AUGUST 435 



life rightly understood. There should never be hopeless- 

 ness and despair, whatever happens. The future is always 

 ours, to conquer and make noble. No one can really 

 crush us. Trodden under foot, if we choose we may rise 

 again better, even nobler, than all the fortunate ones 

 around us. It all depends on ourselves. That is why 

 I admire Mr. George Moore's ' Esther Waters ' almost 

 above all modern novels, although Messrs. Smith & Son, 

 whose stalls are covered with translations of French 

 novels, refused to sell it. 



In spite of age and experience, I feel that on all these 

 difficult subjects I have said very little that can be of use 

 to anybody. There is no receipt by which we can regulate 

 our lives. ' As our day is, so shall our strength be ' is a 

 fact to those who train their natures to meet with courage 

 the difficulties as they arise. 



One of our old divines states that ' Our infancy is full 

 of folly ; youth, of disorder and toil ; age, of infirmity. Each 

 time hath his burden, and that which may justly work 

 our weariness ; yet infancy longeth after youth ; and youth 

 after more age ; and he that is very old, as he is a child for 

 simplicity, so he would be for years. I account old age 

 the best of the three, partly for that it has passed through 

 the folly and disorder of the others ; partly, for that the 

 inconveniences of this are but bodily, with a bettered estate 

 of the mind ; and partly, for that it is nearest to dissolu- 

 tion.' I wish I could agree with Bishop Hall, but I do 

 not. I very often feel that quite the worst part of old age 

 is that it brings us so near to dissolution. My sympathies 

 all remain with the young, and I only feel at times 

 inclined to cry out with Thomas Moore : 



Give me back, give me back the wild freshness of Morning ; 

 Her clouds and her tears are worth Evening's best light. 



I fear everyone will think this is not at all as it 



FF2 



