New-York tribune., 1899-07-16

don't feel a bit older than when Ned and 7
were living within sound Of those tilpot tei.s
Of st. Pancras; we'll remembered days when al
adventure was ahead" The other passage .s -
follows: "Oh me! Oh me! How / love the earth,
and the seasons and weather and al things
that deal with it. and all that grows out oS -
-. The earth and the growth OF il and the ..'e
Of IT. II l could but say or show how love IT,"
He began life and ended il with the JOY OF youth
and the love of nature In his heart Sinai r-4-
son, one might say, for any qualities Of du3.oty
or uncertainty of action. OF certainty. ini".i.
Morris had no lack. Whatever ne took uD 20
do he did with his whole heart and did Il we...
But that youthful vein Of his was tricksy ia,
love OF nature was constantly touching rs
Imagination in ways unsettl!ng they - re
refreshing, and his apprenticeship in Streets
office was only the beginning ot a career tAa,
never submitted to the authority OF single
imperious idea. We cannot follow in detail his
progression from one interest to another We
can only indicate the rapidly with which he
was on with the love II not OF with the
old. Architecture gave place to painting. and In
this field he did not quite know whether to ie-
vote himself 10 the making OF easel pictures ~
OF mural decorations. He worked on both. The
Queen Guenevere," which We reproduce. vas
the only picture Of consequence he painted A.
oxford he assisted in the famous decorative
scheme which Rossetu projected on the walls
of the Union Library. But painting was no; 70
satisfy the cravings OF his Protean ambition.
The art OF decoration was to claim him. but it
was to be decoration as applied not only .
walls, but TO furniture and utensils Beautiful
chairs and tables, wall papers and table glass
were not then being manufacture Norris un-
dertook to make them He married Miss Jane
Burden in his twenty fifth year and built Red
House. at Upton. for his bride Out Of the iec-
orative necessities OF this house grew the firm o..
Morris, Marshall, Faulkner Co. and out OF his
activities in this partnership grew his further ex
periments in art. 1t was his opinion that the only
way in which a designer might hope 70 DO good
work by putting his design into execution
himself printing piece OF chintz with his own
hands, weaving a carpet himself, carving a
chair painting a tile. To put scheme on
paper was, in his eyes only to begin tie work.
So he travelled on from one branch 10 the mex.
in the multifarious business that was even,u-
ally done by his firm. Before he died he had
mastered the technique OF every craft for which
he had made designs All that he did was done
from the inside: It was based absolute
knowledge. When he established the Kelmscot:
RreSS ne mad learned ali ABOUT tne ART OK prtNt-
ing and of illumination. too. From first to las;
he was also writing prose romances and poetry.
and for some OF the best years OF his life he
was drawn into the vortex Of socialistic sgita-
ton. His scope was immense.
Mr.. Mackail. In common with many admirers
Of Morris. sees in this crowded career the evolu-
ton OF a well balanced nature. All the tenta-
tive efforts. the designing and printing the
writing and speech making. are to him the ex-
pressions OF an extraordinary fund OF genius
and strength. He does not see what we believe
will some day be clearly perceived, the weaken
ing diffusion OF his gifts which sprang frum
Morrs's self absorption and romantic dream
Ing Circumstances never had any influence
over him. He did what he liked. Hence he
was amazingly accomplished In many direc-
lions. but not great in one. The architectural
Instinct" says Mr.. Mackail. "the faculty OF de-
sign in its highest form was the quality
In which Morris's unique strength lay" THIS
Is a strangely misleading observation. The
architectural instinct is. above all things the
structural instinct: It means a sense Of balance.
of proportion as much in Gothic art in clss-