New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-11-09

voIumes predisposes the reaoer 10
,,,ger over them with a certain zest'
and besides. as they have come al IN
tervals from the press they have eN-
erted upon all those who are sympa-
thetic TO the genius of this versatile
Englishman something OF the spell
which belongs to good serial MS
daughters introductions constitute d
discursive biographical narrative OF
curiously winning charm. We have tes-
tilted before but we must TESTIFY AGAIN
TO the rare fusion in these mooes'
pages Of loyalty and critical judgment
tenderness and humor. Some OF these
davs Miss Morris will be recognized as
the author OF a contribution 10 Eng
lish biography that may not be IN any
way important" but Is, on the other
hand. exquisite and unique.
she continues in these latest volumes
Of the series TO render the double SER
vice which she set out to perform 10
throw light on the writing and printing
Of her fathers books and to give US
full vivid sense Of his personality In
the former aspect Of her task we ma
her. as always, useful, and in the latter
q little more than that. 1t Is interest
ing to observe Morrls's manner Of COM
position, his quick response to the un-
expected invading mood. On his
travels he writes II had good
massage back, and did fifty lines OF
Homer on the boat; also ate my din
ner." How like Morris that is! He
took his poetry as he took all OF his In
terests, whether they were in art or IN
socialism-as he went along, busy,
even busting, type, as full OF energy
as some fortnight adventurer OF an
earlier day. The contrast will forever
remain bewilderingly piquant between
the bookish, artificial, stained glass
character OF so much that he did, and
the ebulllent, open air vitality OF so
much that marked the man. The Key
that harmonizes the two differing
threads that run through his career Is
his instinct for beauty. II governed
him in one way when he wrote and in
another, or, perhaps we should say, in
nany other ways, as he tackled this or
that issue in life. II is on his central
instinct that Miss Morris rightly lays
stress. Telling us how he established
his works" at Merton Abbey, she
II .hwau-1 tncicfanNa nnnn
practical matters. Here was q place
with water and space and sufficiency Of
building" and thereupon he regarded
his problem as solved. But II was not
long before he had planted daffies
among the osiers by the river" and In
these recollections we are constantly
watching lover Of beauty at work.
Have nothing in your houses that you
do not know TO be useful or believe TO
be beautiful" was his maxim and his
daughter describes the enthusiastic
processes by which he turned Kelm-
scott House, at Hammersmith. into a
little paradise.
II must have been exciting and end
lessiy delightful to have shared in his
doings. which II full of artistic emo
ton were also full Of fun. When
George Macdonald, the novelist. had
lived in the house IT was called The
Retreat" Morris put that aside with a
laugh. People would think some
thing was amiss with me-" he said,
"and that your poor mama was trying
TO reclaim me-" So with jokes and
beisterous spirits the work Of rshabili-
tation and decoration went forward.
Here are some glfmpses of him in his
lovely home:
My fathers own rooms. sleeping room
and study. were almost frugally bare; In
the study no carpets and no curtains MS
writing table of earlier times plain deal
hoard and tresties, the walls nearly lined
with books; Just fine inlaid Italian cab
met in one corner Of the study. Some
times among what should call the tidy
ltfer'' OF the table Uor he knew by In.
Winct where everything was) one saw
an elegant little Golfer Of Eastern work
or eonne such rarity. He took pleasure
In ali sorts of beautiful and precious
boxes and he priced certain trtnkets.
keepsakes from friends. such as an in
Iald snuffbox of choice work. though his
eysryday snuffbox was a somewhat plain
silver one, and he carried his tobacco In