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• would write to her about him . I ' m sure something should be done to make him give op part of his work , and he will listen to no one here . " " Ah , " said Mrs . Pettifer , "it ' s a thousand pities his father and sister can't come and live with him , if he isn't to marry . But I wish -with all my heart he could have taken to some nice woman as would" have made a comfortable home for him . I used to think he might take to Eliza Pratt ; she's a good girl , and very prettv but I see no likelihood of it now . " * ' " No , indeed , " saidJRebecca , with some emphasis ; " Mr . Tryan's heart is not for any woman to win ; it is all given to his work ; and I could never wish to see him with a young , inexperienced wife , who would be a drag on him instead of a helpmate . " " He'd need have somebody , young or old , " observed Mrs . Linnet , " to see as he wears a flannel wescoat , an' changes his stocking when he comes in . It ' s my opinion he's got that cough wi' sittin' i' wet shoes an' sfockias ; an' that Mrs . Wagstaff ' s a poor addle-headed thing ; she doesn ' t half tek care on him . "
The Magazines for September rarely have much chance of being extensively read , but this year the chance falls below the customary average , the season being unusually fine , tbe harvest early , and partridges abundant — more abundant , it is said , than for thirty years past * As an illustration of this , take the following fact touching one of Diana ' s lawless foresters , whose success is generally a pretty good index of the legitimate sportsman ' s prospect . A poacher , living near some extensive preserves in a western county , had concealed in a room of his cottage on Monday evening forty-five live partridges ( netted in a series of successful night excursions daring the preceding week ) , which , were knocked on the head before dawn , and on sale in , the Bath
poultrymarket early on Tuesday morning . But , besides the attraction of the sport , there is the charm of the country , which never looked more beautiful than now . Woods and lawns are opulent in the ripened fulness , and majestic in the queenly calm of summer life ; gardens and orchards bright with fruit and flowers . The foliage never was more rich , the verdure never more deep , early autumn fruits never more mellowed , sunny , and abundant . These stormy days that make London sloppy 3 dim , and miserable , only give a fresher tint and fuller life to the country . The brighter sunlight but chases across the hills the violet shadows of flymg clouds , gives a diamond sparkle to the dripping foliage , and exhales a sweeter scent from the freshened herbs and flowers . What
wonder if London is absolutely deserted ? The season was longer , and the town more intolerable than usual ; and when Parliament at length broke up , tlie few stragglers that remained to a man forsook it and fled . At tMs moment the metropolis is a desert . The parks are deserted , the squares solitary as churchyards , the mighty forest of interminable streets silent as the grave . The spell that hushed the palace of " Sleeping Beauty" has fallen on the great centre of life and action , and all is still . The cabman is motionless on . his box , the apple-woman at her stall , the dog over his bone , even tlie young urcluns in the street , who were wont to revolve , as e living wheels , round , crowded omnibuses , remain fixed in antic forms , like sculptured imps of the Hyperborean race . Round the outer ring of this enchanted circle , in the usually less frequented parts , a few stragglers may still be seen ; but on the extravagant supposition that two mutual friends are still to he found in the neighbourhood , each carefully avoids the other , neither having the strength of miud to confess his existence in such a place at such «
tune . The magazines naturally remain unread in deserted libraries and readingrooms , and we must say "that they generally justify such neglect , by being at this season of the year scarcely worth reading-. This , however , is not altogether true of them this year . It is our pleasing duty to report that they are better than might be expected . JBlackwood continues 'What will he do with it , ' and ' Scenes of Clerical Life . ' The chapters of the latter , always good , grow in interest , and arc happily contrasted with iBuiAVUK IrviToa ' s affected writing and stilted sentiment . One cannot help feeling , indeed , that there is a covert satire in introducing these stories "together , the inflated , superficial feeling and exaggerated style of the one being a striking foil to the serene depth of insight , the delicate handling and perfect naturalness of the other . It is difficult to give an adequate notion of these qualities by extract , as they pervade and give vital unity to the whole rather than special brillianey to detached parts . The following passage , however , is worth quoting : —
