Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-03-26
LECTURE ON BROWNING
AT TIE WOMAN'S CLUB
Rev. Charles a. Wood. Of Washington,
DIscnsAcs "P0ct's OutIooli on Life,
Before Large Audience.


"Tha, life is II very superb. very
splendid thing. anc out Of discoed and
strife Is coming the melody of the
universe. wa? the message tina. Rev.
Charles a. Wood, of Washington,
brought TO the Womans Club ycster-
day. in Ills lecture on "Browning's Out
look on Life" DR. Wood, WHO fs paE-
tor OF tho Second Presbyterian Church.
| IN Washington. is n distinguished ard
able speaker, and his Interpretation OF
the poetry of Robert browning vas
very suhtly done. AS Airs. Sally Mel.
son Robins expressed it. IN her intro
duction OF the speaker: He translated
browning fer us-cased our narrowed
souls
tan conscience, which he retained 10
the last lie WAS not an educated
man, in the English sense Of the word,
for he attended no grca. university,
but he was educated in his own library
and Italy. Very largely. Browning
! was educated. rs most men are. by
his wife. lie would never have been
the Robert H.owning we love but for
Mrs. browning, who was the dominant
and predominant influence in his life
The poets hes; work was done during
her life. and was due to his inDriSon-
ment in he: invalid room. DR. Wood
said that Browning left behind him
the greatest body OF poetry o. any
poet since the time Of Shakespeare.
Robert Browning was watc,!man
on the high towc, of life. and looked
out uDon the stretch OF the would he
fore him with deoniy penctra,ivc mind
What did lac think about the universe.
. and what lid he think OF the world
IN which re lived? Browning lived
during tie eclipse OF f2itE. .n the Re
-iod of parwinis,r, so much ,nisunder-
stood by friends and foes; days when
the young men went around with Her
bert Spcncers tea table ethics under
their arms instead OF the t.irty nine
articles ard the shorter catrchsa..
And Drowning came up through II
without so much rs the smell OF the
Are in his garments" In the begin
ming Goi created, WAS what Ero,.ri-
ing evolved from all the dangerous
lack Of faith in his age. Tn" heart
has rs much 10 dc with discovering
truth az your own brain. 'rhe brain
never discovers !. moral universe IL
your heart doesn't want one. The
earth was prepared for man. and man,
according to the noets outlook On life,
is tn" tonsurinat!cI of tn. scheme
OF things.
Browning is philosophical pet.
He believed in q great God, WHO was
the God OF love and power. In an
age OF agnosticism. he sounded tho
clarion OF his great faith in things
eternal lIis view all the way through
his writings is the Christian point OF
view. He depicts all Vile creatures OF
Garth. hut never In q contcmptuous
manner, The great act Of mans life
is. not to pursue truth to the ends
Of the earth. but to open up all the
imprisoned splendor of things
Browning speaks TO us in way
that stimulates us while It staggers
us. AS to the theology of the poet
what he says he really means Tho
acceptance Of Christ in Gtd solves ALL
problems in this world and out of it,
His theory nf life was that he "cound
earth not gray, but rosy" and out OF
the clamor and discord oil things will
come the melody of the universe Life
is such supsrb and splendid thing
the poet teaches. not OF pleasure and
pomp and power, CIT of joy and woe
and the learning of love.
The triumph OF his poetry was his
optimism. browning was IN optimist,
but he was an optimist because he
believed In God He sees man as al
ways rising higher and higher toward
God. 1t Is the triumph OF light over
larkness--the supreme power in M
turc &c brush out oil e|il.
Browning sees for the whole OF hu
mainly. What he sees for hi aself we
can see for ourselves. One reads
Browning for his ro etry and his philos-
ophy and his outlook on life. Mans
creed is his dominant desire. The
thing we want most is the thing we
love best.
Browning's philosophy, his love of
truth. his faith in God and the final
triumph Of good over evil is balm to
the narrowed souls of suffering
world to-day. and Gods in His Heav-
on. alls right with the world" rings
out with fresh courage and renewed
| faith TO all the owcllers uLor the earth.
Mrs. William II. Trlgg, Jr.. was
! chairman of the afternoon, and Mrs.
Sally Nelson Robins presented DR..
Wood TO his audience. The usual in
formal reception followed the pro-
gram