George Gissing: A Fan's Commonplace Blog

Commonplace 207  George & His Brother, William. PART ONE.

September 15th is William Gissing's birthday. Happy Birthday, Will. click

William aged about 18

On his 17th birthday, William spent the day lathered in sulphur ointment desperately trying to rid himself of a skin disorder that took upwards of three weeks to cure. As sulphur is an ancient and very effective cure for a number of maladies, it isn't possible to know exactly what troubled him, but, his job brought him into contact with new dangers, both from mixing with the general public and maybe with something a young man of slender means might experience - an allergy to money! Believe it or not, you can have such a thing - see click. And you will see here click that the suitable treatment for this was - and is - sulphur.

William wrote long letters to George when the latter was exiled in America. The one he sent on October 29th 1876, gives us some good clues into this pleasant young man's inner workings. He gave George news that he had found digs in the Lancashire village of Withington click within easy travelling distance of Manchester; he lodged with the Clark family, a father and daughter, and one other lodger. He describes it as: we all live together like one family. They are very kind & I am extremely comfortable - which is a very William statement as he is eternally optimistic and a glass half full sort of a chap (unlike you know who!). Even disappointment from the lack of access to the piano (the room where it is situated is let to a German chap) is smoothed over, and he mentions he doesn't over-practise his violin so as not to disturb the neighbours - Of course, I do not think the violin squeaky or disagreeable, but it may be a matter of opinion. His lodgings was in St Paul's Place which was probably very close to the church click and which housed a very good organ he might have been interested to hear - it had been recommended as 'an excellent instrument' by no less than Felix Mendelssohn, the composer.

St Paul's church, Withington, built in 1841. With organ recommended by Mendelssohn.  

William tells George he has joined the local library at the cost of a shilling a quarter, a considerable sum from his meagre wages, but worth it. This was not the purpose-built building we now have (that was built in 1927), but back then, a part of the Withington Public Hall click. As he owns up to a sneaking admiration for the book 'Self Help' by Samuel Smiles, William may well have borrowed it from there. Samuel Smiles in a nutshell can be summed up in one word: Perseverance! For a bit of self help yourself click. For more on some surprisingly famous old Withingtononians click. 

Sir Galahad With An Angel
by Sir Joseph Noel Paton c 1888

Neither of George's brothers are well served by biographers. Algernon is usually portrayed as a sponging inadequate who dragged round George's neck like a wannabe literary albatross. In fact, he was a modestly successful novelist who might have been more widely read if he had been the recipient of effective literary representation. Lack of opportunity must not be confused with lack of ability, and though Algernon's sort of fiction is not popular with today's Gissing snobs, it could well appeal to a wide audience of those who turn to reading as a bit of light relief from the monotony of life. That his work did not find an audience does not mean an audience was not there. George always felt closer to William, almost two years younger. They both seem to have teamed up to regard Algernon as an outsider to their little set, but we mustn't make too much of that. Threesomes in sibling groups are difficult to maintain in terms of equality, and some children find partisanship empowering, especially in times of turmoil and threat. The role of youngest boy meant Algernon was forever the butt of older brother competitiveness, but he was the third child, and so became a master of compromise - see Commonplace 11 for an overview of how place in sibling hierarchy can impact on personality. Neither William nor Algernon valued academic attainment over personal happiness, and neither had a weakness for the false allure of fame. Perhaps, as schoolboys, watching from the sidelines as George crashed and burned cured them of those sorts of ambitions.

William was a proud chap who would have been deeply wounded by the blot on the Gissings' good name brought about by his older brother's prison term, following those thefts at Owens College. He might well have considered he had something to prove above and beyond the usual round of life's achievements, and so working in a bank - which paid him about 16/6d a week - might have seemed like a respectable future. But the meagre pay did not cover his basic expenses - his lodgings (more or less all in) was 18/- a week - and so he needed financial support from his mother. This was not an atypical situation as many young men had to start at the very bottom and hope their drive and dedication would be recognised in pay rises and promotions. Besides, William had plans to supplement his wages with some part-time music teaching. Contrast this with George's attitude to how to solve a problem like being strapped for cash! How long would he have lasted in a bank before dipping his hand in the till!! But, William was a different kettle of fish altogether - from his money-making schemes, you will appreciate how responsible William was, and how diligent in his desire to be independent whilst remaining honest.

