The Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskell Page B

I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”—Matthew xviii. 3.
    HERE ALSO LIE THE REMAINS OF
    PATRICK BRANWELL BRONTË,
    WHO DIED SEPT. 24TH, 1848, AGED 30 YEARS.
    AND OF
    EMILY JANE BRONTË,
    WHO DIED DEC. 19TH, 1848, AGED 29 YEARS,
    SON AND DAUGHTER OF THE
    REV. P. BRONTË, INCUMBENT.
    THIS STONE IS ALSO DEDICATED TO THE
    MEMORY OF ANNE BRONTË,
    YOUNGEST DAUGHTER OF THE REV P BRONTË, A.B.
    SHE DIED, AGED 27 YEARS, b MAY 28TH, 1849,
    AND WAS BURIED AT THE OLD CHURCH, SCARBORO’.
    At the upper part of this tablet ample space is allowed between the lines of the inscription; when the first memorials were written down, the survivors, in their fond affection, thought little of the margin and verge they were leaving for those who were still living. But as one dead member of the household follows another fast to the grave, the lines are pressed together, and the letters become small and cramped. After the record of Anne’s death, there is room for no other.
    But one more of that generation—the last of that nursery of six little motherless children—was yet to follow, before the survivor, the childless and widowed father, found his rest. On another tablet, below the first, the following record has been added to that mournful list:—
    ADJOINING LIE THE REMAINS OF
    CHARLOTTE, WIFE
    OF THE
    REV ARTHUR BELL NICHOLLS, A.B.,
    AND DAUGHTER OF THE REV. P. BRONTE, A.B., INCUMBENT.
    SHE DIED MARCH 31 ST, 1855, IN THE 39TH
    YEAR OF HER AGE.

CHAPTER II.
    For a right understanding of the life of my dear friend, Charlotte Brontë, it appears to me more necessary in her case than in most others, that the reader should be made acquainted with the peculiar forms of population and society amidst which her earliest years were passed, and from which both her own and her sisters’ first impressions of human life must have been received. I shall endeavour, therefore, before proceeding further with my work, to present some idea of the character of the people of Haworth, and the surrounding districts.
    Even an inhabitant of the neighbouring county of Lancaster is struck by the peculiar force of character which the Yorkshiremen display. This makes them interesting as a race; while, at the same time, as individuals, the remarkable degree of self-sufficiency they possess gives them an air of independence rather apt to repel a stranger. I use this expression “self-sufficiency” in the largest sense. Conscious of the strong sagacity and the dogged power of will which seem almost the birthright of the natives of the West Riding, each man relies upon himself, and seeks no help at the hands of his neighbour. From rarely requiring the assistance of others, he comes to doubt the power of bestowing it; from the general success of his efforts, he grows to depend upon them, and to over-esteem his own energy and power. He belongs to that keen, yet short-sighted class, who consider suspicion of all whose honesty is not proved as a sign of wisdom. The practical qualities of a man are held in great respect; but the want of faith in strangers and untried modes of action, extends itself even to the manner in which the virtues are regarded; and if they produce no immediate and tangible result, they are rather put aside as unfit for this busy, striving world; especially if they are more of a passive than an active character. The affections are strong, and their foundations lie deep: but they are not—such affections seldom are—wide-spreading; nor do they show themselves on the surface. Indeed, there is little display of any of the amenities of life among this wild, rough population. Their accost is curt; their accent and tone of speech blunt and harsh. Something of this may, probably, be attributed to the freedom of mountain air and of isolated hill-side life; something be derived from their rough Norse ancestry. They have a quick perception of character, and a keen sense of humour;