Snowdrops from a Curate’s Garden

sion ; but must we expect habits to be homoge- nous ? Must the religious man be also merci- ful ? We know that it is not so. In the infinite variety of character thus formed we occasionally meet a case in which distaste of the normal, vital scepticism, or some similar trait, may push the individual to contrary poles of thought and action. We shall err if we fail to rec- ognise the common basis of the audacities of piety and impiety which may manifest in the same man. As one of our great specialists has shewn, it is unphilosophical, indeed contrary to proved fact, to suppose that a man like Jabez Balfour is necessar- ily insincere. His cruel frauds, his callous scepti- cism are no less genuine and no more so than his narrow religious convictions. As well accuse a typewriter of deceit because it is capable of writing both the brilliant good sense of a Hall Caine and the vapourish outpourings of a Meredith ! As well accuse a spaniel of hypocrisy because he will retrieve game, and yet refuse to devour it. The outlines of this truth have been allegori- cally sketched by R.L. Stevenson in “ Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde.” Outlines, for in reality there are as many sides to character as there are ideas capable of influencing the individual. No doubt, in all cases the one is leavened by the many ; even in stark madness there is an underlying essential harmony. This is of course the case, but such harmony dwells far deeper than anything which we commonly intend by character. Such an expression of violences is found in the author of the following works. It is the custom to study, even if briefly, the life of a great writer from the biographical stand- point. In this case it is impossible to follow the usual course, for I have no wish to blast the useful public career of the most talented artist of our day, and there can be no doubt that precision of allu- sion would cause his innumerable friends to rec- [2]