The Cairo bulletin., 1912-06-19

ed was true, I MM&Slzsssy
was unfit for Y : ESg.NI2,95
England. If false, LORD 5TRQ II
England was unfit for me. / with
drew"
SO wrote first-ciass genius and
third-class scoundrei, Lord byron. He
was very pitiabie sort OF blackguard
at best Not one-tenth as bad as he
tried to make people think. Yet bad
enough in cheap, sordid way to de-
serve decent mems contempt. He
was tremendously vain. Not so vain
of his poetry. which was great, as Of
the petty, melodramatic feats that
rouseds more laughter than applause.
Byrons father, was dissolute.
worthless army officer. His mother
was a gambler. shrcw and little
better than her spendthIift husband.
The couple Quarreled and separated.
The wife took her little boy and went
TO live in Scotland on an income Of
$3.50 yeaG Byron's father died soon
afterward. On the death of his great
uncle. in 17gS, the ten-year-old lad sue
ceeded to the Iatter's title and estates
becoming "Logd" Byron. His days OF
bitter poverty were over but their
mark never wholly left him.
Byron had been lame from birth.
Part o. the time his mother over
wheimed him with caresses and love
words. At other times she would
scream at him, curse him for "a lame
brat" and hurl books at his head. 1t
was bitter childhood for the sensi-
tive, afflicted youngater. He never
forgot it. Nor did he forgive the
mother who made him so miserable
He hated her TO the day of his death.
Byron began writing poetry while
he was mere schoolboy. 1t was an
artificial, morbid era in English litera-
ture, and Byron was just the sort Of
writer to catch the public's fancy.
He found that people were interested
in gloomy. mysterious heroes. So,
both in life and in poems, he proceed.
ed to become mysterious and gloomy.
He limited at black secrets that cloud
ed his life and talked vaguely of fear.
full crimes he had committed.
This attitude, combined with his
good looks, made him the School Girl
IcoL MRidens clamored for locks OF
his hair and wrote him wildly roman.
tic letters. All this delighted Byron.
BY this time he had plunged into the
grossegt dissipation OF London life.
He halted for brief time In his ca.
reer of vice to marry Miss MIL
banke.
They were wretchedly unhappy to.
gether and parted in less than a year.
The true reason for their separation
was not made public at the time,
though the fault was admittedly BY.
ron's. He proceeded to writo a touch.
ing farewell" to his wife. 1t was
poem that sought to draw all public
sympathy from Lady Byron and to
make himself appear more or less
martyr. In spite of this rascaily eff.
fort popular opinion was against BY.
ron, and he left England in a huff
never to return.
He wandered around Switzerland
Italy and Greece, leading a vile life
and writing marvellous poetry. His
iaded brain was seeking new sensa.
tons of every sort. For instance, ne
swan the Hellespont, watched the Gre.
nation OF the poet Shelley and at last
decided to become a military hero.
Greece was fighting for independ.
ence against her Turkish oppressors.
Byron hurried to Missoonghi and
placed his sword and life at the serV-
ice of the Greeks. 1t seemed to him
a fine thing for poet to draw blade
in defense Of the Ancient Land of Pc
etry. The idea struck Byron as a
bit of genuine inspiration. lie Is even
said to have had vague hopes of be.
coming king Of Greece.
But he found that drilling, march
ing, collecting provisions and study
ing maps was not as poetic a pastime
as he expected 1t bored him. He
preferred to loaf at Missolonghi, TAX
ing long sWlms, writing poetic verse
and flirting with dark-eyed Greek
gals. And thus he spent much of
his time when he might have been
lighting for independence.
He also had a new ambition, name
ly, to reduce his flesh. He tried to do
this by drinking vinegar and taking
long rides. The result was not what
he had hoped, In fact he fell Ill.
Don't grill me as you did poor
shelley!- he begged his friends.
There, after a brief sickness, he
died, on April 10, 1924 Byron was
only thirtysix at the time of his death.
Gifted beyond ordinary mortals, he
had wilfully thrown away the respect
of his friends and of the world at
large