New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-02-11

is incontestabe that nc allowed claim to be pub
Clergyman reported Mr. Lggius to The Times ns tle
antfor and though the real George Eliot met thc
statement by challenge to the pretender 10 setiie
s sr1 Of the Sc ,nes" or Of adam Bcde,"'
there were not few firmly persnaded that
Liggins was the man. George ElioCs Pun p
liehers received numerous letters reitoratlng
proofs of Mr. Lgginss authorship. while others e1-
pressed anxiety to relieve the CIRCUMSTANCES OF a
Of SO great genius N6sder
ahout the Higgins aud anti-Llggins controversy, eA
cent IN 80 far as there was danger OF pecun,Hy
sympathy being msappledi Ii, Wlots t.le Eu.o
70 George Eliot some years ago rascai nearly suc
ceeded in marrying girl with money on the strength
of being the author of series OF III the Mag
azine" The Lisgins i1cdenI, however reaUISeu
shlp: and before the Mill on the Floss appeared
The identity of George Eliot with herrcal self began
to be well known.
FLoRENTINE ROMANCE REVIVED.
Wbila "Adam Beden was still in hand. George
Eots thoughts had turned toward an Italian novel,
of which Savonaroa was to be one oil the promi-
nent characters The transIton Oh inea from sao
reyivalist was not an unnatural one. Bnt it was
we'll however, for the growth Of her literary repu-
to the familiar walks of English rural life
Great novel as "Romola" undoubtedly Is.
It could scarcely have won. the triumph, Of the
mill on the Floss" which, following so closely on
| Adam Bede" at once secured her position in the
first rank of English noyeli.ts.
As soon as Adam Bede" was finished George
Eliot with un1aggng industry, set To work on q
new novel. and had the greater past OF the mann
script ready to place in the hands OF her
publishers by the beginning Of l86O. The tue
originally chosen was Sister Maggie" and the bulk
of the work was written under that designation,
but after the completion of the novel, doubts
p wifs ts' The present se title was
gested by the Editor. Writing Oh the Oh January,
1850 he says: 1--WE have all been considering the
various titles propOsed and tnIs morning h E sae
would be all appropriate ttle and in some respects
appropriate and curioslty-excting taan any o
the work appeared in the end OF April. From the
publication Of the Mill on tine Floss George Elots
assured position in fiction may lie dated. III " Auah
Beden revealed mastery insight into character ana
human nature coupled with iniinltable gifts OF
description the Mill on the Floss showed other
powers equally great. The original title proves thaI
Maggie Tulliver was intended to be tho central
figure in the novel. and though she lacks the
strength of such creations as Oman MOTIFS IS, or
I marchS she takes as deep a hold
upon the Imagination as any. other char,
octer that George Eliot has conceived IL would
mot be we'll that The autobographic interest which
must be held to attach TO the development of Maggie
should in any way ovcrpowcr 0ur appreciation Oh
her as an ideal for we know OF lew pictures OF Eng
GSh gIrlhood more clcvatlng and lcvable IL was
only natural that the mental disclosures IN Tue
"Mil, Oh the Floss" should recall as parallel
would not be going beyond the bounds OF Justice to
apply that collective title to the whole Of George
EllOts literary remains. ~
Tie wear after the publication the " Mill on the
Floss The idea of the Italian romance was now
taking form, and the less ambitious sketch oil
"Slas" as compared with ITS two pr decessoIS, was
urouably due to the eagerucsS with which George
Eliot was looking forward 10 the commencement OF
her romance of old FioreniinG lile. she had been
drawn INTO this work solely b. The character OF SavO
uarOla By his easily recognized aintN win hcr own
character and perhaps by the wonderful personal re-
scmhiatrt bet Wcrn herself and the great Dominican
which las often be n the subject OF remark. But
ms unfrcqi entity happens. even IN the ease, al
the greatest gcnIusej, The ldchl Wncn had gllN'u
her mind scarcely stood the test when put 10 the
proof Fra G!r0iamu certainly $ ris out In the
pages of ROnlOla wi'h all the Nl9Or ana hdciitY
OF history but ne iaIs TO make the same Impression
as the hlIahlc Methodist preacher, Ilhdh MOTIFS.
Although think George fllot al
ways at her best when dcplciIng l. =
lISh life and character. ROmola illustrate a very
i,urortaut side Of her literary wurkmam y IL
showed ncr to he possessed of the power Of ddwing
from study and meditation characters a. true 10
nature and to their times and society As !ileiiko
anu faithful 10 history, as those which Shn had pre-
vioiIsy dcncatcd from personal observation and cx-
prrience. Without vesil.c nf mere antlquarIansin,
"Romola" was a perfect revival OF the lorenzo oil
the fifteenth century III the England nf the nlhc-
teenth; and even Scott never succeeded IN PROJECT,
ing the past INTO the present with more hdelty and
less OF anaclfonsn
HER CONNECTION WITH BLACEWOOD's.'
George ElIots early connection with the Magazine
was Kept up AT intervals wien perods Of leisure
from her greater work enabled her To Indulge III
shorfer uapcrs The Lifted Veil" graceful story
published IN the Magazine OF july, lodo Though
anonymous. attracted genera notice and dfew cN-
pr, soIls of admiration from the Lat" Lrd Lytt"n.
In January 1865, she contributed pithy prpct
called an Address to WOlkmcn 10y lcx Holt" III
which much sensible advice was gwen TO the
upcratiye classes who had recently been cn!rar-
cbi,ed by the Reform bill. From this paper. prob
ably better than from any other portion 0i her writ
ings definite idea OF Georgr EliniS real p0ltlcai
Ian put cd utsE "A q
neither Liberal HOT Conservative Will ice d>pn.rd
TO quarrel with. One of her shorter poems " How
LISA Loved the KING" founded upon IA tale OF
IIccaccio was published IN the Magazine of Nav,
1869, after she had kept II six year, beside her:
This was the last of her contributions that appeared
In BidckCJ)i; bat shs II YER l1't her interest III
the Magazine or intefmltted her regard for the
Editor To whom Ler early ESSAYS III fiction hid been
submitted Ouly few days before George Enots
death the feelings of his family were deeply moved
by n Letter from her 10 his nephew. DIR. William
BlqckwOOd. containing the following rctrfrUces to
the loss OF her former frond and literary adviser:
feel that his death WAS an irrcparabc loss 70 nv
mental life, for nowhere else is II possible
that / can find The samc lOng.tricd genuine
Of sy%pay u and p %a"nSS p@n spdnr's
have had Publisher VINO was III the uest sense Of the
ceieu moral Judgment las been an invaluable sfinnlu.
and comfort Your uncle had retained that fruit
ot cxuerience which makes a man Of tnr world az op-
posed 10 the marrow 0i literature. He Judged well
of writing because he had learned tO judge well
and Insight but with The illumination OF n heart In the
right place-a thorough integrity aud tenderness
feeling
Looking back over the years during which the
publishers of tins Magazine were III frequent com
muuicai0n with her. they feel that II is due to their
departed friend to put on record aspects
of her character winch they perhaps mad better up
pOrunIties OF discerning than the other friends who
met her III society. George Eliot was the most care
full and accurate among authors. Her beautifully
written manuscript. free from blur orasure. and
with every letter dclicately and distinctly
finished, was only the outward and visible
sign Of the inward labor which she
had taken to work out her ideas She never drew
any OF her facts or Impressions from secondhand
and tins in suite of the number and variety of ncr
had rarely uuch to IL, r.r