New-York tribune., 1902-08-19
GEORGE ELIOT.
RECOLLECTIoNs OF ONE WHO KNEW

enceS-

REIOLLECIlo1No
W Hale White in The London Bookman-
Between 1852 and 1854 lived at John Chap
mans mouse No l42 Strand. George Eliot. or
rather Miss Evans lived there at that time.
Cbannoan nuhlished free thought books mostly
on commission. Very few of them. l need hardly
say. paid their expenses He had recently neco[ne
the PROPRIETOR of The Westminster Review.
This also did not pay, and he borrowed money
on II all round from his friends. he engaged
Miss Evans sub-editor She had a DARK room
al the end Of a long, dark passage. ana IN llIdI
room l have read proofs to her My own room,
the ouietest have known in London. or out or II,
was hers, and looked across the river 10
the Norwood Hills Mrs Chapman kept
American boarding house, and her family, Chap-
mans staff and the visitors had meals together-
I remember vividly the day which / came
to No. 142, and had luncheon there. Miss Evans
sat opposite to I was a mere youth, a
most unknown to the world. but / had sense
enough to discern she was a remarkable Great
Ure. l was grateful to her because she replied
even with eagerness 10 a triflng remark l
happened make and gave II some tmpor-
tance. That was always her way If there was
any sincerity (an indispensa BILE Qualihcatlon) In
the person with whom she came into contact
she stroVe 10 elicit his best and generally dis
closed TO him something in himself OF which he
was not aware. l have never seen anybody
whose search for the meaning and worth OF
persons and things was so unTesting as hers.
The travelling American was not very interest
ing, but even from him she managed to extract
whatever gave him title TO existence. She had
little notebooks in which she JOtted down
whatever struck her. Passages she had read
which she had not been able to understand
were also put down and looked up at her leis-
ure. These notebooks. many of them at any
rate are still in existence. The style Of Miss
Evanss conversation was perfect; IL was quite
natural but never slipshod, and the force and
sharpness of her thought were never lost in worn
phrases. She was attractive personally Her
hair particularly beautiful, and in her gray
eyes there was a curiously shifting light. gen
orally soft and tender but convertible into the
keenest fash. The likeness by Sir Frederick
Burton is good, but it gives permanence to that
which was not permanent in her face. 1t lacks
the generality combined with particularly
which find in portraits by the greatest
masters.
1 fancy that one OF the reasons why she and
Chapman did not agree was that she did not
like his somewhat disorderly ways. She has
been accused of 'respectability-" Even Sir
Leslie Stephen in his scholarly essay describes
her as "eminently respectable" II is not very
easy to understand what is meant by this word.
If there is any meaning in ii worth preserva-
ton ii is conformity to usage merely for the
sake of conformity. and perhaps. more pre-
cisely, it is mental compromise / deny that in
either of these senses George Eliot was re
Specialize She never terminated inquiry till
she had gone far her powerful intellect
permitted her to 60, and she never refused to
act Upon her investigation II she did not out
rage the world by indeCency ii was not because
she was respectable but because she had
not deduced indecency the final outcome of
thinking the highest achievement Of art.
She delighted in music, and played Beethoven.
one evening. as | shall never forget to me
alone She was not, | suppose a first rate
performer but she more than satisfied me, and
! was l afraid a little tncoherent in my
thanks. A favorite composer with her was
Gluck and it was she who introduced to
Orfeo. She was generous to a degree which
nobody now living measure, and she not
only gave money to neceSsitous friends but
took pains to serve them. Years after had
left Chapmans l wrote to her asking If she
could assist poor man OF letters whom we
both knew. and she got work for him.