All the world will begin to believe in the latter
days, if the heirs to the great dukedoms, who have so keen an interest in believing in the stability of terrestrial things, and no reasonable hope of occupying in the next world as good a relative position as they do in this, preach the winding up of the age. Yesterday week a crowded public meeting was held at St. James's Hall, Earl Percy in the chair, to hear.an address on the immediate proximity of the Second Advent. Earl Percy himself appeared to think that the doubts entertained by Churchmen as to the authenticity of parts of the Bible was the most ominous sign of the times. Ile then intro- duced a Mr. Walker, who preached for an hour and a half, appa- rently from an Irvingite point of view, on the approaching judgment, and Earl Percy moved the vote of thanks. Earl Percy's mind must be a singularly persuadable one to accept gratefully, and on evi- dence so slender, the assurance that he shall never enter into possession of the Northumberland estates. Perhaps he hopes to enter into a more glorious inheritance, and some day we trust he may ; but after all, in the meantime, the ideal administration of such resources in our poor world would not be so ignoble a trust even for a being of higher order than Earl Percy.
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