New-York tribune., 1882-02-15
LAST W0RDs FROM GEORGE ELIOT

From, Miss Phelpss Article in he March Harper.
In response to brave and wretched entreaty,
made necessary by the work IN hand, we hnd the
AZ am happy to he able TO remedy the little acci-
dent To youT papers by copying the passages you
have extracted from my former letter
"Icertainly feel a strong disgust for any readiness
10 satisfy that idle curiosity which caring nj Tor
the study of an an hOTs works is pleased Win low
gossip about his private life and personal appear
ancc. OF every writer worth reading 1t may be
He gave the people of his best; -,
His worst he kept his best lie save.'
Can one be too severe on the spirit which neglects
the best and gerry accepts details called biOgra-
phical which would be worthless even If they were
accurate Every sentence OF your letter assures
me that YOU are at one with, me on this point
1t is interesting, | think, t. know
whether n writer was born IN central or border
distTict-a condition which always has strongly
determining influence l was born IN Warwick
shire, but certain family traditions connected with
more uorthcrv districts made tleSe districts
region of poetry TO me in my early childhood. /
was brought up in the Church of England. and
have never joined any other religious society, bat
have had close acquaintance with many DsScHtclS
Of variOus seCts, from CalyIniStlc Anabaptlsts 10
initaTians. IIeVer-tO answer one OF your cues
tions qniic directly never had any personal
acquaintance with lndmng a prominent Posi-
twist: never saw HIM to my knowledge except in
the House of Commons; and though have studied
his book especially MS Logic and Political EcOnO-
nv with much benefit, have no consciousness Of
their having made any marked epoch III my life.
OF his friendship have bad the honor and advan-
bias of my mind had been taken before knew him.
Like the rest OF his readers a of course, indebted
to him for much enlargement and clarifying Of
thought
After this transcription follow few pages which
can hardly be of interest to the general reader
except to note the sensitive expression Of SYM
pathy with invalid conditions and their frus
trated aims and perhaps to observe the tine Indlca-
tive patiencc which leads her to reTcad her letter
and careful for the seusbities of the >tlanger 70
say Il that | wrote automatically Dear
Madam at the beginning of my letter. II that
looks chill and formal TO You, believe that 1t does
not express my feeling" These little signs are like
fossil lerns; the delicacy and the lndebIlty pre-
sent themselves to the eye together. Continually
upon these well-worn sheets TIE tine outline fails
Even her way of acknow lodging one of the thousand
tributes with which Middlclaarch" OYerwhelms
her is 70 say, cannot rest without thanklmg you
heartily for your generous expression OF feeling
"a As to the great novel;" she continues, which
!cmains to be written, must tell yon that ! meyer
ishins book have per1od Of despair that can
ever again produce anything worth giving to the
world Tie possibility of the winter grows
heavier and heay,er-does 1t not ?-as the world
grows older and the voices OF the dead more numer
GUS 1t is difficult TO believe. until the germ Of
some work grows into mperlOuS activity
within one, that II Is possible to make really
needed contribution to the poetry OF the world
1mean possible 10 ones self TO DO 1t. But do not
write to yOu for the purpose OF expressing my per
sOnal doubts"
On an almost overlooked page find an allusion to
the WOmanS LectuTeShp III Boston, and To the
university OF which she says, ali ia few Kind,
keen words: An office that may make new pre-
least, an experiment that ought to be tried.
America is the sced-ground and nursery OF new
ideals where they can grow III larger, treer air
than ours"
II hardly ever read anything that Is written
about inVself-indeed. never, unless my husband
expressly wishes me to do so by way OF eXcep ION.
preservative against Influences that would have
ended bv nullfying my power of writing"
I'm this way" she proceeds referring TO Mr..
Iewes's well-knOwn habit Of standing between her
and public comment on Lcr work, % get con-
frmed ia my impression that the criticism of any
new writing is shifting and untrustworthy hardly
think that any critic can have SO keen Of the
shortcomings in ny works as that ] grOan under III
the course of writing them; and / cannot imagine
any edifcaton coming 20 az author from sort OF
reviewing which consists in attributing TO him
her unexprcssed opinions, and in imagining
circumstances which may be alleged as petty
private motives for the treatment Of subjects
which ought to he of general human interest.
have been led into this rather superiuOus sort OF
remark by the mention of rule which seemed to
require explanation. Ii is perhaps less irrelevant
between my earlier and later works, that though
Others and III my self-disrust there has been
change in the point of view from which l regard
our life since wrote my first fiction, the Scenes
of Clerical Life Any apparent change of spirit
must be- due TO something of which | am unCOn-
scous. The principles which are at the root of nv
effort TO paint Dinah Morris equally at the root
of my effort TO pant MOrdecai. Enough OF me and
my doings."