The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1910-08-01
OR b i Owe
STO II lbs
Of HIS DRY
THOMAS CARLYLE and
JANE WELSH
BY AIberf Egysofi IerIiune


I AoAuknptsS u iHs
i lisa good thing oaflyle and Jane
Welsh married each other,"' said Ten.
nyson, once For II each Of them
had married some one else there
would have been four. unhappy peo-
pie instead OF two'.
This remark sums UP, In few words,
the queer romance Of boorish,
cranky, brutal genius and IA nervous,
delicate, ill.tempered woman. Quar-
relsome and miserable as was. the
couples married life, their, story is
well worth the telliag.
Thomas Carlyle, one OF Europe's
foremost historians, essayists and
men Of genius, was the son. OF poor
Scotch stoIemasoh. fTh6mas' oddi.
ties led his schoolfellows to tease and
bully him. This and later troubles
soured nature that had never been
very sweet, After struggling along for
some time as. school teacher, In ut.
ter poverty, Carlyle began by degrees
to win fame and living by liter
AZURE. His French ! REVOLUTION,
"sartor ResartusY and other works
became models Of their sort, and will
always live. as such, rejecting at the
same time their authors crabbedness
and HIS distorted views OF life. 1t was
in the early flush of his fame that he
began what was known as a literary
correspondence with Jane Baillie
NJ Welsh, an intellectual woman, who
for years would not allow the CORE
spondence to take a more intimate
personal tone. wv" GH
Miss Welsh was not Carlyle's first
love; nor was he hers. While he was
teaching school In Scotland he fell in
love with one Margaret Gordon
fair complexioned. softly elegant.
grave, witty and comely." The girls
aunt refused to let her listen to the
suit Of the uncouth. pennlless school
master, and the affair came to sud
den end. Carlyle later portrayed
Margarets alleged ,fickleness in ..Sar.
tor Resartus." Jane Welsh had been
in love with her tutor, Edward Irv-
ing. n noted clergyman; He married
another woman, and Carlyle took his
n.,.. , place as Miss
Ne!ner marr'eo Welsh's tutor.
First Love. When The Scotch.
man proposed to her she wrote:
t"T love. you :. /, We're you my
brother I should love you tho same /.
49,. But your. wife? Neyer!"
Carlyle, in anger, wrote to q friend:
These women Of genius are the very
devll!" Nevertheless three years la
ter, in 1896. the two were married.
Carlyle was 80, his wifes %. AS the
time for ti,e Wedding drew near, each
confessed to the other d deadly fear
of being married; and each tried to
keep up; the others courage, Miss
Welsh spoke Of the PREPARATIONS for
the ceremony as "horrid circum.
stances.s Carlyle, in turn, asked her
to makes their wedding trip less dis,
agreeable for him by allowing him to
Smoke ,Sthrec cigars, as occasion
serves, without criticism" and begged
that hisgbrother might goSwith them
on the honeymoon. ,NorS was their
dread Of married life aunfounded.
From the very start they were III.
mated. Mrs. Carlyle wrote at one
time: Let no woman who values
peace of soul ever dream Of marry.
ing an author!"
She had wretchedly bad nerves. Sc
had he. Her temper was doubtful
or his there could, unfortunately, be
no doubt. She was sensitive and high
strung. He was coarse and inconsid
crate. Neither seems to have taken
the pains to sacrifice personal whims
and unpleasant traits for the sake Of
the other. Neither should ever have
married. Yet strange to. say, both
were really In love. They guarreled
frequently and furiously. After the
first Of these quarrels .(the morning
after the wedding, Mrs, Carlyle had
, a long ut .iof historical weeping
while Carlyle worked OFF his rage by
!. rushing In the garden and tearing W
the prettiest flower beds.
Once Mrs, Carlyle tried to sew II
the same room where her husband
was writing, He growled that hel
needle made too much noise and dis
turbed his thoughts. She stopped
sewing and sat still. Soon he roared;
Jane, can hear you breathing!". Al
breath was not easy TO suppress she
had to giyeaup staying in his study
Carlyle hated to shave. So he raised
a beard. His wife told an. acquaint
, ance that the time he formerly spen
jealousy and ter occupied b,
Endless ouarre's' complaining o.
the. world in general. AZ one tlm'
Mrs. Carlyle had headache. Car
lyle. being busy, forgot to ask HOY
she felt; so she reminded him Of he
presence by throwing .tcacup at hi
head. She was also absurdly Jealous
of HIS innocent admiration for cleye
: Lady Ashbnrton; and this jealousy al
+. most caused total separation.
Yet there are letters. that show hov
| aaoL