New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-01-27

a.. - 100 fuIIy aware of her old love for
-. .oorots because Of the Illustration
80 ~ honos IN that direction; that he none the
Iess continued to love her with his whole heart
and only lamented the CONDITIONS WHICH Aepo
them asunner through life The general tendency
Of the argument is to modify the view which MI.
Froude's publications built up concerning tne sup
nosititious martyrdom of Mrs carlyle. III tiieSe
naaes she appears as keen, strong-nino hoU
very sweet-tempered, but decideay snappiSn,
woman, prone TO the dangerous inuuis0nOo u
self-pity not above misleading eAaesei".,ou Al
spealxing of her own sufIerings permanently ln-
iured in character by her false s'eP " lug
without love- and in all respects quiV1 as wen
fitted to try the patience OF pnnooopner % !"
fill the role of domestic sacrlhOe'
Miss Arnold believes that she never understood
~ svmnathlzed with CARLYLE, though she was proud
~ his fame and genius; and she adduees plenty
Of proof in support of this conclusion. one also
shows that in many instances when MIS- Cariyie
represehted her case as being most pioiaoie anu
herself as borne down by crusmng ourueh Oh
household work, she must De taken III qui'e
Pclwickan sense the facts being aitogeIner ln-
compatible with her statements. Al some OIL tnese
times she was really spending gooo part Oh her
time lying on the sofa reading noVeS' "ni0, ooulu
not have been possible had she been Save 10
housekeeping Moreover, she was one oil tnose
wives who take special delight ID glrulng at
their husbands in the presence OF o1ners' Prac
tjce than which none better calcuiapeu 10 mario"
M the most eauable masculine temper couiu %
conceived CT. Yet Carlyle, as Q ruie' Suo"i.'eo
70 this exasperatng kind Of attack WIN exemplary
patience, and even HIS wife, VINO nus seS uowh
so many things against him, never accuseo MN
of turning upon her angrily after One company
had left.
The impression produced by the whole nara
tive (Which IL may be we'll to say is based upon
very little absolutely new materiaD VIII PROBABLY
ha that Il is a perfectly conscientious and. in a
sense unprejudiced effort TO clear the memory OF
corIv1e and that IL tends to reconstruct the too
one-sided picture Of him given TO the world by
Mr.. Froude. The autobiography unquestionably did
the greatest mischief Tie estimation in which
CARLYLE win be held finally depends upon the view
taken by posterity of his writings Literary
fame is unaffected by such personal controversies
az have unfortunately been conducted over his
grave. The case of Byron-a much more aggra-
waited one so far as mere accusation is concerned
Is strongly in point. Perhaps the ultimate
opinion upon the domestic episode will be that
the union Of Thomas Carlyle and Jane Welsh Was
in the nature OF both the parties TO 10 destined to be
unhappy; that Carlyle needed very different
woman for wife, and Mrs Carlyle very diff
ferent man for husband; but that, on the whole
they lived with as little friction and as much
content as could reasonably have been expected;
and that but for the deplorable publicity given
TO the matter their married life was As little re-
markable and as little deserving OF passionate
apprehension or passionate defence as the lives
of millions of everyday people who have their
storms and Gains, their quarrels and reconcilia-
lions, yet contrive TO get together in the main
peaceably and keep a good face 70 tho world