The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-05-07
MOST INSPIRING
POET OF 4 CENICk1


,p. VII, has for seteral years re-
c,rdad Rob 1T browning as the 'fo9'
,.,,i tn. most yirile, and the most
irsp.r,ng poet of the n'neteen'h en-
turv Gladly makes the one h~undreoth
anniversary Of the poets bIrth thaE
:, the opportunity Of expressing MS
admiration and his gratitude. Ne'eS-
sarilY this anniversary VIII not at
tract the same attention AS That OF
dickens for there was given 20
Dickens as to few men the power o.
apDpaling To the universal heart o.
mankind. bat 10 a constantly lncTeaS-
ing number OF men and women
Browning IS not only the poet VINO
has portrayed human life in al IT'S
manifold aspects, but he is the TREND
and alder Of those who would i've IN
the spirit. Such people Woul insist
upon his originality in developing =
new literary form-the drafnatlr
inonolOgue. which in his hands be
came the means Of representing the
inner lie Of i great variety OF human
types. they would insist still more on
the vigor Of his language and the
~buoyancy and robust optimism Of his
faith. Among all the voices Of the
past century. some OF them urging
q return to the art and chiyairy and
Att ~ IA u "SS' Nti -
them calling men to the serenity Of
nature. others expressing complete
satisfaction in scientific discoveries
and methods, and still others offer
ing no solution to the battling prob
lens Of tho modern world, there rings
out, always clear and strong, the
voice OF Browning. singing of the
wild joys Of living to those who sue
coed, and h~eartening those who have
failed.
OF the truth of this statement, az
We'll as Of the changing attitude Of
the general public, | know no more
striking Illustration than the tribute
TO Browning by President Hadley, Of
Yale. in the last Of his recent lee
lures at the University of North Caro-
ilna. After Interpreting with raya in
sight the scientific, philosophical, and
historical movements of the past cen
fury, he considered literature as az
expression OF all these diverse tenden-
cies. He said that browning was the
writer who appealed to the man OF
today as havin" most wisely met al
the conditions Of modern life an,
thought, and who did not ignore an
OF the elements in the problem how
ever dark and battling. but transcend
ed them dissOlving the discords il
harmony. HE did not tell peop,
that because the night was dark the,
must console themselves with tn
rec0llections Of yesterday" His fac
was turned to the future. He foun,
the happy middle ground betwee.
aspirations Of the individual and tn
needs OF organized society. Iivin
must be something positive: not
mere impatience Of restraint-"th
wins out Of a life in which the al,
for power goes hand in hand with tn
love of ones fellOwmen. and
which the disregard Of laws and COZ
yentions is only the bursting of II
husk when the seed develops into II
plant"
In view Of such a statement-ar
it might be paralleled by a score
others just as noteworthy-it is I
tonser necessary to speak apol
getically of Browning. An examin
uon or the catalogues Of America
colleges shows that in nearly all
them Browning is now taught
freshmen as we'll as yraduates-a
from every possible point of vie
MY own experience is that Of ma,
another teacher. I dare say: for t
years | have found that he ma lori
OF students prefer Browning to
other modern English poets. Brow
ing clubs continue to m%ultiplv
though they are more sensible tn
the earlier ones. not pretending
explain all his recondite savings
10 claim as much inspiration
HordeilO' as for Saul or "Pip
asses. a surer test Of his growi
popularity Is found in the constan
increasing number Of editions Of
works. complete or in selections
NOT more marked is the gene
mango or attitude towards Brow
ing than is the general ~recoenit
cI the TACT that his poems are y,
The same distinction ~,
be made between his good and ;
work that Matthew Arnold ins;s
on IN the case Of Wordsworth. ri
are In nearly all his poems eviden
or a brilliant intellect and an
tense imasination. but in a gr
many OF tnem. and notably in tn
written after The Ring and
Book we find a steady lesseninp
the imaginative and a steady incre
in the intellectual clements. 3,