New-York tribune., 1880-06-20

Which she has made her own, and every man knows
MIddemarch, for example, better than ne Knows
his native town. But her father was not Only vi
the calling of Caleb Garth in the novel just hahleu
he was preacher which is probably the reason
why he is described In some biograpieai ds. 10
his daughter as a clergyman, and In others as uis
senting minister. George EllOES early y0itn MnS WIS
surrounded by the atmosphere from when DInaL
Morris came into Adam Bede; 1t Is no unIitwIuI
stretch of fancy to imagine her one or an outGoor
congregation on the village green at fiaysiope
listening to DinaRs Methodist sermon; and we can
trace the same influence, as easily rs oranch Hom
STEM into the heart of ROmoa listening TO SaVona-
rola Only in the latter we have the additional out
the direct influence of mind upon minu,
Thousands of readers have 1nstlnctlvely, 1eI-We
have heard readers of all classes ex
press the feelImg-tbat in creating Maggie iullVer,
she put into her the real soul OF real cnlld IN tue
way that no woman can deal with any SOU Dnt her
own. But Maggie's was the tragedy, OF woman
doomed to rely for all support upon dull ami coarse
natures Beyond the bounds OF lawful. or, tOr tnat
matter, of possible speculation are the cause ana
manner Of George Eliots emergence from such easy
influences as bers into the atmosphere OF that
Positive Philosophy to which Comte gave the t0rm
of negative religion. In her writings sne 1 na1
given us absolutely 10 traces or hints of her real
intellectual position. Her earlier novels are PIC
tured memories one and all ; and not even In the
latest are there any signs whatever OF want OF
concerning the old times and the old ways IL
only be said that nothing is more common. 10 d
nature at once highly imaginative and Mghly ra1
tona than for the sentiment and the reason to pull
In opposite directions and for neither TO yleld.
tunes Of the Rev Amos Barton mime, fear is
not well-regulated mind it has an occasional ten
derness for old abusesj 1t fingers With certain
fondness over the days of nasal clerks and top,
booted parsons, and has sigh for the departed
shades Of vulgar errors" What she says here hu-
mOrously we take seriously; and We nn9 tneretn
much of the charm Of her earlier novels Tor many
English men and women, and for yet greater num-
bcr of Americans. ,,
been broken. When first in London, she lived In
the Strand. the place of business OF Dr. ChaP-
man. the founder of The Westminster Rertec to when
she afterward became trequent cOhtrlpsuttol.
Partly as n cause, partly as consequence, OF neT
connection with The Wesminster, she became one OF
the set of Positivist thinkers who accompanied
Mr. John Stuart Mill far as he leo them or foi,
lowed them That this student OF b ard science and
arid metaphysics should afterward become great
eXpOuent of the world of human emotion ana pas
sion ia their most direct and simple forms seemed OF
all things the most unlikely; nor were her studies IN
art and language Of the kind to lead her out OF
the line which she had seemingly chosen for her
own Her first published work was translation
of Strauss Lebcn Jesa r Life Of Jesus) which ap-
peared in 1916 Wien she vas theTeoTe' M a%sr
bach's" EssenceOf Christianity" appeared IN 1898.
Uphill the age Of nearly forty, therefore. Mary
Ann Evans gave little sign-save. perhaps, 10 inc
one or two who knew her best-Or becoming more
than a highly accomplished, fairly learned, anu
exceedingly industrious literary lady whose nlsslon
was to asslmilate and reproduce the thou8nts OF
other minds. with not very attractive preference
for the supremacy Of pure reason ana tOr tne eA-
treme of theoretical liberty to which pure reason
leads those who accept its dogmas without ques,
lion }ut IN 1858 apDearedthOse "SeeneS OF clerical
Itfsv which 80 soon as the light of adam Bede" was
turned back upon them next year, became Iecog-
nized as the more than ample promise OF what was
to follow them. 1t is very hard to connect them
with the student of advanced German theology
Has it ever been noticed, by the way, how. while
poctrv painting of and music belong to youth. the
ART of fiction seems naturally to belong to middle
and even to old aGef Till Thackeray was nearer
forty than thirty his name was Pr9fSSS{yt 9 Son{t os 9n
forty-tbrce Richardson did not become an author
tl he was ffty-One. Defoo did not write his first
novel till he was ifty-eiGht years old. Gil bas"
George Eliot was no exception to the rule and,
like the ioncss in the fable, her works have been
few, and their production slow-she has written put
seven novels during her career OF twenty-0ne years.
