The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1909-12-12

what too long; structuraIly defective,
only, in Books TX and Y; but, on the
whole, magnificent.
Space now forbids more than a hasty
summary of important points in Book
XI. m this second talk of GuidO's We
find fiatteTy (2.3S4, $40, 2251. 1850,
2267; animal-Iike vigOr and resistant
intractable spirit (45, SO, 142. $50,
240D; defiance 1855 4O7, 459. 554, Cos,
$50. 22T9, 2325-40); terror of death, in
many instances revealing q guilty
soul, and certainly effacing the read
eT's partial sympathy aroused by his
vigOT and bOldness, for we now see
that these were only the courage ex-
hibited by any beast at bay "a. 127,
222, 233. 256, 294, 357, 443, 5S3, 639,
10. SO, 92O, 2G69, 2413-19): we also
find lies in the speech. COntTadiCted at
once place or another from his own
mouth (2S, 430. 440, 1861. 241D:
curses, which seem to reveal the hard
ness of his character f5S, 1&9, 257-
1870; and many other inadveU-ont a6-
missions. showing his consciousness Of
guilt, TemOrse. terror. cOwardice, mean
ness, cruelty and malice 0o3-5. 1T0.
294 331. 234. 402 Al. 1862 1880 1880
1910, 207S, 20S4. POO. 220T-l5. 1921
2411-19, and many Of the passages
cited under terror and lies). GuidO's
nature becomes horribly clear when.
for instance, he tells us that what he
hated most in POmpilia was her I'M
manly appetite for truth. her careless
courage as to consequence. her inStan-
taneous sight through things and
through; or when he tells us the lies
he had planned. which were made to
10 purpose by PomiIia's not dying inn
IL
through four days, hd says. as if she
held Gods hand. Apd she did hold to
the hand of God, Browning would have
rs understand. GUido's finds himself
first the foe Of law. then Of the Pope.
then Of civilization and society. then
OF religion, and at last of God him
self. Yet when the colldOOr swings
hack and the hlackcOwIed Brothers Of
Mercy descend The steps. chanting
their dreadful psalm in the office for
the Dying, at that moment into whose
arms does he throw himself? Into the
arms of the GraUdUke, which is to say
the law: into the arms of Pope. civil
iZation, society. religion. the Almighty:
"Abate"-hp criCs-"Cardiual-
-Naria-GOd 3 POmpuia. will YOU
let them murder me2" Thus does his
shrinking soul call upon that very
Spirit Of FOrgivingness. which he had
scOrned, to make intercessiOn for him
at the JUd gment seat.
Few Of those who favor capital pun
ishment would care to he the public
hangman, or even attend an execution
While in all sOIemnity we agree with
the Pope that Guido deserves his
death, it is dreadful to hear these
last piteously terrible words Of the
condemned.
Book XI is the great emotional or
deal of the poem. And vet it is right
see the cause and course of greedy
cruelty and fmplacable revenge, we
should also see their end. And if we
separate in our minds the wrong from
the wrOng-dOer, We may pity Guido.
while we trample his wickedness un-
der our feet
For We have now reached the poems
central absolute truth, whence the last
hook serves only to lead us out into
the everyday world once more We
see how hard il is to know a man in
certainty. and how few do thus know
him. We see that his neighbOTs may
not know him. and that even his in
Inmates may not. And We see that
many man may not know himself
Thus the truth in Guido was his self
consistency, his being true to his own
nature. But that nature to which he
boasts himself true-whence arose it?
To what was it true in turn? Was II
true to the Creators design So
Guido makes his defense. The poet
has not gTUdged US an answer here.
Rather. from what We know, his ma
ture was in part too faithIess to good
in part too easily mastered by evil.
We saw its Tise-in a worldly mpr-
cenaTy city, where religion. as he truly
tells us. was n sham Becinning in
idlCness, it COnsUmmatod in greed.
SelfshnesS now became the substance
of his character Greed was the cause
Of his marriage, and greed was the
ruin of it. Successful greed made
him more greedy Frustrated greed
turned his greed to fury. Nor must
We cOndone him as the tool Of das-
tiny or the child of circumstances. or
the haDlcsS victim of hCTeGity Above
all he was bad himself, in himself and
for himself Thus as we have watched
the beginning and climax of this na-
tUre, We must also watch tn" end.
And we should not watch it with sen
timental pity, blinded to the coarse
ness of the mans character and guilt
by the COaTSCnoSS of his punishment
and pain But NO should watch the
end neither humauely nor inhuuanely
but not humanity ut all. rather let us
say. with the sense removed. in order
that this Individual jarriug Of the Sc
cial machine NAV give place in our
minds TO that absolute and universal
moral Justice. in the spirit Of which
. the poem viii close in order that the
stern spectacle Of this man may grow
into a tyne for the aUstara tragedy Of