New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-03-12
ANOTHER CARLYLE BOOK.
THE LETTERS OF GERALDINE JEwSDURY.
NOVELIST.
SELECTIONS FROM THE LETTERS OF GERALpi NJ
ENDSOR JEWSBI;RY TO JANE WELSH CAR
LYLE. Edited by Mrs. Alexander Ireland o'o'
PIP. 443. LOnEmans. Groom e 20.

| LYLE. Edited by Mrs. Alexander Ireland o'o'
| PIP. 4i3. Longmans. Green co.
| Miss Geraldine Jewsbnry was the most trusted
and Intimate friend and c0nndant OF Carlyle's wi'e'
and II Is this friendship that Mrs. 1relnnd's book OF
| Selections" owes lis existence. Devoted as Is the
| fair editor 10 the memory Of Miss Jewsbury, she
would hardly claim that these letters deserved to
rank In Inherent interest with the volumes OF cor
respondcnce which the world OF readers has agreed
| to preserve. Miss Jewsbury. though third rate
novelist was n woman OF brains: she had an alert
perception OF character reasonable sense OF hnmor
an impulsve heart and generous nature All these
qualities her letters show-and yet II must he SAID
that they are generally dnll often trivial and mostly
unimportant. II Is possible that II Mrs Ireiahd
had curbed her peculiar theories OF an EDITORS on'y
and had forcborne 10 substitute dashes Tor almost
every name mentioned In the letters The result wonid
have been at least entertaining. AS 1t Is, With oil
the good will In the world. can feel no interest
in overcoming passages like this: Last week
when was with me. - and little - came
over from stockport, where she has been staying 10
beg TO 60 back with them express to see -.
All that II Is worth while to preserve In the volume
could have been bestowed with advantage withih
the limits OF Il magazine article The gushing ex
prcsslons OF affection with which the majority OF the
| letters are filled doubtless gave pleasure to MIS-.
CARLYLE but II Is the usual gush OF an emotional
woman who has few outlets for her emotions. ana IL
does not In any sense deserve TO be ehslrincd IN
large type pondcrOus volume. 1t was mcrltorions
I'm Miss Jcwstury to feel a tender concern for her
dear loves health. but the tender concern pail
upon the reader after twenty pages or so. One or
two passages Of this nature would have suhiced 10
exhibit the writer's afcconate disposition and Mrs.
Caryle's suffcrings; but with all the rest OF them
omitted the big book would not have been possible
So far rs Mrs Carlyle Is revealed In these letters II
is as a tcsy and complaining invalid full OF woes
which she Is not chary OF confding TO her CORE
.t.,Av and nISn
standings as Is Indicated By several qnarrels and
CONSEQUENT mournfu illusions by MISS Jcwsbury.
Concerning the shortcomings Of Carlyle the matron
and the maiden had evidently exchanged views In
abundance The latter eXhorts her friend TO write q
book which shall benefit other women. and adds DO
not go TO Mr.. Carlyle for sympathy: do not let MIN
dash you with cold water" And elsewhere she says
"Caryle Is magnificent and you are not wasted upon
him. that will be a consolation to feel some day
He Is much too grand for everyday life. \ sphinx
does moi Ill In comfortably TO parlorfe arrange
mcnts, but from q proper point OF view II Is
suprrna urally grand thing" In one letter we ma
this bit OF advice which most Carlyle "reminiscences
go TO show concenial 10 the recipient " In The
nightmare OF annoyanccs under which you are suffer
Ing. II Is the most wholesome thing you can do TO
give shrevings' right and left. II is far better to
work of your irritation In the due course OF natnr"
and lei II cvaporate than 10 suppress II and allow
Il to work In the system. from no matter what
Unitarian motive. universal bencvolencc and welfare
OF Others principle. DEPEND npon 1t that suppressed
irritation and suppressed Precipitation are both equally
in iurIous, Better 10 scold scold scod ~ Miss
Jew slnry sometime, felt the sting herself. "What
has panied me mos, In you.' She write, has been
your insen>lity 10 all thu pain you inAct yourself.
and the absence OF all consideration for the natural
effects Of things on others. Tier" Is much III ih's"
letters I'm the way OF emotional confidence. accusation
and explanation which. l. pam TO see. the writer
would have slrunk from laying hc.or" cold world
and again must regret a lack OF judgment In their
editor Indeed. Mrs Ireland naiycly admits that Mr..
