Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-07-26
THREE NOTABLE WOMEN.
Christina Rosetta, Jean IngclOW and
George Eliot.

Olive Harper in San Francisco Chronicle
Among the many persons more or less famous
that have met are two who stand out in relief
in my memory. and always will as everything
that Is true and noble and womanly and love-
able. The first is Christina Rosetta. whom I
had the good fortune to meet In London
through the kindly Offices of some pre-Raphae-
lite friends, and never will l forget that saint
like face and those great prophetic eyes that
seem to see sights fairer aud grander than are
vouchsafed to human vision
She sat in large armchair, her head thrown
back on the rest. and her thin white hands lying
idly along the arms of the chair not lazly nor
weakly. but just as If her body was OF such small
consequence that she had entirely forgotten it
as her mind went out and off in its poetic flights
But If her body seemed inert her face was not.
andshe had the look of the very embodiment of
religious fervor and divine longing afterethings
not of this world. As 1 said before she had a
saintlike face. and, though not really beautiful.
her eyes and her expression gave her something
more than beauty.
The type OF face is rather Italian. though not
particularly marked. Her hair is dark and
thick and her complexion of a delicate bruno
Her lips are sensitive and very sweet In express
sion. She is rather thin, though we'll formed
and graceful; but 1t is in her eyes that her
great attraction centers. They are so large and
udl q, dlu WilcI sHc SPEAKS oil ueT expression
seems to be in them. They seem to scintillate
and the pupils dilate and contract in marve l.
lOus way, SO that whoever sees her is fascinated
by their strange, sweet beauty. Sometimes
when pressed she will repeat some OF her poetry,
and she gives 1t new meaning and music.
When l saw her the rage for esthetic costume
was just beginning. and she was one of it's first
opponents. remember noting the exceeding
grace of her appearance as she sat there in
black velvet DRESS made In quaint, simple
style, with no ornament except a carved ivory
brooch, and no relief except full but soft ruf1e
Of old point lace at the neck and wrists. The
sleeves were tight at the wrists. but pulled at
the shoulders. and her rich, wavy hair was
massed carelessly on the top Of her head, with
here and there loose curl Her manners were
full OF repose and calm. and in short, she flied
full my ideal of what she should be, as had
judged from her works.
The other whom mentioned as also filling all
my preconceived ideas was Jean Ingelow. The
same good friends obtained for me an introduc-
ton to her. and while felt sincere and NAV
almost say, awe-struck admiration for Christina
Rosetta, was seized with the warmest affection
and sympathy for the author Of the sweetest
mother poems We have, and it will continue so
long as l live. Who but she could look so
quantity sweet and overflowing with that bound
less love for children? And yet she never was
married and never felt the loving embraces of
her own children Perhaps it is just the longing
for them that makes her write out of the full
ness of her heart. But. anyhow, the fact
remains that there is none who has SO under
stood the full and replete pleasures Of mother
hood with all their blessing and pain as has She
And she Is such a shy, quaint little woman,
with a broad, frank forehead and such candid
big gray eyes full of affection and goodness and
with face only beautiful when she smiles
Then it lights up with a rare loneliness and
attractiveness.
In person she is not large but is exquisitely
formed, with small hands and feet, and when
saw her she wore some kind of gray dress with
white linen collar and white cuffs Neatness
PERSONNEL. Her movements are quick and the
turn OF her head, and. In short, every movement
is replete with activity and nervous strength
Her voice is just that rich contraltO that one
would Imagine belonged to her womanly ma
ture. and such as always is SO attractive to
children, who, it goes without saying idoliZe
her. l sat and looked at the prim, trim little
figure, with her brisk, merry manner and could
Imagine her out on the hills with troop of ba-
6ies and singing her own song of ''Heigh, no.
daisies and buttercups." and my eyes filled as
be content. At least she is cheerful. Anyhow
she is not more desOlate than the mothers who
have had to
"Bear and nurse and rear
To love and then to lOsa.''
Two days after seeing Jean Ingelow was
invited by some other kind friends to go for a
short visit to the home of George Eliot which
was just beyond North Bank, Regents Park, in
shady lane, that [ think is called ST Johns
wood. The house sat back quite little dis
lance from the road, and was embOwered In
trees and shrubs. At that time she was not yet
married to Mr.. Lewes and had not finished
I" Daniel DerOnda, but was working at It, We
were told in the ante-roOm that she was really
quite indispOsed that day, and that a notable
exception was made in admitting us to her
presence, but as we had come SO far (I from
San FrancscO), she would make an effort to
N I Euny ho fbn
was who told us all this. but l suppose it was
Mr.. Lewes, as he partially answered the de-
scrption had heard given Of him. Finally we
were taken through quite long and very
dark parlor and into a smaller room beyond.
which has somewhat the character of IL
brary, and here in large, low chair, wrapped
In an Immense white shawl. sat the great
writer. She was SO envelOped that it was i'm
possible to Judge what her figure or height was,
but fancy her rather under medium height and
rather thin At any rate her hands were thin
and b0ny and her face was thin and long; and
though it bore marks Of intellect and purpose,
1t was decidedly plain and unattractive face.
Her manner too lacked warmth, or indeed any
other apparent sentiment, though this may have
been from Illness. But somehow she gave me the
impression Of wishing to convey the idea that
she was Intellectually and spiritually too strong
for her frail body, and SO was wearing her life
away. She said that she never wrote more
than 60 or at most 70 lines day, and that when
enc nau Hnlsneu DOCK sne became SO exhausted
bodily and mentally that she was always obliged
to travel for year, think she said, before she
could recuperate Her voice was clear and mu-
steal. but cold and unsympathetc. She smiles
seldom, but when she did think she vastly i'm
proved In looks. was glad to have seen her.
She seemed pleased at my expressed admiration
for "ROmOla," which like most of all her books,
and when we came away she invited us both to
call on my return to London. l never saw her
again.
Man Of Appeals.
From the Detroit Free Press
Soon after the train left Louisville Junction