New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-01-09
GEORGE ELIOT,
. RETROSPECT OF HER CAREER.

| upp SOCIAL AND LITERARY CAREER-FALsE
NOTIONS WHICH SHE HAD OF HIS TALENTs-HER
PERSONAL APPEARANCE.
800, THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNEl
'IoypoN. Dec. 25.-George Eliot lived and died
.nrrouuded by two worlds; one composed OF those
wbo read and admired her books but had no knowl-
eoe of her personally the second select circle OF
intimate friends whose afectionate admiration OF
her and her work alike went much beyond that OF
the generality cannot give better notice OF my
incompetence to write about her than by saying that
I belonged to neither of these companies. Not
that did not in the ordinary sense of the words
read George Eliot and perceive and respect her
rare genius and culture. But was mostly content
with reading her once, and was inclined TO Judge
her novel; writing by the standards commonly useu
in weighing the merits OF writer's OF fiction Ills,
I need not say would by no means content the Eiot
worsbippers or even the more devoted part OF the
pubc she had gathered about her. You were not
considered worthy to express an opinion on George
Elot's stories unless you considered them as some
thing much more than stOries-whlch I'M
doubtedly they were-and debated land adj
mitted) her claims to high rank among philosophers.
Among social refOrmers, among the leaders OF modern
thought-nay among poets; for 1t was no small
number of persons who at one time convinced
themselves that the author of the Spanish Gypsy
was poet. In the newspaper eulogies which have
appeared since her death, the tone of reycrent
alteration for an all but universal genius IS dlscOV-
cradle. / will not presume to say that the reVcr-
en alteration is offered to an unworthy idol. am
pny presenting humble excuse for the meagreness
Of the tribute / can myself pay to her, anu OF
the account am able to give of one who passed with
such multitu} of capable judges for phenome-
non alike in literature and philosophy. In the
pressure of many occupations and interests never
found time enough for study of George Eliot; and
ar, not sure ever overcame one two early pre-
judices rather repugnances, which unhapphy
seized upon me in the reading of adam Bede."
Hence it was that never sought adnittance TO the
famous Sunday afternoons at North Bank. was
quite sure should not como up TO the accepted
standard-tbat had not incense enough to burn on
that aartcular altar. know many of those who
made up that band. Some of them are men for
whose Judgment have much more respect than l
have for nv own. l don't doubt they were right
md was wrong And now that George Eliot IS
zone and the door is shut forever regret sincerely
that never took advantage of the opportunities l
lad of knowing her better.
AN UNFORTUNATE INFLUENCE.
First and last have met George Eliot perhaps
dozen times For society, in the common sense she
lid not care much. She was not often to be seen.
think, in the world certainly not i'll those corners
IF it to which / have access. She preferred that
he world or some of the best of it, should to
,er To the last, and even after her marriage with
Mr. Cross, there was question about her actual
position. Everybody knew that she had lived
openly for years with the late George Henry Lewes.
and that she was not married to him. She was, in
TACT his mistress. There many excuses for the
rrecularity of their relations. Mrs. Lewes was lv-
ing to be sure but was hopeleSsly insane. Between
Miss Evans and Mr.. Lewes there were very strong
intellectual ties and sympathies. independently OF
attachments of other sorts. Mr.. Lewes had that
kind of influence over Miss Evans which merely
clever and studious man Of eager and strenuous
temperament sometimes exercises on sensitive
nature For Miss Evans, though in some
points firm and masculine, had the sensitive
ness. the susceptibility and external impressions
which is one of the surest characteristics of genius
She was convinced. believe she often said. that
her obligations on the intellectual side to Mr. Lewes
were very great Others thought the obligation was
the other way, and that George Eliot, so far from
owing anything to Lewes or gaining anything from
her long association with him, was distinctly loser
by the connection. 1t is certainly true that after
Lewes had established his influence on her mind,
there was a marked change in the character of her
work She was aware of the change and took pride
in it, and thought her work had gained by 1T IN quail
ity and value Not few Of her friends and admirers
thought it had deterorate1 and that as Lewess IN
fluencc became more powerful the change in her
method of writing became more pronounced and
the deterioration more evident. Lewes used to say,
almost boastfully. that in order to write Daniel
Deronda" George Eliot had read, at his instance
and under bis guidance thousand bOoks-books of
Jewish history and literature and vast quantities OF
Talmudic lore. No doubt; and it was precisely this
attempt to digest this mass of learning which makes
Daniel. Deronda," as o novel, so inferior to the
"M,ll on the Floss She had worked similar lines
in earlier books, and with result the same in kind
but less disastrous in degree.
From the very first she was defective in purely
artistic qualities. in the of proportion and in
regularity of construction, for example. Her mind
was extraordinarily vigorous ; her learning quite
cop8us enough for her real work long before Lewes
began his systematic examining. If he had been the
Iudicious critic and adviser he thought himself he
would have worked in a direction the very opposite
TO that which be followed. He was beyond ques-
ton devotedly attached to Miss Evans what he did
be did Loyalty. But Lewes was man who valued
himself Immensely, who probably Overvalued
bis own work, which Is multlfarOus and
IF various degrees of badness in its astonishing
,atility; but who never had misconception of his
pwp place in the world 30 astounding as when he
thought himself appointed by Providence to form"
lhc mind of George Eliot. What he really did was
10 Law upon her burden greater than any mind
could bear; he cramped the natural play OF her
renius, he overloaded her wit with his library
learning: OF which she had. indeed, without hint or
help from him, quite as much she had need for or
means of using; whether for fiction or for the pro-
founder study she proposed TO herself. Before she
wrote Adam Bede' sue had translated Strausss
Life Of Jesus" and had shown the extent OF her
familiarity with sort of erudition then mach less
common than now. to require which implied
patural force of character and courage as well as
bent toward serious study of great subjects Loves