London to John O' Croat's. 355 



boasts of its old mind-power and moral stature. Its 

 Theology stands iron-cabled, grand and solid as an 

 iceberg in the sea of modern speculation, unsoftened 

 under the patter of the heterodox sentimentalities of 

 human philanthropy. It is growing more and more 

 a City of Palaces. And the palaces are all built for 

 housing the poorest of the poor, the weakest of the 

 weak and the vilest of the vile. These hospitals are 

 the Holyroods of Edinburgh II. They honor it witli 

 a renown better than the royal palace of the latter 

 name ever won. 



I said, Edinburgh the Second. That is correct. 

 There are two towns, the Old and the New ; the last 

 about half a century's age. But the oldest will be the 

 youngest fifty years hence. The hand of a " higher 

 civilization," with its spirit-level, pick, plane and trowel 

 is upon it with the grip of a Samson. That hand will 

 tone down its great distinctive individualities and give 

 it the modern unity of design, face and feature. All 

 these tall houses, built skyward layer upon layer or 

 flat upon flat, until they show half a dozen stories on 

 one street, and twice that number on the other, are 

 doomed, and they will be done for, one by one in its 

 turn. They probably came in with Queen Mary, ami 

 they will go out under the blue-oytnl Alexandra. Thoy 

 will be supplanted by the most improved architecture 



