LD 6^5- tmm—WEnwjRTAL tTB-RARY CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY ENGUSH COLLECTION THE GIFT OF JAMES MORGAN HART PROFESSOR OK ENGUSH 2-55115;, 1918 No. 2 THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY CIRCULAR in memoriam William Hand Browne 1828-1912 BAIiTOIOBE, Mabtland PUBUSHKD BT THE UNIVEBSMT Issued Monthly fbom Octobeb to July Febkuaky, 1913 [New Series, 1913, No. 2] [Whole Number, 252] Ekitered, October 21, 1903, at Baltimore, MM., as second class matter, under Act of Congress ot Jul; 16, 1894. WW Cornell University Library The original of tiiis book is in tile Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924030618247 IN MEMORiAM William Hand Browne 1828-1912 9 BALTIMORE The Johns Hopkins Peess 1913 THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY CIRCULAR Rew Series, 1913, No. 2 FEBRUARY, 1913 Whole Number, 252 IN MEMORIAM WILLIAM HAND BROWNE 1828-1912 BIOGEAPHICAL SKETCH BY JAMES WILSON BRIGHT CAROLINE DONOVAIT PBOFESSOE OF ENGLISH LITERATtTBE Dr. William Hand Browne died on the morning of December 13, 1912. He was born December 31, 1828, and had therefore almost completed the eighty-fourth year of his age. He was first coniuected with the Johns Hopkins University as Principal Librarian, 1879-1880. In the next year he began to take part in the instruction in English Literature, and in the course of the years his official de- signations were : Librarian and Associate, 1880-1891 ; As- sociate Professor, 1891-1893; Professor, 1893-1910; Pro- fessor Emeritus, 1910-1912. 3 4 William Hand Broione [120 Dr. Browne was the son of William Browne and Pa- tience Hand Browne, and was born in Baltimore (Paca street). His father had removed to the city from Centre- ville,! Queen Anne's County, Md., and formed a partner ship with his maternal uncle, Emanuel Kent, under the firm-name of Kent & Browne. They were commission merchants, trading largely with the West Indies. Dr. Browne's mother. Patience Hand, was bom in Bir- mingham, England, in 1787, and in 1794 came to Balti- more with her father, Moses Hand, who was the son of Eichard Hand, a metallurgist of Birmingham. Moses Hand early showed talent for drawing and painting, and as a young man was apprenticed to the craft of deco- rating waiters, trays, etc., with landscapes, flowers and fruits. This occupation stimulated him to the further development of his talent, and in due time he attained the rank of an artist as a painter of both portraits and landscapes. In 1794 he migrated to America with his wife and four children, at once settled in Baltimore, and set about the practice of his art. He also conducted classes in drawing and painting. Among his engage- ments, he was employed by Colonel John Eager Howard to paint ornamental designs (architectural). This meeting with Colonel Howard led to the formation of a lifelong friendship.2 The significance of this notice of his mater- nal grandfather will be acknowledged by every one that may reflect on Dr. Browne's varied aptitudes. His hand- writing indicated the perceptions and the muscular co-or- dinations of the delineator, and his students will always iThe Browne homestead, "Bachelor's Hope" (near Centre- ville), was acquired by purchase in 1720 by John Browne, the great-great-grandfather of William Hand Browne. This property was entailed and passed to Nathan Browne (grandfather of William Hand Browne). Nathan Browne was commissioned an officer in the Queen Anne's militia, March 16, 1776, and served through the Revolution. William Browne (second son of Na- than) was born in 1776, and removed to Baltimore, as stated above. 2 "The Hand House," which still stands on Paca street, was built by Colonel Howard and named after Moses Hand. 121] Professor Bright 5 remember the brown paper charts of the zodiac, of the astrolabe, of heraldic devices, etc., which he was wont to prepare, with so much apparent pleasure, for the illustra- tion of his lectures. That he also did pictures admirably in water-colors is, perhaps, the most important detail in this implied problem of inherited proclivities. All his education and training in schools was obtained in Baltimore. He first attended the private school con- ducted by T. P. Carter, and thereafter, in due succession, won the degree of A. B. in a local college (which was not long maintained, and of which the records are not ac- cessible), and, at an early age, in 1850, the degree of M. D. in the University of Maryland. The practice of medicine was, however, distasteful to him, and he never entered upon it. It is also inconceivable that he should have felt a strong preference for a commercial career; but the practical demands of life had to be met, and for a decade, 1851-1861, he and his cousiu T. J. Hand were associated, under the firm-name of T. J. Hand & Co., as commission merchants.^ In the year 1861, when this business-firm was dissolved. Dr. Browne published in "The South," a Baltimore daily paper, a translation from the Grerman of a story entitled 'The Armourer.' Because of the state of the public mind, the story attracted wide attention, and the excellence of the translator's work was also duly recognized. This was the beginning of Dr. Brovme's literary career, although a considerable period of private study and quiet country life now followed, dur- ing which it does not appear that he published anythiug of importance. From Dr. Browne's letters it is learned that in his recuperation from business he indulged in travel in the South, with some hunting and fishing. Soon after his return to Baltimore, in 1863, he married Mary 3 They were export merchants and traded chiefly with Peru, One of the "Clippers" owned by the firm was called "Seaman's Bride." This ship is the subject of an oil painting that still hangs in one of the rooms of the Baltimore Chamber of Com- merce. (J William Hand Browne [122 Catherine Owings, daughter of Dr. Thomas Owings, of Baltimore, and removed to Baltimore County, where he kept his residence until the close of the Civil War. There is no record of his participation in the hotly dis- puted questions of that time, but when the disastrous con- sequences of the war had to be overcome, he at once sprang into prominence as a leader in the work of re- storing the cultural conditions of the South, by his con- nection with several literary periodicals. In 1866 he joined Professor Albert Taylor Bledsoe in founding The Southern Review [New Series]. Dr. Browne was editor and joint owner until two volumes [1867 and 1868] were completed, and then withdrew from this contract to become (in 1869) co-editor with Mr. Lawrence Turnbul] of The New Eclectic Magazine, pub- lished in Baltimore by Turnbull & Murdoch [Vol. 1, Jan.