New-York tribune., 1903-06-23

ldNeO -S..l'St -
Scribners Sons
Two months ego. in reviewing the Ne"
+ers and Memorials Of Jane Welsh CarlYle' Ne
laid stress upon the failure Of that oooke'
viii, the aid of Sir James Crichton-b Bro"
hitter introduction and Mr.. Alexander CafiSie
sir7,il,s-lv ill-fernnered no;es-to shake 'h+ aU
,s,oritv of Froude on anything relating 10 'ie
famous household in Cheyne Row. AS we ,he''
,,oin+e5 out the editors of the book seemed 10
have forgotten that Froude was 2 eef'ieiia
Row thoroughly he deserved that title ougn'
- DO ,,aae. clear. even 70 Sir James Crichtoh-
p,,-, and Mr. Alexander Carlyle. By the
,,,r,1,- vrrict, their revival of the old contro-
,,ersy has Coaded his executors TO puohsh-
only 2 high minded gentleman, honoraole 10 lie
core could have endured the onloouH VIM"
F-roude brought upon himself by his truth zen
,rr a,,o7,- Carlvle without offering 70 the puplc
the facts which his heirs have at last peei
obliged 10 print All those who cherish r rouue
good name must rejoice that he set these Iacts
IN naper Il have written this. ne says 0i nis
ste+e,,ent that those who care for me may
have something to rely upon II my honor aiio
roo6 faith are sssaiied after ] am gone WIN
q they put an end to debate. which long SINCE
became a scandal. for in it they placed oetore
.ts world what must necessarily be accepted as
The last word on the subject
,1-1e, F1rorde first met the Carlyles. soon after
leaving the university. he valued the privilege
rut was not disposed TO make too much OF IL
He thought Mrs. Carlyle the most brilliant anu
interesting woman he had ever fallen IN WIN
80 much thought. so much lightness and prlh-
,r,c,-, he saws such sparkling scorn and
tenderness combined. had never met with to
re1ber in any human being. The master OF
the house filed him with more admiration thah
s4action. His manner was impatient and over
-IaSz- and V
thing and. though what he said was in my
oninion intensely true and right yet felt that
II would he Impossible to live with him on equaI
,.--ns He seemed to me a superior order
of hefne whom one approached with genuine
reverence. hut could scarcely dare to love
Froude drew hack from the notion Of anything
like real Intimacy with this extraordinary pair.
hut Carlyle insisted upon seeing him with more
frequency in fact demanded his companlonshlp'
and henceforth he was continually at the house
There he gradually was compelled to recognize
certain facts of which he would have preferred
10 have remained in ignorance He says;
II Carlyle was busy he was in his sound
,,ronf room and never allowed himself TO De
Interrupted Any one who disturbed him at
such times was not likely 10 repeat the eA-
pertinent Mrs. Carlyle was very much alone,
she was in bad health and he did not seem TO
see il or if he did. he forgot ii Immediately IN
the multitude of thoughts which pressed upon
him. She rarely saw hlrn except dl LleSA Iliite9-
She sat by herself in her drawlngroon' eltheI %
reading or entertaining visitors who bored her,
and Of whom she dared not ask him TO relleNe
her She suffered frlghtfully from neuralgia
n-nicb she hore with more than stoical en-
dIirance, but il was evident that her lie was
painful and weary She was sarcastic Wnen
she spoke Of her husband-a curious blenoing
Of piry contempt and other feelings on had
heard of violent quarrels from others who were
admitted within the circle, and one pesah u
realize that they might perhaps be true
CARLYLE expected her to keep her troubles to
herself and lectured her the duty of sub
mission when she spoke impatiently- On the
other hand. his own woes provided him with a
theme on which he never hesitated- to dwell
He never spoke of himself without complaint
as II he was an exceptional victim Of the Des-
tinies" Froude was Of course. terribly dis
dressed bv all that he saw end heard 'I sup
pose" he SAYS looking back at the scene and
remembering that ne had continued 10 reverence
Carlyle's intellect and moral greatness. I sup
pose 7 considered that 10 he the wife of such a
man was 4 sufficient honor in itself But. he
adds Il felt that I could never live with such a
man" Mrs. Carlyle endured It until, in lS62.
her health broke down. She went away for a
time. and returned evidently improved But al
though ter husband seems to have tried 10
make amends the strain had already proved
too much. and it was not long before she died.
the end coming suddenly one afternoon when
she was in her carriage. Carlyle was plunged
in misery.
He shut himself NJ in the house with her
diaries and papers. and for the first time was
compelled 10 look himself in the face, and 70
see what his faults had been The worst of
conceal them no longer He found rernem-
hrance In her diary Of the blue marks which in
= ft OF passion he had inflicted her
He that he had made her entirely
r7isera bic; that she had sacrificed her life to
him. and that he had made 2 wretched return
for her devotion
Speaking of +he Lady Ashburtou episode.
Froude states that he first heard il from
Forster. who told him that she had fallen
deeply in love with Carlyle that Carlyle had
behaved nobly. and that Lord Ashburton had
been greatly obliged 10 him" He was greatly
sstonished- lady Ashburton was great lady
cf the world. Carlyle, with al his genius. had
The manners to the last Of an Annandale peas
snt.~ Later he learned the truth, which be thus
forth
i was not. as Forster had told ne that
adv Ashhurton had been ever devoted 10 Car
lvle That would have been no cause Of com
rlaint, and if Carlyle had behaved as Forster
laid. she his vifel would only have loved him
the better for II Quite evidently the feeling ran
the other Hay- Carlyle had safe al the feet of
the fine lady. adorng and worshippng. had
made himself the paything Of her caprices. had
made Lady Ashburton the object of the same
idolatrous homage which he had once paid to
herself. What the meaning Of Forster's
story He died soon after, and ] had no op-
portunity OF asking him. But where had he
learnt IT. Of the actual truth. there can be no
doubI at all L was creation Of Mrs Car
lvles jealous fancies. There in existence
there were, masses of extravagant letters of
Carlyie's 10 the great lady. ecstatic as Don
CuiEote's TO DulCinea. There even in
which he had asked Lady Ashburton not TO tell
Mrs. Carlyle of visit which he had paid
10 her, she was so angry when she heard of
his having heeO with her Ii of
she purest Gloriana worship. the homage of the
slave 10 his imperious mistress. But such it