New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-12-29
ROBERT BROWNING.
ANECDOTES AND NOTES ON SOME PER-
soNAL ASPECTS OF HIS CHARACTER
London December 10

/ >.
Mr. Lowell says that the Characteristic Of
Browning's poetry is strength 1t character
istc of the man. too. and not less characteristic
Of him was his cheeriness. His entrance into a
room filed it with sunshine He had more man.
uer than is usual with Englishmen; long resi-
dence abroad had left its mark upon him, and
he had adopted some habits from his beloved
Italians. lie had way of his own of greeting
his friends. The right hand was raised and
half-extcnded sideways, and came down into yours
with kind of swing, the other hand sometimes
supporting yours against the shock The voice
was loud at times almost harsh, rather stri-
dent, and by means always subdued to the
conventional tone OF the drawing room: still less
often of the dining-room; where he liked TO sit,
as il were, a throne, which Others were always
ready 10 build for him.
He would talk admirably in any circumstances,
but he preferred gallery, and the most success
full dinners were those in which Browning him
self bore sway. He could hold his own against
competition, IL need were :. his voice, when he
chose filling the room, and he struck fearessly
into the current of talk; and was far too much
A man of the world to expect always TO
have things his own way and every
company TO consist of idolators. There were,
however, certain houses where only the faithful
were asked 10 meet him; personal friends, at
least if not devotees Of bis poetry and there
it was that he spoke most freely, and on the
subjects for which he cared most. will not re-
peat what i have said in these columns before
about his talk. II was various, full and full
of illumination at times; at other times, if he
thought his fellow-guests commonplace he allowed
his talk 10 suit 10 their level Not that he ever
suffered this TO be seen; he had arrogance
and no airs Of superiority; but if the people
among whom he found himself preferred, like
the Englishman in California the weather as
topic, there was no one more ready than Brown
ing TO lend himself TO this caprice.
Browning drank port wine by preference and
he has been known to say that claret was drink
, for women, port for men. His robustness of
nature expressed itself sometimes in an intoler
ance of whatever he thought less robust than his
own What he liked when dining out was 10
find decanter of port at his plate, and in houses
where he dined often and his tastes were known
the decanter always there. lie used TO pro-
test against IL, but he drank the wine, moderately
and drank other when he could get port. lie
was not a very good Judge of the wine he loved
so well. One of his oldest friends sup
Piled him for many years with
"a port. I should think Browning
first and last drank his full share of that famous
vintage The nectar passed his lips without
remark. When it was all gone, his host had
10 fall back on 81, a wine In the
opinion of connoisseurs inferior TO ga not only
in age, but in those qualities on which the per-
lection of port depends Browning then for the
first time praised his drink. erhe taste is one
he shared with Mr.. Gladstone, and their appre-
citation of the wine about equal.
He was quite free from all the little vani-
ties and irritabilities in which lesser authors
indulge themselves, but he set just value on
his position and on the various recognitons OF
il which came to him He delighted when
Cambridge-I think il was, made him an honorary
Master Of Arts, distinction almost unique
His Oxford degree pleased him and his Hon
orary Fellowship of Balliol When Lord Rose
berry gave his state dinner to the Shah, repre-
sentative function, ana guests were expected TO
come in uniform or court dress
Browning wrote 10 his host that as he
was asked as man Of letters he thought
il might be proper if he his gown Doctor
OF Civil Law 1t struck everybody happy
thought, and Brownng's appearance in the flow
ing scarlet robes Of the University was one OF
the events Of the evening pleased his host and
the Shah and Mr.. Gladstone and everybody
else.
He was, in all essential things, perfectly
simple and genuine; transpaTently so, sometimes
Tie beginning of the Browning societies was
an instance Shortly before, Mr.. Furnival had
driven out of the new Shakespeare Society
great part of its best members by the extreme
violence and even brutality of his attack ON
Nh Swinburne and on the late Mr. Halhwell
Phillips The society was asked 70 dlsown
Mr.. Furnival, but the machinery was in his
hands and nothing was done. the secession
took place Mr. Browning and some of the
md
cussion from which Browning, though a member
and think vice president held aloof. He was
pressed for an opinion, but would give none,
and when asked if he Intended TO remain mem
Der OF society responsible for the rufianlsm
Of Nh Furnival said, rather shortly. that he
did few days later il came out that Mr.
Furnivall was about 20 start Browning 80
Getty.
The formation Of these Browning societies I'M
doubtedly pleased Browning, lie had thved
more than half his poetic life in neglect
and under a cloud Of critical hostility and Oh
loquy, all which he had borne stoutly and for
the most part silently, adhering through evil
report and through good TO the faith that was |
in him His fame grew very slowly. My pub |
fishers. he once said, know just how many !
copies Of new poem they can sell; they print |
50 many; no more and no less But never was
more striking example of the truth Of Elmer
sons remark that the influence Of any writing |
is in mathematical proportion 70 It's depth OF |
thought Whichever else there might be, or |
might not be, in Browning's books, there was
plenty OF hard thinking, and some Of ii was so |
hard that these societies were formed TO make |
IL easier 1t an act Of homage - which |
browning would have been more or
less IMAM human not 10 be sensible. |
IL came at critical period, /
and he was more important figure in literature
by reason Of the existence Of these societies
lie was quite aware Of the ludicrous side Of the
business, and the elusive enthusiasms Of his
least wise admirers annoyed him more than he
chose TO own One OF two American societies
seemed TO have been founded and worked with
little regard 20 that American se,sa of bunoor