-Apr., 1868].* In 1871 this magazine became the property of Messrs. Murdoch, Browne, and Hill, and the name was abruptly changed to The Southern Magazine, which accordingly was made to begin with volume VIII (1871). Dr. Browne was now editor and part- owner; but somewhat later (1873) the publishing house of the Turnbull Brothers assumed the complete proprie- torship. The magazine was continued, under the editor- ship of Dr. Browne, to the close of the year 1875 (Vol. XVII, July-Dec). The purpose of this magazine, it must be kept in mind, was not only to encourage literary production, but es- pecially to supply to the South a goodly share of the best reading matter of the day on all important subjects. The editor of these 'eclectic' volumes was obliged, therefore, to establish and maintain relations with a Avide range of * The name of Tfie New Eclectic is significant of the fact that it succeeded The Richmond Eclectic (published by Drs. Hodge and Brown, Richmond, Va.), which had been purchased by Messrs. Turnbull and Murdoch. It may also be added that in March, 1869, The Land We Love, a monthly magazine pub- lished in Charlotte, N. C, by General D. H. Hill, was merged in The New Eclectic. 123] Professor Bright 7 publications, chiefly foreign. From any volume taken at random, it may be seen how extensive Dr. Browne's ed- itorial correspondence must have been, for he was wont to deal in the most cordially direct and personal manner with the editors and proprietors of his selections. ^ Ac- cording to the chronicler just cited in the note, the change of the name of the magazine in 1871 was to regis- ter more pointedly that it was "devoted to the interests and development of the South," and also that by this time the leading writers of the Southern people had come to be numbered among its contributors. It belongs to the historian of culture to estimate the notable influence of this magazine. Dr. Browne was always industrious, but seldom inor- dinately preoccupied by a particular undertaking. His humanely liberal view of the diversified obligations of a cultivated mind precluded the possibility of his being in- accessible or exclusive. He commanded, moreover, that matured and facile 'routine' by which only the master of a craft performs his most difficult tasks quietly and with assured confidence. But if he ever appeared to be ex- cessively industrious, it must have been during those ten years of his editorial engagements. From his editorial chair he surveyed the world of letters, history, and science in a manner that gives proof at once of extraor- dinary industry and of a most liberally cultivated mind. He chronicled events of a varied character, reviewed and criticised new books and poems, discoursed about new 5 Colonel J. Thomas Scharf's comment on this subject has an added interest because of the date and circumstance of its publication. Referring to The New Eclectic, he writes: "And as at that time it was impossible to secure a sufficient number of original contributions, its contents were almost entirely com- posed of selections or translations from the leading English, French and German journals. It is worth while mentioning that at the commencement of their enterprise the publishers wrote to each of these foreign papers — although the absence of international copyright made the obligation only one of cour- tesy — requesting permission to use their materials, which was very obligingly granted." — 'The Chronicles of Baltimore, Turn- bull Brothers, 1874, p. 102. 8 William Hand Brovme [124 inventions in mechanics and new discoveries in physical science, translated foreign stories, wrote original ones, and indulged in occasional verse, usually humorous or burlesque in character. The same comprehensive range of interest is shown in the subjects of his original con- tributions, of whichi a notion may be conveyed by the following selected titles: "Craftsmen's Association in France"; "Victor Hugo as a Novelist"; "Salem Witch- craft" ; "The Vow of the Heron" ; "The Microscopy of the Grain of Wheat"; "A Few Hints to Young Writers"; "Rise of a Commune in the Twelfth Century" ; "Dictation Tours of the Chess Knight." Deserving of special notice is the fascinating aspect of Dr. Browne's editorial aptitudes exhibited in his conduct of "The Green Table," an editor's department, inaugurated in June, 1869, (The New Bclectio Magasine, Vol. IV), and maintained to the close of The Southern Magazine (1875). His playful humor and grace of style may be illustrated by a few lines taken from the initial offering of "The Green Table": "At present, what the editor ironically calls his sanctum, is by the public looked upon rather in the light of a sanctuary, or place of refuge for all persons guilty of mortal crimes against the time and patience of their fellowmen. We, therefore, after much deliberation, have devised a something sancto sanctvus, or place of refuge more sacred than the sa/nctum, to which we can flee upon occasion. * * * Suflflce it, that it is closed by doors of rare device, which are both bore-proof and spy-tight, and that the way to it is known to those who have the right to enter there. "The chief article of furniture of this modest cell is a Green Table, much littered with books and papers, around which at certain hours is seated a group of friends, looking over such as take their fancy, discussing events in all parts of the world, and indulging in some grave, and much idle talk." 125] Professor Bright 9 In "The Giieen Table" of June, 1874 {The Southern Magasine, XIV, 677), Dr. Browne availed himself of an opportunity to write in anticipation of the founding of the Johns Hopkins University. He had a clear and patriotic apprehension of the functions of a true univer- sity : "As it is a matter of concern to every Marylander, or at least to every one who has the welfare of his State at heart, that the great University to be established among us, by the munificence of a private citizen, shall be so or- ganized as to confer the greatest benefits upon the State, and do the most ample justice to the designs of its founder, we have read with much interest Dr. Huxley's Inaugural