The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1893-06-14

father points her to that other spring,
the source OF the river flowing from the
Invisible Throne, by the path of obedi-
ence. In ceasing to desire aught for
herself, in making her daily life a sacri-
flee for those who need it, Romola finds
peace.
The fair, immaculate Mirah comes to
no sweet and refreshing as d breath
from the cedars Of Lebanon. In her il
expressed the noblest side of Judaism.
and the intensity of purpose, the high
moral worth Of the true jew as con-
trasted with the worldly unideal Christ
ian, was never better illustrated than IN
the comparison of Gwendolen. shallow
and worldly, with Mirah, the most
faultless of George Eliot's h~eroines,
Dinah Morris, the sweetest blossom
that has grown out of the soil of prosaic
M~ethodism, is the embodiment of self
remuneration. Her eloquence was but
the expression of her beautiful soul-a
soul, the source of a fountain of love so
abundant that it overtiowed all private
affection, blessing multitudes of toiling,
suffering men and women.
Not one of these characters may be
called a heroines as may those of Scott;
not ne may be considered a model, wor.
thy of imitation. as may the best of
Dickens" In the contests of life. some
there are who conquer, more taste the
bitter waters of defeat; some keep their
garments spotless; more are sullied by
the conflict. To these great maiorities
the unvictorious and the battle-stained
did George Eliot devote her genius,
The touch of the violinist's bow draws
from his instrument tones marvellous in
quality and number, All are produced
by the vibration Of the same few
strings. So human character finds ex
preston in variety almost inconceivable
and as in the violin, the same chords
vibrating under different conditions
produce all the widely varying NANTES
tationS. These common characteristics
OF humanity were the ones on which
George Eliot's hand played. 1t is this
that produces the startling reality
of her characters, removing them from
the uncongenial atmosphere of romance
and making them seem with us mem,
bers of n body. AS did they them
selves, we repent of their sins, blush a
their crimes, regret their follies, because
the same weak chords that in then
sounded these false notes, in our owr
souls tremble under the pressure they
felt.
But when the nobility of duty anC
self sacrifice, the triumph of right Over
wrong, the joy Of some victory well won
cause the eye to flash, the heart to thrill
) then rejoice that this greatest of artists
} did reach in and touch the chords com
> mon to you and to the lowliest English
l peasant, to you and to the mightiest o
the race. She bent her ear to thos,
} chords and caught their music-musi,
sublime as the thunder of ocean, swee
as the Whispered the night wind, true a
{ the harmony Of the spheres. Ben,
{ your ear to-day and to it steals the sam,
| melody; for her instrument, human ma
. ture is to-day al it was at her time
and will remain forever, changeless a
the armament on High.
> The life she saw among the hills o
> Avon, the ivy-mantled walls that hav
. looked for centuries upon the ceaseles
pilgrimages to the tomb OF Shakespeare
. the hills themselves over whose woode,
( sides the great poet and the painter @
the soul walked. All these will cease t
| be remembered and even cease to bt
= while Hamlet and Adam Bede, an,
Q sweet Desdemona and brave, beautifu