minded per-
son. A great and holy reverence Of
right and truth seemed to be with hel
always. Such, in our brief interview,
she appeared to me. As one thinks OF
that life so noble, so lonely-of thai
passion for truth-of those nights and
nights of eager study, swarming fan
cies, invention, depression, citation
prayer; as one reads the necessarily
incomplete, though most touching and
admirable history of the heart thar
throbbed in this one little franco
this one amongst the miriads of soul,
hat have lived and died on this grea
earth-this little speck in the infnit.
universe of God with what wonder
DO we think of to-day, with what aw,
await tomorrow, when that which il
now but darby een shall be clear!-
Early and Late Papers.