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«Wisdom and Destiny ”’ throbs with the deepest love for, and 
sympathy with, humanity; and a lofty belief in the ultimate 
ennoblement of man. He strenously, yet lovingly, exposes those 
‘* parasitic virtues ’’—false resignation and feeble self-sacrifice— 
**« Wait till the hour of sacrifice sounds ”’ is his advice to us, ‘till 
then each man do his work. The hour will sound at last, but 
let us not waste all our time in seeking it on the dial of life.’’ 
On its literary merits alone the book lays claim to the title 
“‘oood.”’ The figures of speech Maeterlinck uses to convey his 
meaning are always apt and striking, often wonderfully beautiful ; 
whilst his prose is delightfully simple, clear and poetic. There 
is a rhythm about some of his lines that reminds one of blank 
verse. 
But great as are its literary excellencies ‘‘ Wisdom and Destiny” 
has other and greater merits. ‘This age of ours is generally 
regarded as pessimistic. The future looms darkly before us, and 
many look forward with gloomy forebodings as to what shall be. 
There is misery, disease, suffering injustice in the world of which 
our author is quite aware. 
‘© To-day ’’ he declares ‘‘ misery is the disease of mankind, as disease is the 
misery of man.’’ ‘ But just as there are physicians for disease ’’ so, in his 
opinion ‘‘ should there be physicians for human misery.’’ ‘‘As man was 
created for health, so mankind was created for happiness,’’ 
To the sorrowful this book comes as a tonic, to restore them 
to their normal condition of happiness. 
‘« Tt is well to believe that there needs but a little more thought, a little 
more courage, more love, more devotion to life, a little more eagerness, one 
day to fling open wide the the portals of joy and truth,”’ 
Whilst this age is pessimistic it is also much given to look at 
the material side of things, forin these busy days those of us who 
are not actually indifferent to, yet spare very little time for, the 
cultivation of that inner life which to Maeterlinck was so real. 
He makes a timely appeal to our nobler instinct by, proclaiming, 
like the greatest philosophers of all ages and climes, those un- 
changeable truths of which we so easily lose sight. There is a 
happiness which does not owe its origin to the possession of mere 
wealth, yea even, our author assures us, that is independent of 
great intellectual attainments, for he says that 
‘“The difference between joy and sorrow is but the difference between a 
gladsome enlightened acceptance of life, and a hostile, gloomy submission ; 
between a large and harmonious conception of life, and one that is stubborn 
and narrow.”’ 
No better estimation can be given of ‘‘ Wisdom and Destiny ”’ 
than the words of Mr. Sutro when he says— 
«Tt is a book that many will love—all those who suffer, for it will lighten 
their suffering ; all those who love, for it will teach them to love more deeply. 
It is a book with its faults, doubtless, as every book must be; but it has been 
written straight from the heart and will go straight to the heart of many.”’ 