Carlyle probably meant 10 destroy the Letters. and II
would seem that a, a matter Of loyalty alon" She
might have carried out the dead vomGns Intention.
at least far concerned matters OF no rns'h"
public interest Her careiulness In regard to names
she might well have cxt"iidcd 10 the ra'h"r silly ana
sentimental comments on her own heart-arairs which
Miss Jcwsimry made for her friends benefit. All ia"
more was Mrs Ireland bound 10 do TIL, because She
too Miss Jewbury's fricud and profSscd 10 l"N"
her much While dying In Intense sulcring Miss
Jewslury managed. In purstaLcc oil her proniis" u"
their writer. destroy all MIR. Carsl"s letters I"
lc, death selling the faithful hnnd Will" Oh" letter
SIN remained. This too, Mrs. Ireland has printed
with strange disregard OF the known wishes oil Ia"
friends
The letters not rich In anecdote. but here and
there is a characteristic story n picturesque com
meat on the celebrities and th" mnnncrs Of the Eng
land OF the iOs. The writer went 10 hear Charles
Kingley preach one night In borrowed pulpit, and
tells her corr pondcnt that 1t very good s"n'
be sermon something like what a sermon should be-
but orthodox as ! thought. beyond repronch. And
only fancy the di,may Of the congregation when
after listening more than hour and half. and the
whole was ended and the blessing given. the real
clergyman OF the church started up In the reading
desk and ted them that all they had heard was
wrong and dangerous and fnse. and that II he had
imagined what the sermon was to be the pulpit, never
would have been lent for the occasion. Kingsley sat
like a stone, the congregation said Hush huh" 10
eacl, other, and out without making any obs"r
vations. Was II not odd concluslonl His sermon
was on the text 'One Lord. fifth. one baptism,
QUO God and Father OF all There is n glimpse OF
Lewes George Eiot's Lewes which serves TO recall
one OF the queer preludiccs Of the period. Lcwcs
made prodigions sensation In Manchester. "ony
his mustachios have hurt peoples OF proprcy.
and nothing hut tho report Of his wife and an I'M
nsccrtained amount Of family could have stood against
them. People here morbid about mustnchioS."
They were likewise somewhat morbid about literary
women, and the sympathetic Geraldine notes that
they care beginning mildly TO he pained for Mr..
Mary Barton And lady said to Inc the other
day. i don't think auhorcsscs ought ever Ia marry
and then proceeded to culogize Mr. Gaskcll" The
British husband Of the time occasionally excitcs the
writer's rdlcule-cspccally one amusing specimen OF
bt, class who greatly resented his halls dan
cerous Illness, observing that "A wic's illness made
man insignificant by occupying everybody In the
house and giving them something TO do besides at
tending on himself" This mans OF hum0r
must have been something like that Of another
i,fTton mentioned In this book. who, being very rich.
took fancy to 1T mp little chnpel In his parish
church. in order that he and his family might worship
with an Imposing appearance lie went 10 clever
stone at sadcworth and told him to sculpture
him some ancestors 10 put on some monuments he
was going build In his chapel, and TO cross their
legs that they might look II they had been 10 the
Crusadcs he bought a quantity OF banners ut the
same time"
Miss Jewsbury's comments on Emerson. made after
reading his essays doubtless pleased her correspond
ent. He IS dry. cold, sententionS Yankee" she
says lie spirtnaYzcs profit ana loss and strikes
n verx fair halance. md end many