Pagina-afbeeldingen
PDF
ePub

In the course of my investigation I made a few inquiries in other quarters concerning"The Great Unloaded's " mode of life during his tenancy of "The Nest; " but little transpired that did not redound to his credit. His rent and his tradesmen's bills were paid in full through a local solicitor. It may be mentioned parenthetically that while his grocer's bill for sauces and condiments was considerable and constant, his butcher's bill was small and intermittent, especially from and after the 12th of August. I tried to draw his late cook, a remarkably shrewd old Scotch woman; but her deafness when I trenched on delicate ground was that of the nether mill-uent, stone. I honor her for her loyalty, and I only trust that she was not under the spell of a more tender passion. She and her master had been thrown much together, as he spent a large portion of each day in the kitchen; and to see much of Mr. Johnstone was to love him. Fortunately love and admiration of a worthy object bring their reward with them. So great was Mr. Johnstone's fame as a good liver, that Kitty M'Isaac has ever since commanded her own price as a cook.

[ocr errors]

table in which his soul delighted. And partial estrangement between those who was he to be severely condemned for this? think, with M. Laffitte, that the scientific Suppose, reader, that you shot a woodcock side of Positivism, or what calls itself by unobserved; what would you do? Tell that name, should take precedence of the about it, no doubt, and to every one you moral and religious side, and those who saw. Moved thereto by honesty un- think, with Mr. Congreve, that the emoadorned? Has not vanity a little to do tional culture of the Positivist Church with it? To test the matter, say, did you should take precedence of its scientific ever shoot one, and allow it to be supposed culture. In a sermon delivered at the for one moment that any one else shot it? Positivist School, 19 Chapel Street, Lamb's Probably not. It comes, then, to this Conduit Street, W.C., on the Festival of which is the meaner vice, vanity or greed? Humanity, Ist Moses, 91 (January 1, But perhaps I am rather a partial advo- 1879)"* Mr. Congreve explains, with his cate; or perhaps, after all, the fault lay in usual perfect equanimity, that the differthe woodcock being so portable. ences of opinion developed among the handful of the Positivists have turned out less serious than at one time he had been led to fear. Had Auguste Comte lived, he says, "to teach us what a pontiff should be, we might have escaped most of our present embarrassments. But left to ourselves, with a many-sided doctrine, and one whose greatest development was, by the necessity of the case, most perfect in the direction to which its author assigned the secondary, subordinate place, - a doctrine, therefore, not complete and rounded off to his wish in all its parts, but overweighted in its intellectual, as compared with the practical and religious constitit was hardly to be hoped that we should escape a divergence such as the present, which turns ultimately on the relative immediate importance of these two distinct yet, in our system, inseparable constituents." But Mr. Congreve, though deeply regretting the divergence, is rather relieved than otherwise at the form it has taken. The split has come, and there has, nevertheless, been no backsliding. The Positivists who hold to the more scientific. school have not deserted Positivism. The Positivists who join with Mr. Congreve in But was he the Reverend James John- a demand for the development of the Posstone, M.A., of Corpus College, Cam-itivist worship have been wholly faithful to bridge? Surely this admitted of easy their master. There have been heartascertainment. Well, I have not examined burnings, but none that Positivists, from the books of Corpus or the clergy list, and their higher standpoint, cannot regard as I cannot tell. But if that name is to be temporary, nay, as tending, perhaps, to found therein, I think I can safely say to a fuller development of Positivist energy its lawful owner, non de te fabula nar- than could have been secured without the ratur. schism. It appears that the schism originated with Mr. Congreve and those who think, with him, that Auguste Comte's religious principles were not adequately embodied in the habits of the Positivist communion prior to this schism: " "Painful as the responsibility was of changing the pre-existent order, it seemed to me, as to others, that it was a duty from which

From The Spectator.

THE POSITIVIST STRIKE FOR A LITURGY. WE have referred to the rent in the minute Church of the Positivists, the crack in the rather thin eggshell of the Religion of Humanity. There has been a

* Published by C. Kegan Paul & Co.

are met in praise, in prayer, in thanksgiving, to celebrate thy coming, in the fulness of time, for the visible perfecting of thy as yet unseen

work.

