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natural reluctance on the part of the minister ; but lie is over-ruled , and consents to allow the fiction . Here , according to the critic , lies the fundamental error of the tale . That a Dissenting minister should tell a " white lie" is a " fault in art " which damages the whole . Now , this sensitive moralist and purblind critic must be answered that he has made a ludicrous mistake . In the first place , it is really no improbability that even a virtuous Dissenting minister should tell a " white lie ; " we fear the very best of men may be found to have done so , and Mr . Benson , although a noble and religious man , is not held up to us as a " faultless monster . " In the second place , the Artist lias to deal with human nature , not with ideal abstractions—has to show how much divine goodness is operative among even imperfect elements , and not to eliminate those imperfections ; so that the " fault in art" would have been the reverse of what is here done . In the third place , as a treatment of a great moral question , the highest ideal is more emphatically brought out , not didactically but artistically , by this very untruth at which Benson connives . It is to show this that we have
noticed the alleged " fault in art . ' The dilemma in which the Bensons are placed is a delicate one . They are convinced of the purity and goodness of this betrayed girl ; but " what will the world say ? " Is not the world notoriously and maliciously unjust in its harshness towards mothers who are not wives ? Will any one employ the unhappy girl , or suffer her to work out in peace the life before her ? If she be called a widow , no one will be " contaminated" by her . The fiction wrongs no one . The untruth is forced by the untruth of
convention . The untruth is told , not without misgiving , not without a clear sense of its being an untruth , but with a strong ( though wrong ) conviction that it is doing a little wrong to ward off a greater . It is a question for casuistry , whether a lie may be told under any circumstances ; and our consciences clearly answer that there are some in which the lie would be imperative . Take the following case : a man is hiding from his pursuers , who will murder him ; a helpless woman knows where the fugitive is hidden ; she is asked , Is he there ? and she says , No . The lie is deliberate , yet who will say that it is wrong ?
Such cases are rare . Indeed , a large experience of life will show that very rare are the cases wherein Truth , did we but know it , would not be the wisest and the directest course . It would in this case of Ruth . Had the Bensons confronted conventionalism , they would have awed and conquered it . Their own high characters would have been a coat of mail against which the sarcasms , the sneers , the comments , and the virtuous indignation of a small provincial town ( and every one knows what they are . ' ) would have been powerless ; while Huth ' s real goodness and purity , so befriended , would soon have won for her universal sympathy and respect .
This truth we see broadly and powerfully illustrated in the novel . The fiction becomes exposed . Mr . Benson has to suffer the disgrace of his error , Ruth has to bear the burst of indignant virtue , aggravated by rage at her " deceit ; " and yet she lives it all down—lives to make herself loved and respected by all who spurned her ; conquers , at last , by that very truth and uprightness which would have conquered at first ; and the striking lesson of the book is this : Tell the truth and act the truth , then all will be well . Truth is better than contrivance . Fais co que dois , advienne que pourra .
Such is the lesson conveyed , not preached , through Mr . Benson ' s white lie . To be sure it is a " fault in art , " and delicate susceptibilities " happen to know" that it is wrong . But for ourselves , we thank Mrs . Gaskell as much for her beautiful and impressive lesson , as for the beauty and pathos of her story . It is that which redeems the commonplace incidents . They arc all of a character familiar to the novel-reader ; but they are raised into another sphere by the high purpose they subserve , and by their delicate treatment . Wore it not for these considerations , we should object to the materials ; and in spite of them we may suggest that in a future work the author will bo wise to seek in her own experience for materials , rather than draw them with facile acquiescence from the library .
