Sir Joshua Fitch's Address 275 



our lives: we feel as the Apostles did, " It is good to 

 be here ". All too soon we descend into the world of 

 duty; the vision passes 



" At length the man perceives it die away, 

 And fade into the light of common day". 



Yet we are the richer for life, for having had such 

 experiences. Memory brings back to me a day some 

 years ago, when in late autumn there was a succession 

 of sunset effects of quite extraordinary beauty. I was 

 staying at a country house, and among other guests 

 was Mr. Ruskin. Our host took us in the evening 

 to a terrace, whence we were able to see a spectacle 

 of wonderful richness a blaze of vivid colour, great 



' O 



masses of gold and crimson and pale-blue, and over 

 all the solemn shadows of the departing day. It was 

 very touching to see how all the little company were 

 awed and silenced in the presence of so much more 

 beauty than the corporeal eye could see. Most moved 

 of all was the great critic himself. All the dogmatism 

 and the love of paradox which were wont to charac- 

 terize Mr. Ruskin's conversation fell off from him like 

 a disguise, and he stood for some minutes humbly as 

 one entranced, and speechless with wonder and de- 

 light. 



Such experiences are rare in all our lives. But 

 when they occur they leave very precious memories 

 behind them. Coleridge, in his almost - forgotten 

 tragedy of Remorse, puts into the mouth of his hero, 

 Alvar, what seems to some a rhapsody, but what 

 many will recognize as sober truth: 



" With other ministrations, thou, O Nature ! 

 Healest thy wandering and distempered child: 



