The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-05-10

Holy sepulchre free from usurped dornina-
ton"
TO show her loyalty to the new ideas which
had made such deep impression upon ner
she declined, when she returned to Der fathers,
10 attend her old church, which led to rup-
ture between them, she withdrawing rom
home and going into lodgings. She Defended
the position which she had taken py saying
that she was influenced in her conduct oy
far higher considerations and by nobler IDEA
of duty than she ever was when she heid tho
evangelical creeds" Az all her after associa-
tiops we're with persons who had assumed an
attitude Of hostility towards the Chflstlan re-
lieion she never retracted. our cNillLa,
ton. and vet more our religion" she declared
in An article which she wrote at this period OF
her life for the Westminster Review, are
an anomalous blending of lifeless barOar1sns
which have descended TO W. ike so nsuy
petrifactions from distant ages with IiVnS
ideas, the offspring Of a true process Oh aeVeh-
ment. We are in bondage 10 terms ana COLI
ceptiOns which having had their roofs IN con
ditions and thought no longer EXISTING. havo
ceased TO possess any vitality. ana are
for us as spells which have lost tnelr
virtue The epdeavor 20 spread eYangehcai
ideas is perpetuaily c0unteTacteu Dy theSo
idola theatri which have allied themselves on
The ono hand with mems better sentiment
and on the other with institutions III whGSe
defence are arTayed the passions ana the III
terests of dominant classes 49,, NJ
Such were the conclusions 70 when MISS
Evans had now come after having helu WIN
so much big0try to the eYangehca creeas
that she had declined TO VISIT Tue .nehlIe
because she considered 1t TO be worldly
INDULGENCE She who had always placed
before her as she studied an image Of Christ
on the cross now became the translator OF
n life of the Saviour OF Mankind, composed b.
an unbeliever and editor of review
oh
abroad the spirit OF lnfdetty. III
is not remarkable that a nature as
essentially religious as George Eliots, fell
into deep melancholy under the stress OF
the new Influences which had entered INTO
her life. Fame itself seemed to bring no
permanent ease or cOntentment 10 her spirit
nal being. Horrible skepticism," she wrote
at the time that she had risen 10 the very height
of her celebrity. horrible skepticlsm about all
things paralyzes my mind And again: My
mind is mOrbidly Responding and my con-
seriousness tends more and more 10 CONSIST III
memories of errors and imperfcctlons rather
than in a strengthening sense of achieve
ment."
Through all this agitation of spirit and
sinking Of the soul she never failed TO exalt
the general idea Of duty. There are few more
impressive scenes IN the whole range or Eng
lsh biography than that which Is recorded IN
an article which Frederick Myers wrote about
how absolute was the necessity lntorced upon
men 10 submit 10 the force OF moral Obligations;
Il remember " said he how st Cambridge L
walked with her once in the Fellows Garden
Of Trinity on an evening OF rainy May ann
she. stirred beyond her wont. ana taxing rs
her text the three words which nave peen useu
SO often as the inspiring trumpet calls OF men.
the words-God. Immortality. Duty-pro-
nounced with terrible earnestness how neon
ceivable was the first. how unbelievable was
the second, and yet how peremptory ana az,
solute was the third. Never. perhaps, had
s,erner accents affirmed the sovereignty OF
impersonal and unrecOmprOmising law. list
ened and night fell. Her grave, majestic coun-
tenance turned towards me like sy0ll IN the
gloom. II was though she withdrew from my
grasp one by one the two scrolls OF promise,
and left me the third scroll only awful with
inevitable tates"
Even the strong and conscientious spirit Of
George Eliot illustrated how flexible IS the
sense of duty unless sustained by faith IN GOD
and reliance upon the hope of immortality
There is not more impressive instance IN
the careers of distinguished men and women
of the frailty of the doctrine of humanity as "A
code Of morality independent OF the divine
law than is furnished in the life of George
Eliot herself. probably the most elevated IN
character and profound in genius OF all the
persons who have substituted devotion 10 the
welfare of mankindfor love of men associated
with love Of God. What is the object OF a
moral code except TO govern our conduct ac
cordinQ to rules which are admitted 70 be Just
since they restrain those impulses OF our
nature. which are essentially wrong because
interfering with the fundamental moralitles
either in our relations TO the Maker of the
World. or to society, OF to individual man. or
TO ourselves alonsy In the abstract the re-
Iiron of humanity which George Eliot
adopted was a lofty one, but the idea Of God
and immortality being omitted, and the only
moral responsibility recognized being respon-
slbility TO society and one self. 1t il not sur
prisng that in the most critical hour Of her
iife. the hour when she was debating whether
she should become the nominal wife Of
George Henry Lewes, n man who already had
a wife from whom he WAS not divorced, she
yielded Internationally to the temptation.
Her moral code snapt in its weakest link when
exposed 10 practical test and brought the
whole of it into discredit. 2. A. b.
ITO be Continued