and are at their wits' end;-and the result with them also is confusion, chaos, and darkness.

Some few, however-having the soul to worship and adore, the great heart which can take in and love all mankind, and the mind to understand—have been enabled with keen vision to pierce through all the abnormal growths, and approach the veil itself; yea, even with reverent hand to rustle it aside, and get glimpses of the glory beyond. Many of these have been denied the gift of utterance: and only their own souls have been benefited. Here and there one has had the ready tongue as well as the keen eye, and has discoursed upon that recovered glory in such wise as has been sweet music to many kindred, yet less keensighted, souls; and has opened the gates of the best of all heavens-that which has its beginning here in peace of mind. Amongst these-devout and true on the side of religion; earnest, profound, and true on the side of science; a living, glorious example of the perfect reconcilability of faith and knowledge-stands Oliver Wendell Holmes; and whatever we may say, or have said, we can give him no worthier tribute than this. It is a grand and excellent thing that in these days when, to a large extent, being scientific means being without faith and without religion, one so sought after as is Dr. Holmes for his scientific teaching, is also a simple and earnest Christian. We all must have great admiration and regard for those who open

up to us the vast treasures of nature, and who show us the manifold operations of our bodies and our material existence and surroundings; but oh, it is pitiful that in so many cases the mechanism only of nature is discovered by the man of science; while the sweet and comforting influences, which are attendant upon the mechanical operations, are invisible to him. How eternally true that teaching is that these things are hid from the wise and prudent, and revealed unto babes and sucklings! The Greatest of all Teachers knew what he was talking about when he said, “Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein." This is the lesson so many of our scientific men have yet to learn; it is the lesson Dr. Holmes has learned. We feel sure that all men will at last learn it; but we cannot but pity those, who, grand and glorious on some sides of their nature, have not yet learned it.

We would not have it thought that our pity is cheap, and that we are blindly led to our conclusion by some creed or dogma, which will not bear discussion, for fear of being destroyed in the process. So far from this are we, that we desire such discussion, and are willing to admit that many grave difficulties beset continuous belief in those same sweet and comforting influences above referred to. There is so much that is hard to understand in the facts about us, that in some lights the one-sided philosophy which believes

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CHAPTER XIII.

MISCELLANEOUS.

BEFORE bringing our work to a close, there are some matters of general interest which Dr. Holmes has especially touched upon in his writings, that do not deserve to go unnoticed, although we have not space to give them separate chapters. We therefore have gathered them together into one chapter under the above heading, promising the reader that, although somewhat fragmentary, it will so far as lies in our power be interesting.

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We may commence with some remarks by the "Professor" upon Language. The talk at the Breakfast-Table turned upon Webster's Dictionary, which production did not quite meet with the approval of "the Little Gentleman." Said he "Let us have an English dictionary if we are to have any. I don't believe in clipping the coin of the realm, sir ! If I put a weather-cock on my house, sir, I want to tell which way the wind blows up aloft-off from the prairies to the ocean, or off from the ocean to the

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not in anything which cannot be proved, and refers all the pleasurable emotions to "molecular forces," and so forth, seems the safer philosophy. But, spite of the difficulty thus recognised; spite of the seeming contradictions; spite of mere reason—there are moments in life when every doubt is vanquished; when the cloud of unbelief is wholly dispelled; when the spirit is elevated far above all that is base and fleeting, and lifted to the heights of calm joy and assurance of immortality; when the soul is stirred with emotions of such supreme confidence and blessedness as transcend expression and cannot be guaged by words; when— to speak metaphorically-there is a rift in the clouds, and the clear shining light from heaven bursts upon the impassioned consciousness of the God-like in ust in its pure splendor; and faith-the highest of all belief is triumphant; for we see the kingdom of God and foretaste its glory.

As the "Poet" says :

"We demand

To know Him first, then trust Him and then love When we have found Him worthy of our love, Tried by our own poor hearts, and not before; He must be truer than the truest friend,

He must be tenderer than a woman's love,

A father better than the best of sires."

But in those heaven-lit moments we have mentioned, He

-our Father-is so revealed to us and it becomes