Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-12-27
NEW CENTURY CLUB.

we. k. Mrs. M. +. Corkran described
visit to the Five Points Mission il
New York. In notes on hygiene Mrs.
F. FL. Robinson said an institute has
been founded in London for teaching
massage to the blind, as 1t has been
found they excel in Its practice and it
forms a very profitable and useful en-
ployment for them. She stated that
persons with weak digestion should not
eat oysters cooked In any way, but raw
ones make valuable food for them, as
oyster juice more nearly resembles gas
trio Juice in its qualities than any other
food, aud is, therefore, aud aid to
digestion. liz is said TO be the practice
10 Japan to vaocinate children with
some substance that makes them exempt
from the usual intantile diseases; If
this is the case We have something
valuable TO learn from the Japanese.
Boston has established baths as a
feature of the public school system,
aud requires compulsory cleanliness as
well as compulsory education. These
baths were opened first in the Paul
Revere School at cost of $1,000.
Glasses are assigned to battle as they
are to recitations; clean, well. lighted
room 30 feet square In the basement is
utftufd lDtb hItcptHS VI 'SotNs
| leaving space for 10 single shower
baths. When the Glasses reach this
room they are divided by the matron
into squads of 10. While the first 10
are dressing a. ter the bath which lasts
| from three 10 five minutes. second 10
have taken their places in the shower
cabins, and a third 10 are undressing.
| The city furnishes the towels and soap,
| and each child takes care of his own
cake of soap and brings his own wash
cloth.
Mrs. j. O. Philips read an excellent
article on education, which claimed
that the tendency of modern teaching
is to make learning eBsy and delightful
for the pupil rather than thorough and
that professors in medical colleges. and
business men complain that they find
young men ignorant OF the primary
branches and with minds nnprepared
by the tanning at school,, which gives a
firm foundation for later requirements.
The time of children in school is
frittered away with an inordinate
amount of superhuities, instead of in
the solid attainment of Fundamental
branches. so that something might be
gained by return TO the old time
methods Of thorough drill. Miss Lore
gave an interesting analysis Of the
heroines of Waguer's operas and Illus
trated her subject delightfully."- by sing.
ing selection from each opera. Miss
Malone gave report OF foreign politics.
The class then adjourned until January
Sth.
To the regret of it's members the
Literature Glass closed at the meeting
on Wednesday with the consideration
of Browning, who, Prof. Hancock said
Is too near Cur own time for US to jndRt
him impartialy. He possessed brair
OF stulendous reach, ana versatile
, mental processes; he was not like Poe
who in spite of splendid harp pipet
only on enc string. Browning was o
all races OF men, Of all corners OF tn,
earth. His mind had comprehensive,
grip on multitudinous details tha
. suggests comparison with Aristotle
! and breadth of view that places hin
5 side by side with Dante and Lemardid
Vinci. He chose poetry as his medium
of expression, and poetry differs frou
4 prose in that 1t is subject ty laws an,
D limitations. 1t demands not only th
8 brain of a thinker but the tact OF q
= artist. 1t is as an artist, maker G
phrases by the tecbnioalities of Ian
D guage, that we must judge Browning
He is not a popular poet among tn
: English yet, but an object for banter
Q and for newspaper repartee; he ha
8 only an audience of the select few.
n In spite of the rich treasures of hi
r mild he was a rebel against the law
! and limitations Of his art. He had th
d genius of original endowment in an ir
9 ordinate degree, but he had not 18th
It genius that consists of the iufinit
l. capacity for taking PAINS" He Wa
y FESTIVE as regards what he considere
q trifes; he forgot that attention I
J. trities makes perfection. He was to
n impatient to give form 10 the splendi
o material that crowded into his mint
II 80 the great mass OF bis verse is unir
* tslllgible; he demands that you sha
conceive the whole before you read j
" Some OF his poems are easily int
IS ligible, and these are treasures of il
IS estimable value, rare treasures of I'll
3, most ennobling thought to be found
d literature. But In the majority of b
st poems the general reader never comes
le contact with his ideas. 1t is necessai
4 to get his stage setting, to learn viii
re is the situation. Then there is apt
Or happen to you what did to me after
N had used the pages song on PipI
), Passes" 20 times as an illustration
st his obscurity, suddenly the situate
at flashed on me and revealed the essen,
10 Of a thousand love tales.
ID Browning had definite, individua
al sharp sense of character, the gift tn
% Tennyson lacked, and that made hi
8, unable to produce SUCCESSFUL drama
g. What local color, what sharpness
Z. individual Characterization In Il
DIS 'Soliloquy In a Spanish Oloister."
m have In his poems no narrative
q psychological development such
OF George Eliot shows, In Tito Meier
he ma" Browning presupposes all th
and reveals his characters in deoisi
IL moment which sums up all their pa
r. aud future obscurity is.a fair criticis
'ly to make Of him, but even in the o
lr. scurest poems hero are great, splend
sr- purple patches shat repay search. vi
er would not cross the Indian deserts
in find another Koh. i-noorY OF SET
'e- Ring and the Bools'' some one ask
're How can any sane, intelligent mi
sss want to tell the same thing II times
life But you cannot read these IL narratiy
OIL without expanding mentally and gal
ne ing more omniscient point OF vie
tn Out of the effervescent superabundan
W of his ideas comes much of his o
on security. He was afraid an idea Won
m escape while he was putting anoth
~ down. He neglected two importa
lat rules Of rhetoric, to write not only
he he could be understood, but so he cou
not be misunderstood, and to lea
gh what not to say-to throw away lul
Der. The observance of these rules
what has made French style SO perle,