New-York tribune., 1896-10-18
A MANY-SIDED MAN.
BURIAL OF WILLIAM MoRRIs-soCIAL1sT
POET AND CRAFTSMAN


been told when the coffin would be carried out
Of the book-lined workroom where the poet had
died. and when the train would leave Padding
tion for Lechdae on the Upper Thames, but his
wife and brothers had shrunk instinctively from
publicity. The printers of the kelmsco't Press
and group Of working people connected with
the Hammersmith Socialist Society were pres
ent early in the morning 10 pay their last trib-
ute Of respect To feliow-craftsman They
gathered around plain unpublished oak coffin
medieval in shape and simplicity. and fitted
with Wrought-iron handles made by black
smith. There was no brass plate. but an IN
scription had been cut iEto the wood, giving
name birth date and death date in Roman
text. like tite-page from the kemscott Press
and the coffin was covered with two pieces OF
brocaded velvet. with memorandum in Nor
ris's own hand to the effect that they were ex-
amples of Persian art of the seventeenth cent
ury Mr. Burns, Mr.. Hyndman and other cam
paigners In Socialist agitation were present
when the coffin was carried by workmen 10 the
hearse and a few struggling deputa tions from
Socialist societies tramped behind on the way
70 the station; but no eminent man OF letters
considered it worth his while TO honor the mem-
ory of the author Of The Earthly Paradise
Prince Krapotkin and other eXiles were AT
Pad6ngton, and Sir Edward and Lady Burne-
Jones. Mr.. and Mrs. Richmond. Mr.. Waiter
Crane and other representatives Of the art world
were either on the train or awaiting its arrival
ar Iechdala: but it was a meagre company of
mourners with literature almost wholly unrep-
resented II raining fast when the train
drew up at the station. three miles from heln-
scott Church A yellow harvest cart lined with
moss and trimmed with willows and vines, was
waiting for the oak coffin with its velvet pail
lo,. Io
funeral procession wound through the lanes
of the quaint village and along the hedge-!ined
country road to the little twelfth-century church
| which Morris loved The church decorated
| with fruit and autumn leaves for the harvest
| festival and the vicar Of Langford. one OF
Morris's college friends, there 70 read the
burial service There no word Of euloSy'
| II was quiet village funeral with a group or
| sincere mourners. and few farm laoorers
| lowered the coffin into the grave underneath
! an elm in a corner Of the cnurchyard whie
| loving hands srrewed it with wreaths ana pur-
! ric aownrs For TWENTY-FIVE years the house
with many gables known as kelmscott Manor
| had been Morris's country home. with a meadow
! s,o3lng gently toward the Thames; and the
! church was distinctly medieval and a resting
p,a-e after his own heart
BELOVED AS 4 LEADER
! II adequate testimony to this many-sided man
Of genius were given by this company OF mourn
ere his eminencc would mainly be attributed 10
| his interest In social questions. The men VINO
| had stood shoulder to shoulder with MN IN
| street campaigning and organized agitation III
! HYDE Park and Trafalgar Square recognlzed
| in him a brother and were faithful 10 MIN
in death when his fellow-craftsmen of the pen
| stood aloof and the West End OF London which
he had done much to beautify and adorn' was
coldlv Indifferent Morris had made great per-
sonal sacrifices In following such leaders as
fIvrdnan and IN marching with street process
sions and subjecting himself 10 annoyance IN
nollco courts: and ii would have been indecent
as we'll as urerateful II his associates in an
ul-d,rected cause had not gathered around his
gray. While II would be ungenerCus to ques-
tion either the sincerity Of his interest in So
clal questions or the warmth of his sympathies
with working people II would be serious mis-
take TO exaggerate the Importance OF THIS por-
ton of his lifcs work.
Morris was Socialist in the sense In which
Ruskin was one. He believed that the CON
ditlon Of the world would be greatly improved
/ II the masses we're fused with the classes anu
Influenced by love ot the beautiful IN ART ana
b,. greater degree of material cont'rt IN da"'
| ufe than Is now shared. Convinced that 30 '"ns
/ ere
oa,i,ol ,hero must no antagonism between
superior ard on inferior class. ne acceP'e'
tho Socialist generalization that all the means
-, oroduction must he nationazed and every
ono enabled to claim useful employment ana
! oo,,pcrIed 10 render service TO the community
Having The coufage Of his convicucns' ne ho'
| only wrote Socialist tracts for many years o"'
was also an active organizer and evansel OF 'ne
| ne,y millennium. preaching on the street 'o'
ners and heading professions "hch were p''
claimed as Illegal and dispersed by tne ponce
What inspired mis- political activity anu oo"''
,ersial zeal was an ardent desire to minister ~
} ,h, aspirations of fellow craftsmen to"aru '"e
beautv and true pleasures OF lie IL Was
q, artistic goal toward which this great ar'iS'
was striving when he preached lana ndtio"d'
ization and social equality. lie oeheFeu '"a
there would be great Improvements III 'n'
worlds art as soon as L was released from ue
: ,,o,1orco upon the caprces Of the privileged
,aw and invigora,ed by the intelligent apprecia'
tion and creative power Of the many. II was
an artistic Utopia which he described in News
,ror, Xo,vhere'' and Chants for Socialists
HIS PRACTICAL WORK
4 Socialist Of the Ruskin type he remained
until the end Of his days but experience taugh'
hin, that the professional agitators with whom
no had been associated were incapable OF cre
a,,rc new social order or Of leading revo
,ution. His march to Trafalgar Square in Iss'
was his last active service with the proletariat
y. did not retreat from the Socialist grouno
which ne had occupied Tor years: but he changed
his tactics abandoned propagandist work in TN
streets and restricted his activities to the ham
nersmith Society. which met at his own mouse
released from this absorbing interest IN soci"
ouasfions he found leisure lor founding TN
xaImscott Press for experimenting with INK
naner and type and for restoring the art %
nrjnting and. binding books by hand work. hl
success as A printer who undertook 10 al'e
a,.er,- detail OF bookwork was acknowledged
! bv all lovers of luxurious books. Ii was ma