TRINIDAD : THEN AND NOW. 



15 



type-writing ; but have you never heard it said that 

 bad spelling and bad hand-writing are the charac- 

 teristics of all clever men ? " " "Well," he replied, 

 " if that is so my college is overrun with a number 

 of coming clever men. ' ' 



In writing these sketches I have occasionally in- 

 troduced some lighter shades to give a little bright- 

 ness to the more solid matter — a theory quite in har- 

 mony with a passage in the second book of Maccabees 

 which reads : 



" For as it is hurtful to drink wine or water 

 alone ; and as wine mingled with water is pleasant, 

 and delighteth the taste : even so speech finely 

 framed delighteth the ears of them that read the 

 story. 7 7 



I have, therefore, endeavoured here and there to 

 mingle a little wine with the water to render it more 

 palatable to the taste of some, if not all, of my 

 readers. 



I will quote one more passage from Maccabees 

 as applicable to this introduction. 



" But to us'e brevity, and avoid much labouring 

 of the work, is to be granted to him that will make an 

 abridgement. Here then will we begin the story ; 

 only adding thus much to that which hath been 

 said, it is a foolish thing to make a long prologue, 

 and to be short in the story itself." 



