Los Angeles herald., 1892-06-05
FRIDAY MORN|NG|TES,
Two Noted Women Discussed
at Their Meeting.
George Eliot and Madame d.
Stael.
Features of the Last Meeting OF the
Club-Mrs. GroR's Paper on
George Eliot-Other
Matters.


George Eliot-Other
Matters.
At the last meeting OF the Friday
Morning club Mrs. Wing introduced the
reader Of the first paper, Mrs. Lewis A.
Croft. Mrs. Croft read most finished
and scholarly monologue on the works
OF George Eliot. In such resume as is
permissible here it is impossible to do
justice either to the subject matter or
the methods of the writer. The lady
said, in closing: She sums up char
acter in an apothegm--a philosophy in
an antithesis. But these are for the
most part marginal flashes. Her peo-
pie never talk beyond themselves.
Neither, like others OF the great writer's,
does she take kindly to showily intel
lectual types. Bulwer's and Disraeli's
characters converse in epigrams-Field-
ing's, Thackeray's, George Eliot's-
force Of the satire that speech was given
man whereby to conceal his thoughts
in the other, you realize how pregnant
WAoAA AOvOASeAVA u HAA6AO uAogu0AO4 VVAN
may be.
George Eliot was the sanest of writer's.
Byron believed and practiced the theory
of starving himself into condition, hold
ing that genius thrives best when the
body is in an abnormal state. But
George Eliot ha6 no desire to raise the
grotesque shapes of fantasy, and che
sometimes waited weeks for the bodily
disability which clouded her mental Wis
ion to pass away that she might see
things nationally and in their just rela-
tions. Sa H4
Some weeks ago somewhat brilliant
but fippant article, written by "a woman,
denying creative genius to women, was
read before this club. The denial rested
principally on the ground that no say
ings of women's character had
passed into common speech - an
assertion, by the way, which
would be difficult to prove, and which
1 myself believe to be untrue. But
granting its veracity, let us test this
test. Take those men in whom creative
genius is beyond debate Homer, Dante,
Goethe and Shakespeare. How many
of the sayings of their characters have
passed into common speech-sscommon"
speech-not scholars speech. That is
Miss Sewell's test. OF the four probably
Shakespeare-the universal man-is the
only one who by it would stand ap-
proved. Or taking another grade, how
often are Auerbach's, or Hawthorne's or
George Meredith's or even Thackeray's
characters quoted in common speech !?
I think Poe's,-not Pinafore's -"Never''
would be the true answer.
x*x
As wife no eulogy could over praise
her. Several years after their marriage,
Mr.. Lewes wrote in his journal--'sI owe
Spencer another and deeper debt. It
was through him l learned to know
Marian, Ito know her was to love her
and since then my life has been new
birth. 70 her I owe all my prosperity
and all my happiness. God bless her p
The manuscript of all her books was
given to her husband, each one inscribed
with an expression of tenderest regard.
The next paper delivered was con-
else and cleverly written biography of
that most brilliant French woman,
Nine. De Stael. The writer. Mrs. Hub
bard. presented vividly the reign OF the
intellectual woman in the salon of the
period; her influence, unequaled before
or since that epoch in both political
and social life. She sketched the girl
hood of Mile. Necker, and the early in
dications Of the literary genius for
which she was 90 distinguished in after
years, and her irresistible desire to feel
the tension of the influence she held in
the political world, which gained her
the bitter enmity Of Napoleon and led
eventually to her banishment from
Paris. The writer described her secret
return to Paris, and the publication of
Corinne; the destruction of the entire
edition, and supposedly Of the manu-
script. Her devotion to her family and
friends, her loving care of her aged
father and her untiring interest in the
education OF her children we're as warm
ly depicted as were the brilliant mental
achievements which made her star
of the first magnitude among the
wits and great intellects of the time.
The writer made telling comparison
between the day Of Nine. De Stael,
when the highest education of women
was that of the nursery and the con-
vent, and the condition of the present
libraries, of every facility for develop
ment and every spur to ambition.
| In the discussion that followed to vary
of the subject of the sketch were touched
upon, and while they detracted nothing
from the lus'er of her genius, they
showed that she was but woman.
After the exercises of the club were
concluded, Mrs. John j. Bagley, wife of
Ex-Governor Bagley OF Michigan, spoke
few moments. Mrs. Bagley, who is a
lady of fine presence and pleasing
voice, is one of the eight commissioners
at-large of the board of lady managers
| of the Columbian exposition. She spoke
of the plans of the woman's building,
of the competitive designs of women
artists, of the work reported from state
boards and Of the great interest shown
| by foreign correspondents. [Of this de-
partment Mrs. Bagley had charge DUR
| ing Mrs. Potter Palmer's absence in
Europe.I Mrs. Bagley spoke also of the
earnestness and intelligence with which
women are taking up the work in every
part of the world and demonstrating
their ability in other lines than the
long ones of philanthropic and
sentimental enterprise. Complicated life
! gains it's greatest force only by complete
organization, and individual feeblenese
| in union becomes strength. Methods
and outlines of work were suggested to
be adopted to the needs of Individual
| states.
The club then adjourned till the fol-
lowing Friday, June 10, when the pro-
! gramme in charge OF the days commit
tee will present paper on Trades and
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