Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-05-07

attention, sympathy, consolation, and even
now and then few copper pence, would
make the name and the religion of a Bed
/ worth rector stand for much that is seemly
in any minister of Christ.
Another sister is the wife of a clergyman
; named Griffith. The other brother is Walter
/ Evans. ESQ.,, the present tenant of Crit
| and agent for Colonel Newdigate, the pres
ent owner of Arbury estate In all England
1 have not found any man who has seemed
SO capable of justly. incurring the resent
ment of English pilgrims to an English
shrine; and during five years largely passed
in wandering up and down the face OF this
historic land, have never before come
upon any human being who so thoroughly
illustrated the fact that IN nearly every
family OF good repute there somewhere runs
the curris.i strain of blood.
All this family who remain are rich
through miserliness The hard, stern nature
was not in Robert Evans 1t began with
Isaac the noyclist's brother. who dropped
dead in his chair after all his niggardly
gaining. The peasant folk relate how he
watched in the hedges lest his laborers
might toss potato to a hungry cotter or
tramp in the highway; how poor old serv-
itor named Crabstock was chased away from
Grif1 because he let miners lad keep a
turnip that had fallen from his cart; and
how another old servant named jackson
hung himself in the farm offices behind
Griff from sheer desperation at the niggard-
illness and brutality of miser Isaac Evans.
NIsny Are the Charming surprises.
To the literary pilgrim there are many
charming surprises in the neighborhood of
Griti during a quest of Identification of
places and persons with individuality of the
novelist. 1t is little more than so years
since George Eliot left Griff forever; quite
40 years since she bade farewell to the
lovely home at BIRD Grove" Foleshill,
Coventry.
Yet there are scores of folk remaining,
high and lowlv, who knew her intimately
as maid and woman. Some who were her
plavmateS still survive. A few of those
whom she gathered into the college of old
Dame Moore, just opposite the gates of
Grift and taught the way of Hope, are still
here to bless her with quivering voice and
tear-dimmed ewes
NY own discoveries of those who had
lived about Griff when the members of
George Eliot's family were all together
here, include John Marston, an old wheel
wright, whose smithy still stands near the
steading; "BilI' Jaques, AZ years of age a
schoolmate of Isaac Evans and PLAYMATE
whose generosity with single turnip lost
him his place at Griff; Richard Emmons
living at Stockingford, now a verv old man
and reprted by the peasantry to have chat
fuls of sovereigns," who was, in turn, field
IabOrer, house servant and footmau at Griff
footman at birds Lodge" and finally house
servant back at Griff for Isaac Evans, until
his death in $780, and William Moore, now
% wears of age, who lives at Collycrott,
little miners hamlet between Bedworth
and GriE
Scripture Teacher to the Poor.
The latter is the son of the veritaple
Dame Moore who kept the Danes School
opposite Gritf's gates 1t was in his moth
er's cottage that George Eliot, then a maid
en- of Is, gathered together the children of
the miners and cotters about Griff and
taught them. for several years, for an hour
or two each Sunday morning, and then took
her ragged charges to Chilvers Cotton
Church In the afternoon they all came
together again when she taught them from
the Scriptures and some simple melodies of
the time
''God bless ee, sir!'' said old William
Moore, the tears trickling down his
wrinkled face, Il can see 'er hangel face
she wor plain sort O. hangel, sir-this
minute afore my eyes. Mary Ann teached
t class fur nigh onto five year. Sh wor a
great schollard, sir, an 'ooman true"
You will turn away from Grif with a
blessing for the father who made this girl
his inseparable companion until her years
of womanhood had come, and almost with q
blessing on Griff itself, despite the hateful
of to-day, for what came out OF
this olden firesIde circle; circling and widen
ing until it had zoned with the fruit of one
genius all our good old globe.
EDGAR L. MAKEMAN