The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1885-04-22
For the Farmer ana Mechanl,

about his celebrated contemporary and
admirer George Eliot, who stands side
by side with him, not only as the great
est woman, intellectually, Of her day but
a. one among the greatest English VIII
ters of any age.
Harper and Brothers have just pub
liehed 10 three volumes a library edition
of George Eliot's lie a. related ia her
letters aud Journals arranged and edited
by her husband J. W. Cross, and the
same 10 their Franklin Square Library,
so as to put the work within the reach Of
all admirers of this greas author.
Beyond short sketch of her, before
she became celebrity, her husband has
let the story Of her lite tell itself 10 ex-
tracts from her letters and journals, so
judiciously arranged that it seems almost
al autobiography.
Mary Ann Evans was born in 1919, her
father, originally builder and carpenter,
being at that time the holder of a small
farm and agent for his landlord He
was remarkable man and by no means
an uncducated one; when after the ap
pearaDce of Adam Bede, " she was spo~
ken OF as a self educated farmer daugh-
ter. " she wrote to one Of her friends
My father did not raise himself from
being an artisan to be farmer, he raised
himself from being an artisan to be a man
whose extensive knowledge in very varied
practical departments made his services
valued through several counties She
adds that for herself she would not write
stroke to prevent any one from calling
her a tinker 5 daughter, but piety to-
wards her fathers memory called on her
to point out, to those who were Supposed
to speak with authority, what he had
really achieved. The character of Adam
Bede'' was not portrait Of her father,
but simply suggested by her idealization
Of him. Mrs. Poyser." one Of the finest
of her creations, was in the same way
suggested by her recollections Of her
mother, a shrewd practical woman, whose
family were doubtless the prototypes Of
the Dodsons" in the Mill on the
Floss We read this, her best novel in
the opinion Of most persons competent to
judge, with new interest after reading
this life Of the author, for we can see
how it was written out OF her own inward
experiences, Maggie" being George
Eliot herself and Tom" her only broth
er, while Lucy" represents her elder
sister. She says she never drew pen
:,
but they could not have been the HE
ike pictures that they are, had they not
been suggested by traits in living per-
sons.
In l84l, her mother being dead and
her brothers and sisters married, her
father moved from Gritf, the farm on
which he had lived since she was an in
fant, to Coventry. Up to this time she
had lived a secutad country life, the
narrowness Of which fostered the inten-
sity OF her naturally keen mental vision,
and became the source from which in
after years she drew the most pew
ertul and touching OF her creations.
At this time she was fervid and BIZ
gotted eyangenical, Episcol a.ian but
at oleshil, her father 5 residence In Go
ventry, she was thrown into the society
of highly Intellectual and liberal mind
ed persons, and one of the most re-
marka5le features of the development
of her character is the strong line Of de
markation between the girl and the wo
man 10 her religious views. There was
10 shading off this | believe and will
sustain, was her ipSe cfrit as a girl,
this | do not believe and will not sus-
tain was with equal promptness and De
cIslon her assertion as woman. In
1888 she writes II have highly enjoyed
Hannah More's letters, the contemplation
of so blessed character as hers is very
salutary. In 1913, ten years later, she
writes Il am glad you detest Mrs. Han
nah More's letters; | like neither her let
ters, nor her books, nor her character
She was that most disagreeable of all
monsters, a blue stocking--a monster
that can only exist in a miseral ly false
state of society, in which a woman With
but smattering of learning or OF philos~
ophy is classed with singing mice and
card playing pigs"
AS woman she was characterized not
only by denial of all faith in the super
natural but by its complete eradication
from her mind. But there was no such
change in her religious convictions which
deepened and broadened into absolute
absorption in her ideals, and complete
surrender to her convictions. No force
was strong enough to turn her from what
! she believed to be right This was prob
| ably the secret of her union with George
| Henry Lewes FROM this biography we
learn absolutely nothing OF what led to
| this connection. Mr. Lewes' wife was
hopelessly insane, and report says had
! twice lett him to live with another per
son. all of which Mr.. Cross passes over
in absolute silence, he simply tells US that
in 1854, when she was thirty five years
of age occurred her union with Mr..
Lewes;" he speaks afterwards of how
necessary it was for them both to work,
as they had, not only Mr. Lewes' three
children, but their mother to support.
They could not of course be legally mar
ried but with the exception Of the mar
riage ceremony they were in every sense
of the word husband and wife. That
she acted as she believed to be right nc
one who reads this biography can doubt
In letter to friend she says:
IF there is any one action Of my life
which is, and always has Eeen, profound
ly serious it is my relation to Mr.. Lewes
If we differ on the subject of the marriage
laws | at least can believe Of you tha
you cleave to what you believe to b,
! good, and | don't know Of anything il
the nature of your views that should pre-
} vent your believing the same of me
| Light and easily broken ties are what
neither desire theoretically, nor cOuIt
5 live for practically. Women who ar
g satisfied with such ties do not act as
have done. That any unworldly, unsu
perstitious person, who is sufficiently ac
quainted with the realities of life, ca
0 pronounce my relation to Mr.. Iewes in
o moral | can only understand by remen
t bering how subtle and complex are tn
: influences that mould opinion. But q
i remember this, and | indulge is no arrC
v CANT or uncharitable thoughts abo1
s those who condemn us, even though "
t might have expected a somewhat differ
0 ent verdict From the majority of pc
: sons, of course we never looked for an
a thing but condemnation
y Always an invalid, and devoted to h
work. 1t was no deprivation, but rath