The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-12-02

At an open meeting of the Highland
 Book club yesterday morning at the resi-
 denee of Mrs. James Bowron, that bril-
 liant coterie of women heard a most de-
 lightful talk by Mrs Fraley of Nashville.
 the guest of Mrs. Bowron and who is so
 well known as one of the most charming
 and talented women in the south.
 Mrs Fraley talked of William Morris,
 his influence in art in England as well as
 in America, his power, the tremendous
 movement that he represented. the wide
 and varied channels in which his energies
 were directed, his conception of the beau-
 tiful. his love of truth, his hatred of ar
 tiffee, and of his message to the world
 which speaks through his ideals.
 Mrs. Fraley, grouping with Morris,
 Burne-Jones and Rossetti, drew a picture of their life at Oxford, where young Nor ris and Burne-Jones became friends, drawn to each other by mutual appre- ciation of Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Morris, the student at Oxford made In itself d most interesting chapter the gradual un~ folding of his career through the many influences that came into his life and which made him a dominant figure of the nineteenth century. From the year of his birth, year marking the death of Lamb and Coldridge, through that period of England's art history prior to the pre- Raphealite age, Mrs. Fraley reviewed the influence of Morris. She made her hear CTS, even those who were ardent Morris lovers, gee this influence more definitely, to comprehend more clearly the Morris ideal, to see his beautiful spirit which has revealed itself in architecture, in the matehless beauty of decorative art repre- sented in the stained glass windows of Englands churches The influence of Nor ris beyond churches and architecture was brought out strongly in what Mrs Fra ley said of interior decoration. She spoke of the mass of accumulated things that go to furnishing our homes in our present and of it's uselessness. The simplicity of Morris was one of his great est messages. To discard the artificialitics that creep into our civilization, was Morris theme.
 The Morris principles in interior decora- ton led Mrs. Fraley into a most delight ful vein. Tapestries, wall paper, chintZsr the lines in a chair their artistic value was shown to be educative, essential things in artistic development. There was first fine point about Morris. then 1t was Burne- Jones, and then their art, their work illumined through Rossetti, and there was much that was said about Rus kin. But through it all the genius of the great Morris dominated, it was his ideals that meant a new art spirit in England it was his work that brought about that remarkable transformation in interior decoration, and 1t was Morris who bequeathed to the twentieth cen- tl.,t s-,l t.. n,rt
 There was a little biographical sketch of the man. His work in literature, his Scandinavian classics, and then the man as q socialist.
 No more delightful and comprehensive talk has been heard in Birmingham drawing room than Mrs. Fraley's talk on William Morris and certainly his prin- ciples of art were never treated more than they were yesterday. Mrs. Fraley referred to that tribute to Morris by one of his admirers who de- clared that with his death passed the last of the Vikings. And listening to her own fine interpretations of the Morris spirit in art was to realize that this great genius was most fttingly called a Viking.
 Mrs. Fraleys talk was illustrated with a series of stereopticon views thrown on a canvass about twelve feet square They were selected with special reference to Morris, Burne-Jones and Rossett, and gave glimpses of the gray Oxford bits Of England and of Florence and Venice. There were tapestries by Morris, decorations, examples of his work in window decoration, and side by side something from the Burne-Jones world, from Rossetti. There were pie lures of the beautiful wife of Morris, and who was the inspiration of much of Burned Jones work Morris portrait. the famous Red House." his London house. a canvass of Burne-Jones before his easel, the spiritual and beautiful Burne- Jones. the poetical force of Rossetti Then Ruskn with his love of gothic things.
 At the conclusion of Mrs. Fraley's talk, the club members and a few other guests who were Invited to hear Mrs. Fraley, many of whom had met her on her pre- ceding visits, had the pleasure of again meeting her personally.
 A buffet luncheon was served and the social success of the open meeting of the club was even more pronounced than on those former occasions when Mrs. Bowron has entertained. Some years ago she gave a May day fete at one of these open meet ings There was May pole dance on the tennis court and a luncheon was served in the gardens. Once there was a Valen- tine musicale which for picturesque feat ures could not have been equalled, but perhaps the drawing room talk Of yester- day was the most charming and interest ing of the many meetings that bring to- eether the members of the Highland Book club.