The San Francisco call., 1899-05-21

Abstinence soTs sand all over
The ruddy limbs and flaming hair;
But desire gratitied
Plants the rose and olive there
AS the controversy over the action of
Robert Browning in persuadlng the
daughter of his host to elope brings
into the field OF discussion two oppos-
ing views of morality, so does that over
the action of young Browning in pub
fishing the letters. There is the mo-
rality of common folks and the quite
different morality of genius IN such
matters. Ordinary men and women
shrink from disclosing the issues Oh
their hearts to the public. Such thlhg
as a love letter most people regard as
secret. and most would blush indeed
to find it fame" Genius takes an
other view of such things
In the old days when painting was
the supreme art of the world, the great
men who engaged in it did not hesitate
to use their daughters, their wives ana
their sweethearts as models whether
they were going to paint Madonna OF
Venus. The great masters OF l1tera-
ture in our time have followed the eX-
ample. They have carried the prac-
tice so far that Leslie Stephen declares:
Literature is in all cases demorallz-
ing occupation. 1t is demoraflzing pc
cause it's success implies publicity.
The aim of the poet is to give artls-
tic expression to emotions common TO
the race, and if he think he has done
that better in a love letter than he ever
did in a poem he gives the lette TO the
world as a matter of course.
While the great major of men and
women, upholders of the sure morality
of duty and defenders of the privacy
of the sweet condolences of love, will
condemn both Brow ing the elder who
ran away with the girl and Browning
the younger who published their let
ters it is worth noting that the wo-
man in the case, Eli abeth Barrett ap
proved of both actions. She was very
glad that Robert ran away with her,
and she had no hesitation in telling her
love affairs to all the world.
The "Sonnets from the Portuguese"
are nothing more than personal love
letters in the form of verse, and that
famous one beginning, First time he
kissed me he but kis--d the hand
wherewith l write these Ines is about
as open a confession of the first kisses
of love as could possibly be made. She
has left on record the declaration "the
world has 4 right to the soul secrets
of gifted psople Such a statement of
course gave full approval beforehand
to her sons action; and as for that of
her husband in carrying her off from
her father, she gave it emphatic and
-n1 in at n
him, in which she said: Can I look
back on such things and not thank you
next to God
This evidence of the complete salts
faction of the woman in the case ought
to put an end to the controversy, for
what was this world created for except
the satisfaction of women? Ordinary
people are no doubt justified in feeling
bashful about their love letters, but
they have no right to turn that BASH
fulness into a code of morals and try
to impose it upon the soaring singers of
splendid songs-the lovers who write
of love without being silly.
There is of course never anything
new under the sun, for Solomon said
so, but we never lack for novelties;
and some of them have an appearance
not only of newness, but even of fresh
ness For example there has drifted
out to this part of the world a copy of
London freak which has just begun
publication 1t bears the title The
Eagle and the Serpent, and announces
itself "a journal of egoistic philosophy
and sociology"
1t says "a race of altruists is neces-
sarily a race of slaves" 1t declares for
war on the ground that any man who
is so big fool as to sacrifice himself
for his country should be sent at once
to the slaughter and got rid Of 1t as
serts the bane of our civilization is the
altruism of women, their ever ready
willingness to sacrifice themselves, and
adds: No egoistic woman will give a
gift unless she has received one of
equal value. She will make no one
happy unless she is made happy like
wise. This just and wise doctrine will
act as a beautifier on women of all
ages. The young will be made more
beautiful and those advanced in years
will be rejuvenated.'
Proceeding to the task of revising the
words of the ancients and the wise, the
egoistic philosopher declares David
should have said. Il have been young
and l am old and l have never seen
the righteous do anything but beg
bread; quotes with appreciation
Heine's saying. Il will forgive my enc
mics when / see them all hanging from
the tree in my back yard and has the
audacity to suggest that Jesus should
have said TO the sinner, Neither do I
condemn thee; go and do it again.
From the high poetic egotism of
Browning's belief that every human
creature has a divine right to love and
happiness wherever they are to be
found 20 the blatant screed from Lon
don is long stride: and yet they are
of a kin. Fortunately it is a big, wide
world and there is room enough in it
for all kinds. / do not know that the
welfare of the good and he beautiful
and the wise absolutely requires the
elimination from the face of the earth
of anything that now exists-except
embalmed beef and Governor Gage.