The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-04-18
The Passion Flower of the North"

20 writer, so widely known and
loved, has been so little writ n
about as E zlbeth Barrett
,ovning. Until recently nothing
aiming to be q biography Of her has
ap published in her native land and
I, letters, of which there r many,
sve only appeared in fragments with
rt any responsible editorship.
The mystery which has envelopsd
Ms Browning's personal career has
spsj quite a mythology to spring up
,o1nd her name, and the mystery has
BIy been increased by the publica
ma Of the those assuming to have au-
b7rity in these matters.
Elizabeth B ArretE was born in Lon
Ian On March the fourth, 1909 The
stber Eiward Moulton Barrett, was
West Indisn slaveoWner who en-
5ursged the little Enzsbsth in her
srly Efforts in writing and to this
Encouragement she probably owed
much Of her SUCCESS in atterlife. OF
her mother little Is known, except that
he was several years older than her
husband and that, despite their dis
barty in age, she was tenderly loved
bY him.
E lzAbe.h's childhood was a very
happy one; the greater part OF it was
pent in her fathers country home at
Eope Ed, H~erJiordshire. She was
emarkabIy precoci0us, reading Homer
b the original at eight years of age.
Bhe said that IL those days the Greeks
we're her demigods and she dreamed
nlre Of Agsmemnon than Moses, her
black pony. The result Of this was an
epic on the battle Of Marathon
Jmpieted before it5 author was eleven
pod Mr.. Barrett WAS 80 proud of the
PRODUCTION that ne had fly copies Of
printed and distributed. she says:
wrote veIss Is very early, at eight
tears old am elder. But what is less
pnmou, the early fancy turned into
viii ana T NAMED eI,n me"
Thus EuzhoeCh's childhood passed,
: reading much, IN writing her al
les. verses, ana IN )Ining with others
/ her age IN the equipments tina
post interest chIlOren. When about
Fiteen years Of age she fell from a
+orse aud IN some way injured her
pine 60 seriously that che suffered
many years rom the efec5s of it.
II her seventeenth year she pub
E'aea her essay on Mind and
IEa-sIated the Prometheus of
Rsschylus. About this time her
-o1ner died and Elizabeth, herself an
Invalid, was left the chief CONSIDER of
re' widowed father, and to some de
gree the guardian of her younger
p'oEners and sisters.
A[ter this they left Hope End
Eal the sweet memories connected
WIN It forever. Beautiful, beautiful
-Is, MISS Barrett wrote long after,
aou, yet. not for tie whole whole
''flds beauty would | stand in the
fUushlne and the shadow Of them any
lure 1t would be a mCCkery like tax
: . oack a broken f)wer TO it's stalk. !"
me family spent W years at Wild
-'uIn and then went to London where
u B.rreLt bought a house on Thin
VIC Street. HIS daughters continued
a'cAcy and failure Of health keps her
Months confined TO her room, but
y Did not prevent her living her own
'eeI ME OF beautiful aspirations. Sac
: 1850 becoming known IN the world
e1Ier5 Inc press writings as we'll
oss poems gave ner an envIable rep
''Cn among the writer's Of that
,F nsr health's sake Miss B !rrett
zane an unwilling exile to Torquay
Wore than a year and there the
ssely occurred which, as she wrote
horne, gave a nightmare to her
forever" Her favorise brother,
s'ara, who had gone on q visit to
- was accidently drowned while