The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-04-06
MRS. JANE WELSH CARLYLE
The Letters of the Authors Wife
Edited by Mr. Froude.
How the sage Made Her JeaIous-NIore Pc
cuIiarities of the Grumpy Scotchman
Trials eff His Wife.
New York Herald.

nervousl organized woman was a devoted
wife, and so thoroughly devoted to her hus-
band that she did not shrink from the most
mental offices to make his home comfortable.
In these letters which are written to her
most intimate friends and were certainly
never meant for publication, she shows an
amiable and loving disposition and a sincere
sympathy with every one in affection. This
sympathy with the afflicted even extended to
animals, and her pets were among the least
interesting specimens of dogs and cats. The
whole story of her life is one of privation,
physical as well as mental. However Car
lyle may have repented of his self-absorption
after his wife's death he gave no evidence of
it during her life. Not that he was ever in
tentionally unkind to her, but, like great
many men Of genius, he seemed to be uncon-
scious that there was anything unkind in
neglect
That he loved her in his strange fashion
there can be no doubt, and Mrs. Carlyle's an
noyance at his intimacy with Lady Ashbur-
ton, while groundless, was not without
provocation. Mr. Froude. who has edited
these letters, which were arranged for publ
cation by Mr. Carlyle himself, devotes his
longest note to this subject. He blames Mrs,
Carlyle for the extent of her annoyance in
the matter, but thinks that Carlyle was more
to blame for not seeing it and setting her
mind at rest Lady Ashburton was brill
liant and gifted woman, who had the dis
cernment to early see the great qualities of
Carlyle, and was exceedingly fond of his So
ciety, but she had not the tact, or she didn't
care, to make Mrs. Carlyle feel at ease in her
company. Mrs. Carlyle had married her hus-
band against the advice of her friends, be-
cause she chose to be the companion of a
person whom she, and she alone, at that
time believed to be destined for something
extraordinary. Mr., Froude does not exag-
gerate when he says:
"She had worked for him like a servant,
she had borne poverty and suffering, she had
put up with his humors, which were often
extremely trying. AS long as she felt that
harder parts of ner lot lightly ard jestingly,
and by her incessant watchfulness had made
1T possible for him to &C, ompish his work.
When he was absorbed in his work
she saw but little OF him. The work was suf-
ficent explanation as long as others were no
better off than she was; but when she found
that he had leisure for Bath House though
none for her, she became jealous and irritable.
She had fiery temper and strong,
stanch republican spirit, and she would
have preferred to have seen Carlyle reignng
alone in his own kingdom. Her anger was
wrong in itself and exaggerated in the form
which it assumed, but Carlyle, too, was to
blame. He ought to have managed his
friendships better, he ought to have consd-
cred whether she Lad not causes of COM
plant and to have remembered how much
he owed to her care for him, but Carlyle was
willful and impatient of contradiction; when
his will was crossed or resisted his dspleas-
ure rushed into expressions not easily for
gotten, and thus grew up between those two,
who at heart each admired and esteemed
each other more than any other person in
the Torld, a condition of things of which the
trace is visible in this diary"
That Carlyle bitterly repented any grief he
may have caused his wife is shown not only
in.his "reminiscences and letters but in the
noteswhich he appends to the letters in these
Volumes. They are often very copious and
are in nearly every case walls and growls OF
regret.
The letters of Mrs Carlyle begin with their
arriva! at the house in Cheyne row, Chelsea,
and are on the whole confined to personal
and domestic matters. There are occasional
comments upon the distinguished visitors at
this famous house, but where they are par
ticularly sharp the names of the persons are
left blank. There is nothing really very
disagreeable in anything she says; her re-
marks are just about what any bright woman
would make in writing to her friends She
was tired to death of Mrs. Leigh Hunts slat-
ternly habits and writes to Carlyles mother:
Mrs. Hunt l shall soon be ter
minated with l foresee; she tor
ments my life out with borrowing;
she actually borrowed one of the brass
tenders the other day and had difficulty in
getting it out of her hands. Irons glasses,
teacups, silver spoons are in constant requ-
sition, and when one sends for them the
whole number can never be found. Is it not
shame to manage so with eight guineas a
week to keep house on!'' But with Leigh
Hunt himself she seemed to be on most ex-
cellent terms and he spent a great many
evenings at her house in singing Scotch songs
to her accompaniment on the pianoforte
She cannot, however help telling a little
joke on him. but of course she had no idea
that it would ever see the public prints She
invited him to meet very enthusiastic lady,
and they were so very we'll pleased with each
heard 1.-TWO handsome smacks' as they said
good night at the foot of the stairs.
She was very much bothered Dy servants
and was obliged, in order to keep her house
as clean as she wanted it to be. to do great
deal of hard work herself. She blackened
stoves, swept rooms, made beds and covered
furniture, besides cooking peculiar Scotch
dishes that Carlyle liked and studying Ital-
ian. They were constantly changing serv-
ants, which was no doubt owing to Carlyle's
crankiness, as he was always wanting the
most outlandish things done at the most out
landish times and every new servant had to
be broken into his ways While she was
being broken in Mrs Carlyle worked side by
side with her in the kitchen This might
not have been so hard if she had been diff
ferent sort of woman, but for woman with
her tastes it was particularly trying.
Then she had great deal of company.
Carlyle wouldn't see people unless he felt in
good humor, and. there was no one to cope
with the hero worshipers from America
but his wife. She met these bothersome
people and tried to put them off, but was
not always successful They generally made
themselves at home and said they would
wait until they could see "the master"
Ladies were particularly annoying in this
way, and she exclaims, in sort OF despera-
ton: as it not curious that my husbands
writings should be only completely under
stood and adequately appreciated by women
and mad peopleT" She seems to think that
CARLYLE inspired more than mere admiration