The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1885-02-15
III.

George Eliots birth and early surroundings
were by no means so humble as q taste for vio-
lent contrasts has led some persons to repre-
sent them. Grin. the house whore she spent
the first twenty one years OF her life was lus an
engraving OF 1t represented in this volume testi-
1es) a commodious. attractive. red brick, ivy
covered dwelling. bosomed amid tufted trees
and enoompassed by pleasant lawns. in that
midland country. Warwickshire. which was to
figure more than once In her novels. Her
father was the son Of a village carpenter q
native OF StaffordGhiro and was himself
brought up to the paternal trade: but about
tho ago OF twenty-five he found larger field
for his abilities. and soon became widely
known and highly priced as land agent
and va.uer OF estates. 1t is evident from
his daughters description that the business
he practised after her birth. and for long time
before. was In many respects identical with
that pursued by George Washington In vir-
ginia when he was not engaged In the military
service OF the colony. My father" wrote
George Eliot, aproDos Of somebody's assertion
that she was a seif-educated farmers daugh-
ter. did not raise himself from being an arti-
san to being farmer: he raised himself from
being an artisan to BIO man whose extensive
knowledge In very varied practical depart
ments made his services valued through sew
eral counties. He had large knowledge OF
building. OF mines. OF plantations. OF various
branches OF valuation and measurement.
OF all that is essential to the man
agemsnt OF large estates" She adds:
30 far As I ON personally concerned.
should not write stroke to prevent any one
in the zeal OF antithetic eloQuence from calling
me tinker's daughter: but II my father Is to
DO mentioned at all-if he Is to be identified
with an imaginary charaoter-my pisty toward
his memory calls on me to point out to those
who are supposed to speak with Information
what he really achieved In life." Her father
has been identified with Adam Bsde" and
Caleb GARTH" and from the facts collected by
Mr.. Cross. 1t seems evident that many OF his
leading traits are faithfully produced In those
characters. He ia remembered to have been a
man OF remarkable determination and ex-
traordlnary physical strength. which. cou-
pied as these traits were with sturdy UP
rightness. scrupuous proLity. and devoutness
OF spirit recall the figure Of one OF Cromwelrs
Ironsdes. 1t Is easy to trace his moral char
acteristics In his daughter. while from her
mother. who Is depicted as o very active. hard
working woman. shrewd and practical. with q
considerable dash Of the Mrs. Poyser vein In
her. but possessing withal warm hearted ma
ture. George Eliot plainly Inherited her order
iiness and neatuess and her housewitely gifts,
which sho never made her literary work pre-
text for efracing Delight. as she we'll might.
In intellectual activity she was proud OF being
an excellent housekeeper. and nothing" her
husband tells us. offended her more that the
idea that. because a woman had exceptional
mental powers. therefore 1t was right that she
should absolve herself or be absolved from
her ordinary household duties" But while
tie discovery Of all that an intellect OF such
rare quality owed to inheritance would be In
tsnsely interesting. We cannot say that the ma
terials obtained by Mr.. Cross for his introduce
tory chapter throw light upon the capital in
Quiry whence George Eliot gained her genius
We can SEQ. indeed. Just how she was indebted
to one parent for the wholesome tone and mas
sive nbre OF her moral character. ard also as
Mr.. Cross points out. for . certain latent, CON-
sentative bias. and how she drew from the ma
ternal side some distinctively feminine apti-
tudes and predictions. But In the glimpses
OF genealogy afforded us We can detect NO clue
to the fount OF her mental superiority or guess
from what remote progenitor. or through what
devious. obscure. and unreoognizable chi els
came the powers which made her independent
Of defective searly education and gave her Q
mans mastery over the whole realm Of learn
ing and the finest instruments OF thought
Assuredly her early education was. upon tho
whole. imperfect. though not more so than
that OF most English or American young
women born In comfortable circumstance was
thon and IL to-day. As regards books. she was
not by any means preoocious and an elder
sistor has recorded that she learned to read
with some difficulty. On this point Mr.. Cross
observes; Mere sharpness was not charac-
teristio OF her mind. Hers was large. slow
growing nature; and think 1t Ia at any rate
certain that there was nothing OF the infant
phenomenon about her." OF the three or four
NJ oh m In. Ill 49,
school. whittier she had been despatched ut
the age Of s. she could remember little
but the difficulty OF getting near enough
the fire In winter to becone thoroughly
warmed. But. after being transferred in her
ninth year to a larger boarding school at Nun
eaton. books became passion with her, and II
il recoleoted that Q copy OF Wavsrley" being
sent back to the owner before the child had
finished 1t. she wrote out the story. ~ far a.
she had read It. for herself The fact that
Charles Lamb divided her childish allegiance
With Scott has been cited ~ 4 proof that "s