Mr . Jeromes was not the only mind that was seriously disturbed by the idea that tho curate was overworking himself . There were tender women ' s hearts in which anxiety about the state of bis affections was beginning to be merged in anxiety about trie state of his health . Mass Eliza Pratt had at one time passed through much sleepless cogitation on the possibility of Mr . Tryan ' s being attached to some lady at a distance—at Laxeter , perhaps , where lie had formerly held a curacy ; and her fine eyes kept close -watch lest any symptom of engaged afFections on liis part should escape her . It seemed an alarming fact that his handkerchiefs were beautifully marked with hair , until she reflected that ho had an unmarried sister of whom he spoke with much affection as his father ' s companion and comforter . Besides , Mr . Tryau had never paid any distant visit , except one for a few days to Iris father , and no hint escaped him of his intending to take a house , or change his mode of living . No ! ho could not bo engaged , though ho might have been disappointed . But this latter misfortune
13 one from which a devoted clergyman has boon known to recover , by tlio aid of a fine pair of grey eyes that beam on him with affectionate reverence . Before Christmas , however , her cogitations began to take another turn . She heard her father say ¦ very confidently that " Tryan was consumptive , and if ho didn ' t take more care of Iiimeelf , his life would not 1 ) C worth a year ' s purchase ; " and sliamo at having speculated on suppositions that were likely to prove so false , sent poor Miss Eliza ' s feelings "with all the stronger impetus into the one channel of sorrowful alarm at tho prospect of losing the pastor who had opened to her a now life of piety and self-subjection . It is a sad weakness in us , after all , that the thought of a man ' s death hallows him anew to us ; as if life wcro not sacred too—as if it were comparatively a light thing to fail in love and reverence to tho brother who has to climb tho whole toilsome steep > vith us , and all our tears and tenderness were duo to the one who is spared that hard journey .
ThoMisa Linnets , too , were beginning to take a new view of tho future , entirely uncoloured by jealousy of Miaa Eliza l ' rutt . _ " Did you notice , " said Mary , one afternoon when Mr « . Pettifer was taking tea 'With them—* ' did you notice that bb . o > rt , dry cough of Mr . Tryan ' s yesterday ? I hink ho loohs worse and -worse ovory week , and I only wisli I know liia sister : I
"Oh , mother ! " said Rebecca , " she ' s a very pious woman . And I ' m sure she thinks it too great a privilege to have Mr . Tryan with her not to do the best she can to make him comfortable . She can ' t help her rooms being shabby . " " I ' ve nothing to say again' her piety , my dear ; but I know very well I shouldn't like her to cook my victual . "When a man comes in hungry an' tired , piety won ' t feed him , I reckon . Hard carrots 'ull lie heavy on his stomach , piety or no piety . I called in one day when she was dishin' up Mr . Tryan's dinner , an' I could see the potatoes was as watery as watery . It ' s right enough to be speritial—I ' m no enemy to that ; but I like my potatoes mealy . I don ' t see as anybody ' ull go to heaven the sooner for not disgestin' their dinner—proridin' they don ' t die sooner , as mayhap Mr . Tryan will , poor dear man !" 11
It will be a heavy day for us all when that come 3 to pass , " said Mrs . Pettifer . " We shall never get anybody to fill up that gap . There ' s the new clergyman that's just come to Shepperton—Mr . Parry ; I saw him the other day at Mrs . Bond ' s . He may be a very good man , and a fine preacher ; they say he is ; but I thought to myself , what a difference between him and Mr . Tryan ! He ' s a sharp-sort-of-looking man , aud hasn ' t that feeling way with him that Mr . Tryan has . What is so wonderful to me in Mr . Tryan is the way he puts himself on a level with one , and talks to one like a brother . I'm never afraid of telling him anything . He never seems to look down on anybody . He knows how to lift up those that are cast down , if ever man did . "
The fourth part of ' New Sea-side Studies , ' still written at Jersey , is full of scientific interest . Old questions are treated in a novel manner , and new ones started and pursued with the accuracy and success of a genuine and experienced scientific hunter . Amongst the former is a discussion on the nature and conditions of pain , designed to prove that it does not exist at all among the lower animal organisms . As an illustration of the latter , read the account of vision , which disproves the common notion that images of objects are reflected on the retina , by showing that they must be formed , if formed at all , on the black pigment layer at the back of the eye . ' Memoranda from "the Manzanares * gives a pleasant sketch of Madrid , its architecture , manners and customs , population and environs . The view of Spanish character , given by the writer , is far from flattering : —
