The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-04-21

George Eliot CMary Ann Evans Cross) vas a writer whose chief strength lay 1 a wonderful power of analyzing char ler. Her novels are laboratories where the souls of the characters are placed in the crucible of her strong, clear mind and reduced to their atomic parts. No writer ever excelled her In this power. It is difficult for any one to read George Eliots works and not feel at times a lit- tie twinge as if some hidden weakness or sin of his own had been touched. h. stants come when the reader feels as if the author were writing with a probe so clearly could she see into the souls of men and women.
 However simple the story which George Eliot tells, however, commonplace the plot, 1t appeals at once to the intellect, and 1t Is among the intellectual that she had and tlas her greatest popularity. Her mind was masculine and she was mascu- line In appearance, her face bearing a wonderful resemblance to that of Savon- arola, with whose character she dealt in her novel of Romola-
 Yet with all her clear insight into char episode in her life. though she tried to cloak it with a conjured-up philosophy, proved that she was still woman and a woman who could err. Adam Bede, as we'll known as any of her works, was her first real novel, and affords an ex- cellent example of her workmanship. "yHAT well-preserved, middle-aged
 bachelor, the Rev. Adolphus Irwin.
 4 rector of Broxton, vicar of Hay slope and vicar of Blythe, sat at break fast when Joshua Ram. clerk of the par ish at Hayslope, was ushered in. After preparing the rector for the blow, Joshua announced in voice of horror: That Methodis' young woman as is a-stayin' at Martin Poyser's. Dinah Morris by name. was a-preschin' and a-prayin' on the Green last night. as sure as I'm a-standin' afore your reverence"
 The rector soothed Joshua's fears as to the dangers to church and state likely to flow from the action of the young woman in question, and was about dismissing QlIn LO LIo hllClch iOI 6 iiu6 Oi pCci when there came knock at the door and a pleasant voice said: "Godson Ar thur-may he come imp
 The new arrival was Capt. Arthur Don- nithorne, 'the young squire," the people called him. He was a clSar-complexioned young washed high-bred, white-handed, and yet looking as if he could deliver well from the shoulder and floor his man. No wonder he was as popular as his miserly old grandfather, "the old squire," whose heir he was, was unpopular.
 "Humbly beggin' your pardon" said Joshua. still lingering. There's one thing as forgot to say. Thias Bede of Hayslope was found drowned in the Will low brook this morning, and his widow sent me to say she wanted him buried under tho white thorn in Hayslope churchyard, if your reverence would be 50 kind'
 Poor Thias," said MT. Irwin to Arthur. as Johnua disappeared kitchenward. T am afraid drink helped the brook to drown him. I should have been glad if the burden could have been taken off of my friend Adams shoulders in a less painful way"
 He's a regular trump, is Adam" re- sponded Arthur. "I use to think when I was a little fellow and Adam a strapping boy of 10 that if I were g. rich Sultan l would mako him my grand yizier"
 A little later the two men had mounted their horses and were riding away to the cottage of the Bedes, where the widowed Lisbeth was sitting in her querulous grief. and her two sons the grave and stalwart Adam and the nlilder and less capable Seth. were comforting her. But on the way Arthur must needs stop at the Hall Farm, occupied by Martin Poy- ser
 With Farmer Poyser was stopping his wifes niece, Dinah Morris. and with him lived permanently. his own niece, the or phaned Hester Sorrel. Young Donnithore stopped at the farm to see Poyser about some business, but somehow he found his way into the dairy, where Hetty was at work
 And 50. while MT. Irwin talked with Mrs. Poyster, the farmer himself being from home (sly Arthur! he knew Martin was not at home when he stopped), the heir of Donnithorne pleased himself with the sight of the beautiful dairy maid and the sound of her melodious voice.
 Hetty was quite. used to having people look at her and. indeed, she was well worth looking at. Her cheeks were like rose petals and dimples played around her pouting lips; her dark hair, though pushed back, returned in little ringlets across her brow and hung lovingly around her white, shell-like ears, while her dark eyes hid soft roguishness.
 Hetty had admirers a-plenty. There was Adam Bede, whom her uncle wanted her to marry. He was foreman for Burge, the carpenter and builder. and might soon be taken into partnership. But he was a poor man after all, and it would be years before he could give Hetty the luxuries for which she sighed.
 The truth was that Hetty had vain little heart and a hard little heart as we'll as a narrow intellect. But how was one to know this when all outward ap- pearances indicated so exactly the re- verse? So Adam worshipped her and Arthur dallied with her. Dinah was as unworldly as Hetty was worldly; she was beautiful too. in her spiritual way. When Mir Irwin had told her of the death of Thias Bede she had said: Lis beth is in trouble belike I may comfort her" and had gone to the Bede. cottage forthwith.
 Lisbeth, who had been deaf to the con- solations of others. was comforted by Dinsh The pale Methodist had a way with her that was dear to the afflicted, and her presence in the cottage was like gentle music to Seth. who had loved Oinaf long and loved her still. though she htd told him that she was called of