THOMAS EDWARD. f»l 



But side by side with this life he was living another 

 — of communion with the wonderful works of God, who 

 took upon himself this part of his teaching, instead of 

 the dominie with his taws and cane; binding him 

 apprentice to nature, instead of to drunken Charley 

 Begg, in the Grallowgate ; and after his days of sordid 

 stooping over uppers and twitching at waxed-ends, 

 giving him nights of wonderful intercourse with all 

 living things; appointing him "the beasties " for 

 books, and the silent hours of darkness for his school- 

 time ; and holes in dykes, or bields under stone walls, 

 or bits of crumbling ruin, for his schoolrooms. This 

 was the man helped of Grod. 



If you want to know how Thomas Edward lived 

 those two lives side by side, helping himself manfully 

 under the heavy burdens of a poor man among poor 

 men, and letting Grod help him wonderfully, in gather- 

 ing wide and rare knowledge of plants and beasts, 

 birds, and creeping things, fishes, and crabs, starfishes, 

 and molluscs, till he was able to add new chapters to 

 the great book of natural science, and to teach teachers, 

 and win honour from renowned naturalists, and was, at 

 length, made an Associate of the most famous of their 

 societies, you will find the story told fully and feelingly 

 in Mr. Smiles' "Life of a Scotch Naturalist," published 

 by John Murray. 



And you will read, too, how close work at the 

 cobbler's stool by day, and wandering and watching 

 and lying out by night, wrestlings with winter's winds 

 and frosts, drenchings with rain, wettings from se;ts, 

 tumbles from cliffs, with long fastings, and spare fere, 



