The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-05-12
TREASURED LETTERS
OF THE BROWNINGS
Some Thought 1t Sacrilege to Publish
Intimate Love-messages
of Poets.
Nv FRANCES sHAFFER.


moor in nurse and rich In verse, ana
the paie-faced poetess-invalid. Eliza
beth Barrett, bravely defied the con-
yentionsIities and the certain frowns
OF kinfolk and quietly stole away 10 a
nearby church TO link their lives Tor
ever, who dreamed what would come
to pass in later years?
MOI her father, who after the wed
ding. when the runaway couple were
we'll over the sea, deliberately return
cd her letters unopened; for he counted
il a monstrous piece of folly for his
daughter to give her hand in marriage
TO the idler-dreamer who made good
enough poetry, but little enough
money.
And, not his, for Browning's father,
exasperated that his son knew no bet
ter than to slip matrimonial yoke
about his neck when he could not even
care for himself, wrathfully cut off his
allowance and told him to shift for
himself and his invalid wife.
Brought Enormous Price.
But now
Just the famous love missives that
passed between them before the we'd
ding-they were never separated, even
for day, until her death-brought
S32,75O at a public sale in London
few DAYS ago. The original manu-
script of Mrs. Browning's Aurora
Leigh" was sold for s4,650. while the
last volume of poetry written by ROD
ert Browning went to the highest DID,
der at $3.50.
Had the vision of their wrathful KIN
folk been able TO penetrate the years
and see the treasured letters, preserved
I'm their original cases by the married
lovers auctioned off after spirited DID,
ding-well. mayhap there would not
have been a secret wedding. perhaps
when the bride slipped back from the
church to the home of her father. TO
remain for awhile until the flight TO
Europe parental welcome and blessing
might have been forthcoming. Anu
POSSIBLY the elder Browning would not
have been so tardy in rejoicing at the
dav MS son was far-seeing enough 10
marry the best and most talented
woman on earth" For things look
wonderfully changed when viewed
through success oftened eyes.
Kuised storms Of Indignation.
Before Browning died he gave ms
son the long cherished letters-he had
kept them nearly fifty years-to 40
with as he liked. When il became
known that the tender, intimate love
messages, one to the other, were TO De
published. for any to read who woulo'
many folk who worshiped at the
Browning shrine, said, no, there was
sacriIege in the very thought. Anu
there was much bitterness in the as
discussion, both sides of the Atlantic
for the love story of the Brownings
was well known, and at that time there
were many of their contemporaries TO
declare the publicity an outrage. But
when il became known that Browning
himself had surrendered the letters
knowing that in time the world might
view them. the outcry died away ana
the missives were published.
Nearly a quarter of a century alter-
ward. when il was proposed 10 place
The letters under the practical ham
mer OF the auctioneer. another storm
of mitigation arose from the closest or
Bro wnings admirers; but that did not
save the cherished souvenirs, winch
passed into the hands OF the hlgnest
bidder. in the very box and leather
case where they were carefully folded
away.
Nice sort of Thought.
Well, there is one right pleasant
compensation to the humble 1olk In
the world-they can keep their love
letters tied up with faded blue RID
bon forever and a day, and the curious
world will not once ask to look at
them. And their tnOusHlS, tHei
dreams. the intimate little affairs
that make up their life at home, their
successes and failures, the goodness and
the badness OF them-all all are very
much their own.
And il is sort of nice. Because, even
though the fine hand of Nature had
made one very much a genius, one be-
lieves she would share the opinion or
the objecting minority that it was a
desecration CIR something worse TO
throw open a bundle of old, old letters
to the literary or the sentimental scru-
tiny of the whole world. Yes, even
after she was dead and gone.
No matter whose the letters that
have been given to the public, it al
ways seems like peeping over the fence
into a private garden when one has not
the remotest right in the world to even
glance.
Of course, from the first chance let
ter written by Browning to the invalid
he had never seen, to the last faltering
wore before the marriage there is
personal element and look at their
intimate selves that Browning wor-
shippers. and some who are not SO close,
find very alluring.
And perhaps it is only fair to count
the publicity as a small enough return
for the adulation that has freely gone
the Browning way.
Toilet Table Silver.
Quadruple- plated silver articles for the
toilet table are more than ever attrac-