Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-10-11
GEOR9E ILIOTs CAREER
History OF . Strange Platonic Mar.
riage.

QUARTER OF MILLION DOLLARS WITH HEB
PBN-HER MARVELLOUS MIND.
London Correspondence San Francisco Chronicle
George Eliot's just published work, "Life aud
Opinions OF TheOphrasJus Such," series Of
analytic essays has not beea written, as many
The essays have been done throu n a series Of
years In the intervals Of more pro5racted, II not
more serious, labor when she had leisure and
and sagacious, as all her performances are, and
clearly indidote the authorship OF Adam
Bede." "Mill on the Floss" and 'Feiix Holt"
She has definitely announced 1t. ! understand,
as her final publication, so that her eXtraordl-
nary literary career may be said to De closed,
making this fit time to review her profess
ional ard private life, one Of the most extraor-
binary lives on the whole Of any writer OF the
present time. Notwithstanding her very wise
fame hardly anything has been known OF her
personally, so that any and all details of-the
woman have double interest IL Is singular
that the every day existence Of the greatest
and most renowned OF English novelSts should
be as hidden from the mass OF her readers at
home as though she were dweller In the
hearJof Africa.
In no biographical record with which I am
acquainted can any details OF her antecedenfS
have shrunk from publicity. even to the extent
OF concealing her proper name. George Eliot
and what she has wrttteniS her entire history,
and have been told that she once said to
friend that, when she was buried, she wished
only her pen-name to be placed on single
slab
Marian C. Evans was born in a town of War
wickSh1re, in many respects the most interest
ing county in Great Britain, for 1t contains
Stratford, Warwick Castle. Guys cliff, Keail-
worth, the quaint old tower OF coventry, and
many other historic places and monuments
She is the daughter of country curate who
having nothing but his small salary and num-
Der OF children. had not the means to give her
such an education as her precoctouS mind and
conspicuous talents deserved. While he was
debating what means to adopt to secure the
desired end, brother clergyman friend OF
his. possessed of a handsome Independence, be-
came interested In her and asked the privilege
to take charge of the training Of her intellect
The privilege was granted, and that the pur-
pose might be more conveniently and COM
pletely carried out, she was virtually adopted
By her clerical friend and went 20 reside u d or
his roof. There she had the best teachers
p ocurable, AID as she was tortured by an In
Satlabie thirst for knowledge she improved as
tonishingly, and at IS had acquired an extent
and variety of culture such as few persons Of
either sex attain at that age. The more she
KIT W the more she wanted TO XII 0W, and she
amazed her aste By her quickn ess profun-
dlty ana originality. She got beyond them
ere long. and al % resolved TO come to London
having d me nstrated hi remarkable capacity
to write 10 everybody acquainted with her.
They all agreed that literature was her voca-
ton, and that it would be sin against nature
moreover, generous as her benefactor was, to
be Independent, and she was confident that
this great capital would ultimately insure her
the Independence which she craved.
She was near her % year when she decided
to make Lond b. home, and it has continued
to be her home ever since. Marian Evans
came here with a few letters Of Introduction
and began at once to write for the periodicals,
not the merely popular, but the intellectual
sort, like Fraser, BLackuood and the leading re-
views. Instead of verses. stories and sketches,
to which the feminine mind Is addicted, she
produced thoughtful, solid papers demanding
eIudition and research, sucl as are usually
called OF masculine order. After awhile she
became regular contributor to the Eiinburg
"
pecting that the contributions came from wo-
man. AS she had no general reputation, her
earnings were small, but sufficient to defray
her expenses in the economical way she lived.
She did her best work for the Westminster, be-
cause she was more In sympathy with its
spirit, from the outset thoroughly independent
and liberal, and because her welcome there
had been cordial and generous. SO sincerely
was she appreciated that, during the temper
airy absence of the editor, she acted In his stead
and discharged the arduous duties Of the po-
sition excellently. She was barely 81 at that
time, and that woman could be capable Of edi-
ting the Westminster at such an age proves OF
what high order OF mind she must have been
possessed. Her first sustained work was
translation Of Stranse' "Leben Jesus" QLife of
Christ), which appeared In 1885, succeeded soon
after by translation of Feuerbach's "Essencc
OF Christianity" Her English version denoted
conclusively her accurate knowledge Of Ger
man ard her power over her own tongue.
She continued to furnish articles to the best
order of magazines and reviews for number OF
years, rarely, If ever venturing upon fiction
Her papers were then of so philosophlc stamp
that nobody would have expected that she
would ever develop into a novelist; she was
81, when she published under the signature OF
George Eliot" series Of stories in BLackuood
bearing the title 'Scenes In Clerical Life"
They were marked by fresh, racy, vigorous
style, and speedily drew attention. for they
proclaimed the advent Of new novelist OF Sig
nal ability. The signature was generally u1-
derstood to be pseudonym, aud great curiosity
was felt to learn whom 1t concealed. Was 1t q
man or woman? Most persons decided tn 1t Il
was man; that no woman had such grasp or
strength; that the diction was uuquesJionabiy
masculine. The year following the admiral on
for George Eliot greatly increased by the ap-
pearance, in numbers, OF adam Bede," which
gained vast success In tho magazine, and had
an immense sale when put between covers.
The story placed her among the first noveNstS
Of the day, and rendered George Eliot familiar
rame throughout the United Kingdom, and In
troduced her, believe, to your side OF the
vater. The work was in due time translated
into French and German, and has since been
done into Spanish, italian, Dutch, Russian and
other modern tongues. 1t brought her the &C
Lad always been shy and had sedulousiy
avoided society, among them Herbert Spencer,
George Henry Lewes, Dickens, Adolphus Troll
lope, Thackeray, Matthew Arnold, Wilkie Col
Inns, Leslie Stephen and Charles Reade. Spencer
and Lewes were particularly interested In her
and close Intellectual friendship sprang up
between them.
Spencer Informally instructed her in his sys-
tenn of philosophy, and Lewes added largely
to her stock OF culture by his own diversified
attachments. Spencer, albeit a philoSophic
bachelor, wished to marry her, it Is said, but
she declined his proposal. Lewes was strongly
drawn to her through Intellectual sympathy
far more so than he had ever been, or believed
heever could be, to any human being. He said
that they needed one another; that he felt he
could help her as much as she could help him;
that their minds were correlated and mutually
responsive. LeHeS would have been only too
happy to make her his wife. But there was an
obstacle In the way Of their nuptials then or at
any other definite time. There was Mrs
LeweS already, and what was worse, although
she and LeweS did not live together, she could
not legally be set aside. Why? He had MR.
RED years before woman who had very little
in common with him, and, as he learned too
late, with whom he had still less He, being OF
stole mind, bore the misfortune uncomplain-
Ingly, trying to soften the unavoidable dis
harmony as much as he could. Unable to be
fond OF him, she was so much repealed that she
drove him, by her expression OF repugnance,
we'll nigh distracted, for he, like most men Of
artistic temperament, was extremely sensitive,
and capable Of great spiritual suffering.
After two or three years OF discord she met
another man who was very attentive to her;
she was then handsome and had an attractive
figure, and she was so moved by his attentions
that she ran away with him. LeWes was
greatly relieved. II he had been orthodox he
would have thanked the Lord for his deliver
ance. AS he was nationalist, he regarded his
wife's elopement as happy coincidence. Mrs
LeWeS' lover presently grew tired of her and
abandoned her. Then she repented and sought
her husband with pathetic contritton and pleu-