The Lincoln County herald., 1873-05-21
George Eliot.
From the Golden APE. !

mort authentic version Of what bs. never
been suthori,stively told By the actors in
it: Mr.. Lewes, the distinguished and
clever biographes Of Goethe. and a sell
kno~n author Of philosophical works,
had been unfortunate in his m,rrisge re
lations SO, too, bad Mrs. Lewes; they
we're q most ill-s..orted pair. and she
shook of the bond which CALLED her. and
became unfathful to her marriage vow
But Mr.. Lewes himself va, equally
guilty Of infdeli,y to his wife. and the
law Of England does this equal justice to
man and woman, viz: it ab.olvcs neither
from a marriage vow on accoun, Of the
in6delity Of the other, unless the one
Who asks freedom can claim 10 have
been faithful to his or her own vow
The marriage tie between this disloyal
husband and wife was broken in fact
but not in Law. They bad long lived
separate lives when Mr.. Lewes met and
learned 10 love Mrs Evans.
Miss Evans was person OF singularly
unattrac,ive person. No photograph Of
her is to be found anywhere, aud she
shrinss from contact with strangers, for
she is painfully conscious Of her own
lack Of personal charm. I, was her
niDd and heart which won Mr.. Lewcs'
love, and the nobility and purity Of thi.
most pure spiri. lifted that love into a
reverence be had never before .el, fJr
woman. His love was returned aud the
question Of their future wa. discussed
BY these l9vin, friend. aud friendly loy-
srs. They ssked the advice Of the wi.e.t
and best Of their friends i, this emer-
gency, and q, last, after much thought
and discussion. i, was decided by them
selves aud their counssors that thu. be
ing an exceptional case, i, must be dealt
1ib 10 an exceptional manner A legal
marriage between them was impossible.
but since the affection which united them
was no youthful passion, bur the stable
bond Of love founded on mutual coDge-
Rality and respect, they would be jus,i
fed 10 uniting their lives outside OF the
law, If they we're strong enough to bear
the social consequences which mus, nee
s.sarily follow from the infrsction Gf the
law. This they resolved TO do and from
that time they have lived happily, con
teniedly aud hopefully together All
their best friends approved Of their
course, aud no truer wife to her husband
no more tender mother to his children
for she has none Of her own is to be
found in all England, than this brave
aud true woman.
OF course, in a society so rigid as Is
thai Of England in the outward ob.erv-
ance Of the mOralties though il l.,
whispered that, under a decOrous regard
TO the conven,ionali,ies, plenty Of lndec
Orous acts are committed and winkei at
such course a, that Of Mr. and Mrs.
Lcwcs puts them outside Of general 30
ciaI recognition. Mrs. Lewes never Wis
it. the houses Of other people she re
ceives only her y eciai friends at her
own. Since she has achieved fame, she
might be received by many ladies' who
before this, would have refused her en-.
tree to their homes, but she neither de-
sircs nor win accept their offered re-
cognition. She did not overstcp the
conventional laws Of society without due
consideration; she knew the pfice she
must pay for happy home and a salts
fed heart, and is content to pay it; nor
does she find 1t too high. 1t was a per
ilous experiment, and one that no woman.
unless she be as strong, as brave. and as
pure, and as sure of holding her lover as
Miss Evans, would do well to repeat.
Though Adam Bcde was the first
work which brought Mrs. Lewcs promi.
nently into notice as writer, it was BY
no means her first effort Very few peo
pile, like the Baroness Tautphias, achieve
fame as an author without serving a pre-
vious apprenticeship at literature. The
Initials" which made the name Of the
English wife Of the German baron q
household word in two continents, was
actually the very first attempt its author
nade at writing She was devoted to
painting, but the oils and cOlOrs she used
being pronounced in part accountable lo
her failing health were taken from he,
by the physicians order, and she wa
literally driven to her pen to Gil up he
idle and heavily hanging hours Moth.
ing is more wonderful in the history o
literature than the brilliant novel whici
thi' mere tryo in art produced.
But Mrs. Lewcs had no such expert
ence Of rapid success in the path whicl
she had for years been an untiring an,
diIigcnt worker, translating, writing es
says and stories, which brought her n,
reward in fame, and but small comp pensa
'ion in money, "Adam Bede" Grst mad,
her famous, and her subsequent novels
THE Mill on the Floss, "Sias Mariner,
"Felix Holt "Romola,' and middle
march" have steadily augmented he
reputation. Each has it's troop of al
mirers, who consider it her best work
hr, Greeley regarded "Sias Mariner" u
her finest effort, but few would be Eounl
to agree with him.