40 
EDITORIAL OBSERVATIONS. 
ordinary fellow, with a far greater capacity for the ledger 
than the Muses, and, though he dubs his critic f an enemy/ 
he wisely comes down from Parnassus. The people who 
think themselves e all creation * and deride the rights of 
others find, sooner or later, c an enemy ; who takes the 
nonsense out of them, and they gain modesty, self-know¬ 
ledge, and experience by the process. In fact, there is 
hardly a wiser phrase than that pretty French one, f Notre 
ami Vennemi / Our friend the enemy does all of us more or 
V 
less good in public, private, and international life.” 
It has ever been our desire to keep from partisanship, 
and to maintain an independent position for our journal. 
At times we have had a somewhat difficult course to steer, 
from the relative position in which we are placed ; but we 
have never swerved from our principles, nor have our duties 
always been light ; yet have they been cheerfully performed, 
because we have met with the support we both anticipated 
nd desired. 
The carping critic might after this perhaps be disposed to 
object and exclaim, “Mere egotism. Well has Aristotle 
said, ‘ Every one loves his own work.’ f Better let another 
man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and 
not thine own lips / as says the Wise man.” Now, we are 
in no mood to hold a disputation, but this we hesitate not to 
repeat, that we have never taken to ourselves the whole 
of the merit of the labour performed, knowing how much 
we owe to our contributors, without whose kind co-opera¬ 
tion we must have long ere this have failed in the satis¬ 
factory performance of our duty. “ Duty,” it was said by 
Napoleon, “always marches between rocks.” And in a twofold 
sense this may be accepted as true; for although there may 
be difficulties in its performance, these prove a defence when 
assailed, and also a barrier to escape, whatever may be the 
inclination. We are quite sensible that our endeavours 
have not been faultless; but we do hope that they have 
been condoned, because venial and such as are common to 
frail humanity. 
«/ 
We fear that the prevalence of the sad fratricidal war 
in America has withheld contributions from some of our 
