The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-01-26

clements that were dear to the olC Greek dramatist. Behind Maggie Tul- liver's great tragedy and the little soul pains of her brother and her aunt's behind the humors and perplexities oi the small, narrow lives of the whole novel, there broods the grim, inexorablC shape of Fate.
 As in most of her other novels, George Eliot did not create" characters il The Mill on the Floss in the sense of the word creation" when applied to such characters as Henry Esmond Falstaff, Micawber. Jean Vatican and other similar personalities of fiction Very few, If any, of George Eliot's in dividual characters have such immor- tality. Her genius manifested itself in a different expression. In her work it is the story and not the creature. Her tales are implacable pictures of life remorseless, unbending, uncompromis- ing.
 K xR. TULLIVER. the owner of
 MI Dorlcote Mill on the Floss,
 was man of safe, tradition al opinions. Perhaps in only one case had he really trusted his unassisted in- tellect to guide him to a conclusion which was that rats weevils and law yers had been made by the devil.
 As is natural in conservative persons to whom ideas do not come with un- natural prodigality, MT. Tulliver's one great mental achievement became a tri- umphant and sacred belief. It stood as the one great positive fact in the universe to his mind which was willing enough In other matters not connected with milling and farming to admit that this was puzzling world
 Among the puzzles of this puzzling world not the least were his two chl- dren. Its the wonderful'st thing" he was wont to say. T picked the moth CT because she wasn't OCT cute. But you see, when mans got brains, there's no knowing where they'll run to; an a pleasant sort O soft woman may go on breeding you stupid lads and cute wenches till it's like as If the world was turned topsy-turvy. It's an un- common puzzling thing
 The honest millers perplexed estimate of his family was two-thirds correct. In his object of marrying a stupid wife he had been extraordinarily success full. Mrs. Tulliver was perfectly good natured, very fair and completely dull woman, who shook her head in almost pious alarm at her strange daughter, Maggie, half dreading that this dark skinned child with her black hair that refused to curl like the well-conducted blond locks of her own family. had been sent as a judgment on her.
 "If send her upstairs for anyth ing" she sighed, bewildered, she forgets what she's gone for, an perhaps 'ull sit down on the floor f the sunshine an sing to herself like a Bedlam crea- ture. That niver run in my family, thank God, no more nor a brown skin as makes her look like a mulatter."
 Her blond sisters, Glegg, Pullet and Deane, shares Sister Tulliver's grief over this unhappy child and lost no op- portunity to regret volubly that Maggie was so unpleasantly different from her neat, exquisite, dainty cousin, Lucy, with her liquid hazel eyes and her bright curls.
 Maggie had become quite accustomed to the open talk about her ugliness on the one side and about her sinful clev- erness on the other. She hardly grieV- ed over her looks, and gave her ad- mired cousin Lucy the free and unre- served homage that a subject pays to a queen. The admiration and love for which her childish heart hungered be- ing withheld from her on the score of appearance, she strove to astonish peo- pie with her learning, and thus, while she was still a child, she devoured a wonderful mass of books, from Defoe's History of the Devil to Jeremy Tay-
 
 Although MT. Tul1iver was quite cor rect about two of his househ old, he wronged his son Tom. That healthy. self-willed young, animal was indeed immensely stupid over his books, but he knew very well what he was about, which was to get the best out of life, as a plain duty that every human being owed to himself and to the world.
 Maggie ~adored Tom as something all rf,r1 for I, "a h lap sion of a mere girl; and Tom was good to Maggie-a fact which he was care full to impress on her frequently. He was a stern young patron, and disci- plined Maggie freely by debarring her from the splendor of his society, pun ishment that subjected the girl to a double torture, filling her strange brain with hot rage, and filling her heart with a humble, bitter grief.
 Her aunts Glegg. Pullet and Deane shared with Tom the belief In the need of frequent correction and did not fail to impress on Maggie her sad difference from her mothe her's comedy family and her wickedness of mind and temper.
 The three sisters were ladies of strongly marked character, all hugely satisfied with their own wisdom of life and conduct. and all agreeing in despising their sister Tulliver's hus- hand. who in turn did not fail to repay fn Kinda repayment which was often embarrassing, as the miller was ex- tremely outspoken and did not hide his thoughts in the cloak of polite lam guage.
 Sister Glegg was the chief of the clan, not merely because she was known to have a thousand pounds which she would leave to her various relatives, but because she had a bitter tongue, which never suffered for lack of sys- tematic exercise.
 Sister Glegg's particular strength was to wear her second best and third best garments, leaving her best ones care fully laid away. This meritorious econ omv rave her a commanding position from which to assail other folks van tties.
 Sister Pu1Iet presented most unsis- terly contrast, being fashionable fe- male much given to balloon sleeves, and being decked with so many ribbons and feathers as to look like brig with all sail spread Her share of the fam fly virtues was to be In constant state of bitter grief over the death of some one, whether the some one hap pened to be a distant relative or per son whom she had known merely by reputation.
 Sister Deane was the wisest or the three-a fact which she proved In her own natural, negative manner by care fully refraining from speech while in company of her militant sisters. The three had married we'll and were very proud of their successful husbands,