CHAP. xxir. HIS INNER THINKINGS. 373 



know anything of his inner thinkings ? Why this per- 

 petual inquisitioning into the things that thoughtful 

 and conscientious men think and believe ? " Wait till 

 you are of my age, and wearing spectacles, and then I 

 will talk to you," was his answer to an inquiring young 

 friend. He might have added "Wait till you have 

 acquired wisdom and experience ; wait till you have 

 laboured and searched as I have done, and waited 

 patiently for more light ; and then we will talk about 

 the mysteries of the by-past world." 



After all, what do we really know ? It is but a mere 

 speck in the infinite of knowledge. " No man can find 

 out the work that God made from the beginning to the 

 end." To use the words of Dr. Parker " We live as in 

 a twilight of knowledge, charged with revelations of 

 order and beauty. We stedfastly look for a perfect 

 light, which shall reveal perfect order and perfect 

 beauty."* 



But whatever the Thurso people might think about 

 Dick's religious belief, there could be no doubt as to his 

 character. He was a kindly, cordial, honest, high-prin- 

 cipled man. Everybody acknowledged that. They 

 might call him what names they pleased, but they 

 could not fail to recognise the dignity and purity of his 

 mind. He did his duty honestly by all men. Hence he 

 enjoyed the friendship of some of the best men in the 

 place. The young students almost worshipped him. 

 He was constantly referred to as an authority on scien- 

 tific subjects; and no one could be more kind and 



* Morphology of the Skull, p. 363. 

 17* 



