The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1899-04-13
WILLIAM MORRIS.
MRS. GEORGE v. REDEKER READS A
CHARMING PAPER.
BEFORE THE woMAN's CLUB
Miss Starr, of Chicago, Gave a Short
Talk on Morris and Bookbinding and
Illustrated it With Books From the
Kelmscott Press.

Mrs. g. Y. Redeker read @ paper
before the Woman's club Wednesday,
on the subject of William Morris. Mrs.
Redeker's essay was complete and
comprehensive story of the life and
genius of William Morris, the poet,
| artist and artisan.
William Morris was born in Walt
hamston, in Essex, 1884, died in
London, 1896. His father was a well
to do city merchant of London, and a
hard and fast Evangelical Tory of the
old style. He died when William, the
eldest of nine children, was about
fourteen years old, leaving, fortunately,
ample means for the support of his
family. In youth Morris possessed a
striking personality, though delicate
physically, but afterward attained to
such robustness both of manners and
physique, that he acquired the nick
name of "The Viking" He was edu-
Gated at Marlborough College, and
also at Exeter, Oxford. 1t was at the
latter that he met Faulkner and
Burne Jones, through whom he made
the acquaintance of Dante Gabriel
Rossetti.
The tale of Mr.. Morris life and
labor is one of tireless endeavor along
almost boundless lines. He was
voluminous writer and most versatile
genius. His poems, rOmances, writings
on art, scientific papers, translations:
contributions periodicals and maya
zines would fill volumes. The long
list of books printed and issued by
him at the Kelmscott Press, and the
fine manuscripts, with rich mixtures,
done by his own hand, would furnish a
library. The works of the artist as
exhibited in endless designs for
tapestries, woven stuffs of all kinds,
wall paper, stained glass windows,
decorative paintings and schemes for
palaces and cottages and furniture,
would make perfect museum of art
and beauty. Moreover, Morris was a
philosopher, socialist, not of a dreamy
type, as his poems might seem to indi
cate, but a practical refOrmer who
loved the laboring man, and was
willing to sacrifice fortune and high
position in the interest of the working
man. He was constantly attending
meetings and making speeches on
behalf of the Socialist League.
Finally, Morris was E+borough bust
ness man. He personally conducted
an enormous business, and die it along
the lines of his proposed reforms. Sue
cess was the uniform result of all of
Mr.. Morris undertakings. His latest
triumph was the famed Kelmscott
Press.
Mrs. Redeker quoted Sharp, who
says of Morris, A..Skald, Viking in
deed he was. There never was man
who lived a fuller life; he was the
incarna ton of ceaseless mental and
bodily energy. Once he was asked if
he were subject to that extreme de-
spondency which SO often accompanies
the poetic temperament. I dare say
[ am he answered, but have never
had time to think about it, so really |
can't say"
Mr.. Morris work, whether in business,
literature or art, is marked with un-
mistakable genius. His factory was a
brilliant success, both financially and |
artistically. His socialism, though it
no doubt deprived.hi of the Laureate
ship, exerted potent influence
throughout all branches of industry in
England. His poetry alone was sufi
Gent to make his name famous. Morris
is the poet of the beautiful. 1t is |
difficult in the extreme to imagine the |
author of The Death of Jason" or the |
" Earthly Paradise" turning from
those sweet, dreamy verses to the
practical affairs of life. But such was
his genius. He was versatile in the |
keenest sense of the word. The man
who could send his readers out in |
search of an ideal existence and vile |
the time of waiting and disappointment |
with tales such aB cover the pages of
the Earthly Paradise" and at the
same time direct the management ola
great business enterprise along the
lines of practical reform, must Ger
tainly have been a man Of marvellous
symmetry of development.
Following the paper Miss Starr, of
Chicago, gave a short talk on Morris
and bookbinding, illustrated with
several beautiful books printed by
Morris on the Kelmscott press.