Address before the University of Aberdeen, in which he lays down with great clearness the true place and func- tions of a University." Then, after comparing the German universities with Oxford and Cambridge, he adds this, for America as well as for England, strangely new doctrine : "To the English mind, a Professor without a class would be an irreconcilable anomaly, and yet that Professor, by his studies and their fruits as embodied in his writings, may be teaching the world, and conferring lustre on the institution which claims him as her own." To complete the account of Dr. Browne's relations with periodical publications during the period just considered, one must turn back to the year 1868, when there was begun in Baltimore a weekly paper called The Statesman. It was devoted to politics, literature, and art, belonging thus to the type of papers now represented by The Nation; Dr. Browne was the editor-in-chief, Mr. Thomas W. Hall, Jr. the associate editor, and Mr. Holly Whyte the business manager. In this paper Dr. Browne pub- lished his translation of Friedrich Spielhagen's novel, 'Hammer and Anvil.' But The Statesman was short- lived, coming to its end after about a year and a half. Before the close of the magazine-period, as it may be called. Dr. Browne joined Colonel Richard Malcolm John- ston in the preparation of a book entitled English Litera- 10 William Hand Brovme [126 ture, a historical sketch of English Literature from the earliest times (New York and Baltimore : University Pub- lishing Co., 1873) . His subsequently published books may now be named in chronological order: History of Maryland. Prepared for the use of schools and academies. By William Hand Browne and J. Thomas Scharf. Baltimore: Kelly, Piet & Co., 1878. lAfe of Alexander H. Stephens. By Eichard Malcolm Johnston and William Hand Browne. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1878. The Clarendon Dictionary. A concise handbook of the English Language, in orthography, pronunciation, and definitions, for school, home, and business use. The pro- nunciation by S. S. Haldeman. New York: Uniyersity Publishing Co., 1882. Greece and Rome, Their Life and Art. By Jakob von Folke. [Translated from the German.] New York: Henry Holt & Co., 1882. Maryland: The History of a Palatinate. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 1884. George Calvert and Cecilius Calvert, Barons Baltimore of Baltimore. New York : Dodd, Mead & Co., 1890. Selections from the Early Scottish Poets. Edited, with introduction, notes, and glossary. The Johns Hop- kins Press, 1896. The Vicar of Wakefield. A Tale by Oliver Goldsmith. Edited for school use. New York and Chicago: Globe School Book Co., 1900. The Tain of Bauf Goilyear. A Scottish metrical romance of the fifteenth century. Edited, with introduc- tion, notes, and glossarial index. The Johns Hopkins Press, 1903. Concurrent with the principal portion of the work be- stowed on these books was the academic career of Dr. • • 127] Professor Bright 11 Browne, which, as has been stated in the opening para- graph of these pages, began in the year 1879. Moreover, Dr. Browne's second period of editorial work began early in his academic career and ran parallel with it through its entire extent, and even exceeded it by the last two years of sustained activity. Because of this interlacing of the principal threads of the story, the exterior details of the second editorial period may be recalled at this point. By an act of the General Assembly in January, 1882, the State of Maryland appointed the Maryland Historical Society (of Baltimore) to be the custodian of its Provin- cial Records, and instituted an appropriation of money for the publication, "imder the supervision of said So- ciety," of "such of them as are of historical importance." The words of the enactment describe these papers as "all the records, archives and ancient documents of the Province and State of Maryland of any date prior to the acknowledgment of the independence of the United States by Great Britain." Dr. Brovsme was at once chosen by the Society to be the editor of this important material, and he continued in this office to the time of his death. The first of the stately quarto volumes of the Archives of Maryland was accordingly published in 1883, and the inde- fatigable editor had just completed the reading of the •proofs' of the thirty-third volume when he was suddenly called to lay down his pen forever. With the exception of the eighteenth volume {Muster Rolls and OtJier Rec- ords of Service of Maryland Troops in the American Revolution, 1775-1783), Dr. Browne edited all the varied material reproduced in these volumes, the timely and ac- curate publication of which is reflecting acknowledged distinction upon the State of Maryland. Dr. Browne had previously established his reputation as an expert ic the history of his State, and the enumeration of the de scriptive heads of the sources of that history made ac cessible to the historian in the volumes of the Archives 12 William Hand Broicae [i-28 may give some indication of the expert knowledge, sound judgment, and scholarly workmanship required for the highly commendable execution of this task of magnitude. In these volumes are now printed the Proceedings of the Provincial Council of Maryland, so far as these are in existence; all that has been preserved of the Proceedings and Acts of the General Assembly of Maryland, down to the year 1717; the Proceedings of the Provincial Court, down to the year 1657 ; the Proceedings of the Committee of Safety and of the State Council to the year 1779 ; and the correspondence of Gov. Horatio Sharpe, from 1753 to 1769. And it is to be observed that in many instances gaps in the manuscripts were filled by obtaining copies of papers preserved in the Public Kecord Office of England. Although the Archives represent Dr. Browne's supreme service to his State, he will also be gratefully remembered by the City of Baltimore and by the State for the efficient accomplishment of two additional tasks committed to him. Soon after the death of Severn Teackle Wallis (April 11, 1894), friends of this distinguished citizen of Balti- more formed a "Wallis Memorial Association," of which one of the specific objects was the publication of a collec- tive edition of Mr. Wallis's writings. Dr. Browne was selected "to see the entire work through the press," and under his editorial supervision, accordingly, there