Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1879-01-04
A PLATONlC MARRIAGE.
The True Story Of the Relations of George
Eliot and II. NJ. Le1ces.

AHe i1ue STORY OF tie het6ttOnS OF George
Eliot and II. NJ. Le,ces.
philadelphia Telegraph
The relations of George Eliot with the
late George Henry Lewes have come in for
some share of attention since the death
of the latter. In this connection the London
correspondent of the New York Timss-who
at times appears to monopolize great deal
of the knowledge of the world-laments the
fact that the English papers neglected to
make any mention of George Elliot or Miss
Evans, or Mrs. Lswes, or whatever her legal
name may now be, in announcing and COM
menting upon Mr.. Lewes' death. According
to the Times London man, the rather dis
reputable woman to whom Mr.. Lewes was
married in early life still lives.
This statement IS directly contradictory
of one made over four years ago, on quite
as good authority, to the effect that the
original Mrs. Lewes had kindly quilted this
world, and that the long-deferred ceremony
between Mr.. Lewes and Miss Evans had
taken place "out of respect to the preiudices
of society and the majesty of the law.''
When the first Mrs. Lewes abandoned her
husband for another man, the biographer of
Goethe regarded the unfortunate occurrence
like the philosopher that he professed to be,
and made no effort either to get her back or
to deprive her of the right to bear his name.
By-and-by she repented of her folly and
came back to MIR. Lewes with so much con-
triton on her lips, if not in her heart, that
he philosophically fergaye her, and by living
with her thereafter condoned her offense For
time they lived together in peace and hap
piness, but the hayward wife soon tired of
fl,ic
This time she went for good, and never
thereafter troubled Mr.. Lewes. The latter,
by some crook of the English law, was de-
barred from claiming a divorce after this
second offense because he had condoned his
wife's former waywardness. So he was COM
PEELED to bear with this second freak as
philosophically as he had done with the first.
Meanwhile Mr.. Lswes had made the ac-
qualntance of Miss Evans at the house of
the editor-in-chief of the Westminster
Reuie1o, DR.. Chapman, with whom she re-
sided while acting as his assistant in
editing tie ReDieW. They were attracted
toward each other from the start,
and finally care to live together
in a sort of Platonic fashion, in
defiance of the world. This step, it is re-
lated, was not taken hurriedly. They sum-
moned council of their wisest friends-or
tnOSe VINO passed lot Sucn-derOerG Spencer,
John Stuart Mill, Algernon Charles SWIM
burne, Matthew Arnold, Thomas Carlyle,
Wilkie Collins and Gerald Massey, beng
list of some who were probably consulted, if
we may judge by the close intimacy which
has always existed between them and the
gifted novelist. The delicate difficulties in
the way were laid before this plenary coun-
Gil, each of the contracting parties agreeing
to abide by the decision, whatever
it might be. The decision was all
that Mr.. Lewes and Miss Evans
could ask-and they were told
to "obey their own instincts, and not permit
an empty technicality to obstruct their hap
piness." They followed this advice and
lived together thereafter as man and wife.
Miss Evans soon became known, in her
philosophical "set'' at least, as Mrs. Leves,
even before the death Of the original Mrs.
Lewes, and, although there was some scandal
for time, and a few acquaintance fell away
from them, their intimate friends remain
steadfast from first to last. This story of
the original Mrs. Lewes being still alive may
possibly be true; but if it is, it is a little
singular that the widely circulated story Of
her death in 1874 was not sooner contra
dicted.