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returns of the large number of books circulated from the Public 

 Library among these classes. The mention of the library reminds me 

 of a meeting I attended about 40 years ago to adopt the Public 

 Libraries Act. It soon appeared that the promoters were in a small 

 minority ; they were hissed and liooted. At length, a spokesman of 

 the majority appeared who looked the embodiment of his principles ; 

 he uttered a few strong sentences decidedly in accord with his ap- 

 pearance, and I shall never forget his peroration, which he concluded 

 amid the rapturous applause of the meeting with the phrase " Eddica- 

 tion is a cuss." 



One of the greatest improvements has been in the processes of 

 voting and elections so frequent in all highly civilized communities. 

 Formerly the system was so rude that it afforded no security, either for 

 representation in proportion to the prevalence of opinion, or against 

 the return of a candidate whose sentiments were opposed to those of 

 the great majority of the electors — this latter result often happened 

 when the majority could not at first agree on one candidate out of two 

 or three offering themselves. My younger hearers have no conception 

 of the passion imported some years since into political and religious 

 discussions. Even in politics a large number of persons would 

 habitually get so excited when they discussed them that they could not 

 reason at all about them, but only harangued, and assailed with 

 vituperation, those who did not agree with them. Now, as you know, 

 people can reason about them as calmly as they do about history or 

 political economy. The more moderate spirit with which religious 

 controversies are conducted is probably owing to the discovery made 

 in recent times, that what thoughtful and excellent people who have 

 studied the subject agree in is more likely to be true, and, probably, 

 at this late stage of mankind's existence, more important than what 

 they differ about. You know how large and influential is now the body 

 of those who hold to this principle, and who, so far as they have a 

 distinctive name at all, call themselves " true Catholics." 



A truth which was not much recognised until recently is that no 

 man can personally enjoy property after he is dead. As a consequence 

 persons show a much greater disposition than formerly to make good 

 use of it while they are living. We do not now call a person 

 charitable who only leaves his property by will to charitable objects, 

 because what he thus gives to them he takes, not from himself, but 



