The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-02

to give up his position OF tutor at Trinity
Hall. On his stating in the summer OF 1882
that he could no longer take part in the
chapel services he resigned his tutorship
Mt the request Of the master, but was allowed
to retain his fellowship, which he held for
FIVE years longer. BY 1896 1t became
generally known that he had abandoned
Christianity. He had thus sacrificed a
career that had been very pleasant to him,
and for the moment he did not know that
he wa fit for any other. About this time
he declined, from self-distrust apparently,
the editorship OF the Reader. a newspaper
in which Thomas Hughes and others we're
Interested. During his last two years Of
residence at Trinity Hall he tried DIM
IDENTIFY and not always successfully to place
an article In MdcmillGn's Magazine. After
his return from his visit TO the United States
he published. in 1856, q pamphlet entitled
The Times on the American War: an His
torical Study. by l.. s. He signed only
his initials because he had been convinced
that at the outset OF his career "a a Journal
LIST he should not incur the enmity Of the
Times. The purpose OF this pamphlet was
TO prove that the newspaper in its persist
ent attitude toward the Amer lean civil war
had not only made a gigantic blunder, but
had been guilty of a public crime. Recur-
ring TO this period. when he was about
10 years old, Stephen wrote: by degrees /
gave up a good dea more than the legends
Of the Old Testament; and here ! must
make q further confession. Many admir-
able people have spoken OF the agony caused
by the abandonment OF their old creeds, I
have no such story to tell. In truth, I did
not feel that the solid ground was giving
way beneath my feet, but rather that I
was being relieved OF a burden"
In January, 1885, he began to write for
the Saturday Repiep, for which his elder
brother, Fitzjames, had been writing for
a decade. From the foundation of the
Pail Mall Gdsstts No became Q contributor
to hat journal also. From 1866 onward
he sent regular contributions to the New
York Nation. In lso5-S8 he published, first in
the Pail Mall and subsequently in a book.
q ne rSketches from Cambridge by a Don"
S. hich are still read with pleasure at Cam
bridge, and an late as the year 1900 were
denounced from the university pulpit.
Writing to Lowell in 1899 he said: You
make me ashamed by saying that you
looked out for articles OF mine in the Sdtur-
day. ! will tell you what l ordinarily do,
that you may not waste more time in that
way. / write two articles weekly: One a
review OF a book, and one A middle, l. e.,
an article which comes between the political
leaders and the VS. l never or very
seldom, write about America directly. be-
cause I disapprove OF the whole politics
Of the Saturday and Of the Pau Nal dor
which also I write occasionally or tina
and on most other points In 1866 Stephen
be gan his long tale of contributions to the
CornhiH Magazine. A number of essays
was followed by a series Of papers signed
"A Cynic.' He closed tho Cynio series on
becoming editor OF the CornkH. These
articles, though they were full Of Stephens
genius Of common sense, quaint humor,
dislike for extravaganza and disgust for
false sentiment and artificial gush. did not
reflect his higher thought. At hear he
was no cynic, and had no love for cynics.
He was closer to ~Thackeray and Lowell
than to Swift. He had not histrionic power
enough to become a good stage cynic, and
in some Of the qualities that 60 to make
the cynic OF real life he was miserably
deficient. Besides writing for the CornhiH,
the Saturday, Pail Mall Gazette and Nation,
he became a frequent contributor to Fraser,
and from 1870 onward to the FoTtniohtIy
RerteW.
How uncertain, nevertheless, was his
prospect OF making a livelihood by journal
ism is shown by the fact that on May 81,
lso7-on the eve, that Is, of his marriage
Stephen vas admitted as a student at the
Inner Temple, and proceeded to eat some
dinners. Subsequently he went to Lincoln
Inn, but in 1875, after keeping only two
terms, he removed his name from its books.
He took some interest in the passing Of the
Clerical Disabilities act Of 1870, which made
il possible for a clergyman to become a
barrister OF a member Of Parliament.