lewes
more than acquaintanceship, i had affectionate regard for george henry lewes and george eliot. lewes included me in the public list of writers and contributors to the leader—the first recognition of the kind i received, and being accorded when i had only an outcast name, both in law and literature, i have never ceased to prize it.
george eliot's friendship, on other grounds i have had reason to value, and when i found a vacant place at the head of their graves which lie side by side, i bought it, that my ashes should repose there, should i die in england.
on occasions which arose, i had vindicated both, as i knew well the personal circumstances of their lives. when in america i found statements made concerning them which no editor of honour should have published without knowledge of the facts upon which they purported to be founded, nor should he have given publicity to dishonouring statements without the signature of a known and responsible person. on the first opportunity i spoke with lewes's eldest son, and asked authority to contradict them. he thought the calumnies beneath contempt, that they sprang up in theological soil and that they would wither of themselves, if not fertilised by disturbance. i know of no instance of purity and generosity greater than that displayed by george eliot in her relation with mr. lewes. edgar allan poe was subject to graver defamation, widely believed for years, which was afterwards shown to be entirely devoid of truth. george eliot's personal reputation will hereafter be seen to be just and luminous.
for myself, i never could see what conventional opinion had to do with a personal union founded in affection, by which nobody was wronged, nobody distressed, and in which protection was accorded and generous provision made for the present and future interest of every one concerned. conventional opinion, not even in its ethical aspects, could establish higher relations than existed in their case. there are thousands of marriages tolerated conventionally and ecclesiastically approved, in every way less estimable and less honourable than the distinguished union, upon which society without justification affected to frown.
interest in social and political liberty was an abiding feature in george eliot's mind. when garibaldi was at the crystal palace, she asked me to sit by her and elucidate incidents which arose.
on the publication of my first volume of the history of co-operation, i received the following letter from mr. lewes:—
"the elms, rickmansworth,
"aug. 15, 1875.
"my dear holyoake,—mrs. lewes wishes me to thank
you for sending her your book, which she is reading aloud to
me every evening, much to our pleasure and profit. the
light firm touch and quiet epigram would make the
dullest subject readable; and this subject is not dull.
we only regret that you did not enter more fully
into working details. perhaps they will come in the next
volume.
"ever yours truly,
"g. h. lewes."
the second volume of the work mentioned supplied to her the details she wished.
in 1877 i visited new lanark and saw the stately rooms built by robert owen, of which i sent an account to the times. the most complete appliances of instruction known in europe down to 1820 are all there, as in mr. owen's days. a description of them may be read in the second volume of the "history of co-operation" referred to. when george eliot saw the letter she said, "the thought of the ruins of education there described filled her with sadness." i made an offer to buy the neglected and decaying relics, which was declined. i wrote to lord playfair, whose influence might procure the purchase. i endeavoured to induce the south kensington museum authorities to secure them for the benefit of educationists, but they had no funds to use for that purpose.
some women, not distinguished for personal beauty when young, become handsome and queenly later in life. this was so with harriet martineau. george eliot did not come up to herbert spencer's conception of personal charm. one day when she was living at godstone, she drove to the station to meet mr. lewes. he and i were travelling together at the time, and he caused the train to be delayed a few minutes that i might go down into the valley to meet his wife. i had not seen george eliot for some years, and was astonished at the stately grace she had acquired.
one who knew how to state a principle describes the characteristic conviction of george eliot, from which she never departed, and which had abiding interest for me.
"she held as a solemn conviction—the result of a lifetime of observation—that in proportion as the thoughts of men and women are removed from the earth on which they live, are diverted from their own mutual relations and responsibilities, of which they alone know anything, to an invisible world, which can alone be apprehended by belief, they are led to neglect their duty to each other, to squander their strength in vain speculations, which can result in no profit to themselves or their fellow-creatures, which diminish their capacity for strenuous and worthy action during a span of life, brief, indeed, but whose consequences will extend to remote posterity."*
* congregationalist april, 1881, p. 297.
bray's autobiography.
