The sun., 1891-07-12

often primarily the result OF moral 0oo phys.
ical effort. which his temperament prompted.
but his strength could not always justify. Ma
ture avenged herself in rscurrent periods of
long before tho closing stnRe set In.
One word as to Brownings education. whose
most effective agency We must recognize in his
fathers m any -slded culture and the resultant
intellectual atmosphere in which the boy grew
up. He was. IL seems. handsome. vigorous.
fearless child. and soon developed an unrest
ing activity and a fiery temper. His mother
could only keep him quiet whom once he had
emerged from infancy. by telling him stories-
Bible stories while holding him on
her knee. His energies wero. OF course. de-
struc,ivs until they had found their proper
outlet It has often been told how he extem-
porlzed verse aloud while walking round
and round dining-room table. supporting
himself BY his hands, when he WAS still so
small that his head was scarcely above 1t. At
an unusually early ase. SO early that we are
justified In presuming that his parents object
was to get rid Of his turbulent activity for
few hours every day. 10 was sent to danes
school: but after few years he entered
boarding school. intended exclusively for
boys, and kept by the Rev. Thomas Ready.
There Is no reason to suppose that the mental
training Al this establishment was more shall
low or more mechanical than that OF most
other schools OF the period: but the abilities OF
Robert Browning inspired him with certain
contempt for 1t, as also for the average
schoolboy intelligence. to which 1t was adap;ed.
1t must be for this reason that as be himself
declared he never gained q prize; and very
likely his failure to make many friends at
school might be explained In the same way. 1t
Is probable that he was learnine much more
at home in his holidays than he learned at
school, His fathers house was crammed with
books. and the boy Robert read omnivorously.
When We consider how little OF euphutst
B, B,owning was to be. 1t 10 surprising to learn
that one OF the books he loved best and
earliest was "QuaSless Emblemes." which his
father possessed In a seventeenth century
edition. In general 1t may be said that
BrowninR's homo reading was at once largely
literary and decidedly historical: 1t was In this
direction that the peternsl influence was re-
vealsd. 1t may Interest bis admirers to men-
ton some OF the authors which were favorites
OF BrowninR's in his youth. He pored. It
seems with especial delight over the first edl-
tion Of Millions works. bought for him by bis
father; over treatise on astrology. published
only twenty years after the introduction OF
printing: over the original pamphlet kill
ing No Murder" 1850. which Carlyle bor-
roWed for his Life OF Cromwell" and over
an equally early COPY OF Mandeyille's Bees"
Among moro modern publications familiar
to Browning from his early youth are mon
toned "Walpole's Letters" the Letters OF
Junius." and tho works Of yoltairs. OF course.
tho ancient poets would play their part in the
mental culture superlntsnded BY Robert
Browning's father. The Latin masters OF epic
and lyric verse and the Crock dramatists came
to him In duo time. though bis especial delight
In the Greek lnnRuage-a delight sttested BY
his translations-only developed itself luter.
But his loving and lifelong familiarity with
the Elizabethdn school. aud. indeed. with the
whole range OF English poetry. points to .
moro constant study Of his nations
literature. In bis earliest poetic days
Byron was his chief master. but subse-
quently Sho!lsy's influence became. and
long remained. predominant. An outcome
OF his admiration for byron was q collection OF
short poems. to which he gave tho title OF In
condita." These wero written when he was
only ~. These poems. however. were by no
means Browning's . FIRST for be bad composed
verses long before hs could write. Thore Ia.
perhaps. NO reason TO regret the loss OF these
earlier pt ems. particularly as Mr. Fox. who
had read them. afterward declared that
their fault lny In the direction Of too great
splendor OF language and too little wealth OF
thought. Mrs. Orr suggests that in Them ono
may have heard the child Sordello singing
against tho lark.
Brownlng's first love was q Miss Flower:
ono is not unprepared 10 hear that she was
nine years his senior. and that her own afrec-
tions were apparently engaged elsewhere.
hnsv tk,ta
young lady had 40 deop a root thai mover. even
In his latest years. could he mention her name
with Indifference. II any woman Inspired
F." Pauline" 1t was unGuestionably she. After
leaving school Drowning studied fortwo years
With q French tutor. who impaired to him q
GOOD knowledge OF tho French language and
literature In his eighteenth year no entered
University College. London, but bis attendance
there was brief. 1t WAS at this timo that he
decided to make tho writing OF poorly
his profession. His father seems to have
sympathized With his purpose. although at one
timo be had desired his boy to qualify himself
for tho bar. A position in the Bank OF Eng
land. such Is hs himself was occupying. he
considered unworthy OF his sons powers. Be-
fore passing to Browping's Introduction TO
Miss Barrett which occurred In 1874, when 10
was so years old. We will merely note that In
the mean time the post had published. besides
minor poems. Pauline" "Paracelsus."
"strafford" (which was acted By Msoready
and Miss Helen Fsucit but which had to bs
Withdrawn after the Afth, perform anco). "Sor-
dello," "Pippa Passes" Bellies and Poms.
granstes." and "A Blot In the 'Boutcbeon."
which was written for Mscready and
accented by MIN. but having been
produced In mut!latsd form. could
not be termed successful. Some forty
,ears later Browning declared. In . letter
TO Miss Fauclt uhen Lady Martiu,. that her
perfect behavior as woman aud her admira.
bic playing rs IN actress had b~sn 10 him the
one gratifying circumstance connected with
the produoiion OF ths piece. We may add that
some OF the Dramatic Lyrics had been vub-