It is rather a misfortune for Sir William Harcourt that
at Derby he has succeeded a man of singular piety, and that he feels himself compelled to follow in Mr. Plimsoll's steps. He was present on Wednesday at the celebration of the Sunday- School Centenary in the Drill Hall, Derby, and did a good deal of text-quoting, which, though it may have been genuine, cer- tainly does not suit Sir William Harcourt's particular style ; and like all such performances when proceeding, from a thorough man of the world, does not edify, but makes one feel very un- -comfortable indeed. It is quite true, no doubt, that "the things -which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal ;" but when Sir William Harcourt recalls to us this truth, one cannot help observing how very " temporal " it sounds from his mouth. Sir William Harcourt does not play the part of what the Sunday-School child called " a moulting angel,"— an angel temporarily deprived of his wings by the moulting season,—at all well. And when he proceeds to quote our Lord's invitation to little children, the effect is simply painful. Really, if this sort of talk from this kind of statesman be popular with great constituencies, what very little spiritual discernment great constituencies must have ! Sir William should stick to the State and the Law, and leave the Kingdom and the Gospel to men of a different cast.
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