Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-10-09
THOMAS CARLYLE'S SISTER
She is the Last Surviving Member of His
Family.
Her Home Is Now In Toronto, Where
at the Age Of Eighty-Two.
From the Toronto Nail.

1t will come as a surprise to many citi-
| zens to know that it is given to Toronto
| to have as resident within its boundaries
| the last of the Carlyles.
That sturdy Scotch peasant family, made
| famous by its eldest brother, in the Chelsea
sage, has dropped its members, one by
ore, into the eternal silence until now
only the youngest remains-a slender, frail
pathetic little creature, who has crept
noiselessly and all unknown into our midst
here to wait the months or years that may
intervene before she, the last of the Car
| lyles, is also laid away.
1t is not our purpose to delve into the
details of the early home life of Thomas
Carlyle. nor to record his relationships with
those eight brothers and Sisters whom,
despite his cyncism and Feasibility world
ward, he loved faithfully unto the end.
Are not such chronicles to be found IN the
volumes of Froude.
1t is ours, rather, to state the fact of
Janet Carlyle's presence in our city, AMI
give, as simply may be, picture of
her as we found her. ard as she is today.
She has been long a resident in Canada,
having come to this country in 1851. as
the wife Of the late Robert Hanning OF
Hamilton. The names Jane, Jean, Janet
ard Jennie were of SO frequent occurrence
in the Carlyle family that reader search
ing the numerous volumes of ''Reminis-
cences' for mention of this youngest mem
Der might easily become confused.
Jane Carlyle and Janet denny Carlyle)
were the two youngest members of the
family. OF the former. their famous elder
brother, IL his published memoirs, speaks
at some length. and always fondly: as
''the Craw,' or crow. from her black hair
She was evidently his favorite.
OF these two young sisters he writes thus
to Jane Welsh: "TheSe little beings, In
their bits of gray speckled straw bonnets,
1 recollect as pair of neat. brisk items
hat pnYr16y n
the hill The small Jenny q think
in some pet) had unexpectedly flung her
self off, and preferred native independ-
ence at Mainhill." Later On he writes
sister. The youngest of all was Jenny
Janet, now Mrs. Robert Hanning, in
Hamilton, Canada This same small
Jenny was born when her famous eldest
brother was seventeen, and student at
Edinburgh. Naturally, therefore, her own
early memories of him are few. while to
him, during his brief home holidays Of later
years, she only one of "a pair OF DISK
items in speckled straw bcnnets.' But
his unvary!ng remembrance through the
long after years proved his affection Tor
this last member of the family. Small
Jenny was married when twenty-four 10
Mr. Hanning, who for several years after
struggled with unsuccessful business, ana
at length left his wife and two children
with her family in Scotland, while he came
to the new world to test his fortunes ms
was in 1871. 1t was not until ten years
later in 1851 that his wife and chldren
came out to join him; ana curing .ne
larger part of thai period Mrs; RAINING
remained at Ecclefechan caring Tor the Ola
mother whom her brother Thomas loved
so deyoutly. After Mrs. Carlyles death
in 1S49 Thomas Carlyle received ms sister
and her children as guests INTO ms owh
home at Chelsea, and they remained with
him until they sailed for their rev hoHie
in Hamilton, Ontario.
1t was a final parting between Janet Car
lyle and her family, since she mas never
returned TO visit her old horne. Yet In the
thirty wears that intervered before the
death of Thomas Carlyle, the famous phil
oscpher remained always the KIND eider
brother to his young sister, writing 10 Her
with regularity and in affection
In 1878 Mr. Hanning died. and three
years later came the death of THOMAS
CARLYLE BY her brothers will, Mrs. Han
ming inherited sufficient estate 10 rei,uei h ef
independent; but feeling the loneliness OF
her home, and the advance OF years. she
gave up housekeeping and went TO reside
with her married daughter. Mrs. Leslie,
on her farm near Oakville. The house
was named Comely Bank, in memory OF
Craigenputtock; ard here Janet Carlyle
spent fifteen years, In the quiet OF ner
pleasant room, with books and memories
of her famous brother to bear her COM
pany The recent death of Mrs. Leslie ne
cessitated the breaking up of her "Comely
Bank" home, and in April of the present
year Mrs. Hanning was given into the care
She receives us in her sunny little west
room, with scarlet shawl wrapped about
her The wistful face looking up in childlike
confidence from beneath the white cap;
while her daughter opens little box filled
with Carlylean mementoes. Memory re-
turns to her at the sight Of them, and she
volunteers interesting bits of information
about eacn article.
This carved ivory needlecase belonged
to her sister-in-law, Jane Welsh Carlyle.
This quaint sampler, with its fine stitches,
was worked by the little woman herself;
1t bears her name, Janet Carlyle" This
fine. black lace veil, ample and heavy
belonged to her mother, Mrs. Carlyle-a
gift, mayhap, from the son who loved her
So We throw it lightly about the aged
head beside us, and the ample folds fall
over the white cap and scarlet shawl
Here are Carlyle's own works in the
bookcase. Volume by volume, they came
to his sister regularly through all The
years of publication: and each bears its
autographed inscription, varied somewhat
in words, but in purport always the same
TO my dear sister Janet, with my best
love and blessing. Il. Carlyle
But most valuable OF all are the packet
of letters, written by Carlyle and his wife
to the young sister, separated from them
by an ocean distance. The correspondence
was constant during those thirty years:
and some day that store of letters will
prove a valuable contribution to Carlylean
literature, inasmuch as it will show Car
lyle in his fairest lisht-that of generous
affection toward his kindred