New-York tribune., 1909-04-24
IN Boston. "a sweet tribute I hadn't yet re-
ceired and was never again to know"


Many are the anecdotes Of Swtnourne WHICH
are now to be read or heard. Some OF them go
back to his sprightly youth when he gave rem
to humor of the duller college kind 1t Is re-
corded for example that he once walked into
London club and deliberately smashed all the
hats on the stand in the hall. II is remembered
of those days that he was once soundly abused
nv a cabn2an in quarrel over his fare. Turn
ing 20 the man. Swinburne said, And may
invite you to descend from your perch ana near
how poet can swear" Perhaps this was the
very occasion described in "Blackwood's' by d
writer v no remembered meeting the poet at the
house OF Charles Augustus Howell:
Mr. svinburne did not til luncheon was was
in prolonged difference with his canman, Who .
the poets got Iae best Of it, usual drawIed
Howell tvho had been gleefuy WdlthIhg me
scenej He lives at the Br.usn hotel in Cookspur
street, and never goes anywhere except IN naSoils'
which, whatever the distance, lee HNaliapi4 It-
muneTates with shilling! Consequently Wnen.
gsdTs as 0oag fers the devis own row but in
ter Of imprecation the poet is more than matcR 9
as though he mad been rated by Beelzebub himself
cfnt Of gnafIema"Nir swnburne entered be
ing fortunately in one Of his characteTlsuc VEINS,
provided me with the most interesting hour OF my
existence.
Some interesting "reminiscences of swlnburne's
Times" by Professor oscar Browning, who
was one Of his schoolmates. Browning contra
diets statement that little Swinburne was un-
happy at the school:
swinburne was very small and apparently weak
for his age. and was not in the slightest degree
fitted to take part in games even If ne 9ad g any
ing that he was unpopular OF that he was bull oulhea a.
He boarded at Colerdges house. and USED 10
spend his time sitting before the fire reading
poetry. He had extraordinarily wide knoWI-
@ Hasf the or org1a He had rev few
fre1Inds but have no that He ne sad
TO be hunted through the school as have often
called 'sheney-bsit" the treatment most likely
to ruin a boys nerves for life. Nothing OF the M
school was concerned he was certainly let alone
Browning adds: 4 knew him fairly well. be
both had literary tastes, and we used
often TO meet at Williams the Eton book
seller. to buy books of English literature
l remember having a race with him in 1855 as
TO who should get the first copy Of Maud
which was published in that year
1t has not been understood that Swinburne
was seriously considered in high places az a
possible Poet Laureate and the following
statement. printed in a letter to the London
"Telegraph' is therefore of interest: Il was
fellow traveller with William Morris on his
last sea voyage. taken in the unhappily fruit
less search for health in 1896 In the course Of
of many delightful talks l had with him, he
told that Swinburne had been sounded as
10 the acceptance Of the Poet LaUreateshp, Va
cant by the death Of Tennyson, and that Swim
burne, though highly appreciatng the implied
honor. had declined because II not con-
sonant with the fitness Of things thar the
writer Of regicide sonnets should le the official
poet of a court. Morris added thst after Swim
burne's refusal he himself also sounded
and that he too felt bound to decline, because.
as he said, people choose to regard me as, and
to call me, socialist
The literary leanlngs Of conductor on a
Broadway car were made manifest to ATr Hall
Caine on a visit Of that thrifty person 10 this
city The novelist tells the story in his auto
biography:
Whh / him first he standing the
iboaTd the I leaping to IT,
VIII this take 10 56th street 90 I asked.
He did not answer. but looked me over from head
10 foot
"Wnl it, ! repeated
Instead Of replying my question, he asked an
other
"Yes-wiI it," I asked.
Again he did reply. but, smiling from 10
ear and holding out a griny hand, he said:
Shake