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descend to ordinary truths; scholarship is; at lowest; an honourable

gagne…pain。  But Murray; like the majority of students endowed with

literary originality; did not share these rather old…fashioned

ideas。  The clever Scottish student is apt to work only too hard;

and; perhaps; is frequently in danger of exhausting his powers

before they are mature; and of injuring his health before it is

confirmed。  His ambitions; to lookers…on; may seem narrow and

school…boyish; as if he were merely emulous; and eager for a high

place in his ‘class;' as lectures are called in Scotland。  This was

Murray's own view; and he certainly avoided the dangers of academic

over…work。  He read abundantly; but; as Fitzgerald says; he read

‘for human pleasure。'  He never was a Greek scholar; he disliked

Philosophy; as presented to him in class…work; the gods had made him

poetical; not metaphysical。



There was one other cause of his lack of even such slender

commercial success in letters as was really necessary to a man who

liked ‘plain living and high thinking。'  He fell early in love with

a city; with a placehe lost his heart to St。 Andrews。  Here; at

all events; his critic can sympathise with him。  His ‘dear St。

Andrews Bay;' beautiful alike in winter mists and in the crystal

days of still winter sunshine; the quiet brown streets brightened by

the scarlet gowns; the long limitless sands; the dark blue distant

hills; and far…off snowy peaks of the Grampians; the majestic

melancholy towers; monuments of old religion overthrown; the deep

dusky porch of the college chapel; with Kennedy's arms in wrought

iron on the oaken door; the solid houses with their crow steps and

gables; all the forlorn memories of civil and religious feud; of

inhabitants saintly; royal; heroic; endeared St。 Andrews to Murray。

He could not say; like our other poet to Oxford; ‘Farewell; dear

city of youth and dream!'  His whole nature needed the air; ‘like

wine。'  He found; as he remarks; ‘health and happiness in the German

Ocean;' swimming out beyond the ‘lake' where the witches were

dipped; walking to the grey little coast…towns; with their wealth of

historic documents; their ancient kirks and graves; dreaming in the

vernal woods of Mount Melville or Strathtyrum; rambling (without a

fishing…rod) in the charmed ‘dens' of the Kenley burn; a place like

Tempe in miniature:  these things were Murray's usual enjoyments;

and they became his indispensable needs。  His peculiarly shy and; as

it were; silvan nature; made it physically impossible for him to

live in crowded streets and push his way through throngs of

indifferent men。  He could not live even in Edinburgh; he made the

effort; and his health; at no time strong; seems never to have

recovered from the effects of a few months spent under a roof in a

large town。  He hurried back to St。 Andrews:  her fascination was

too powerful。  Hence it is that; dying with his work scarcely begun;

he will always be best remembered as the poet of The Scarlet Gown;

the Calverley or J。 K。 S。 of Kilrymont; endowed with their humour;

their skill in parody; their love of youth; but (if I am not

prejudiced) with more than the tenderness and natural magic of these

regretted writers。  Not to be able to endure crowds and towns; (a

matter of physical health and constitution; as well as of

temperament) was; of course; fatal to an ordinary success in

journalism。  On the other hand; Murray's name is inseparably

connected with the life of youth in the little old college; in the

University of the Admirable Crichton and Claverhouse; of the great

Montrose and of Ferguson;the harmless Villon of Scotland;the

University of almost all the famous Covenanters; and of all the

valiant poet…Cavaliers。  Murray has sung of the life and pleasures

of its students; of examinations and Gaudeamusessupper partieshe

has sung of the sands; the links; the sea; the towers; and his name

and fame are for ever blended with the air of his city of youth and

dream。  It is not a wide name or a great fame; but it is what he

would have desired; and we trust that it may be long…lived and

enduring。  We are not to wax elegiac; and adopt a tearful tone over

one so gallant and so uncomplaining。  He failed; but he was

undefeated。



In the following sketch of Murray's life and work use is made of his

letters; chiefly of letters to his mother。  They always illustrate

his own ideas and attempts; frequently they throw the light of an

impartial and critical mind on the distinguished people whom Murray

observed from without。  It is worth remarking that among many

remarks on persons; I have found not one of a censorious; cynical;