Priest.-We bow before thee in thankfulness;

People.

Priest.
People.

As children of thy Past.

We adore thee in hope;

As thy ministers and stewards for

the Future.

Priest. We would commune with thee humbly in prayer;

People.

As thy servants in the Present. All-May our worship, as our lives, grow more and more worthy of thy great name.

we might not shrink; that the taking it upon ourselves was the indispensable condition of a right presentment of the relig. ion of humanity as the one paramount consideration; that a bolder, fuller, more direct assertion of the religious aspect of our doctrine was the essential want; lastly, that the worship, in some form or other, must precede the teaching in a more marked degree than it had hitherto done. The extreme slowness of our progress we thought due, and the words of our common master warrant our so thinking, to our own imperfect appreciation of, and insisttence upon, this truth, more than to any external obstacle. We did not feel warSuch are the truly magnificent firstranted by our experience, much less by fruits of the great religious schism, -inthe course of the discussion when the volving perhaps a score of persons in issue was once raised, in looking for any England and it may be more still in France. decided change in regard to this defect on Our readers must not imagine that there the part of the then direction. The only is in those who composed this form of litalternative then was, either to acquiesce urgy any tinge of the feeling of mockery, in that which we thought so imperfect, or, - we should rather describe it as blasby a new combination, to attain complete phemy if we thought it mockery at all,freedom for working out our own concep- which such parodies of Christian worship tion of the true method to be pursued." naturally suggest to men who have not And so the schism came. A certain num- followed out the quaint history of Positivber of French and a certain number of ism. These services and prayers, there English Positivists-Protestant Positiv- are other prayers, which, as they repreists we may call them joined in it. They sent, we suppose, feelings among the Posi"adhered strictly to that most important tivists as much akin to what we call devoprinciple of avoiding all merely national formations." And Mr. Congreve and his friends are still "in full communion with the only other constituent of the West which furnishes religious disciples." We conclude, therefore, that the liturgical form which is prefixed to Mr. Congreve's discourse has been sanctioned, if not in detail, at least in principle, by the religious section of the French Positivists. On the 1st Moses, 91 were introduced, for the first time, into the services of the Positivist Church "the short sentences which precede the sermon ;" and "other additions," it is added, "will come in due time." Mr. Congreve declares of this new liturgy that its form "is due to the thoughtful co-operation of two members," and "with allowance for the accidental failure of the portrait" (whether of Humanity, or of Auguste Comte, or of Moses, whose month it was, it is left to outsiders to conjecture), "is, I think, very successful.” The short sentences referred to, which are the chief results as yet of this portentous schism among a score or two of French and English Positivists, are, we suppose, those which immediately succeed the following invocation to Humanity :

Holy and Glorious Humanity, on this thy High Day at the beginning of a new year, we

tion as those who ignore all existences higher than man's can entertain, we would rather not print,— are really and sincerely the expression of the highest Positivist piety. They are not parodies of Christian feelings. They are what Positivists maintain to be the legitimate residue of such feelings after the superstitions of theology have been purged away. The schism has evidently been a genuine strike for more and more earnest worship. These feeble little quavers of apostrophe to humanity, as they seem to those who worship God in Christ, are the expression of a genuine want, a sincere craving for more heat on the part of those who are weary of mere light. One part of the service of the new schismatic Positivist Church is devoted to the reading of Thomas à Kempis, but it is read with the changes described in the following grotesque explanatory note of Mr. Congreve's:

We read the "Imitation of Christ," by Thomas à Kempis, so strongly recommended by our founder as the most universally received manual of devotion and of a holy life; but it may be wise here, in order to avoid ambiguity or any doubt as to our use of it, to say that in using it we substitute Humanity for God; the social type for the personal type of Jesus; our own inward growth in goodness for outward

reward; the innate benevolent instincts for acknowledge," says Mr. Congreve, "the grace; our selfish instincts for nature.