was published the "Memorial Edition", in four volumes, of the Writings of Severn Teackle Wallis (Baltimore: John Murphy & Co., 1896) . The second of the tasks referred to was the editing of the first five volumes (1906-1910) of the Maryland Historical Magazine, a quarterly publica- tion established by the Maryland Historical Society. And it should be added that Dr. Browne also edited for this Society the first two numbers of The Calvert Papers (1889 and 1894; Fund Publications, Nos. 28 and 34). The dates of his official relations with the Johns Hop- kins University show that Dr. Browne began to teach li:9] Professor Bright 13 when about fifty years of age. This notable variation from the rule accounts, no doubt, for some of the marked features of his academic character as colleague and teacher. Because of the unusual preparation with whicli he came to the institution, he held, from the beginning to the end of his academic career, a unique place among his colleagues. His previous experience, which may be in- ferred, at least in part, from the present sketch, had enriched his quick and sympathetic mind with a fullness and diversity of knowledge that was quite exceptional, and the practice sprang up and was continued through the decades of consulting Dr. Browne for help and sug- gestions in connection with the most varied subjects. Most members of the staff of teachers found occasion at one time or another to avail themselves of the pleasure — for Dr. Browne's manner always converted it into a pleasure — of an interview with him on some obscured fact or hidden allusion, or it may have been some bit of folk-lore, or a technicality in music, in heraldry, or in as- trology. The readiness with which he was able to assist one in most instances of such perplexities, and the polished and entertaining character of his conversation, whether technical or casual, placed him in the rank of the most indispensable and delightful of colleagues. In the class-room Dr. Browne was not a strict discipli- narian or what is described as a "drill-master." Having become a teacher when knowledge had already been deeply assimilated and experience had mellowed the task-master into a friendly guide and counselor, he took his pupils into his confidence in the most gently sincere manner, and they soon came to understand his earnestness of purpose and to respond to his unaffected methods. Dr. Browne had an abundant share of the teacher's best re- ward in the letters of manly thankfulness that he was constantly receiving from his former pupils. As has been shown above. Dr. Browne was prompt in anticipating what was to be the character of the new TJni- 14 William Hand Browne [130 versity. At that time he probably entertained no thought of ever becoming a teacher in the institution ; on the con- trary, he would almost certainly have dismissed the thought with the reflection that for the inauguration of "new methods" it would not be wise to choose men that were matured and fixed in methods that were to be super- seded. This brings one to consider the most noteworthy fact concerning him during his academic career, namely, that he was always as flexible and acquisitive of mind as the most ready and progressive graduate student. At the beginning of his work as a teacher of English Dr. Browne encountered an active revolution in the philo- logical world. The agitation or "reform" of the "neo- grammarians," begun in Germany about the year 1876, was at once recognized in the new University. It was aimed especially at the philology (the science of language and literature) of the so-called modern languages, which included English. These languages and literature were noAV to be studied not only in accordance with the best traditions of classical philology, but also in accordance with certain recently formulated doctrines. The situa- tion was stimulating, but it must have deterred the aver- age man of maturity from making a new beginning; Dr. Browne, however, responded with fresh enthusiasm. He soon acquired a good working knowledge of Anglo-Saxon and Middle English, and joined contemporary scholars in the more accurate study of the literature of the early periods. He also grounded himself in the historic gram- mar of the language, according to the recent results of scholarship, and under the impulse derived from these newly deepened departments of his studies he came to select the Early Scottish poetry for his more special investigation and to be one of the regular subjects in his class-room work. He first supplied his classes with papyrograph copies of Scottish texts, which were afterwards published in his Selections from tlve Early Scottish Poets (1896). In the "Introduction" of his 131] Professor Bright 15 later book, an edition of The TaAll of Rauf Goilyear (1903), will be found what may be regarded as a more or less complete summary of the results of his studies of the Scottish. There is "A Brief Outline of Early Scottish Poetry," which brings the story down to the middle of the sixteenth century (pp. 3-22) ; a chapter on the "Language" (pp. 35-54), and one on 'Metre and Versification" (pp. 54-62). All divisions of the subject are handled with fine appreciation of literary values, and with clearness of thought in technicalities. The subjects of some of his other courses on selected topics in English literature were Arthurian Romances, English and Scot- tish Ballads, The Plays of Ben Jonson, The Caroline Poets, Writers of the Eighteenth Century, The Sentimen- tal Comedy. A complete list of Dr. Browne's contributions to liter- ary and more technical periodicals should be prepared for Ijublication. During the 'magazine-period,' he signed some of his work cryptically with the letters V. G. A., but for the most part there is no sign nor signature to mark his authorship, except, fortunately, the pencilings in his private copy of the volumes edited by him. His con- tributions during the 'academic period' would be more easily brought together. These came to be almost ex- clusively on subjects closely connected with his special studies, and the largest share of them was published in Modern Language Notes, although the complete list would show some liberality in the distribution of favors. To characterize the major portion of the contributions of this last period, it may be said that they are especially important as representing Dr. Browne's alertness and acumen in the