The sun., 1913-10-12

There is a fnaiity in the delicate. de-
| liberate music Of the "Shepherdess." as
in its proud reserve and freedom. very
like that which seals Mrs Meynell's
prose essays. She has written some
| Ave volumes Of these little studes--"The
! Rhythm Of Life" THE Color Of Life"
THE Children" "The Spirit of Place"
&c.-all marked with her own distinction
| OF touch and with a discriminating In
| sight most rare In these days of loose
and easy thinking. George Meredith
said Of them. "Thcy leave sense of
stilled singing In the mind Her man
ner presents to me the Image Of one
| accustomed to walk in holy places and
keep the eye Of fresh mind on our
1 tangled world"
Apropos OF George Meredith. no sketch
L of Alice Meyncll could he complete with
| out n word upon her absolute genius
for friendship" To her side 1t brought,
and held with more than hooks NJ steel.
three Of the historic literary men of the
late nineteenth century: Meredith him
self. Coventry Patmore and then Fran
els Thompson.
Mrs. M""rell's understanding sympa-
thy cheered all the last years OF Pat
| mores life. Through her the imperious
old poet and philosopher was persuaded
to sit for the great portrait by John 8.
Sargent now in the National Portrait
Gallery. London. And in gratitude the
artist presented Mrs. Meynell herself
with an interesting sketch. All he
| reading world knows what Francis
Thompson owed to Alice and Wilfrld
Meynell. debt most nobly sung and
repaid in poem after poem now caught
up into immortality Dante and few
/ of the troubadours would have been
quite at home in this ardent platonism;
| but Mrs. Meynell stands alone in draw
| ing such homage from IA poet OF yes
/ terday:
| At the rich ndnrs from her heart that rise.
/ My soul remembers its lost Paradise,
/ cried the star crossed" Thompson.
/ I grow essential all. uncloakng me
! From this encumb.rng vrlity
And feel the primal sex of heaven and
poetry.
The stimulus Of those wonderful inti-
/ macies has passed now from Alice Mey-
| nelrs life. But the personality made to
| inspire will be inspira tional to the end.
, of the Meynells becomes a salon for the
literary best Of that cosmopolitan capl-
tai. Up the stairs will climb that co..
lossus Of the seriously frivolous. Gill
bert Chesterton. or the poet -dra amatist.
| Laurence Housman. churChmen states
men. artists. scientists. actors and the
efficient from every nation under heaven.
The family friendship for Americans
has long been conspicuous. its graz
cious hospitality having been shared by
Julia Marlowe. Josephine Preston Pea
body. Mrs Florence Earle Coates, with
scores Of other known tor unknown) to
fame here in the States.
| Within this serene yet active home
a new side of the poets life is revealed
1t has been in all truth what she her
self might call a "lheral life" and the
triumph Of the artistic temperament
has been almost in spite Of much do
mest!city. Born in England but edu-
| Gated largely on the Continent Alice
| Thompson was early welded To Wlfrid
Meynell. author himself and editor. and
| to-day a penetrating force in London
criticism. Three sons and four daugh-
,ers are theirs: Everard. married to the
young Italian-A American singer Grazia
! Carhone. Sebantian and Francis Mere
dlth. VINO promises to carry the poetic
pennant on to new laurels: Monica.
wife Of the celebrated eugenist cdr.
Saleeby; Viola. Sylvia and Olivia, the
youngest, a bride of last summer.
Those who know the husband and
father. Wifrid Meynell. with any in
timacy will accuse him OF warm half
Celtic geniality, which must have been
inherited from the neighbors" In his
own paradoxical Verses and Reverses"
a little volume Of de,icously grave and
gay whimsles which slipped out TO the
public last year from its private print
ing, is one poem that must be quoted.
ITO Her at Pisa" 1t is called:
| Thou finished Tower Of Womanhood.
| Rooted and fast in Natures good,
| Yet reaching. flower like. To- tn" skies:
The first to catch the sun--his rise
And. when the days for others done.
The last to lose the lingering sun.
| Thy walls all treasures enfold
! Within their ivory and gold
| Thou canst withstand tn. strait.st siege
| Nor asked aid from this thy lege:
Alone thou risest in thy power
Yet be towards me Leaning Tower.
| There We eaten something Of the
high. half cloistral charm of Alice Mey-
nell. even to those who have humanity
known and loved her best
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