sway of the dead." Nay, he not only acknowledges it, he hugs it, even after he has Thomas à Kempis, thus translated into emancipated himself from the belief of the the Agnostic dialect, must read as unlike dead. He loves the echo of words of the "Imitatio Christi" as does the lan- which the meaning for him has exhaled, guage of the benediction with which the and indulges himself in invocations to Positivist liturgy closes, namely, "The powers which he ostentatiously proclaims Faith of Humanity, the Hope of Hu- deaf and insensible. Nay, he goes so far manity, the Love of Humanity, bring you even as to foster a barren passion of graticomfort, and teach you sympathy, give tude to space itself. "We gratefully comyou peace in yourselves, and peace with memorate also," he says in his discourse, others, now and forever. Amen." Yet to "the services of our common mother, the those who realize, as careful readers of earth, the planet which is our home, and Mr. Congreve's discourse must do, that all with her the orbs which form the solar this is not "making believe very much," system, our world. We may not separate but a grave self-assertion of the legitimate from this last commemoration that of the authority of devout feeling against some of milieu in which we place that system, the the very few who had hitherto been his Space which has ever been of great service chief friends and supporters, there is some- to man, and is destined to be of greater by thing extremely pathetic as well as quaint his wise use, as it becomes the recognized in all this unreal and almost absurd rifa- seat of abstraction, the seat of the higher cimento of the language of Christian adora- laws which collectively constitute the destion. No wonder that Humanity is ad- tiny of man, and is introduced as such in all dressed in one of the prayers as about to our intellectual and moral training." How take to herself her "great power and "Space" is to become "the recognized reign," by inducing "all the members of seat of abstraction" is not explained; inthe human family, now so torn by discord," deed, we should have thought Space as to place themselves, "by the power of the much, or as little, entitled to our gratitude, unity of thy Past," "under thy guidance, if it failed to become "the seat of abstracthe living under the government of the tion," whatever such failure may mean, as dead." It is indeed the government of the if it succeeded in that ambitious enterdead, and the government of the dead prise. But however pallid these ghosts of only, as it seems to us, which could recon- the spiritual world which haunt the devocile living men, who reject as superstitious tions of the pious (as distinguished from all the doctrines of theology, first to dis- the scientific) Positivists may be, there is charge all the old meaning from the phrase- to us something very touching in this exology of worship, and then to cling to the traordinary craving for the restoration of form when the life is gone and make a the outside of worship, when the inside is solemn and painful duty of separating from utterly gone. It is difficult to believe that those who agree heartily with them in men who talk of "Space" in almost the creed, rather than fail in observances sug- same earnest and devout language in which gesting nothing but ghosts of repudiated we talk of God, are really feeding their faiths, rather than neglect to sprinkle souls with anything but wind; but even if ceremoniously every one of the sacrifices they are but feeding them with wind, there of life with a salt which has lost its savor, is a pathos in this passionate conviction of and seems, no doubt, even to their own theirs that they have a soul to feed, and more rationally-minded brethren, hence- that they must address flattering words to forth fit for nothing but to be cast out and it, if they cannot address any meaning. trodden under the feet of men. Why need We think we can tell them how this prowe wonder at Ritualism, in a day when pitiation of Humanity and Space will end. Agnosticism itself is ritualistic? when it It will end either in blank ennni, or in recprefers to perform its worship in the pres-ognizing once more that under what they ence of a portrait of (we suppose) one of Humanity's saints, when it composes liturgies to Humanity wherein priest and people unite in ascribing to that dim abstraction of their fancy, a fictitious existence and an imaginary Messianic glory. "We

[ocr errors]

had deemed empty shadows, is the fulness of one who, being in the form of God and filling all space, made himself of no reputation, in order to touch even the thinnest fancies of our otherwise poor and pale humanity with his infinite life and love.

