New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-01-02
GEORGE ELIOT.
"REMINISCENCES OF HER YOUTH.

AND FINE BRAIN.
lFRoM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF TIRE TRrBusE.l
ANDovER, Dec. 26.-Diyers newspapers say
that George Eliot was born in the town of War
wickshire." which is as absurd as to say,
Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in the city OF
Essex" Warwicksbire is county, ana there Is no
| townin England of the name. She was. however,
born in the county of Warwickshire; in or near
NuneatOn. Her father was the bailiff OF land
steward of the great man of the neighborhood,
Office to which one of her brothers succeeded and
still holds.
She received portion of her education at a
boarding school near Nuneaton. and school. mate,
whose son met last spring. says that as grl she
was very popular with teachers and pupils. She
learned everything with ease, but waS4,assonately
devoted to music and became thoroughly accom-
plished as a pianist. Her masters always brought
the most difficult solos for her to play in public,
and everywhere said she might make performer
equal to any then upon tho concert stage.
She was keenly susceptible to what she thought
her lack of personal beauty. frequently saying that
she was not pleased with q single feature of her
face or figure She not especially noted
writer. but so uncommon was her intellectual
power that all thought her capable Of any effort,
and so great was the charm of her conversation
that there was continual strife among the girls as
to which of them should walk with her. Tho
teachers had to settle it by making it depend upon
alphabetical succession.
She kept up little acquaintance with her early
home during the middle and later portion of her
life; bat when Scenes of Clerical Life" was going
through BldckwOOd, and there was much specu.
laton among literary people as to the personality
of the new and powerful writer, in spite of the
masculine pseudOnym the inhabitants of Nuneaton
at once declared her to he The author. They iden.
titled several characters of the story, among the
rest. Mr. Dempstcr. The latter died at Nuneaton
only year or TWO ago, being often called by that
name in private circles.
George Eliot once told me that she had known in
early life family somewhat like the Garth3 and
often Feel as l reyel in her books that characters
moving in their sphere real in a different sense
from those o. the ROmOla and DOrOthea type. l
counted it good fortune to meet the gentleman
who told me these incidents of George ElOts
youth, and even greater my pleasure as later.
saw another, VINO was with Chapman the publisher,
when Miss Evans was living in his house-the
dear friend and almost daughter of Mrs. Chapman.
This gentleman, then very yonng fellow hold
ing q subordinate position while sE' was already
well known as q very learned woman and traas-
lator of profound German philosophers, had OF
course no friendship, hardly acquaintance, with
her. but saw and spoke with her many times daily
dreaming of her future fame, he observed her
closely "The other clerks" he said, "used 70 de-
clare that she not pretty, like some other women
of note but was more Of q lady," But be himself
never thought her ugly, her eyes sparkled so, and
she was so graceful" When l first saw her, her
eyes did not sparkle but gowed do the stars
in the evening sky.
was in London when she married last May
to Mr.. Cross. The Daily Ac,rs in small type and in
an inconspicuous place said, George Eliot. the
distinguished author, was married yesterday TO Mr.
Cross" The Echo, an evening journal OF the same
date took it upon itself to say, what il certainly
did not know. that it was not George Eliot the dis
tingushed author, who was married to q Mr.. Cross,
but the wife of G. II. kewes. This statement tcle-
graphed to America Immediately after the former,
was the cause of the contradictory stories that for
weeks chased each other mp and down both con-
tinents But The Nens was right; it was George
Eliot who married Mr. Cross, and as it did not say
at that time. at st. Georges Church, Hanover
square. the bridesmaids being the sisters Of her
husband An old friend OF hers told ne it WAS use
less to deny that many of her friends feared the
step was unwise but that they had made mp their
minds, from the knowledge they possessed OF Ter
Judgment and good sense, that she was entirely
competent to decide what was best Tor her fnture
happiness Whenever afterwards l met anyone
of in the same spirit. She went Immediately to
Italy, where with her husband she passed most OF
the summer, returning not to The priory,' Re-
gents Park but to q house at Chelsea owned by
Mr. Cross 1t seemed as if the situation and neigh
borhood would be agreeable in every way, for it is
the centre of IN intense intellectual and artistic
life Again. after her return, heard the marriage
spoken of as most happy and as another evidence
that equality of age and intellectual gifts il not
absolutely necessary to friendship or even love.
il not gossip to recall these details OF her Iio even
though she herself never gave to the public the
smallest particular in regard to it. She always
wrote under the pseudonym taken ycaIs before;
and held that while the work was open to criticism
at all times and places with the worker the critics
had nothing to do.
But no " that she is no longer with us, now tLat
the hand which truthfully, lovingly, even reveren
TALLY would have written her life. lies cold and
dead under the sods of Highgate, it seems to mo
we may welcome q little intelligence as to the
personality OF George Eliot the woman. as eagerly
MS We would the smallest scrap in regard to william
akc The man.