New-York tribune., 1909-12-09
A DAY OF ECSTASY
Soulful Brouningites an Sea
Green SurOundin gS.

II began as a Browning meeting. Tie
pale sea green hangings OF the assembly
room 81 the wa.doFf-Astoris. where TIE
Browning Society gathered for its sym
postum yesterday. and the beatihc expires
sions on the faces Of the four hundred fe-
male Browuingites and one man. crowded
in place that wasn't meant for more than
hslf that number. and the fact that none
Of the windows would open. all combined
20 put the audience into that dreamy. &c
static state where il doesn't matter in the
least whether the poems that are read are
intclliribie or not. II began as a Browning
meeting, but by and by somebody asked
did TennysOn believe in immortality. and
somebody else cast doubts smersOns
religion. and then Matthew Arnold and his
doubts dropped in. and the symposium de-
veloped into such a hrst class theological
controversy that II John Calvin and Martin
Luther could have happened along they
would have felt perfectly at home
But that was later in the afternoon. Dur
ing the first two hours nothing happened TO
disturb the Browning atmosphere. except
one chunk Of conversation dropped into the
room accidentally by a big man passing
along the corridor.
IT'S an outrage doomed the big man.
"A perfect outrage 10 give me oysters fried
in lard"
That was rather startling, coming just
when Or. Philip Stafford Moxora was dilat-
ing on "Browning's peculiar compression
which reaches it's highest development IN
'Sordello. " and everybody was sitting with
closed eyes drinking il in. Dr. Moxcm
didn't start out 10 talk about "SordeIlo,' 90
but there is fearful fascination about
that poem that constrains any Browning
tie who gets up anywhere to talk about
anything whatsoever 10 take a vhack at
explaining IL. What Dr. Moxom really got
up 10 point out and what he did get around
to pointing out presently was the oneness
Of ''CIeon." Rabbi Ben Ezra" and a
Gramnarian's Funeral" He said he never
would forget the thrill that went through
him and enthraIled his soul and enlarged
his vision when il just burst upon him
that these three poems co-ordinated. Then
he produced quite a sizeable library from
behind his chair. ana read extracts.
Everybody read extracts, and when they
didn't read extracts they read whole
poems. and when they didn't read them
they sang them A woman IN the new est
style of tunic gown. in art brown, got so
interested an reciting the whole OF La
Saisiaz,' that she never once noticed how
Miss Julio Pauline Leavens. the president
with one eve on her watch. was softly
twttching her art brown tunic from behind
il was after la Saisiaz' that Tenuvson
got in. Miss Ieavens said there was only
one line in Tcunyson that showed. to her
mind, belief in immortality. Mrs. Olcojt
Payne. in black velvet and gilt embroidery.
with a crepe butterfly bow Al the small
OF her back. knew better than that and
said So She had counted the quotations
from the Bible, and there were Just three
hundred. Then she hurled stanzas from
In Memoriam" at Miss Leavens for
long while. Next Mrs !. W. Sylvester got
up and talked about Emerson's views on
importantly till everybody got excited. and
Miss Leavens called on Dr. Mcxom 10 pour
OIL on the waters. But Dr. Moxom was
excited. too.
What does my life mean" he demanded.
al the end Of some animated remarks with
something Emerson said as a text, If
am 70 20 out in gas Tomorrow
Pray DO" called a high female voice
from room a little further down the
corridor, where the Knickerbocker Relief
Club was having its annual charity bridge
Then the Browning symposium stopped.