From The Pall Mall Gazette.
A FIRE AT HONG KONG.

people borne past in blankets told us that the hospital was on fire. Still we made our way to the front, through the smoke, THE following account of the terrible up a street of small houses, mostly those fire which lately ravaged Hong Kong will of small Parsee merchants, who were hudbe found interesting: "We certainly have dling out bales of cotton, silks, embroidhad an exciting year: first the fearful eries, framed pictures, etc.; while so great rains-torm in May, then about a month was the mass of broken looking-glasses since an earthquake, and now the worst that walking became difficult. At last we fire ever known in Hong Kong. I, with reached the cordon of soldiers; and besome of our guests, went to the top of the yond it a blazing mass was all that remained house, where a gigantic column of flame of the civil hospital and eight other large and smoke rose before us. We soon saw houses. The governor and general stood that many houses were blazing. My there; and the governor said to me, 'I guests left me, and I remained on the roof, had to blow it up to save the gaol; 'and seeing the circle of hills on which the city then he whispered, 'God knows what we is built become more ghastly brilliant every may have to do: there are nearly one thouminute. The shouts, cries, yells, and sand prisoners.' Now came the shrill crash of the falling roofs became louder blast of the bugle, 'Stand back all.' Out and louder; the harbor was so lighted up came from the smoke the engineer officers, that I could see the boats putting off from having just laid the charges to blow up the the men-of-war. At last, at half past three, rear of the hospital, which adjoined the I heard the first explosion (they were be- gaol yard. Another explosion of bricks, ginning to blow up houses); and so, quit- blazing bits of rafter, a shower of sparks ting the house, I went through streets and blinding smoke, and a gorgeous cloud which by nine were blazing ruins, and soon of colored flame showed the drugs stored met homeless crowds carrying their little in the hospital were alight. Then came a household goods; while the streets were commotion which I did not understand. as light as day, and shaking every now Soldiers marched up, fresh cries were and then as the engineers blew up house raised; and a stranger coming up said, after house. X. and the doctor returned You had better stand up the rise of the at nearly six with a fearful tale. No one hill, for they are about to bring out the would take the responsibility of blowing prisoners.' It was like the riot scene in up the lines of Chinese houses; and so 'Barnaby Rudge.' I could hear the ormost valuable time was lost, till on the der, 'Fix bayonets;' and then down appearance of the governor the order was through the crowd and dust tramped the promptly given. Then the appalling work soldiers, with about one hundred wretched commenced. We had barely returned for handcuffed creatures in their midst. When a brief rest when some coolies rushed into X. and I returned we followed the govour garden, carrying furniture, and in- ernor through the back entrance into the formed us that the chief magistrate's house gaol, passing through the central police had caught fire. This was awful news. station, where the inspectors who are marIf the magistracy had gone the gaol and ried men have large quarters. Here Enthe civil hospital must go. I roused up glish furniture, books, ornaments, dresses X., when in rushed a coolie to say the lay about drenched with water. The govRoman Catholic cathedral was on fire. X. ernor of the gaol told me that the gaol was dressed himself in an instant, leaving me saved by the blowing up of the civil hosto follow with coolies carrying baskets of pital, but that the danger then was from sandwiches and brandy and soda-water. I the police-station stables. Very soon they trust never to see such a sight again. The were gallantly broken open, principally by long road shaded with trees leading from sailors, and huge piles of hay handed from our part of the town to the populous part man to man and thrown down the steep was alive with Chinese carrying their streets; and last night many homeless goods, women huddled together over beds, Chinese were cuddled under the hay. baskets, boxes, stools, clothes, crockery – Now the block of buildings in front of the anything and everything in the way of per- Oriental Bank was to be blown up. I sonal goods. Small-footed women tottered hastened thither, through a never-ending along, held up by their children; while scene of distress, to find the bank hung others bore some good bit of bronze or over with the handsome carpets soaked some family treasure. Several sewing-with water. Within doors papers were machines lay on the road, and I met a su- being packed in safes, bank-notes in fireperb American piano carried along. Sick proof boxes, and so sent down to the har