Victory by Sir Frank Dicksee c1890

Unlike George, he speaks of wanting to make friends with his fellow-lodgers; he felt lonely at times - the close bonds of the ready-made social group at school was gone, and he missed the company: At present I see no chance to get to know any more people than I do now for I go through precisely the same routine day after day. At 17, this must have been hard to bear, especially if nothing was looming on the horizon, fun-wise, because William was sociable in ways George was not; it also meant his potential for recruiting pupils for his teaching would be limited.

One of William's great disappointments must have been the lack of exposure to music tuition in his very young years - he always felt behind in terms of technique, which he knew has to be hard-wired in childhood in order to be intuitive and truly accomplished. He seems to have discovered his talent for the piano at school, where he often played for the assembled boys. But he was a worker (unlike George!) who did not think the world owed him a living (unlike George), someone who expected his efforts would one day pay dividends.

From references he makes in the Letters to his working conditions, the long hours, the responsibility of the work, it's clear the role did not accurately represent his personal qualities or his need for a creative outlet. But, he was not a quitter and this courageous and dutiful young man, who did not complain much about his lot, looked to the future to make things right for all his hard work. However, he knew that progress through the ranks at the bank were unlikely - again, it was 'who you know' not 'what you know' (which makes a nonsense of thinking meritocracy actually works!). Indeed, William says 'excellence goes for nothing, or very little, perseverance and patience are all that is required. I am already getting up my name for a hard worker (unlike you know who!) & that is a good point gained. But, an advantage to this job was that it provided him with the certainty that, being trusted with other people's money, he was absolved of any larcenous taint (unlike you know who!), and so it might have been a good idea to stick it out. He was given a raise in salary (a stunning £5 per annum!) quite quickly, mainly because of his diligence and willingness to apply himself to any task with good nature and perseverance - Smiles was right, after all.

Portrait of Beethoven by Andy Warhol 1987

When his health began to deteriorate, and the true seriousness of his situation became clear, William seems to become more mature and determined. Too ill to work in a bank, he took up teaching music, but there was a very small gene pool of would-be pupils, and he could not make a living at it. He tried to make a place for himself playing the organ in churches, but a combination of croneyism and lack of 'who you know' contacts finished that dream. It's interesting to note he never went home to Wakefield to find work - perhaps the shame he felt at his brother's disgrace kept him in Lancashire, and safely away from gossip. It would have been easy for Will to go back there - he would have had the support of his family and the benefit of free nursing care - but he heroically struggled on, not wanting to give anyone any trouble and not wanting to be a burden, and, whilst keeping himself independent, trying to live some sort of an ordinary life. When 'heroism' is linked to the Gissing name, it is William who should be so honoured.  

He seems to have been a real gem of a youth, the sort of lad you could bring home to your mother without fear he would let you down, and the sort any mother would encourage a daughter to favour. He was only 17 when he wrote this to George (January 17th 1877):

I am very glad you are settled now, though I hardly expected from your previous letter that it would be as a master; nevertheless I am very glad to hear it, as there seems something in the quiet routine of teaching which is very pleasing - having none of that hardening influence which business has & which even I, I fear, begin to feel already, for ordinary business can produce very little satisfaction, generally having only, for its foundation, that mean money-making spirit which is the bane of the world - no music, no poetry, no love in it, only one everlasting stubborn fight...   

JOIN ME IN PART TWO FOR A LOOK AT WILLIAM'S AFFECTION FOR GEORGE'S FIRST WIFE, MARIANNE AKA NELL.