Weston

You can do a lot, but you can't do it.

I can't get somebody to grind my flour over in Weston, Mass.

It's not going to

happen.

The first was that of the Union Congregational, Trinitarian, Church in East Hampton, Connecticut.

While there, he decided that his theological views were more in sympathy with the Unitarian than with the Orthodox faith and left to take the pastorate of the First Parish Unitarian Church in Weston, Massachusetts.

It was during his country pastorates that he made that close study of the works of Frederic W. Robertson, Cardinal Newman, and of the early fathers of the church for which he was afterwards noted.

Dr. C. C. Everett of Harvard University urged him to write a book on church history, but the time of leisure for such a work never came, and his knowledge of the subject went into his sermons and various papers.

He devoted himself with such conscientious fidelity to the especial interests of his parishes, never for a moment neglecting any duty as a pastor for even his beloved literary studies, that only untiring industry allowed him time for anything else.

After three years of service in Weston, he accepted a call to the Channing Church in the neighboring city of Newton, for which he labored for twenty-one years, refusing calls to some of the largest churches in the Unitarian body.

During his pastorate, and greatly by his efforts, the present beautiful church edifice was erected.

During the last fifteen years of his life, he was a constant lecturer on literary subjects, giving courses of lectures on Tolstoy, Tennyson, Shakespeare, Browning and many others these he made so interesting that one busy businessman said to another what is the use in the little time we have of trying to read books dr hornbrook gives us the cream of literature with no bother to ourselves he was a learned and exact biblical student an eloquent and winning preacher and an ardent and loving student of the best literature his greek testament and his browning were his constant companions he greatly enjoyed his membership in the boston browning society and served it most loyally he was its fourth president if an essayist fell out he could always be depended upon to fill the vacancy if the discussion of the paper flagged he would brighten it with witty and entertaining remarks his reading of browning was remarkable for its force and its interpretative quality he reminded those who had known him in his early years of the saying among his college friends that a great actor was spoiled when hornbrook took to the pulpit those who heard him read the plea of caponsacchi the soliloquy of the pope or guido's last frantic appeal in the ring and the book had an experience they will never forget his voice was as clear as a bell and for the time he was the one whose words he was rendering some of his browning papers besides those on the ring and the book are the religion in browning's poetry the development in browning's poetry saul rabbi ben ezra caliban upon setebos bishop blarum's apology paracelsus and browning's five prelates a paper on mr sludge the medium was published in the boston browning society papers dr hornbrook was considered by competent critics to be one of the foremost browning students and exponents in the entire world but though so deeply interested in browning's thought he did not seek to know his private life and deplored the publication of the barrett browning love letters he would not read them nor allow them to be brought into his house the writer well remembers when calling with her husband on miss harriet hosmer the sculptor an intimate friend of browning the indignation which both these browning lovers inveighed against the lack of delicacy displayed in the giving to the world what should have been the heart secrets of the great poet and his wife clerical and literary work did not claim all dr hornbrook's interest he was a public-spirited citizen taking a capable and interested part in public affairs dr hornbrook was a man of commanding figure and singularly individual and interesting personality whom people on the street turned to look after and inquire who he was failing health caused by intense application to study caused him in nineteen hundred to resign his pastorate from the church he had served long and faithfully when he appeared to be regaining his health he died with tragic suddenness saturday december fifth nineteen o three leaving a community in mourning the day following his death eulogistic remarks were made on him in every church both catholic and protestant in the entire city the rector of the nearest catholic church told his large congregation that newton had lost its greatest citizen and every one of them a good friend all missed him the appreciation of his gracious kindly nature was touchingly expressed to the writer by an irishman working on the street he took off his hat and said you don't know me ma'am but i know you and we are all sorry for your trouble we all love the doctor for he was the friendliest man that ever walked the streets a bust of him is now being made by c e dallon to be placed in channing church newton the manuscript of this book was dr hornbrook's last work he finished it only a few days before his death it is the loss of the reader that it did not have his final revision orinda a d hornbrook newton massachusetts october nineteen o nine end of foreword section one of the ring and the book an interpretation by francis bickford hornbrook this librivox recording is in the public domain chapter one the ring and the book the ring and the book appeared during the years eighteen sixty nine and eighteen seventy the earlier parts met with slight favour the later parts were recognised as works of great power and on its completion many persons most competent to judge saw in it the supreme work of a great genius it is true that some who had been enthusiastic readers of browning's earlier poems professed their indifference to this poem i know of one of these who boasts that he never read the ring and the book it is equally true that this work received cordial praise from many and different quarters the athenaeum declared it to be the most precious and profound religious treasure that england has produced since shakespeare sydney colvin called it a work of pregnant genius john morley one of the ablest critics of england in the nineteenth century wrote a discriminating and appreciative review of it which he has included in his published works in this he says when all is said that can be said about the violences which from time to time invade the poem It remains true that the complete work affects the reader most powerfully with that wide unity of impression which it is the aim of dramatic art and perhaps of all art to produce.