San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-11-23

The Man Who Declined to Be Lau-
% Teate.
Philadelphia Telegraph:
The London Chronicle is likely to
be we'll Informed on matters relating
TO Mr.. William Morris, and the re-
port that he has been offered, and
has declined, the position of Poet
Laureate is therefore probably true.
The tender Of the position to him was
fitting acknowledgement of his
poetiosl genius, but his declination
was matter of course. Only four
days ago he said, In q published in
| terview, that he decidedly desired
| the abolition OF the office, adding that
few persons would trouble them.
selves about any body's holding the
post If Lord Tennyson sand Words
| worth had not held IL.
William Morris was born near Lon
don In 1884. He was educanted at
Marlborough school and Exeter col
lege. Oxford. In 1853 he brought out
his first book, 1.-THE Defense of Guen.
evere," which, though much appre-
cisted by some, was "caviare to the
general" In 1868 he started q shop
for the sale OF artistic wall papers
mostly designed by himself or his
friend Walter Crane-tiles and other
decorations. The enterprise was sue
cessful from the start, and no member
of the upper ten would rest content
until at least one room in his or her
house had been decorated by Morris.
The little shop near Oxford street was
daily thronged with aristocratic wish
tors, many of the ladies being anxious
to obtain q glimpse of the poets wife,
who was considered by all who had
seen her to be the most beautiful
woman in England.
Mr.. Morris qualified himself thor
oughIy for his special work, of every
branch of which he became master.
He is a>practical dyer, potter, weaver
and cloth printer, and knows the ma
ture of all the materials with which
he has to deal. He has not, however,
neglected his muse, but, having from
the commencement of his business
career set aside Saturday and Sunday
for literary work, has given the world
some very notable productions. In
1867 he published and epic poem of
rare beauty, 1.-THE Lite and Death of
Jason" This he followed in the sue
ceeding year with "The Earthly Para.
disc" giving the concluding volume
OF the same poem to the world 10 1870.
This has been followed by Love Is
Enough" 1S73), 1.-THE Ends of Vir.
gil" lS76), THE Story of Sigurd the
Volsung and the fall OF the Niblungs"
| QS76) 1.-The Decorative Arts, and
Modern Life and Progress" (lS7S),
Hopes and Fears for Art" lectures,
1897, The Odyssey of Homer, Done
ino English verse" 0S87), The
Dream of John Ball." and "A Kings
Lesson" (lSSS), "Signs ct Change"
| lectures, 1881, "a tale of the Hou, Q
OF the Wolfings and all me Kindreds
sf the Mark" lin prose and verse,
1881, "The Roots of the: Mountains"
| {, romance in prose and verse, 1889,
and the "Glitteripg Plain; or, The
Land Of Living Men" "a prose 70
msnce, 1891 His later work espe-
cially his poetry, has not materially
increased his reputation but neither
his Earthly Paradise" nor his ia.
son" will soon be forgotten.
| Mr.. Morr g holds advanced 20 ,ialist
views, which he has set forth fully
and plainly in some of his prose
writings. He Is q robust, square
| Ouiis man, with shaggy hair. but he
is kindly and courteous in manner.
He delights in rough-appearing ap-
psrel, his dress being usually of soft
| flannels of different textures. He
loves the sea, and othing pleases him
more than TO be mistaken for
sailor; in fact, his appearance is some
what nautical. One night he was
rolling through one OF the narrow
streets in the old city when he
was over-hauIed by seafsring
man. "Avast therem cried the
stranger; don't I know you?
Wern't you at one time mate of the
brig Sea Swallow?n TO be mistaken
for q sailor was charming; to be mis-
taken for the mate Of ship bearing
so poetic name as the Sea Swallow
was simply glorious. "Yes, 1 am
he" said Norris, and he locked arms
with the stranger, piloted him into an
alehouse and filled him full Of liquids
and substan tials.