Spaniards have preserved a grave courtesy of manner , what we call a gentlemanly bearing , and a scrupulous regard for certain etiquettes and forms of speech ; but this is merely skin-deep , the very thinnish varnish ; they can be both rude and brutal upon occasion , and , as a general rule , to which , of course , there are most honourable exceptions , they are neither hospitable not serviceable . They excal in a profusion of polite phrases and generous offers , but if you look to them for performance , they are sadly wanting . Everything they have is yours , verbally , and as long as you do not take it ; the Spaniard whom you are introduced to for the first time , begs you , on parting , to know him for your friend , to bear in mind that his house and his horse , and everything that is his , are not his but yours , and conjures you not to fail to have recourse to him si se qfrece alyo—if in any earthly way he can be of use to you . He tells you all this with an earnestness and vivacity very apt to carry conviction of his sincerity , and itis amusing to -witness the embarrassment of an uninitiated foreigner , who thus finds himself overwhelmed , by a perfect stranger , with longwinded professions of the warmest friendship , and of the most ardent desire to endow him with all his worldly goods , and render him any possible service . The foreigner ,
however , if not very dull , soon finds out that all this verbal liberality and love are only an unmeaning ceremony , and he learns to take them for what they are , mere palaver , and for what they arc worth , -which is exactly nothing at all . If he be so simple , after either short or long acquaintance , as to take his Castilian uu pied de la lettre , and to ask him to take trouble for him , or to do him a service of any kind , it is ten to one that the other will refuse or sliuflle out of it . As to hospitality , Ford , to whom , although an unsparing critic , a keen insight into Spanish character and feelings cannot be denied , says that a Spaniard ' s idea of it is to dine with every one who asks him , This is true enough , and is to be accounted for only by a complete blindness to the advantages of reciprocity , or else by a conviction , which a Spaniard is likely enough to entertain , that when he dines with a foreigner the whole of the honour and advantage is for the host . If you go into the room where he is feeding , ho points to his dish of beef and beans , and asks you if you will be pleased to eat . In reply , you wish him luenprovecho ( that it may profit him ) , and , if you are wise , you decline : in the first place , because a Spanish dinner is usually a bad dinner ; and , secondly , because , in reality , he neither wishes nor expects you to accept , and would be rather anno 3 * cd tlian otherwise if you did .
Frmer has a long and interesting paper on ' Magpies , ' full of curious ancc dotes about that mischievous imp of a bird . Take the following as a speci
men : — The story to which we now call the attention of hucIi of our readers as are not fast asleep , -was forwarded to us by one of those hard-working clergymen by whom tho church is supported but who do not derive much support from , the church ; and wo will give it in his own words . Tho story , writes he , to which you refer , proves the truth of Sydney Smith ' s observation that whatever powers of oratory a parson may have , all command over the attention of his audience is at once lost when a bird makes its appearance in tho church . . Such certainly was tho case when Jack , u magpie , well known in tho villago of , in tho county of Kent , for his mischievous propensities , entered the village church in tho afternoon of Sunday , July 20 th , 1852 , during tho time of divino service . Our friend hopped quietly in at tho open door , and , for a time , surveyed the congregation , recognizing many a friend wlio was wont to greet him with words of kindness and familiarity ; but , upon this occasion , Jack was surprised at finding that no notice was taken of him . At laat ho acomed determined tliat ho would not bo thus overlooked , and down tho middio aialo ho marched knocking at
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¦ - ?— : — ' - . ¦ Critics are not th . e legislators , but the judges andpolice of literature . They do not make laws—they interpret and try to enforce them . —Edinburgh Review .
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No . 389 , September 6 , 1857 . ] THE LEADER . 857
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Leader (1850-1860), Sept. 5, 1857, page 857, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2208/page/17/
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