372 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



failure. In the spirit world it is success, for the true wisdom 



of life is to bear and overcome trials and temptations, to prove 



and strengthen the soul for its independent existence. 



Browning was an optimist of the most pronounced type, 



declaring his belief that all things in this world were ordered 



for the best and in the true interests of man. If there is 



pain in the world, and who can deny it ? then, he asks, — 



Put pain from out the world, what room were left 

 For thauks to God, for love to man ? 



If there is evil overpowering the good in many instances so 



far as we can discern, he urges, — 



Shall we receive good at the hand of God, 

 And evil not receive. 



And even when he views the close by suicide of an unhappy 



life his large charity and great human sympathy enable him 



to say hopefully — 



That what began beat can't end worst. 

 Nor what God blessed once prove accurst. 



His religion has been designated the religion of love. Heaven, 



he says, is love. Love is the source of and permeates all 



creation. Power and love he holds to be one and the same. 



Power existed, he knows, from the first ; and he declares that — 



Life has made clear to me 



That, strive but for closer view, 

 Love were as plain to see. 



Paracelsus, in the poem under that name, strives to attain 

 knowledge, the power of doing good to his race ; the poet 

 Aprile seeks love from and to all animate and inanimate 

 things ; and at the end of life they discern clearly that 

 they have failed, for power in the one case has not been 

 strengthened by love ; in the other love exists without the 

 power of doing good. The two combined is the spirit of the 

 universe. 



We often hear regret expressed that no certain knowledge 

 of man's destiny after the close of this life has been vouch- 

 safed to us, but Browning holds there would be no gain to 

 the individual by such knowledge. The certainty of a future 

 state would destroy the very purpose of our existence here. 

 Many of his poems are illustrative of this view, the most 

 elaborate study in this direction being the epistle containing 

 the strange medical experience of Karshesh, the Arab physi- 

 cian. The New Testament story of the raising of Lazarus 

 had for Browning an intense interest, laot so much from the 

 facts or narrative of the event as from the effect it would have 

 upon the after-life of Lazarus. He was concerned to know 

 what would be the feelings, thoughts, and actions of a man 

 under such circumstances. This novel view of the case 

 proved very attractive to him, and occupied his thoughts 