annotation of dif&cult passages in a play or poem. He coped successfully with many a crux in in- terpretation, and explained many an obscure allusion. Unusual words and idioms were reported or traced in their history, and there were disclosures and appraise- ments of the debt that one author might be owing another. IC William Hand Browne [132 However slight and unpretentious some of these notes and jottings might be, the character of so sensitive, just, and learned a critic gave assurance, in every case, of a non-negligible value. In criticism, as in all his work and play. Dr. Browne gave proof of the artistic temperament. He was, more- over, deductive rather than inductive; at all events, he had stored up matured and fixed judgments, to which he was disposed to adhere with singularly persistent confi- dence. Corresponding with this 'classic' attitude in criti- cism was his style, which suggests the influence of the eighteenth century essayists and such writers as Landor, De Quincey, and Lamb. It is reported that Keats once said, "I have something in common with Hunt," and that forthwith he threw off the restraints that would have fettered his genius. Whatever formative influences may have been most potent, Dr. Browne had achieved his own style, which reflected the man of extreme susceptibility and refinement of nature, clearness of intellect, and seri- ousness of purpose. His style is notably positive in its virtues : a purity of diction, a neatness of phrase, and a simplicity of grammatical structure that at once arrest favorable attention ; for every piece, however short or in- cidental, an appropriate design that shows the presiding sense of the artist. Distinctively prominent among the more subtle elements of his style are resourcefulness in allusions, a pervading kindliness of judgment, and an un- failing but unostentatious play of humor. Occasionally may be detected also the sting of wit, but never to vaunt self or to wound another. There is no violation of the law of good taste, but always a strict observance of the old maxim, commended by Lord Chesterfield as "a most excellent rule in everything," ne quid nimis. Inevitably the word 'play' has found a place in the pre- ceding paragraph, for no approximately true notion of Dr. Browne's personality and aptitudes excludes a reckon- ing with his undisguised capacity for play. Versatility 133] Professor Bright 17 of mind and artistic skill of hand are discovered in most attractive alliance with amiability of disposition in his methods of relaxing from the strain of severer occupa- tions. Few men played better, and the reward was a long life of undiminished freshness of spirit. Although this subject embraces such details as belong rightly to exclusively cherished memories, a bit of play was oc- casionally committed to public observation, as, for ex- ample, the poem On Receipt of a Rare Pipe, and articles on "Tours of the Chess Knight." The public could not, however, guess the volumes of Limericks and other non- sense poems and drawings, some prepared for his children and others for his grandchildren, in which he rivaled the genius of a Lear ; and only very intimate friends became aware of his devotion, through many years, to the infinite intricacies of the tours of the chess knight, which he was perpetually figuring in drawings and carvings, though few of his designs were ever published. Dr. Browne was also accustomed to divert himself with ciphers and cryptograms, and was skillful in finding the key to such devices. He was also expert in the techni- calities of heraldry, and thus added another division to his pastimes. Music would be still another of these divisions, if his scientific knowledge of the art and his considerable accomplishment in it did not place it above the list of merely pleasant distractions. He played the flute, and it will always be remembered, with peculiar interest in their friendship, that he and Sidney Lanier were accustomed to play together. An abrupt close of this sketch is enforced by the pre- scribed limits of space. Keenly conscious of how this recital, chiefly of external events, may fail to gratify the wishes of those who would have a more adequate tribute to Dr. Browne's rich and charming personality, I must be content with a final word in acknowledgment of my indebtedness to my highly esteemed colleague and veiy dear personal friend. It is as impossible to describe the IS William Hand Browne [134 debt as it is to repay it. Of every senior colleague it should be true that he puts his associates under obliga- tions for help and counsel. My good fortune far tran- scends that reasonable expectation. In respect of all the best elements of such a relationship, my intimate associa- tion with Dr. Browne, from the beginning of my academic career, was just what previously, in the indulgence of an extravagant wish, one might have desired. I could not now analyze his fine sincerity in constant helpfulness and in most unselfish cooperation. All that experience is interwoven with an aflfectionate friendship, which one must keep enshrined within. Submissively I bow in in- expressible grief. J. w. B. It was not given to many of Dr. Browne's colleagues to know him intimately, but no man so retiring in his nature has left so many sunny memories of chance meet- ings, and pages could be filled with happy reminiscences of his talks, rich with varied and exact learning, and bright with native wit. President Eemsen, who was close to him, oflScially and otherwise, has been prevented by the state of his health from paying a formal tribute to his colleague and friend; but, in informal interviews held at the time of Dr. Browne's death, he has borne em- phatic testimony to the personal charm of the man, his high ideals, his extraordinary attainments, and the in- spiration of his teaching for those who by native sym- pathy or previous study were best fitted to follow the master in the wide range of his discourse. With President Eemsen's estimate of his colleague all will agree, but of this consentient testimony it has seemed best to select only two specimens— the personal reminiscences of one of Dr. Browne's oldest and most sympathetic friends, Professor Gildersleeve, and Dean Gr-ifBn's tribute to one of the most marked characteristics ]o5] Professor Oildersleeve 19 of the man and the scholar. To these testimonials may fitly be added the resolutions of the Maryland Historical Society