New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-04-11
LONDON NOTES.
Herbert Spencer's 4uto5iograpky-
Kipling's School Closed.
London, ADrR2


\ learning and work, took less serious view OF
himself Mills rigorous schoolmaster was his
father, who taught him lists OF common Greek
words in his fourth year. took him out for a .
daily walk when he was barely seven and re-
ceived from him detailed account Of the pre-
vious days reading. and drilled him persever-
/ fngly when he was twelve IN logic and philoso-
ply. so that he could dissect bad arguments
discover fallacies ard think with precision
This intellectual forcing process made him a
prodigy at fifteen with an object IN life. that Of
being reforner Of the world: but It also left
him at twenty IN a dull state OF nerves. IN
capable Of pleasurable excitement, indifferent 70
the success Of his plans. and convinced that his
habits of analysis had worn away his natural
| feelings and deprived him Of any motives OF
human desire The crisis Of supreme detection.
from which Mill found relief in reading Words
| vorth's poems and in listening TO music, was
NOT Ineligible to Herbert Spencer. except as
the consequence Of the Overstrain OF a delicate
nervous system by too stern discipline In boy
hood In the new Autobiography the author
refers TO the frequent twitching OF MINIS facial
muscles to the habitual settling OF the lips IN
conscious seIf-restraint TO his inability TO laugh
heartily and to a mental attitude In manner
and conversation which seemed to imply that
.lifs was for learning and working" Herbert
SPENCER sage and scientific thinker as he was,
could himself laugh heartily. remember one OF
Huxley's Jokes for twenty years and write
about his fellow creatures as though they mad
flesh and blood and we're not abstract ideas and
thinking machines. He was not out OF touch
with the plessurable activities Of human life
During his lifetime Mr.. Spencer found 1t nee
essarv 10 contradict a hasty and unfounded as
srr,ntfon that he had any share in the forna-
/ ttoc OF George Eliot's mind. He did not meet
her until she was living with DR. and Mrs
Chapman in a large house in the strand. and
was not only a contributor 70 but the sub-edi-
tor Of The Westminster Review IRIS was
I'm ISL when she was thirty-two, ard N the
vrav Of seeing constantly the most advanced
thinkers and most brilliant writers Of the day.
In the autobiography the author refers to the
fact that they we're often seen together, ana
! that there were reports that he was IN love
with her and that they were 70 &c married
These assumptions Re takes the trouble 20 cor
rect. but it was hardly necessary TO do this as
/ Mr. Ieves and George Eliot. IN defiance OF So
| ciaI conventions. went together 70 Germany nos
/ long after the philosopher made her acquallr-
| ance in the old dwelling on the Strand ina
/ Autobiography contains however. realistic
/ nor,raft OF George Eliot. with the head which
v-as everywhere convex and without ether
Eat nlsces or slight hoIlOws." and with the faca
which was remarkably TRANSPORTED 0y
/ smile He was evidently a close observer, anu
in his old age his thoughts reverted to the TINS
/ when they used TO sing together; and with tne
utmost precision he could describe her voice al
a contralto OF rather low pitch. OF syInpa-
tbetic quality. but constantly subdued by force
OF habit so that its real power was rarely u
ever. heard. The philosopher himself throws
ont a darl, hint OF a love affair OF his owns ous
| explains that physical beauty would have oeeH
| Indispensable 70 his happiness. and tnai intels
| lectual ard emotional traits would naVs oIIefet
inadeauats compensations. John Stuart Nd
had a most accomplished wife and was oeVoceuf
w attached TO her: but when he wrots DIS AuIo>
biography he proved how frretrievaoly anayuS
was his mind and how inveterats had eeocnx
the habit OF abstract thought. He could FessA
70 his Introduction TO her as ~the conzrsncs<
n1ent OF the most valuable friendship of h9
life and anzIyzs with precision the sources @
her influences over him. as though she vsEsN
force rather than woman
The old philosopher IN his last years was as
yellow ana ernaciated as q mummy. and rs
/ voice was hardly more than a. Whisper but hls
! Youthful fire came back to him when he was
looking backward and writing the natural his
/ tory OF his career. Not only could he recall
vividIy the contour OF George Eliot's faesHana
the meditation OF her voice. "and his owl" sas-
isfaction when he saw really beautiful WOMAN
but he could also fight his battles over AGAIN
with uudiminished ardOr. His dislike for cfsssi-
v,
ence for Homer. his antipathy to anything dog
matte and unscientific. his revolt against tract-
lions and superstitions. whether IN art or re-
Igion, his intuitive preJudices against accepted
masterpieces. Ike Raphaers MadOnnas. or any
pretence OF perfection. which he considered L
| logical and conventional revealed in tbs
volume OF reflections on the evolution Of his own
/ opinions Sometimes IN his earnestness or irri-
liability he seems to swerve from the rule which
he enforces against Carlyle. that a philosopher
must think calmly. He cOnvictS RusKin u
! sheer barbarfsrn" in the stones OF Venice.
| and Of 'rnultitudinous absurdities" IN other
works These judgments seem intolera0y
harsh. when RusIin himself was candid enough
| to admit more than once that he had been seri-
ousy at fault I'm his earliest art criticism. ina.
he had changed his opinions time passed anu
that soma of his forecasts respecting the pre-
Raphaelite movement had not been fulfilled anu
had been grave misCalCulatiOns-
The Ruskin exhibition at Manchester has been
followed by n revival OF the tradition thar
Ruskin was responsible for the pre-Raphaeii's
movement in England. Mr.. Holman Hunt VINO
is the only survivor Of the famous brotherhood
Of 1913 has Contradfcted this assertion 50 many
times that he now merely shrugs his shoulders
when the subject is mentioned; but Mr.. WIZ
lam II ROssetti has taken the pains to correct
this false impression. In letter TO The Msn-
chester Guardian" he asserts that neither VII
Iais nor Hunt ror Dante Gabriel RCssetti hau
read Ruskin's books when they organized tne
Brotherhood. and consequently they could not
have been Influenced by them. He also asserts
that Ruskin silent for two years while tns
Pre-Rap haelite painters We're under attack anu
that he did not defend them until their thru