, 1873-01-19
"MIDDLEMARCH."

| When Charles Dickens SAW George EIot's "
| frat story, "Sccnes from Clerical Life" then
publishing in Black,oooTs Naga1inc, he wrote to
his friend Forster: DO read tloa; they arc
the best things Lave Eeen since I begau my
course." It was such l.raiRe this Incompatible
writer won by her first work She WAS tLeu
struggling for recognition; but, in tho years
that have elapsed since this naster-mind knew
her kindred genius "Gcorgo Eliot" hes taken
her place as the greatost Of living writer's Of
English fiction. What Dickens said Of sCler-
ical Life ~ can be eaid Of all her writings. Tley
nre the best. ''Goorgo Eliot" ia hersclf her
only rival. Hor last book, Middlcmarch," ;" ia
the greatest norel wo have had nince tie
ono that proceeded it from the aamo hand 1t IL
more than fiction; it Is truth. It is marked by
| tn anatomical insight into social and individual
nnturo 5; it is full Of humor as delicate, to use
one Of lie. own expressions, as tho aash " from
| q sunlit wing.'
Not by transcanding, but by uncovering tic
life around us, tho author has woven story Of
enhancing beauty. She ignores the trap-1ooru,
aasassnations, ntrigucs, and ca::strophea OF
ordinary norelwrights, aud movos lis with
| that deeper oycry-day tragedy Which
lies in the very fact of frequency.
On every page Of her narrasire nro thoughts
that delight us by their completion of our own
hhlf-forned ideas. The style in which, the book
is written is, to mind, the clearest, freshest
English OF the day. "1Iddlcmarch" is, above
all, work Of ert, beautiful and truo in it's de-
| ]ineationB
"Gco-ge Eliot'o work has deep sig guilcanco.
! She represents the feminine side OF modern
thought. She ia the intellectual rnate Of men
1iko Spencer, Buckle, 15ndall, HUXLEY, and
Darwin. Sho does not reproduce their theories
and terms her book does not sorve to luEe
tho render into a1nbuscadcs Of pro-
toplasms, erolutlons, and DarWinism.
She is too fine and too honest IN artist to per-
vert her novel, in the npcrtincnt fashion Of the
day, intoa nero artifce for propasandism,-a
susar~coating for pi1uiors arguments OIL the
suffrage, or prison-rcform, or religious doguas.
No fiction was ever moro FREQ from such Interior
purpose than Aliddlemarch." II is astory, not q
treatiso. BUTT is the complement Of the stronger
scientific work OF the present day "George
Eliot stands by tho slde Of tho thinkors Of to-
day, thinking. While they ere applying to the
problems Of ifo' their Hrang,: aud attempting
scientific, metaphysical research, she, with her
Tomanly intuitioas and 6ymp.tLiea, Is survey
ing tho limitations OF modern life, mud is
putting to its social problems ler heart.
THIS she does with tl4o unconscious directless
Of genius. She rises ier nooye tho lidactic dul-
neeses Of tho novel with purpose" to mako
us feel tho meanacss Of opportunity" tie
unattaincd goodness and tho s:tragic fail
ure," which tho social storilty of tho day brings
to "passionate ideal 'r1aturcs which demand an
epic Ife."
'a1iddlemarch" is singularly FREQ from
the pretension Of purpose, the air ct having
some good lesson cloaEed under its bril1ianccs,
Of amusing us ard making us good-aa:ured, i'll
order, at the propftious moment, to insert
nauscous doso Of medicinal advice or morality
between oar relaxed lips. It is simply the story
Of an ardent, undisciplined. noble, and
beautiful girl, yetlrning for an ideal life,
and beaten down 10 commonplace by the crush
ing 'smenrnoss OF opportunity. No moral il given,
but even aluggis minds are forced to draw tho
obvious lesson 6ucl. methods are as much above
those Of tho Uti6tarian roformer Gs tho winged
logic OF the intuitions is above cEe crawling
Bylogsms which the latter sets in motion There
is spiritual fellowship between the faculties,
which trapsnutes sensation IN one into action in
another. In this way cur Shakspeares, Mcudels-
selma. and Thorwaldsens, by quickeniag our
eou1a, better our daily iifo. and art becomes tho
ely Of morally.
aGeorge Eliot" ia an artist in words, who
paints. sings. sculps characters and seeks, Like
itef 1flOW, Gi13HSpedIG, 10 ltI0 tuU luIIUf up W
Nature. She has no s:purpose" iurthor than to
be true. No one has better described her aim
than :. George Eliot herself in tho seventeenth
chapter Of ''Adan Dodc.' II s.e were clever
novelist, size says. not obliged to creep servlle-
II after Na1a1re and fact, but able to represent
things NJ tney never were and never will be,
her characters would be Of her own choosing,
and would be uneScoptionatle. Az it is, FAe
feels ent to tell kcr simple story, with.
olt irving to maze & things eps.,.:e aeeIn better
so much as falaity. The pencil is conscious Of
a delightful facility ir drawing Il grihiu the
longer tho claws md the larger tho wings tho
bottcr; but that marvellous facility forsaacs us
lion. IT ,;ould not" she seys, ''eycn il had
tho choice, be tho clever novelist who ca! create
world go much better u,nn this in which We ]
get up in tt.e morning to do our daily work, that
you would Loo likely to turn coldar, harder ego
on the dusty streets aud tho common groeu fields,
on the 7enl breathing men aud women who
can be chilexl by your Indifference or injured By
your prejudice who Gun be cheered and helped
onward By your fellow-1eelng, your forbearaaco,
your outtpoken, brave Justice" These prirci-
way that will delight u. Taino.
Said ''Gradgrind, with lis obstinate carriage, |
square ccat, square legs, square shoulders, nay,
his very neczcloth trained to take him by the
like stubborn fact: I'm this Ifo ,Fo !
ing but Facts.' True enoug gh; but |
palpable wares, coins, volumes Of political econ
omy, statistics, are not the only Facts. They
arc not tho chief Fac.e; sympathy; strain Of
music, the perfume of flowers. the delusions Of !
tho dreams Of youth, and tho anbi-
lions Of maturity arc Facts; all tho shifting T
currents OF humanity arc frcighted with subtle |
Facts, which defy measure or scale; tears arc
Facts, and so are smiles,-Facts quite rs i'm
portent as the figures in tho report Of tho secro-
tary Of the Treasury, "Georgc Eliot" with tho
and minute observation, deep insight,
tender intuition, vast comprehension, that sho |
brings to the eosing atudy Of tho Facts OF human
life and character, is welding an influence not
second to that Of a;ly invest: gator of the day.
Even Science has its sexes, and our severcr
philosophers nro incomplete unless supplemented
BY the feminine studies Of minds ike George
Eliot which will classify the sentimental facs OF
Nature. Thishigh function may prevent her from
being reached BY the majority Of nosel-Eeaders;
but her influence will not be lost On them, for
The fruits Of her labors will be distributed to |
hem by tho intellectual middlemen Of our mag
azines, and hour-strutting noyelists, who can
equip themselves for lifo from her stores.
ss Middlemarch," as the author states, is