The Saint Paul globe., 1905-01-01
APOSTLE OF TEMPERANCE
LAMPOONS ENGL AND'S RULER
Sir Wifrid LAWSON Who Calls Himself the Worst of
Poets, Writes Some Clever Verse

for it. And authors themselves reserve
their witty observations and biting
epigrams for their books. They don't
give their best away for nothing.
Carmen sylvia has found that one of
the penalties of successful authorship
is too heavy to pay, providing the au-
thor happens also to bea queen, with
lot of state duties to look after. So
she has sent out a circular asking
young authors to stop sending their
MSS to her for criticism. "Her majes-
ty," says the circular, though work
ing from s o'clock in the morning un-
til an advanced hour of the night, can
not discharge all the tasks that develve
upon her in her capacity as sovereign,
as philanthropist, and as woman of
letters
Carlyle's books are far less widely
read than they were twenty years ago,
but interest in the man himself and the
things he said continues unabated.
Some delightful glimpses of him are
contained in a volume of "Retrospects, !"
by Prof. William Knight which has
just been published. What, for in
stance, could be more characteristic
of the most intolerant of sages than
this: "He was once speaking about
Darwin in the broad Scottish dialect
into which he often relapsed when
said: 7 think that they scienteefic
men must expect God Almighty to
come to them some fine mornin' and gle
them patent to make a WarId; they
seem so curious to know how this one
was made / humbly ventured to say
that l thought him unjust to Darwin,
and was trying to explain what I con-
sidered the chief point in Darwin's
magnificent theory. He at once inter
NO caI. ;e4o L.
than John Null (Mill) or Master Her
bert Spencer; they're a. magneeficent
aSSeSi'"
When told that family worship was
less common in his native country
than it used to be, Carlyle remarked,
so much the worse for Scotland" He
lapsed into long praise of Calvinism,
and when Prof. Knight ventured to
suggest that there might be another
side to the question he said sternly:
There is no other. It's Calvinism that
makes heroes. 1t made oliver and
there never was greater hero than
Oliver" 1t is well known that he en-
tertalned a poor opinion of both Dis
raeH and Gladstone, as well as of most
contemporary politicians though 1t has
been observed that he never spoke dis
respectfully of the former after he
had offered him a title. Prof knight
that Dizzy has got a conscience.
GLADLY has conscience, but he just
turns 1t any way he has stomach to,
and Immediately thinks 1t a call from
Godl" What an infinite pity 1t is that
carlyle never had a Boswell! AS con-
ta1nlng an answer to Carlyles sneer
against him, these observations made
by Gladstone to the author are worth
quoting:
People talk of change in opinion
as If 1t were a disgrace To me it is
a sign of life. If you are alive you
must change. It is only the dead who
remain the same; and of all charges
brought against a man or party that
OF inconsistency because of changed
opinion, leading to change of front.
Is the most inapt. AS trumped up
against political opponent; it Is
usually mere party trick I have
changed my point of view on a score
OF subjects. and my convictions as to
very many of them" Evidently the
g. o. m. would have agreed with Elmer
son that Consistency is the hobgoblin
of petty minds C n