and selections from the tributes of the local press. PROFESSOR GILDERSLEEVE William Hand Browne counted for so much in my life that I cannot write of him without falling into a personal narrative. Baltimore, the frontier town of the Old South, spared by the ravages of the war, was the great hope and refuge of the shattered remnant of the young men of the Confederacy, and in the early years of peace many of those who were not too old sought to begin life over again in a cit\- to which during those years of dire struggle we had looked for sympathy and succor, and had not looked in vain. When I myself came to Baltimore to live, a walk down Saint Paul street was enough to give me heart, for I saw on either hand the familiar names of Virginia and Maryland pupils. And it was to Baltimore that those of us who were trying to rebuild the waste places of the Old Dominion turned when the cherished project of cre- ating a Southern literature was resumed. One of my former colleagues, Albert Taylor Bledsoe, started here The Southern Review, and the Turnbulls were the leaders in the publishing line. It was thus that I was brought into relations with William Hand Browne. My school books were published in New York by a company made up almost wholly of Southern men, resident on either side of the line; but my purely literary work was done for Baltimore. Eight of my eleven Essays and Studies were written for The Southern Review, of which Bledsoe and Browne were the editors, and I was one of the contribu- tors to The Neio Eclectic Ma gamine and to The Southern Magazine, edited by William Hand Browne. This was the beginning of an acquaintance, a friendship, which was a joy to both of us for more than forty years. Men of nearly the same age, men holding much the same views of 2U William Hand Browne [136 life, ardent lovers both of literature, we were drawn into a correspondence that lighted up for me at least the years of toil and trouble that followed the close of the great war. It was a gay correspondence. I soon found that the Baltimore editor was at home in the classics, and a man who could apologize for confounding two poets of the Palatine Anthology, and was deeply interested in new systems of Greek metres, was one to whom I could send translations into elegiacs of current negro songs. We exchanged experiments in prose and rhyme, and some of these escaped into print, to the puzzlement of the readers of The New Eclectic and The Southern Magazine. This went on for some years before I had an opportunity of a personal meeting, and my first interview with William Hand Browne in the oflSce of the TurnbuUs stands out with especial vividness to this day. There sate my corre- spondent, doubled up in his chair, his long legs inter- twined, his large eyes alight with quiet humor, his genial smile welcoming the newcomer, his thin, nervous hands showing in every gesture his artistic susceptibility, while his low, pleasant voice delighted me by its scholarly intonation. As he was then, so to the end he was a vision of rare charm. I never met him without gaining some- thing, either in knowledge, which is much, or in sym- pathy, which is more; and if the mention of his long legs seems incongruous in a tribute like this, it is only a seeming incongruity. He was a great walker, had a long, quick stride, and many a time when I tried to overtake him as he walked up from the station to the University I toiled after him in vain, and was balked of the chat which I coveted. With his wide reach of knowledge, his many accomplishments, he was the most modest man I ever knew, and in talking him over with friends I have been interested to find what a revelation he was to this man and that, each fancying that he had discovered him. For so long a life his purely literary output was small, and this is the more to be regretted because in everything 137] Professor Gildersleeve 21 he wrote he set the pattern of a flawless style — pure, luminous, rhythmical and, when the subject admitted, interfused with delicate humor. Much of his published work dealt with the history of Maryland, and the repre- sentative of the Maryland Historical Society has borne testimony to his invaluable services in editing the records of the State which he loved with all the fervor of his nature. Not a voluminous writer, as has been said, only now and then giving to the public specimens of pungent criti- cism and enlightening comment, Dr. Browne was a tire- less learner, a passionate reader, and the tide of his learning brought so much wealth to others that no one could begrudge the long hours he spent in read- ing. It is one of the sorrows of the lives of teachers and investigators that, after all, so much time is taken up in reading for a purpose, in reading in or- der to write; but here was a man who reserved many hours for delightful excursions through the whole realm of classical letters in many tongues, and the specialist in Scottish literature amused himself one summer with reading Livy from cover to cover, not merely the story of the kings and the story of the Hannibalic War, to which so many teachers of Latin seem to limit their knowledge of the lactea ulertas of the historian. And then there was the play of his fancy — his nonsense verses, his mock ballads, his charades, some of which things he would bestow on me, to be repaid in kind. I have always had my doubts about the advantage of long life, but if one is fated to have a long life, it is well to remember the meaning of "spring." "La joie de I'esprit en fait la force," according to my favorite version of the saying of Ninon de I'Enclos, and enviable in the reach of his attain- ments, in the sweetness of his temper, yes, enviable in his fallentis semita vitw, he was no less enviable in the ever renewed elasticity which made his inner life worth living for himself, as his outer life was a benediction to all who were privileged to know him. 22 Williaiii Hand Broiciie [138 DEAN GRIFFIN Every one accustomed to pass through the corridor of the second floor of McCoy Hall must retain a vivid mental picture of Dr. Browne, as seen through the open door of his room, bending in characteristic attitude over his study table. The ever-open door was a symbol of the hospitable friendliness and kindness with which he put himself at the service of every one — colleague, pupil or stranger — who needed his help. Dr. Browne was not a disciplinarian to compel the