, 1873-06-01
GROTE, THE HISTORIAN.
a Memoir of Him by His
Widow.

His Intimacy with Young John Stu
art MILL.
The Romance of His Love on,
| Marriage.
Mrs. Grote has published the first volume q
a memoir Of her distinguished husband. It's a.
pearance at this moment is singrlar1y well-timed
Tor, among the group OF young Utilitaria1
philosophers that it describes, is
! JOIN STUART MILL.
lie was theeyoungest in yesrs, but junior il
weight and force Of mind to none. An instanc,
OF this Was his correspondence, when only i
years OF age, with Grote, on subjects Of the mos
abstruse kind. Mill, Grote, and their radica
| companions, formed what they called th.
" Utilitarian Society" and used to NEE
| at the banking-ofh Of Mr. Grote, Sr., il
Threadneedle street. They did not, as wat
popularity supposed, spend their time in the pc
rusal Of Adam Smiths "Wealth Of Nations, =
reading 1t backwards as we'll as forwards bu,
they debated freely and thoroughly every topic
Of political and social economy which was thrown
up by the discussions Of that time In d few
years, young Mill was the acknowledged centre
OF the Observation-Disclosures PHILOSOPHERS, who
used to meet with him every morning, from
haf-past 8 till business hours, to dis
cuss the topics which we're to be treated OF
in the Westminster Repietu, then the organ Of
the Utiltarian sect. Those we're the days in
which Mill pgrnfa {ho *nyn
With that exceeding gravity and carefulness
which CALLED Macaulay to the impatient criticism
that the Utiltarians thought that to be philo-
sophical they must be dry, aud that they forgot
that sophistry could lurk in Byllogiam as we'll
as in metaphor.
When Mr. Grote found his wife, one morning.
runmaging in his papers, and Was told by her
that she Vas gathering tho materials for his 1ife
he exclaimed: my life! Why, there is abso-
lutely nothing to tell" But, uneyentful
az the life Of the banker md scholar
is usually thought to have been, it turns out
that, with all the wealth, leisure, social and ed
ucationa1 opportunities that were his. Mr. Grote
agements and his SUCCESS, like every great sue
cess. was achieved in spite OF these. The story
Of his
FIRST AND ONLY LOVE,
and the trials and tribulations through which he
Wor the devoted wife who WAS the moving in
epiration Of his best literary and political work,
and who survives to erect this monument to his
memory. is full Of the torturng vicissitudes, and
constancy, and happy consumma-
waa giving himself mp to all the fascination OF
love love- hs .hn was W. warned BY young Clergy
Levin. the lady Of his affections, and
himself, to give up al hope ct winning her
was Grote affected by this revelation, that his |
health began to fail so notceably that his father,
Who seo1ns to have been Of harah, exacting |
nature soon discovered the passion. which |
e1acted from his son . pledge that he
wonld never offer himself to any woman !
without his consent Barely had this cruel |
promise been extracted, when young |
Grote learned that the Clergyman who had vol
his happiness was villain, and had deceived |
him in hopes to win the fair Miss Levin himself
But this discovery brought no happiness with it.
His father WAS inexorable in his refusal to al
low him to seek Miss Levins hand He Was
her and her family. He gave up al !
hope OF ever winning her, md bctook him !
SELF, with an industry little short Of pro-
lisious, to his studies. It was III in vain that
1etized him" as ho expressed it, He could not |
Danish her from his affections. They met again
y accident, and all their former fondness Was
Pero Grota WAS compelled to give
consent to the determined lovers, but, ugly to
he last, forbade them to marry for two
'ears. Mrs: Grote, writing now in the cool Of
ne, calls this sta cruel compact" az it certainly
gas. The Lewins hold better social position
han the Grotes; Miss Levin, If the girl held
lave possessed fine moral and intel
ectual qualities; the two wero devoted
overs, and there WAS no lack Of
money to forbid their union. They we're afa-
need, S;, and George Groto began At once to keep
[ay's work for the inspection Of his betrothed-
t affords marvellous instance Of
how MUCH CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED,
nder the inspiration OF love and ambition, by
1rs. Grote gives show that young Grote, al
hough engaged in business Of an e1acting
ature, found time to cultivate literature, politi-
al economy, German metaphysics, poetry, his
ory, philoaophy,-a dozen different subjects.
irote managed to spend the two years Of their
espicable conduct Of his father. This
miable parent would have no co1nn,uni-
alton OF any sort With the young, lady
rher family, and would not even pay them 8
hance visit. He gave his son, after his mar
lage, a mere pittance to live on. But such
rials we're easy to bear with
SO NOBLE WOMAN
his side. During their engagement, she had
cultivated those studies which would !
ualify her to assist her husband. After their
niop, sho gave up all her noble friends and con-
ectione of rank in Difference to her husbands I
,oted aVersion to everything aristocratio,-a
version which had been implanted by the teach !
gs Of James Mill, who may be said to have bent I,
is mind to the shape in which it reproduced
self in the History Of Greece. Mrs. drote Was
woman OF singu1ar]y generous impulses, noble
nbitions, quick and certain sympathy {
u these charming traits she brought to t
is MD, and che gavo him. beside, the keenest =
I'd most exhilarating stirnulant q man can have,
utter, unquestoning, fond faith in him and
s work, It was her suggestion that led him i
write his great work, and her unseen, faithful, T
ID affectionate influence was with him through
q to the end, urging and keeping him on in &
8 career ns great scholar, an earnest and I
'norable politician, and q successful man Of I
[siness.