The characters are admirable in their truth and distinctness . Bradshaw , Paith , Benson , and Sally , are creations ; the last-named one of the heartiest and plcasantcst we Jiave met in fiction lor many years . Bradsliaw is after an old type , but he has his individuality , and in consistent throughout . The hard , upright , pompous , narrow , " substantial" man , from Avhom you cannot withhold respect , though he has the unhappy tendency to make even virtues seem hateful , he carries them so ungraciously , is drawn with firm distinct strokes . What a . capital touch is this : —
" Indeed , Kuth altogether found favour with Mr . Uradshaw . Her quiet manner , subdued by all internal consciousness of n deeper cause for sorrow than he was aware of , lie interpreted into a very proper and hemming awe of him . He looked oil ' from his own prayers to observe how well she attended hers at ehapel ; when he came to imy verso in tins hymn relating to immortality or a future life , he sum / it vnusually Imid , thinking he should thus comj ' orl her in her sorrow for her deceased husband . " There is considerable exaggeration in the supposed " connequenceH" of the boy'H illegitimacy , and we cannot reconcile his intense feeling of . shame to our experience of boyhood : we doubt whether the elastic spirit , of boyhood could be ho cowed |> y an anticipation of what would bo thought of his illegitimacy . Had we seen him undergoing humiliations , hit * brokennpiritedncHH would have been intelligible . . Ruth herself is perfectly charming—a little too faultless , perhaps , but very winning . The gem of the book is Sally ; and from her queer humour wo extract two flights : —
HALLY AND II 15 R SVVKKTIIICA . KTH . " ' Well , you see , 1 don't know as I should call them sweethearts ; for «> x < opting John UiiwHou , who was shut up in a madhouse the next week , I never had wliai . you may call a downright oiler of marriage hut once . lint I had once ; and so I may say 1 bud a sweetheart . I wiih beginning to be afcared though , for one liken to be axed ; Unit ' s but , civility ; mid I reinemhcr , after I had turned forty , and afore Jeremiah Dixon had spoken , I began to think John Kawson had perhaps not , been so very mad , and that I'd done ill to lightly h ' m oiler , uh n mudmuu's , if it was to be the only ono I wuh over to havo : 1 don't xnean iw I'd have had him , but I
thought , if it was to come o ' er again , I'd speak respectful of him to folk , and say it were only his way to go about on-all-fours , but that he was a sensible man in most things . However , I'd had my laugh , and so had others , at my crazy lover , and it was late now to set him up as a Solomon . However , I thought it would be no bad thing to be tried again ; but I little thought the trial would come when it did . You see , Saturday night is a leisure night in counting-houses and such like places , while it ' s the busiest of all for servants . Well ! it was a Saturday night , and I'd my baize apron on , and the tails of my bed-gown pinned together behind , down on my knees , pipeclaying the kitchen , when a knock comes to the back door . ' Come to the door for
in ! ' says I ; but it knocked again , as if it were too stately open itself ; sol got up , rather cross , and opened the door ; and there stood Jerry Dixon , Mr . Holt ' s head-clerk ; only he was not head clerk then . So I stood , stopping up the door , fancying he wanted to speak to master ; but be kind of pushed past me , and telling me summut about the weather ( as if I could not see it for myself ) , he took a chair , and sat down by the oven . ' Cool and easy ! ' thought I ; meaning hisself , not his place , which I knew must be pretty hot . Well ! it seemed no use standing waiting for my gentleman to go ; not that he had much to say either ; but he kept twirling his hat round and round , and smoothing the nap on't with the back of his band . So at last I squatted down to my work , and
thinks I , I shall be on my knees all ready if he puts up a prayer , for I knew lie was a Methodee by bringing-up , and had only lately turned to master ' s way of thinking ; and them Methodees are terrible hands at unexpected prayers when one least looks for em . I can't say I like their way of taking one by surprise , as it were ; but then I ' m a parish-clerk ' s daughter , and could never demean myself to dissenting fashions , always save and except Master Thurstan's , bless him . However , I'd been caught once or twice unawares , so this time I thought I'd be up to it , and I moved a dry duster wherever I went , to kneel upon in case he began when I were in a wet place . By-and-by I thought , if the man would pray it would be a blessing , for it would prevent bis sending his eyes after me wherever 1 went ; for when they takes to praying they shuts their eyes , and quivers th' lids in a queer kind o ' way —them Dissenters does . I can speak pretty plain to you , for you ' re bred in the
