New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-01-05
ROBERT BROWNING.
DR. FURNIvALLs RECoLLECTIoNS.
From The Pail Mall Budget.


whom I was told he had with him-and from whom |
turned homeward-werc Robert Browning aud his wife
To whom he would have liked TO introduce me- IL was
with no little pleasure then that IN the Nay u laIc3
OF lc4 found Lord IcnnysOn (bei0ie nc vas IoIucu
PIaee vde PARK to Mr. RoLert Brownng Greater
pleasure it to me to tell that poet how revereneeu
OF glorious womans nature her poetry had been "
me IN my early ignorant college days
BRowNINGs LOVE FOR HIS WIFE AND SON.
There was no quicker way to Browning,,s heart
Crescent lie showed me his loved wifel little volumes
OF the Greek poets and her tiny Hebrew Bible, all with
she worked some relies o. her childhood. and then
told Instances Of the beautiful unselhshnoss OF
was ~ fresh when she with him In body here,
and That the few expressions OF IL which his reserve
deepest and most abiding feeling OF his heart Often
and often would our talk in after years touch on his
wOnd take a tenderer tone fond
memories came back to him., and Then. We
she write to him and every letter is kept and deseends
that for his son. What Pen" was doing, had done
ana meant to do he was always glad TO tell any friend
college lie. his arworh, his foreign experiences, his
brave acts, his successes, showed the fathers pride In
ana oyc for ms soma pride and love fully reclprocaed
after leaving college, settled down to hard work in art
and how happier still when that married the lady
of his love, and gave the poet daughter to add 10y
and that OF his true kind friend and housemae his
days.
Many years before knew Browning the Eyebrlglt
of his "soldclo,' Miss IIaworth had Shown me some
letters OF MS wifcs signed with her pet name Ba,'
pearcd in her earnest poems, which, she said,
she droe with her whole heart often pressed him To
giyc us life Of his wife, and print Us some Of her
waE' refused, What Is or is not to be said OF his
@ f& s ' @at t" h' s fs f ior her,
ms own poems show Cannot the opportunity
ea'es' poGte;s Of modern times in my belief, OF all
iHh'. IN Italy, Florence has done her due honor.
n Amerca the Vassar College Tor Women has It's
S.9;; hioWningS room sacred to her memory. Eng
memorial q The poswiie be- joined nee With that to
the poctusDlHl. IN our Makers sacred shrnel Can
not her son there record his mothers as well as his
p'r,gl at i,rownings long solourn N Italy after his
c 10 his wish to 5aye h Te t0 life Me e took 0oS
,C %gat f he Peeyed to BE- her "a deatnbed to
hood. instead Il letting her dwindle to the grave
aSroad out Of he fog Syp an% cold G Of E2sand
IHai Florence which they both 50 loved Browning
the beautiful tomb over her body which his friend Sir
Frederick Leighton designed.
HIS FIDELITY TO HIS FRIENDS.
The next qualite, that struck me in Browning were
40 mean thought did he ever entertain: no unworthy
word "a he ever peak, Petty gossip and scandal
pc would none ~, he took every At hi, best. and
had kinds word for many whom ! unhestatngly
condemned. When once Pee gave his friendship. lie
asy might say T6at ae9 liked d: Of them a% s
took no heed II he were shown that greater profit
Y Yar who o5 sa9 a ated fy Wh him. he would say
va apparent in every word and act. As to the
Charm of his frank ways are there not thousands in
Europe and America who testify to TT It had
not te' ~onanly delcacy Of Ruskin's early manner
how delightful that was but. as instance Of IT,
place wa he 50 abused a. At the browning society
and that ! in particular had called him all the bad
chccry smile on his face gave me one Of his frequent
pats ON the knee and said an. well, don't mind;
Gould o' one '2 help oT1i f6I imi IT Ta.
-Good b. and mind 10 l,u't 40 loa. before Won come
a-.,. Ih'rc'- aIway, mc3 at T. Anothcr char
prrIor,c Boo society had given him HI, SIKH in fence
"aa very great You couldn't get under his guard.
BROWNING AND THE BROWNING SOCIETY.
In 1--I The Browning society Va, founded one
main motive with me for taking thl, step was some
talk ard writing II certain Gym al tinker being
greater poe. ihat is. maker. creator Of men ard
Women than BROW Ming couldn't >'and tha.. The
took her across To- him sunday morning, and sad.
We're going To- ha,c this society. but ~ MI 49,
won't work in j, unless YOU approve. here She is To
-ec you. ! tell her / don't care twopcuce whether
scit,. bat here We are We can't expect YOU to
-aN go ON. hut We hope you won't say stop. 20
iar o. re'ollori Browning eiihct began talkiuE
alout something else 40 once. or did 80 after saying
po rs you hhc.' And the society was started. II
greatly stimulated the study of Brownng'> works.
50 doubt ud9it" objections have been made to the
society and OBJ" .ooetc, bat then the number 81
fools IN this world is infinite too one needn't bother
oneself about them. browning ,hep' clear Of our
society. ana we kept it clear Of him. huf when we
eoga4t ardcranG P5I-e erS or "a, Po'n gg1
of 10. ~ first I didn't take the volume with me.
and hc amused very much by saving. " Pom my
gave away my n,t copy >iX year, ago, and haven
seen I'm" 4 d since. l'ut ~ '9rr9W COPY 20