Miscellaneous Papers. 19^ 



to the root of nothing, and shows neither great force nor 

 insight, it is still the work of a well-read man, a calm 

 thinker, a sound mind, and a graceful writer. What would 

 the world do if it had no violent bigots ? if all its men would 

 listen calmly to the other side, their objects of dislike would 

 have no chance of being destroyed. Millions of gentle 

 pattings will never do the work of one blow. 



Yet after this comes, as a great exception in this 

 part, a paper by John Dalton — his powerful but gentle 

 first introduction into the work of the Society — in an 

 * Essay on the Vision of Colours.' This is elsewhere spoken 

 of — it was clear and new. 



We have then an inquiry into the name of the founder 

 of Owen Abbey, in Northumberland, by Robert Uvedale, 

 M.A., of Trinity College, Cambridge. 



* On the Benefits Arising from the Institution of Literary 

 and Philosophical Societies,' by the Rev. Thomas Gis- 

 borne, Yoxall Lodge. It is abstract, and produces no 

 account of results. 



A Universal Written Character. — Dr. Anderson, of 

 Glasgow, founder of Anderson College, brings forward his 

 treatise * On a Universal Character,' and makes us think 

 of Melville Bell, of Edinburgh, and his work on 'Visfble 

 Speech,' and of his still more illustrious son, who has 

 given us the telephone and the photophone. Another 

 paper on this subject is by Dr. John Kemp. 



Some of these writings show interesting workings of 

 the mind, the influence exercised by the Society, and the 

 vague sketchings of men who did not live long enough to 

 find if they had begun that which had a useful terminus in 

 nature. It may, perhaps, be unfair to call Graham Bell 

 greater than his father, a man who is so successful in 



O 