In 1850 appeared The Mill on the Floss, wherein
depth of tragedy is equallcd by entirely original
lumOr which cOmpels the most hopelessly coarse
and common men and women to become great
studies of human nature IN spite OF themselves
People who waste their wits IN making COM
Adam Bede" and THE Mill on the Flossp on the
Whole perhaps the general verdict tbn goes croET 1O5
and pinnacle of her, " first period TO
phrase. For "Romola" belongs to distinctly new
departure. 1t was. we believe. refused by Messrs.
Blackwood on the ground that, In spite OF her
name it was not likely TO prove successful-a judg-
nent which must have been arrived at unwlllngy,
and on very strong critical grounds. and which tho
popular estimation IN which It is held as justified,
on the whole. though some, who are by no means the
worst Judges Of great work. Tnt Romoia,r nrst
among George EliOtS novels. But 1t Is not known
and loved a. Adam Bede" and Silas Mariner"
arc and is favOrle among ner most critical rather
than among her warmeSt and heartest aumlrers
II reads us if thought out rather than felt ont, and
il full Of sef-cOnSciOus purpOse-lt belongs 10 us
authors second period" in which George Eliot the
portrait painter Of natural life becomes more or less
subordinate to George Eliot the learnerand teacher
After Felix Holt" five years passed without new
novel-that is to say till the production ut Middle
march" IN eight parts during the years 1871 r.
this compressed library of human nature, belongs
To what wo have called her second period, nut Ia
painted upon her earliest and most congenlal back
ground and reprOduCeS all that IS best III her rSt
manner as a Summer afternoon is continuation
and luliilment of It's morning.
Another four years passed. before the publica-
zion of Daniel Drronda"-a work belonging en-
tircly to that second period which commenced with
" Rnmoln" Financial succeSS-literary failure"
was the curt judgment passed upon lt at the time
by some who thought II sound criticism to con-
denim Daniel DrT0nda" because 1t was not Adam
Bede." We believe, however that as time goes on
the reputation of Daniel DcrOnda"wil be found to
grow, though it would require a long and special
criticism to say why. Many have already accented
Gwendocn Harlcth as wel-nigh supreme among
George Eliot's studies of the war between the lives
and the souls of women. But no doubt the novelist
Thought, after her manner. much more OF her DOCK
than of her readers. MOrdccal. tho jew, went over
their heads, and Gwcndocn was just as hard to un-
driSand as real men and women are.
SO far as the outer world Is concerned tins record
of her work that of her life also. Her method of
workmanship is very much what might he eX-
pcctcd. The long years which divide her books
from one another have been slent III elaborate and
exhaustive planning and thin king, and # ncedfu,
in collection of all material for them that could
possibly he available. When she works it ia at
kind OF slow heat-a days work represents but
minimum of copy" and every word Is thought
over She feels the strain in body and mind to the
point of physical pain, and of the need Tor com
plctc repose when work is out of her hands.
Genius, with her, means victory; but only after
battle.
She has never been one of the common lions of
literary society. From George Henry Lewes she
had while he lived tho constant aid and counsel of
one of the most brilliant critics and Of letters
of our time though some may doubt how far her
association with him WAS beneficial to the special
nature of her genius We eau trace tho growth of
its intellectual effect till it's elimination in many
portions of Daniel Drronda." Private and dOmes-
tlc topics are not within the scope of critical BIZ
o,,ro p,v Ilut ho Sun1av a At the housA