THE CREED OF BURNE-JONES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2685, 30 August 1905, Page 76

THE CREED OF BURNE-JONES.

In the London Quarterly 2Jr John Telford reviews with much sympathy ?nd chaim the life of Edward Bunic-Jones. Mr Telford =aj a: — "He was always reticent about the things of the soul, but Jiis h-evrt cpme out in his lettcis. 'I iKnei doubt for a moment tho real pic=c;KC of God; I should never debiuo a' out it any more than 1 should arguo about; beauty, a, J the th ngs I most love^S Ho thought moi'e and moie of the mother ho had never i-cen. 'If ever I see her,' he wioie. " why, she \wll be a young thing-, a^ young as Jlar<raict. Buc we won't say "it"—when I sco her; let us die m the fauh.'" After Morris went, Lady Burnc-Jonee pajs: '"Death v, as frequently mentioned between v«. and the fear of it was gone." Ira hi* doith— "His cvi .1 words were fulfilled—'l believe I shall go out of 'ifo blowing it and grateful for it. I have scon glories pikl vondcrs, ha\e kuovwi the fulness ot admiration and \.oi.=hip for splendid worlc, and splendid! li\cs 1 have seen.' —'•Make the Most of Your Best.'"— ■Ros?etti described Burnr-Jo-aes's as the loveliest arc wo have. He had no sympathy with emptj piettinees, nor with tho erazo for ugliness: — "For hivn the tihimphs of war and of e^inmerro lia.l I'ttlo iiK.cre.bt. 'I love the immaterial. You see, it is the-c things of the soul that are real—tha orly real! things in the universe.' Hi? sense of beauty, his pacsion for the realities of spiritual life, \r.ra controlled by a strong and abiding feeling of responsibility. 'The real fool.' he "3id, 'is tho man who hears the call and doesn't obey it. To do any real good, you must work to the best advantage. What you have to do is to exprps* yqiuNclf—utter yourself, turn oui? v. hat is in yov —on the side of beauty andt right and truth, and, ot course, jou can't turn out your best unless you know wihati your best i=. You, for instance, start a rag- of a ne\v.=raper; I cover an acre of canvas with a dream of the deathbed o£ a king who, you tell me. was never alive — why? Simply because, for the life of us, we can't hit or any more healing ointment) for th& maladies of this poor old woman, the world at large. Our religion is the same. There is only one religion. "Make tho most of your best"' is common-sense and morals. "Make the most of your b-esft for the of others" i? the Catholic faith, which except a man believe faithfully he cannot be saved.' The painter felt that the Day of Judgment wras a synonym for the present moment. Ifc was eternally going on 'Wo are" a living part, however small, of things as they are. If we believe that things as they aivs can. be made better than tbey are, and in that faith &et to work to help the betterment to the best of curability, however limited, we are. and cannot' help being, children of the Kingdom. If wo disbelieve in the possibility of betterment, or don't try to help it fonva.rd, wo are and cannot help being damned.' "