The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1881-02-26

the laws of chastity, and were compelled, IN
equal fairness, to say of George Eliot:
No sophis,ry can acqult her of the guilt OF
striking "a deadly stab Mt the holy ordinance OF
marriage. She lived for years, in relations
which wedlocl only would have justified
with the undivorced husband OF another wo
man She was genius, but genius Will be
Il held of God accountable, whatever literary
| funkeys may say, TO his moral laws
While holding very strongly ana Win no
abatement to what we thus saId NC do not
hold that George Eliot was by any means q
sinner above all others in her otlensc against
marriage There are other 0ilenses which be
fore God are greater than hers George Eliots
SIN was helnous, but justice requires that she
should not be condemned without due dis.
elimination
The facts were these. Mr.. Lcwes nigh,
have secured a legal divorce from his wife, on
scrlptural grounds, If he had been less patient
and forglving; If he had been less Christian,
in fact When she proved incurably bad, he
separated himself from her; but now the VI
clous English law would not allow him, after
having cOndoned his wife's uniaithtulness, to
obtain legal divorce. Under these clrcum-
stances, he became intimate with Marian
Evans, and they agreed to live together faith
ullv as husband and wife, she taking by cour-
tcsy his name, hut without the legal marriage,
which could not he obtained. After the death
of the first Mrs. Lewes, when legal marriage
became possible, they did not seek it. After
Mr. Lcwes's death, however, George Eliot
signing herself by her maiden name OF Evans,
was legally married to Mr., Cross.
Doubtless, Miss Evans and Mr. Lewes very
aluudantly argued to themselves that they
had a right to do as they did. They said that
Mr.. Lcwes was morally, ifnot legally divorced :
that their union contained the essence, II not
the accidents of marriage; that II there was
any lack in their marriage 1t WAS the fault OF
the law, and not their fault; and THAI but Tor
what is formal and adventurous, theirs was
real weIock And this is true, and should be
remembered in extenuatiOn Of their fault. But
they erred in not also considering that in soci-
ETY. men must live under law, and under law
the individual must often deny himself and
suffer for the general good. 1t Is necessary to
have laws governing marriage, and, even IL
these laws are not the best, it is duty to sub
nit to them, for the sake of those who are too
ready to break even wise laws And the more
transcendent the genius OF those who are az
fcct,d by the law the greater the Obligation 10
obey 1t, for the sake of the general good, even
though the act itself but for the law, might
he perfectly right We do not say that IN II
community with no other law than the law OF
God George Eliots act would not have been
perfectly right; but she who believed in altru
Ism overstepped her own altruislic principles
in disoheyiug public law, and was thereby
guilty of a deadly stab at Gods institution OF
marriage.
There is \ difference in TIE Nervousness OF
sins. The best authority says there IS "a sin
which Is not unto DEATH and there 80 sin
unto death" aud an authority. perhaps infer
or, says that some sins in themselves, and
by reason Of several aggrvations, are more
heinous in the sight Of God than others" Mr.
Lewes was much more guilty than she. II
she was willing to make such a sacrifice, he
had no right to accept ito Ecr. 1t was in him
doubIy selfish and apparently somewhat mean
to be willing to put herln such a compromised
position, and to accept the sacrifice to himself
of the greatest genius among English women
Further, while George Eliots open disre
gard of the legal sanction of marriage was
sadly demoraizing to the community, her un
welded iaithfuluess WAS hundred fold less
sinful IN itself than the welded uniaithiuness
of many perhaps who rcbuke her sin Thell
sin may be known to few, but where known i
| is canker vastly more corroding than hers
| If we must condemn her act let us not bury
her in the damnation of evll-Mindcd libertines
n Y fnTereuHsuf