New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-05-05

~HE year 1912 was at the spring-oeins
seven DAYS into the month Of May
l. when was born at Camberwei.
suburb OF London, the autor Of these lines
Robert Browning, a poet the unfailing ana
inspiring optimism Of whose writings Is
one of the greatest of the literary legacies
beuueathed TO us by the last century.
lust as interest in Dickens has been re-
newed and quickened by the recent cele-
bration of his centenary, so this week VIII
see an awakening of interest in Browning.
Those who are familiar with his poetry
. will turn to Il anew. as one gets out the
family album on festivals and birthdays;
and those who never heard Of Browning or
have known of him only as the author OF
the fascinating pied Piper Of HameHn'
will ask who he was and why he was
notable.
Browning was Of eminenty respectable
but somewhat humble parentage-humble
in English eyes, at least. which spy out
sharply for class distinction, for his father
was a bank clerk. and his mother, though
a woman of education and refinement. was
not OF gentle birth. Despite his social in
significance, however Tor perhaps because
Of III, the father had that passion for ram
instinct In the human race. AS soon as
practicable he had the infant dhe hoy was
his first child christened after himself
Robert. in order that the name he had IN
turn received from his father should be
continued. II is curious how we gamble on
The generations in this way, tagging child
after child in wholly monotonous and
totally unimaginative fashion. in the hope
...flI Ia Tap nn
who will shed lustre on the entire line.
ROBERT BRoWNING'S FATHER.
But Browning senior was no ordinary
bank clerk, whose thoughts dwelt only
with pounds, shillings and pence. In the
company Of these he was forced. indeed, to
exist, but they were not his life; his real
life was among his books and the Few
prints he had been able TO collect. Besides
being a voracious reader. and a methodical
one. for he kept innumerable notebooks,
he had. we are quantity told, "a talent for
., yers,fying." The mother had "a talent for
music and drawing" But this multiplicity
of etalsnts." OF which the boy Robert in
herited rather unfortunately, was an
embarrassment OF riches that almost
proved fatal For years the lad could not
make up his mind whether to become
poet, painter, sculptor or musician. Ger
tain II was. however, that he would not
follow in the paths trodden by his father'
although his precise career stlll waited TOT
some decisive. some deciding, event. Al
last. when Browning was twenty, rate
beckoned,-.Fate, not as one generally
dreams, in the guise OF a lovely maiden,
but in the faded habiliments of maiden
aunt
From infancy or we are to believe the
biographers) Browning had made rhymes,
and at the tender age OF twelve he had ac-
cumulated formidable amount OF poetry.
As the years wore on and the boys verses
passed from friend to friend. various per-
sons urged them on the publishers THESE
wary men were willing to read, and, hav-
ing read, TO compliment, but mot unlike
publishers to-day they were oisinclined TO
invest. Then 1t was that the maiden aunt
with more OF faith than judgment. offered
10 finance q small volume, and Fate's die
was cast. But IL the volume was modest
one. we suspect the good lady did not find
the title quite so modest; in fact, we sus-
pect that she may have been not a little
shocked at reading the words: Pauline, a
Confession One has difficulty, however,
in disentangIing from the strings of words
any very material Pauline, and as to what
IN being confessed" he Is quite in the
dark A more sincere expression of false
sentiment and more false expression OF
true sentiment would he hard to find out
side this book.
Thus humbly began the literary career
AZ one of the two most notable Of Victorian
peets N the year lE2, 1--WE years after Ten