New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-11-17
ROBERT BROWNING.
A YOUNG MANS REcoLLECTIoNs.

Seca',se no feared a too PRACTICAL enthusiasm.
Huge heaps Of books lay on the fioor. the ch,ls'
the table; and at first thought the roo. it.e
figure emerged from huge armchair py .he ,ie'
and stepped brislzly across the room. or mao
ment was bewiideTed lint Inc had pIe somehow in
agined him a TALL gaunt man. recovered myse .,
to find him standing before me. hEiun n , pD,
hands ana c@e So far lust to see an old like
me- Then Inc dragged up companion chair ana
forced me into it, standing for some momrhsS ny ny
my my s down ", and said well tell me all about
yourself Have yos, not brought some hed OF nS SoaTT
poems to show me III co% %is work nu B"t for
a while he would not let me do So VIC ii TAIN
about me later If you like, though IN rather tifea
Of the subject ey ne aSo my aims and work Then
he sat and thought awhile theh came ac'9'S a ~
nearly fifty before made any money Uui v M
stand nv reluctance to advise any one to embark
on such a cruel career. Buff you really mean IN
to go in for it, would Go any Sn n9 inst send
me some Of your work, that may give Y you 10y
candid opinion, if you you think Books ass worth
He explained that he had not had time TO Pue
things straight-hence the wild disorder OF ms ms
library. We set to work to arrange SOM i dre ~, INV
attention to this that literary rene. ,iefe re- ex
his wife's books; Hebrew Bible, with hfi .s eI
ouistely neat marglnaia; mere her iaNo oi,;nr
authors He spoke little of her or them 1eft his
them out in silence, while the vlyacny isds
face. sYou like Landor?" he asked suddenly hn,.
Here is the first book he eyer o Sm not sure but
I think il was Latin author. On us soiieu s ns
leaf was written Landors name, WIN an ~
tionate line to his friend BROWNING. i %, o,'t
guess that Pm very proud of that. ne sala alh
went on to speak of his historical 1rlenusnP " no
Landor "1hey used to talk about nm as as IL NJ
were a wild beast but. if you knew how 10 'aon
We him no was as docc and affectionate as
child And what bran!' linen ! NUS tr,,ntv S
some of his art treasures 1e S tanatrr some
over the fireplace, some spehdiu '"Pe''iS'
We went down to lunch, and was introduces o
to the poets sister. who is was ,,, Iodv in the
70 aver. the most charming little iady III ',t
world. / don't remember much vi IN, .io ed bis
lunch-except that it turned on kusKlh anu M, rl'
art views, with when a sy@nathv He told me
two anecdotes designed to prove tfI usk tnneIo
cal inaccuracy one relating to Micnae. Ane LIN
the other to Browninss R own never ye mind. said
Browning, he writes like an angel haH;no m
finished. and my host apoogized 1or ha. nav 49,
turn me out, as he was :, op saS was standing
in the hall saving good-bv. when suddenly ne
turned and ran upstairs Presently ne re'" nems
SWifI Won take this as a record of what hope Il
only the first Of many meetings lie sau nm
can't find any of my own IN IN. ne; thon any Of
stairs but would rather You had TN; than any b b
mine Yes. took it, as proud as hoy eo" al
,,h" receives such an honor from his cher ,d2l
nronder than shall ever be again as l feau r1e
Inscription With the s S1s T weHt away after
he had made me promisc-as though 1t were e., a
thing | might be unwilling TO 600 "V III"
know when | should be next In Town. ,s.. Of
fuiflment was that which had madeEto snotni ~
some of my poems to him. Whau ne ,no" - tbo
them is nothing to the purpose | reier 10 illo
fact that did so submit them to his cri.'clsh oe
cansc wish to quote couple OF Signihcanii SET
fences in the letter which conane his seorouc 70
The first is a passing. but patneuc Ielelci ~. NV,
bis own writing with all your goodness 10 my
own work he said. "you know well enough nov
long il has been before the world ana now nv nuo
crate n recognition of any SOrtoi worm IN IL c'e'
hapnenpd till lately: so ! dare say hothlnS ~ ~
chances of popularity which your poems are ,ane,s
70 attain That letter Was da'fo Dcoelnon ali
s7: two wears later, when heard OF III, spe1 .tt
do,tb at Venice nv memory went back to that
sad phrase. $500. ,,s ono which
saanc IN eypress an opinion curiousy az Na,iancc
with the views the same sublect gchefulS i III;
nuted to him. and, indeed. appropriated pS nm
in more than one poem every s's" ;r ,vhcb he
reiects so emphaticallv the common view .na9
shakespeare even in his sonnets, ever eNpresseu
his own HE; With this same key
Shakespeare unlocked heart art 9se he
To this one adds of course. the views implied
IN = One Word More" Against it, set this passage
Which followed some helpful words of advice .
nstance-poetry straight ont OF your own pand
cnce I think YOU will easily attain tne gIeaO alI
good end of affording help TO hooer oe'iius ",
sorrow, or firmer faith in eventual Heeuoni HUN
Tho sentence gives, of course, but slight MAZE
rial whcrefrom TO construct theory OF any hiIu
but / have always felt II an od;t Tho de-
Browning was sometimes ready 10 auniI tle ue
Feasibility of a theory of art which he had con
demned SO plainly. Which is to say that he was
but a man. 1900 ,id in think
tbe following February: but of 1t l snail say
little, since conversation was chle ~. oU ,
cerned with no more important sup!eto ,, ,rh;ni
own work recolect, however, one STORY whi III
he told me of his early fortunes III mas peel re-
heated once or twice since his death, put rs NY
recollection of it differs in certain detas IRON,
NJ its other tellers, / may quote 1t here shorty
oftar the publication of SorCleo, copy of the
work fell into the hands of John Stuart MIL VINO,
review with which he was then connected, ana ana
expressed his wish TO notice it at length: Inrt
editor replied that unfortunately. just as inc ',,I
issue of the journal was going to press ~ nav
been found necessary TO add short I'LL up par
to a column of reviews. Some one IN Ihe on ni
had taken one from pile of volumes on ms ,ap,e
"Sordello," and the reviewer" dismissed II WIN
this line "The author of 'Sordelo' should pear
in mind that Shelley was great IN spite o. ~.
because of his obscnrity." Thereafter MIL sent
IN Browning his COPY in which passages were
marked for quotation. and memoranda 1or cri, !,
cism pencilled. /" If that review had appeared,
said Browning a hue DittIlS-"h
member that he ever again spoke with the least
finge of bitterness of his hostile critics. IT woud
have made twenty years difference to my reputa-
ton" r1
An amusing if trivial, circumstance marked
my next visit Among my friends counted d
very clever woman who with me- was Brown
ing lover: and her enthusiasm had led her to The
compilation of a manuscript birthday book, where
in-fn pleasant variation of q too familiar custom
a ouotation from his poems set against each
day. This took to him at her request TO get
his autograph lie seemed rather tonched py
such apparent devoton-fOr the compilation OF
the book must have been no light labor-and will
inely sat down to write his name tie turned
over the pages to find his own da1e,
but seemingly without success. AZ last he
turned TO me with something very like q
grin of amusement and said Look here, the
Girl has actually left out my birthday so she
had One page finished the 9th of May. the
next began on the sth, while the eth was omitted
altogether. The poet cranimed his name in AT
fhe corner amiaby enough but he did not for