envious; or unfriendly nature。  Youth is often captious and keenly

critical; partly because youth generally has an ideal; partly;

perhaps chiefly; from mere intellectual high spirits and sense of

the incongruous; occasionally the motive is jealousy or spite。

Murray's sense of fun was keen; his ideal was lofty; of envy; of an

injured sense of being neglected; he does not show one trace。  To

make fun of their masters and pastors; tutors; professors; is the

general and not necessarily unkind tendency of pupils。  Murray

rarely mentions any of the professors in St。 Andrews except in terms

of praise; which is often enthusiastic。  Now; as he was by no means

a prize student; or pattern young man for a story…book; this

generosity is a high proof of an admirable nature。  If he chances to

speak to his mother about a bore; and he did not suffer bores

gladly; he not only does not name the person; but gives no hint by

which he might be identified。  He had much to embitter him; for he

had a keen consciousness of ‘the something within him;' of the

powers which never found full expression; and he saw others

advancing and prospering while he seemed to be standing still; or

losing ground in all ways。  But no word of bitterness ever escapes

him in the correspondence which I have seen。  In one case he has to

speak of a disagreeable and disappointing interview with a man from

whom he had been led to expect sympathy and encouragement。  He told

me about this affair in conversation; ‘There were tears in my eyes

as I turned from the house;' he said; and he was not effusive。  In a

letter to Mrs。 Murray he describes this unlucky interview;a

discouragement caused by a manner which was strange to Murray;

rather than by real unkindness;and he describes it with a

delicacy; with a reserve; with a toleration; beyond all praise。

These are traits of a character which was greater and more rare than

his literary talent:  a character quite developed; while his talent

was only beginning to unfold itself; and to justify his belief in

his powers。



Robert Murray was the eldest child of John and Emmeline Murray:  the

father a Scot; the mother of American birth。  He was born at

Roxbury; in Massachusetts; on December 26th; 1863。  It may be fancy;

but; in his shy reserve; his almost farouche independence; one seems

to recognise the Scot; while in his cast of literary talent; in his

natural ‘culture;' we observe the son of a refined American lady。

To his mother he could always write about the books which were

interesting him; with full reliance on her sympathy; though indeed;

he does not often say very much about literature。



Till 1869 he lived in various parts of New England; his father being

a Unitarian minister。  ‘He was a remarkably cheerful and

affectionate child; and seldom seemed to find anything to trouble

him。'  In 1869 his father carried him to England; Mrs。 Murray and a

child remaining in America。  For more than a year the boy lived with

kinsfolk near Kelso; the beautiful old town on the Tweed where Scott

passed some of his childish days。  In 1871 the family were reunited

at York; where he was fond of attending the services in the

Cathedral。  Mr。 Murray then took charge of the small Unitarian


chapel of Blackfriars; at Canterbury。  Thus Murray's early youth was

passed in the mingled influences of Unitarianism at home; and of

Cathedral services at York; and in the church where Becket suffered

martyrdom。  A not unnatural result was a somewhat eclectic and

unconstrained religion。  He thought but little of the differences of

creed; believing that all good men held; in essentials; much the

same faith。  His view of essentials was generous; as he admitted。

He occasionally spoke of himself as ‘sceptical;' that is; in

contrast with those whose faith was more definite; more dogmatic;

more securely based on ‘articles。'  To illustrate Murray's religious

attitude; at least as it was in 1887; one may quote from a letter of

that year (April 17)。





‘There was a University sermon; and I thought I would go and hear

it。  So I donned my old cap and gown and felt quite proud of them。

The preacher was Bishop Wordsworth。  He goes in for the union of the

Presbyterian and Episcopalian Churches; and is glad to preach in a

Presbyteri

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