Here and There in England. By a Fellow of the
Society of Anti- quaries of Scotland. (J. R. Smith.)—Surely our " antiquary " gives his experiences somewhat hastily and at random. " On Christmas Day," he says, every place, save churches, are closed, while New-rear's Day is unknown." Unknown! The writer could not have entered an English house, scarcely looked into a shop. This, of course, is merely a defect of observation. It may be paralleled by a defect of judgment shown here and there by hasty and consequently uncharitable judgments. It sounds spiteful, for instance, when he says of a oertain religious body in his own country, a body that has unquestionably made great sacrifices, that its " loaders have the gift of getting testimonials to themselves in money almost sufficient to make them independent for life." On the whole, our antiquary is at his best, like other men, when he does not go " beyond his last," when he talks about Bristol Cathedral and Strat- ford-on-Avon, rather than when ho discourses about men and things in general.
Previous page
