New-York tribune., 1909-05-18


Who died this morning.
last night that the attending physician remained
constantly at his bedside.
Mr. Meredith was out for his daily drive at
the BoxhiH retreat on Saturday morning in
little donkey chaise. He seemed then to be In
his usual health A keen east wind was blow
ing. and he returned home in state of collapse,
with serious attacks Of pain in the intestines
4 physician was summoned. and the novelist re-
vived but was unable to take nourishment. His
daughter Mrs Sturgis. remained IN constant at
tendance. and his son was summoned on sun
day. The Kings physician, Sir Thomas Bar
low was called into consultation, and It was
hoped that despite his great age the patient
would rally This hope was not long main
tanned as the internal inflammation developed
rapidly Mr Meredith had been showing signs
of weakness for a week. having had periods of
drowsiness. followed by marked signs Of d.
biIitv. although he was able TO take his accus-
toned daily drives.
George Meredith who was at the time Of his death
the dean OF English novelists vas born on Febru-
arv IL 1895 Contemporary with Dickens. Thach-
erav George Eliot and Thomas Hardy he outlved
them all save the las named. who Was born Twelve
years later and whom the older novelist ADVISED
when he made lis first essay in the held Of fiction
While Meredith never gained the popular favor Sc
cured by these other masters In English fiction, he
had the regard of many discriminating critics and
a steadily growing fame. His nrst novel. Inc
ordeal of Pichard Feyerel.' appeared halI cen
tgry ago. I'm October. 1853 The same year that saw
the publication Of George Eliots Adam Bede'
the foundation stone Of her literary fame. But
Meredith had his literary spurs IN the ten
years preceding ny the publication or volumes OF
poems and 10y mis- whimsical Arabian Entertain
ment'' The Shaving OF Shagpat' and a German
fairy tale .Farua." II George Eliot who IN
1e5s in critical article The Shaving or
Shagpat." hailed X "A work Of genius. precious
as an apple tree among the trees Of lhe wood
George Meredith was born In Hampshire ana
came from Irish and Welsh stock, Early In life ne
was sent TO a Aforavian school in Germany, where
he was educated up tc the age Of fifteen and re-
ceived the dstinctively German influence to be dc
tected in his poems. He turned his attention 10
the law on his return 10 England but newspaper
and literary work soon enErosscd him For num-
her Of years he wrote regularly for The Ipswich
Journal and contributed social and literary articles
to The Morning Post" Of London. His first pub
lished poem 'Chillian wallah." appeared in Cham
ber's Journal" iu 1870. when he was Just OF age
soon after he was married 10 a daughter Of Thomas
Love Peacock. who had considerable popularity as
a novelist. and it was 10 his fathor-in-law that
young Meredith dedicated his FIRST volume Of poems
in 1851. and whose influence is traced by some
critics in the novels OF his later years.
DIsCovERER OF AUTHORS.
For a period Of nearly twoscore years Meredith
publishing house of Chapman & Hall. and 10 the
! encouragement given by him a number of success
fu writer's date their careers. Thomas Hardy said
he probably would not have persevered In the path
Of literature had II not been for the advice Mere
dith gave him when he submitted his first manu-
script 1t was Meredith who recognized the ability
Of olive Schrener when her The Story Of an Afrl-
can Farm passed through his hands He was the
! correspondent OF The Morning Post" in the Aus
tro-Itaian War of 1866 and spent some time in Ven
he frrit of yulli
! For part Of 1867 he edited THE Fortnightly Re
view" in the absence of John Morley from London
! a visit 10 this country.
But It is in his novels and poems that the literary
genius and ability of George Meredith found their
! fun expression. 1ne two supplement each other,
! and each possesses the same elements of reality
| and incisiveness condensed expression and COM
pressed wisdom. He wrote for popular favor.
and in the main failed to secure II, although his
work from the first with commendaton from
such authorities George Eliot, Charles Kingsley.
! Thomas Carlyle and James Thompson. Almost
! half a century ago reviewer IN The London
| Times said: Mr.. Meredith is original writer,
and his book CThe Ordeal of Richard Feverel) is
powerful book, penetratye in its depth of insight
and rich in it's variety OF experience" But the
! author himself recently said of the way his books
| were received: The English people know nothing
| about me. There always has been something an
! tipathetic between hem and With book after
book it was always the same outcry OF censure and
| disapprovaI. The first time two 1 minded it,.
| Since ! have written 10 please myself.
THE SHAVING OF SHUGPAT"
| While the author dscaimed for The Shaving of
Shugpat' any alIegorcal intention, it is clear that
! the hero the barber. Shbn Bagarag, is type Of
the reformer and Shugpat. whoniS he succeeds in
! shaving in the end, is the opposition and abuse
! with which his efforts met, and of which he
gets the better. Meredith said Of the work in the
second edition: 1T has been suggested to by
/ one who fear of alegories the banks of
the Nile: 'Allegories to be of any value must be
; perfectly clear. and when perfectly clear are as
little attractive Mrs. Malaprop's reptile The
story of 'Farina," which followed, was the proto-
type of those romantic tales of adventure of which
Stevenson's Prince Otto and Anthony Hopes
popular successors
The Ordeal of Richard Feverel,' the first Of
the authors twelve novels is regarded by many
admirers OF Meredith the greatest Of his works
in the fusion of intellect and feeling. The PHI
griuls Scrip" of Sir Austin Feverel IS filled with
the sententous wisdom OF the author, written as
he says from the Triad which gives a healthy
perence" While there il much in the novel in
regard TO methods of education and their success,
there is q love story filled with tender episodes.
Robert Louis Stevenson says of the parting scene
between Richard and Lucy in this book that it is
thu strongest written since Shakespeare and that
arnough the artistic justinability of occurrences
so heartrending may be questioned, There can be