d5arDett in Winter 



As we part with the illusions of our youth, so 

 also do some of us find that we let go the illusions 

 once cherished as to the positive foundation of 

 the beliefs and dogmas of religion. In their place, 

 however, we may have gained a more vivid sense 

 and appreciation of the beauty and sublimity of 

 its poetry; of the life and teachings of a moralist 

 like Rabbi Joshua, etherealized in the expositions 

 of the church which is founded upon his benevo- 

 lent altruism; or of the pure pity and sympathy 

 for human frailty and suffering which led Sid- 

 dharta to the ascetic life and self-denying philoso- 

 phy which have chastened the moral standard of 

 countless millions of human beings for nearly 

 twenty-five centuries past. 



A poor old woman who came to me a long time 

 ago in her distress at being given notice to quit 

 her humble abode in default of the rent, expressed 

 a reflection which has lived in my mind ever since 

 as a beautiful specimen of the poetry of religion. 

 " We are all tenants at will," she said, and she 

 found consolation in this universal and humble 

 conception before the Supreme Author of all 

 being. 



213 



