Year: 1863

Long before the outbreak of the
war there were living in some oil
the English counties certain
widows and gentlemen, who were
the depositaries ofapower destined
to exercise a great sway over the
conduct of the war. Their ways
were peaceful, and they were not
perhaps more turned toward
politics than other widows and
country gentlemen, but by force OF
deeds and testaments, by force of
births, deaths, and marriages, they
had become the members Of an
ancient firm or company which
made it it's business to collect and
disseminate news. They had so
much good sense Of the worldly
sort, that instead ofstruggling with
one another for the control OF their
powerful engine, they remained
quietly at their homes, and en-
gagged some active and gifted men
to manage the concern for them in
London. The practice of the
company was to issue a paper
daily, containing an account of
what was going on in the world,
together with letters from men OF
all sorts and conditions who were
seeking TO bring their favorite
subjects under the eye Of the pub
lie, and also a few short essays
upon the topics OF the day.


1t became the foremost journal
of the world; and this was no
sooner the case than the mere fact
of its being thus foremost gave a
great acceleration to its rise, for
simply because it was recognized
rs the most public of prints it be-
came the clcw with which anxious
man went seeking in the maze of
the busy world for the lost, and
the unknown, and all that was
beyond his own reach. The prince
who was claiming a kingdom, the
servant who wanted a place, the
mother who had lost her boy, they
all went thither. Thither Folly
ran hurrying, and was brought to
a wholesome parley with Wisdom.
Thither went righteous anger
Thither also went hatred and
malice. And not in vain was all
this concourse; for either the
troubled and angry men got the
discipline of finding that the world
would not listen to their cries, OF
else they gained a vent for their
passions, and brought all their
theories to test by calling q
whole nation-nay, by calling the
civilized world-to hearken and be
their witness. Over all this throne
of appellants me- unknown sat III
judgment, and violently, per
haps, but never corruptly - 3
rough sort of justice was done
The style which Oriental hyperbolt
used to give to the sultan might be
claimed with more color OF truth
by the journal. In a sense it was
the "asylum of the world"


Many years ago it had occurred
to the managers of this company
that there was one important
article of news which had not beer
efectually supplied. 1t seemed
likely that, without moving from
his tireside, an Englishman would
be glad to know what the bulk ot
his fellow countrymen thought up.
on the uppermost questions of the
dav. 1t is said that with this in.
tent they many years ago employed
a shrewd, idle clergyman, who
made it his duty to loiter about in
places of common resort and find
out what people thought upon TIE
principal subjects OF the time. Hs
was not to listen very much to ex'
treme fooliShness, and still less
was be to hearken to clever people
His duty was to wait and wait til
he observed that some common
and obvious thought was repeated
in many places, and by number:
OF men who had probably nevel
seen one another. That one com


mon thought was the prize ht
sought for, and he carried il hom,
To his employers. He became 81
skilled in his peculiar calling that
as long as he served them, th,
company was rarely misled; anC
although in later times they wer'
frequently baffled in their pursui


of this kind of knowledge, the,
never neglected TO do what the,


could To search the heart OF tn


nation. When the managers ha'
J IL