The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-03-09

nONGiISlS- j -COulo ilCNCi ">o
ing or Of writing about. One is q most
notable oma and the other IS q
great author Of permanent fame. l
refer TO George Eliot ana Nlllialh M.
Thackeray. each of whom has but lew
eo,lals among the most celebrated
F,nglish authors. For the last thirty
wears ] have been q TeaueI
of George Eliot'S novels, and with I'M
diminished satisfaction and pleasure.
In fact i have known no real .fI.al
among the greatest producers Oh nc
tionaWho have employed the EnSHsh
Iangua@e as the vehicle OF their eN-
preston. She with some ranks hfst
among all tcn1ale descriptive writer's:
| believe she is easily first. She was or
English birth, and .p~arentage, ana nef
people Were plain but fairly scult1-
waited. ] believe that there is no mis-
take in confidently asserting that she
is par-eNcenence, the worlds greatest
novelist of the female sex.
h was honey nu re,,ectn AZ
who among her greatest female itVais
ever eaualled her IN the delInedtlon
of character. in the study ana pre-
sentation Of womanly creations. Some
one wisely aid of her that her meet
ings ARE pypriotic bringing into play
both tiae MODEST and ignoDiest pas
sions tha enter into HI conflict IN.
the worlds every day life" She was
indeed endowed with a ford and
richly varied mind. and her finest
creations will live even down TO
the last syllable of recorded time, as
I am much inclined to believe. she
q rare power, great insight into
character, fine and varied humor of
an abundant and satisfying type. Her
sympathies We're profound, her soul
sparkling, hec hunor rich and mex
haustible, and her sylnpathies genuine
and kind and ~inexhaustible. and her
creation Of character among the
literature. SO far from dying out
her greatest productions were .ne"or
better esteemed by the truly cultured
than at present. i rather think that
thew grow in popularity with the pass
ing years rather than lessen in esteem
among the best class Of readerStShe is
indeed a great and profound writer o.
novels, and has not one rival or SUI.
perior among all Of the foremost for
chile writers of fiction What woman
ever eaualled her at her best There
is no French or English woman who
ever reached her highest and best,
Read carefully her Adam Bede,' her
Mill on the Floss" her 'Romola,'
her "Silas Mariner her Middle
march" and then name their equals.
much less their superiors. Her fame
must increase with the progress OF
education and the study Of the English
dISuaSt. SOOu tOltio1i VI ~ieIS ScN
eral volumes is. a desideration. Read
them study them. watch her power,
her intesiity, great mental<pOWerS, her
admirable style, her intellectual charm
and vanity. her genuine power, her
exquisite Wit. her varied qualities,
her best. moral intention and her man
fold successes, and you Will thank any
one who shall be the first to induce
You to cultivate faithfully a love for
this great w1oman's productions Of the
hipJaaCf TYNE An i1l1Sfrafo1 a1itin,1
Of her best books is indeed a precious
possession. She was born in 1919.
and died in 1880, in her sixty-first
year OF her age. h had two hus-
tons as to marriage. This was. the
one stain upon her otherwise pure re-
fined character. The volume she
called Scenes Of Clerical Life" is ex-
celient Of its soil: and full Of genuine
patllos. / AVE long a a fascinated
interest in her n Italian novel
"RomoIa," and it is s%trikingIy
original and impressive. There
is q rich vein Of Genuine
tragedy in adam Bede'' and moro or
less in .The Mil on the Floss" hero
novels that will preserve the memory
of the great author beyond that of
any female contemporaries. .:Silas
Mariner is very popular, but somehow
when read it for the last time only
three or four years ago it was less
impressive and faultless to me, than
it. had appeared in earlier readings.
The FAULT is mine probably for it has
q high name among critics of the
higher kind. Prof. George Salisbury,
the learned and acute critic, thinks
there is "a wonderful charm, in the
slight and simple study Of Silas Mari
ner.
I confess to much admiration
Of and interest in ";Romola,"> some
times Sighted by critics To me, it is
most Inn YroCCtyy1 a g oevo n-r o~;o -, ~
story Of the Italian Renaissance" I
note that Saintsbury. rather discounts
1t. | believe She is as high up in the
scale of genius and interest as any
British. novelists after Scott. Thack-
cray and Dickens. She had rare gifts.
and "a most weak mind. / am glad
we had them all. q