The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-08-24
One of Great Britain'S Foremost NoyeliSts
Death of an Old Citizen of North
CarOlina-Rev DR.. SWindell.
BY DR.. T. B. Kingsbury.
BY DR.. 7. B. Kingsbury.
Let me write of a female author Of

originality and skill in thinning char
acter. Now it is several years ago
not far from ffty-when a homely,
~red-haired omar for a small rec
ompense, placed a manuscript which
other publishers had unhesitatingly
rejected. into the hands Of leading
b~ibliopole in London. The same in
tense desire and painful emotion
filed the heart of this plain, unskilled
authoress, which doubtless hundreds.
have felt who have passed through a
similar experimental trial in author
ship, and have been daring enough
TO give to the reading, critical world,
a fresh, much cherished first liter
airy handling. That deep anxiety
that awful fear-that trembling hope
that awning suspense, which more
or less ~afflicts deeply beginners in
literary production in the early norm
ing of her career of suspense and hope
and fear came to this young but gifted
Womarin the dawn Of her creative
powers. The bird of song first rises
from the earth and with untried
wing floats away far into the bright
empyrean, was felt perhaps in its in
most, acutes, force by this young
English woman struggling against
hard fortune, a nOn-appreciatiVe age
and count and many natural ears.
Months rolled sternly away, and in
the weary press was still delayed her
XII MI NRSS&S w ANAAi
to her was the suspense she became
almost frantic at the delay, when 10,
a neat, handsomely bound volume one
morning was aid on the different
booksellers tables Of that mighty city,
bearing. brightly stamped on it's cover,
to her and to every ead the magic
name JANE EYRE" and, as with the
sWiftness of thought, it became a clas-
sic, and greatly cheered that lone writ
er's heart, filled it with the ecstacy
>f ~, n~ai nc ~ Wiz - ND -rn1
celebrity. This writer was Charlotte
Bronte, unknown to fame and DOR
in this worlds goods. Every reader
of fiction was fairly fascinated by the
charming freshness and vigor of this
her first work as a writer of power
and attraction. Since then every ad-
mirer of originality and power has
paid grateful homage to her first work,
which she never surpassed, if equalled,
in her subsequent writings. 1t is
really a production Of rare interest,
originality, power and even genius. 1t
gave out to the readers of that time
the clearest signs of creative original
ity and facility and a certain grace
and interest. Jane Eyre" proved "a
very decided success, and her second
work, "Shirley.' was read eagerly by
the fiction readers of hat time.
Let me say that perhaps never was
there such scarcity of material placed
in the hands of any writer of genius
as was furnished Miss Bronte in her
isolated home. l have rarely seen
since I read her first book, not far
from sixty years ago now, such a
paucity Of incident, and yet l ave
read productions from but few writer's
Of genius that ever pleased me more,
ami SO edited and rouse my at
telltion. She surely handled
such material as came to her
with a firm GRASP and rue in
spiration. Her second novel. "Shir-
ley" lacked wealth and variety of in
cidcnt, but revealed resource n
power. There is really much interest
in the novel and there is much adnira-
bic writing as to style. 1t is a brilliant
book, OF SO it appeared to me when I
read it, soon after its publication, a
long time since. | think the tone and
moral of ''Villette,' her third ven
ture, is of a more satisfying, pleasing
character. 1t has many of the same
characteristics of the first two novels.
and the same freshness and original
ity, the same occasional cOarsness and
energy of style, the same c~arefulness,~
eaInostnesS the same defects. 1t has
the same subtle analysis, the same
nOrbidness of notwithstanding, the
same revolving earnestness, he
same impetuousness, and yet there is
the same monStrOus development OF
passion and marked self-anatomizins.
There is a strong family resemb-
lance. it must be admitted, in Miss
Eronte's novels. While Jane Eyre
and Shirley are quite distinct in
character and incident, yet there is a
strong family resemblance. The
style of Miss Bronte is intensely
masculine and nervous, before which
the shallow prettinesS of the ashton
able lady novelists seem thin ana
FADED. In her writing many me
paragraphs may be found. In "Sh1r-
ley there occurs a chapter devoted
TO a portrayal of the great poet, John
Milton, and upon reading it for the
1lrst and only time | was verify remind
ed of Milton himself. 50 fervid was the
power, and the divine poet himself
was suggested to me. 1t struck me
that the divinest Of poets, whose