COUNTRY LIFE AN old Sussex labourer, noted locally for his
gift of philosophy, imparted the other day to a visitor some " Evidences of Christianity " that quite escaped the learned Paley and others of his school. He corroborated his inward belief by two signs: first, thistles never grew in churchyards—the germination of thistle-seed is one of the standard mysteries of amateur botany ; second, bread baked on Good Friday never went mouldy ; and in corroboration, he kept a piece of bread baked on that day. He had no doubt there was other evidence ; but this was good enough for him. Well, for myself I cannot remember seeing a thistle in a churchyard ; and second, I can parallel his views on Good Friday. A farmer, who was a close neighbour of mine, was interested in fruit-trees and said that no grafts did so well as those he inserted on Good Friday. Unfortunately he rationalised the belief by adding that be was not interrupted on this day.
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