attention of the indifferent; but those who had genuine intellectual interests, and were capable of appreciating in some degree the extent of his knowledge and the won- derful command which he had of it, and who felt the charm of a scholarship so broad, accurate and refined, and so free from pedantry and self-consciousness, were strongly attracted to him. His influence was largely per- sonal ; it was in private converse with those who sought his counsel, in answering their inquiries and opening up to them new lines of study and thought, that he made a deep and lasting impression upon many a young man. Both parties to such interviews must often have felt the "delights" * * » ''That stir the spirit's inner deeps When one that loves but knows not reaps A truth from one that loves and knows." MINUTE ADOPTED BY THE MARYLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY JANUARY 13, 1913 In the death of Dr. William Hand Browne, which oc- curred on December 13, 1912, at his late residence, in Baltimore County, not only has this Society lost a mem- ber whose work confen-ed upon it especial lustre, but there has passed away an accomplished scholar, a learned 139] Maryland Historical Society 'li historian and a distinguished man of letters, recognized and esteemed both at home and abroad. Born in this city eighty-four years ago, Dr. Browne as he approached manhood first applied himself to the study of medicine, and iu 1850 was graduated with the doctors degree from the University of Maryland. The lure of literary pursuits was, however, strong upon him, and to these he devoted his life, without entering upon the prac- tice of medicine. In his younger years Dr. Browne contributed to litera- ture by translating a number of works of fiction from the French and German, and was also engaged as editor of Tiie Eclectic Magazine, The Southern Magazine, and upon the editorial staff of other literary periodicals, among them being The Southern Revieic, of which the late Dr. A. T. Bledsoe was editor iu chief. In 1879, shortly after the establishment of the Johns Hopkins University, he became its librarian, and from that position was ap- potuted successively associate, associate professor, and finally professor of English literature. This chair he retained until two years ago, when he retired on account of advancing age, and was thereupon given the title of professor emeritus in the University. With a wide and accurate knowledge of both modem and early English literature and the poetry of other lands, he was a valued teacher and one held in warm affection by his students, who ever found in him a wise, patient and sympathetic friend and counselor. The habit of his well-stored mind was, however, critical and analytical rather than creative, and his criticisms and reviews of contemporary literature which appeared from time to time ia certain journals of the higher class were espe- cially prized. But it is rather upon his work as a writer of Maryland history and of his work done for this Society that we would particularly dwell. A loyal son of Maryland, de- voted to the traditions of his native State, he was a care- 2d William Hand Browne [140 ful student of the colonial history of Maryland at a time when its study from original sources was no easy task. It was natural, therefore, when thirty years ago the State by act of Legislature made this Society the depositary and custodian of the archives of Maryland relating to the colonial period, and provided for their publication, that Dr. Browne should be selected as the editor. He was not then a member of the Society, but the first suggestion of his name was met by the immediate recognition of his pre-eminent fitness. This fact was expressed in a report of the Committee on Publications made in November, 1 883, and printed with the first volume of the archives. In the thirty years that have elapsed thirty-two large quarto volumes of the archives have been published, all but one, which contains the muster rolls of the Maryland troops in the war of the Kevolution, being edited by Dr. Browne, who at the t5me of his death was engaged upon the thirty-third volume. In the thirty-one volumes edited by him are contained, in eleven volumes, all the known records of the Provincial Council from 1636 to Septem- ber, 1770, beyond which date the records are missing; the Assembly Proceedings down to 1716, in eleven vol- umes; Proceedings of the Maryland Convention and Council of Safety, in four volumes; Correspondence of Governor Sharpe, three volumes, and some of the Pro- ceedings of the Provincial Court, two volumes. Many gaps were found in the seventeenth century records re- ceived from Annapolis, but, as the result of careful search conducted in England in the Public Eecord Offltee and elsewhere, which Dr. Browne directed with untiring zeal and industry, most of these were filled by means of copies obtained from colonial records abroad. The old provincial records had been delved into by John Leeds Bozman a century ago, and by John V. L. McMahon and a few others at later dates, but to most persons they were as sealed books. As a result of Dr. Browne's labors, the original sources of the much neg- 141] Maryland Historical Society 25 lected history of Maryland have been put within the reach of scholars everywhere, for the published archives are exact and literal reproductions of the origtaal manuscript records. Prefixed to each volume is an introduction, in which the editor gives to the reader the benefit of his own erudition, explains whatever is obscure, and illu- minates the dark comers. The great value of these pub- lished archives has received warm recognition both in this coimtry and abroad, and they have been pronounced by high authority the most important contribution to American colonial history that has been published. By this monumental and scholarly work Dr. Browne has rendered most valuable service to the colonial his- tory of Maryland and America, and it may be said with- out hesitation that the reputation of this Society has been greatly enhanced by the masterly manner in which he has edited these archives, published under its auspices. Of great value, but of less conspicuous character, are other works of Dr. Browne. In 1884 he published Maryland, the History of a Palatinate, and in 1890 George and Cecilius Calvert, Barons Baltimore. He ed- ited for this Society certain papers selected from the collection of Calvert Papers, which were published as Calvert Papers No. 1 and No. 2, and when, in 1906, the Maryland Historical Magazine was established, he was chosen as its editor, and continued in that office imtil two years ago, and thus gave to the magazine its form and set the standard of its quality. Of quiet and unassuming manners and a retiring dispo- sition, Dr. Browne was probably intimately known to but few of us, but those few well knew the charm of his con- versation and the value of his kindly friendship. His work has placed not only this Society, but the State of Maryland and all students of Maryland history, under lasting obligations, and his memory will ever be cherished by us as that of one who has contributed more than any other to the advancement of the purposes for which this Society was formed. 