THE LAST YEARS 377 



January 12. Martineau says striking things, as 

 this - "For character to lose its hold on the affairs 

 of men and serve the anarchies of impulse is no more 

 possible than for the sheep to drive the shepherds." 

 However his justification of the Providence of God in 

 the permission of crime and cruelty in the world fails 

 like all such arguments to satisfy one. Of slavery, for 

 instance: if slavery is intended to work out a good 

 result in the end, it is none the less impossible to 

 think of it as an instrument in the dealing of an all- 

 wise, all-beneficent creator with his creatures. Better 

 to leave the mystery unsolved than to admit such 

 an explanation. 



January 26. We passed the morning at Mrs. 

 [John L.] Gardner's. There is but one thing to be said, 

 what the newspapers call her "palace" is simply a 

 beautiful creation. It must always be a delight for 

 every lover of art and architecture, and its very pres- 

 ence in the city is a benefaction to the community, 

 for it sets a standard of ideal beauty, largeness of 

 conception, combined with such exquisite charm and 

 grace of expression as can never be overlooked. No 

 building erected for artistic purposes can be hereafter 

 built in Boston without reference to this work of 

 Mrs. Gardner's as a standard, a measure of com- 

 parison. 



TO MRS. JAMES T. FIELDS 



Hamilton, March 25, 1902 



MY DEAR FRIEND: I cannot resist the temptation 

 to answer your card by a note. Your tempting in- 