Church like mysel ' , and must find it as out o' the way as I do to be among dissenting folk . God forbid I should speak disrespectful of Master Thurstan and Miss Faith , though ; I never think on them as Church or Dissent , ers , but just as Christians . But to come back to Jerry . First , I tried always to be cleaning at his back ; but when he wheeled round , so as always to face me , I thought I'd try a different game . So , says I , ' Master Dixon , I ax your pardon , but I must pipeclay under your chair . Will you please to move ? ' Well , he moved ; and by-and-by I was at him again with the same words > and at after that , again and again , till he were always moving about wi' his chair behind him , like a snail as carries its house on its back . And the great gaupus never seed that I were pipeclaying the same places twice over . At last I got "desperate cross , he were so in my way ; so I made two big crosses on the tails of his brown coat ; for you see , wherever he went , up or down , he drew out the tails of his coat from under him , and stuck them through the bars
of the chair ; and flesh and blood could not resist pipeclaying them for him ; and a pretty brushing he'd have , I reckon , to get it off again . Well ! at length ho clears his throat uncommon loud ; so I spreads my duster , and shuts my eyes all ready ; but when nought corned of it , I opened my eyes a little bit to see what he were about . My word ! if there he wasn ' t down on his knees right facing me , staring as hard as he could . Well ! I thought it would be bard work to stand that , if he made a long ado ; so I shut my eyes again , and tried to think serious , as became what 1 fancied were coming ; but , forgive me ! but I thought why couldn't the fellow go in and pray wi' Master Thurstan , as had always a calm spirit ready for prayer , instead o' , who had my dresser to scour , let alone an apron to iron . At lnst he says , says he , ' Sally ! will you oblige me with your hand ? ' So I thought it were , maybe , Methodee fashion to pray hand in hand ; and I'll not deny but I
wished I'd washed it better after black-leading the kitchen fire . I thought I'd better tell him it wero not so clean as I could wish , ho says I , ' Master Dixon , you Khali have it , and welcome , if I may just go and wash ' em first / But , says he , ' My dear Sally , dirty or clean it's all the same to me , seeing I ' m only speaking in a figuring way . What I ' m asking on my bended knees is , that you'd please to bo so kind as to be my wedded wife ; week after next will suit me , if it ' s agreeable to you ! ' My word ! I were up on my feet in an instant ! It were odd now , weren't it ? I never thought of taking the fellow , and getting married ; for all , I'll not deny , I had been thinking it would be agreeable to be axed . But all at once , I couldn't abide the chap . ' Sir , ' says I , trying to look shame-faced as became the occasion , but for all that , feeling a twittering round my mouth that I were nfeard might end in a laugh—' Master Dixon , I ' m obleeged to you for the compliment ,
and thank ye all the same , but I think I prefer a single life . ' He looked mighty taken aback ; but in a minute he cleared up , and was as wwect as ever , lie still kept on his knees , and 1 wished he'd tnko himself up ; but , 1 reckon , he thought it would give force to his words ; Hays he , ' Think again , my dear Sally . I ' ve a four-roomed bouse , and furniture conformable ; and eighty pound a-year . You may never have such a chance again . ' There were truth enough in that , but it wiih not pretty in the man to say it ; and it put inn up a bit . ' As for that , neither you nor 1 can tell , Master Dixon . You ' re not the first chap as I've had down on bin knees afore me , axing me to marry him ( you see I were thinking of John Rawson , only I thought there wen ; no need to say he were on-all-fouvs—it wero truth he were on his knees , you know ) , and maybe you'll not bo the last . Anyhow , I ' ve no wish to change my condition just now . * ' I'll wait till Christinas , ' says he . ' I ' ve a pig as will be ready for killing then , so I must get married before that . ' Well now ! would you believe it ? the pig were a temptation . I'd a receipt for
curing hams , ns Miss Faith would never let me try , saying the old way were good enough . However , I resisted . Says I , very stern , because I felt I'd been wavering , ' Master Dixon , once for all , pig or no pig , I'll not marry you . And if you'll tako my advice , you'll get up oil ' your knees . The Hags is but dump yet , and it , would be an awkward thing to havo ilicuinati / . jusi , before winter . ' With that lie got up , stiff enough , lie looked as sulky n chap as ever I clapped eyes on . And us he wero so black and cross , I thought I'd done well ( whatever came of the pig ) toMiy ' No' to him . ' You may live to repent this , ' says he , very red . « Hut I'll not , bo too hard upon ye , I'll give you another chance . I'll let you havo the night to think about it , and I'll just cull in to hear your second thoughts , after chapel tomorrow . ' Well now ! did ever you hear the like ; ? Hut that is the way wiih all of them men , thinking so much of thcirselvcs , and that it's but ask and have . They ' ve never had me , though ; and I . shall be sixty-one next Martinmas , so thurc ' H not much timo left for them to try me , 1 reckon . Well ! when Jeremiah said thut , ho put mo up m than ever , and 1 nnyt > , ' My first thoughts , second thoughts , and third thoughts ia all ono and the same ; you ' vo but tomptod mo once , and that
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90 THE LEAD ER . [ Saturday , ______ — ' - ¦¦• ¦ ' ' "' * - —_________________—______ . ____________„ , ^__ _______ MM —____—__ i——————_—_ ¦
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Jan. 22, 1853, page 90, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1970/page/18/
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