EDITORIAL OBSERVATIONS. 
101 
is its happy possessor can afford to be prodigal, for his prodi- 
gality makes him rich ; while he who carefully hoards up his 
little store obtains no increase thereof, and dies poor and 
despised. The wise man has said : “ There is that scattereth 
and yet increaseth ; and there is that withholdeth more than 
is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.” 
The necessity of our attempting the performance of the 
act would thus seem to have been laid upon us. The sturdy 
oak had long fallen ; and when the axe was placed at the 
root of the other tree, we were asked to give to it our feeble 
support. Readily we did so, but the mandate had gone 
forth, — the fatal stroke came, and then the cedar fell ! 
In the conducting of this journal, we shall most carefully 
avoid the introduction of those personalities that detract 
from a becoming controversy. Differences of opinion, per- 
haps, ever will exist among us respecting some things ; but 
these need not lead to angry discussion, or the indulgence of 
a vituperative and dictatorial spirit. The bitter of invective 
commonly engenders a love of retaliation, although it may 
not otherwise sensibly wound ; this awakens a desire to re- 
criminate, by which venial faults are unnecessarily exposed 
and character traduced. Fair discussion, a just criticism, and 
a temporate statement v T hen an injury has been done, so as 
to elicit either an apology or an explanation, or both, are not 
only admissible but called for, and to these our pages must 
not be closed ; but they shall not be sullied — not to say dis- 
graced — by the manifestation of an acerbity of temper, or of 
jealous feelings, arising from disappointment, real or fancied, 
or the supposed non-appreciation of merit. Were each to 
look within himself he w r ould find more than enough to 
amend ; and we would, therefore, that as a common brother- 
hood we should bear and forbear with one another, the only 
provocation amongst us being how we may best promote 
each other’s interests, and the only controversy, how we may 
most contribute to the general w r eal of the profession. The 
love of finding fault we well know is both natural and easy : 
— -the i£ many ” are more prone to censure than to praise. 
Moreover — 