[ocr errors]

house adjoining," and delighted to gather round him a small circle of intimate friends, to whom, over a glass of "old port," he would relate, as he did with a peculiar indescribable dry humor, his experiences of men and things, and especially his reminiscences of the East India Company and of Charles Lamb. He always spoke of Lamb as an excellent man of business, discharging the duties of his post with accuracy, diligence, and punctuality. Chambers died on the 3rd September, 1862, aged seventy-three. It is a matter of regret that of all the stories he related of Lamb these alone are now remembered, and for the first time written down by their hearer. The circumstances under which they were told, the humor of Mr. Chambers, and the running commentary with which he always accompanied any allusion to Lamb are wanting to lend them the interest, vividness, and charm of their actual narration.

bor escorted by soldiers and placed in | snug cottage on the Eltham Road, near steam launches. I watched the blowing London," with garden, paddock and coachup of Ross's tailoring establishment, a fine block of buildings. Several fifty-pound charges of powder were laid, the bugle sounded again, and Ross's ceased to exist. This, however, saved our end of the town. Words cannot tell the scene in Queen's road, one of the sights of the city, for here are (or rather were) the curiosity and bird shops. The place was deeply littered with broken glass and shattered vases, burning silks and gauzes, smashed ivories, lovely lacquer cabinets in fragments. I tumbled over a lot of hares, ducks, geese, pheasants, etc., the whole of a poulterer's stock. The fire brigade, mostly volunteers, were still working, looking thoroughly exhausted. Before one shop an Irish lad declared he could not let the birds be burned alive; and, though he was warned that a fiftypound charge was in the house, he dashed in, broke open dozens of cages with his axe, and a flock of little canaries was all over Queen's-road in less than five min utes. By six o'clock in the evening all was over, smouldering ruins and falling walls only left."

From Macmillan's Magazine.
CHARLES LAMB.

THE following new and characteristic anecdotes of Charles Lamb are well worth preservation. They formed a part of the ample recollections of the late Mr. John Chambers of Lee, Kent.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

Mr. Chambers was for many years a colleague at the East India House of Charles Lamb, of whom he had a keen appreciation and warm admiration. He himself is referred to in the essay by Elia on "The Superannuated Man" under the letters Ch, as "dry, sarcastic, and friendly,' and in these words Lamb accurately defines his character. They probably worked together in the same room, or — in Indiahouse language "compound," a term which Lamb once explained to mean "a collection of simples." Chambers was the youngest son of the vicar of Radway, near Edgehill, to whom Lamb alludes in his letter given at page 307, vol. ii., first edition of Talfourd's "Letters of Charles Lamb" (Moxon, 1837). He was a bachelor, simple, methodical, and punctual in his habits, genial, shrewd, and generous, and of strong common sense. He lived, after his retirement from active duty in the East India Company's civil service, at a

1. Lamb, at the solicitation of a city acquaintance, was induced to go to a public dinner, but stipulated that the latter was to see him safely home. When the banquet was over, Lamb reminded his friend of their agreement. "But where do you

"That's your

live?" asked the latter.
affair,” said Lamb, “you undertook to see
me home, and I hold you to the bargain."
His friend, not liking to leave Lamb to
find his way alone, had no choice but to
take a hackney coach, drive to Islington
where he had a vague notion that Lamb
resided, and trust to inquiry to discover
his house. This he accomplished, but
only after some hours had been thus spent,
during which Lamb dryly and persistently
refused to give the slightest clue or infor-
mation in aid of his companion.

2. Lamb was one of the most punctual of men, although he never carried a watch. A friend observing the absence of this usual adjunct of a business man's attire, presented him with a new gold watch which he accepted and carried for one day only. A colleague asked Lamb what had become of it. "Pawned," was the reply. He had actually pawned the watch, finding it a useless encumbrance.

3. On one occasion Lamb arrived at the office at the usual hour, but omitted to sign the attendance-book. About midday he suddenly paused in his work and slapping his forehead as though illuminated by returning recollection, exclaimed loudly: "Lamb! Lamb! I have it ;" and rushing

« VorigeDoorgaan »