2(i William Hand Browne [1^2 THE PUBLIC PEESS Dr. Browne's advice on literary and other questions, frequently sought and always freely given, played an im- portant part in the careers of men who are to-day leaders in various fields. His kindly sympathy, ready wit and great learning made him one of the most popular and effective members of the faculty. As editor of the State archives of Maryland, Dr. Browne performed perhaps his most important work, and made a reputation for himself both in the United States and in Europe. All the large libraries of this country and many of those abroad contain the complete edition of the Maryland Archives, as far as they have been published. They are regarded as the most complete records of any of the thirteen original States. (Baltimore Sun, December 13, 1912.) The Sun calls him "one of America's most eminent authorities on history and literature, an educator of fore- most rank, and one of its most accomplished writers." The Sun tells further of his devotion to his work, his insatiable love of historical and literary research, his quiet, unassuming personality, and the genuine modesty which caused him to shrink from the public eye. (Baltimore Sun, December 14, 1912.) Dr. Browne loved the country life, and enjoyed to the utmost the days spent at his country home. For years he had made his home in Baltimore County, having lived first at Euxton and later at Sherwood. * • • Few knew of his fondness for music, and that he was a performer of considerable skill on the flute. When his friend Sidney Lanier died, he left his flute to Dr. Browne, and the latter used it frequently in the quiet of his home. (Baltimore Sun, December 14, 1912.) U3] The Public Press 27 In an editorial of December 14 The Sun says: "Dr. Browne possessed intellectual and literary gifts of a much higher order than are found every day even among the most distinguished scholars, and which are not to be measured by the amount of his written output. • • * It is not an exaggeration to say that both as a historian and as a master of English style he was surpassed by very few men of his time. "An explanation of the comparative smallness of his written product is to be found in reasons partly senti- mental, if we may so describe it, and partly personal. Dr. Browne was first of all a Marylander, of the strictest sect of that old school in which worship at the shrine of his State was among the first and most cardinal precepts. Born at a period which specially cherished the traditions and the standards of our early days, his intellectual sym- pathies and interest were enlisted in the study of the history of his State, and it became a labor of love with him to know every inch of the ground over which she had passed from the time when the foot of the first pilgrim touched her shores. He became, historically, a Maryland devotee and champion. » * • He made excursions into other fields, and showed in doing so a rare intel- lectual grasp, an unusual power of keen analysis, a strength of diction and a purity of style that proved he could have done far more had he chosen to exert himself to the utmost. But these were simply excursions. His real field was Maryland, and his heart and his mind, untraveled, always turned back to it as to home."' (Baltimore Sun, December 14, 1912.) Dr. Browne's contributions to literature, and especially to the literature of Maryland history, have been extensive and valuable. But greater than his influence in this direc- tion has been that upon the hundreds of Johns Hopkins men who came under him, and to whom he was ever so ready to give the benefit of his advice and aid. 28 William Hand Browne [144: The learned student whose only source of power is his learning has at best only an impersonal and often only an indirect influence upon his contemporaries and followers. It is when learning is associated with warm sympathy and wit and appreciation of human nature that it be- comes truly effective. Such was Dr. Browne's. (Baltimore News, December 13, 1912.) Dr. Browne was sought out by hundreds looking for information, and he never refused to tell every one of them all he could to assist them. (Baltimore Star, December 12, 1912.) In his personal reminiscences of Dr. Browne, commu- nicated to The News Letter (January 6, 1913), Mr. Ed- ward L. White, one of his early students, says: "All of his lectures on English literature were exceedingly illu- minative, for he had actually read practically everything from the Widsith to the latest novel, and was almost as familiar with the literature of Greece, Rome, France, Spain and Germany. The wealth of illustrative material which he controlled he used lavishly and spontaneously. * * * He was quite able to meet any specialist on his own ground, to discuss Anglo-Saxon phonetics or prosody, the probable date of the Ormulum, or the maddening in- tricacies of the relations between the tales of the Welsh Mabinogion, the French romances of chivalry, and the English stories of King Arthur and his knights, or any such matters. But he had a breadth of view and a sub- tlety of comprehension seldom attained. The solid foun- dations of thorough and exact knowledge of the facts, which academic training iiims to give candidates for the doctorate, he had laid for himself far deeper and broader than mere delvers can hope to lay them. And he had built upon them a superstructure of critical intuition beyond the powers of all save a very few scholars. Con- sequently, his teaching was full of inspiration." DATE DUE fntfi^ - fTB-c ^^"^^^SlSf LP, 7 j CArLOBO Cornell University Library LD2627.B88 B85 olin 3 1924 030 618 247