28                 THE WISCONSIX'FARME                           .

                   Good Tute.                             Never too Old to
Lem.

     Good ta~ste is the "luminous shadow" of all  Socrates, at
an extreme age, learned to play
   the virtues. It in social discretion, it is intel-on mustical instrnmetst,
for the pdtrpes of re-
   lectual kindnes, it is external modesty and  Casting the we r and tea
t of old ags
   propriety, it is apparent unselfishness. It Cato, at eighty years of age,
thought proper
   wounds no feelings, it infringes on no deco- to learn the Greek language.
   rums, it respects all scruples. A man thus  Plutarch,when between seventy
and eighty,
   gifted, even though he be not a wit, spreads a commenced the study of
Latin.
   genial influence about him from the trust he  Boccaccio was thirty years
of age when he
   inspires. The stiff man can unbend, the cold commenced his studies in
polite literature, yet
   man can thaw, the fastidious can repose on he became one of the three
great naters of
   him. No one is committed to more than he the Tuscan dialect, Dante and
Petrarch being
   chooses; no ungenerous use is made of an un- the other two.
   usual or transient impulse.  Good taste is  Sir Henry Spelman neglected
the sciences in
   practical, though not deep knowledge of char- his youth, but commenced
the study of them
   acter; it is perception of the distinctive points when he wat between
fifty and sixty years Of
   of every occasion; and thus it reconciles and age.  After this time, he
became a most
   harmonizes, where bad taste perpetuates dif- learned antiquarian and lawyer.
   ferences. and necessitates separations. And  Colbert, the famous French
minister, at six-
   yet, we by no means wish to make good taste a ty years of age, retured
to his Latin and law
   synonym  either for virtue or intellect-it is studies.
   rather that quStity which sets off both at their  Ludovico, at the great
age of one hundred
   best. It is an affair, in some degree, of social and fifteen, wrote the
memoirs of his own
   training-it is one aspect of knowledge of the times. A singular exertion,
noticed by Vol-
   world. Those who are little in general socie- taire, who was himself one
of the most re-
   ty-wbo confine themselves to family inter- markable instances of the progress
of age in
   course, or to that of a set or clique, whatever new studies.
   the position, whatever the intellectual or mor-  Ogilby, the translator
of Homer and Virgil,
 al pretentious of that clique-are almost sure was unacquainted with Latin
and Greek till he
 to fail in it in new scenes.                 was past fifty.
                                                 Franklin, did not fully
commence his philo-
    All erons of a single idea, engrossed by sophical pursuits till he had
reached his fifti-
 one  t b~ect, are perpetually infringing on the eth year.
 rules oif good taste.  If they are religious,  Accorso, a great lawyer,
being asked why he
 they are pragmatical and intolerant, regard- began the study of law so late,
answerdd, that
 less of sensibilities. If they are useful, they indeed he had began it late,
but he should
 do their work with unnecessary fuss. If they therefore master it the sooner.
 are learned, or deep, or clever  they make  Dryden, in his sixty-eighth
year, commenced
 those good gifts unpopular. If they are grave, the translation of the Iliad;
and his most
 they are a check and restraint. They fail in pleasing productions were written
in his old
 every social crisis. In every difficulty they age.
 take the wrong way. They are forward when           -
 they ought to be retiring-their diffidence is      Sketch of Luther by Carlyle.
 constantly misplaced. There is no knowing
 where such people are-to what lengths an    A coarse, rugged, plebian face
it was, with
 emergency or excited spirits will drive them, great crags of cheek bones-a
wild amount of
 It is the cause of half the seeming injustice passionate energy and appetite!
But in his
 of society.                                  dark eyes were floods of sorrow
and deepest
                                              melancholy; sweetness and mystery
were all
   The man of bad taste cannot comprehend there. Often did they seem to meet
in Luther
why things are not tolerated in him which are the very same opposite poles
in man's charac-
allowed in others. He is the last to see that ter. He for whom Ritchie had
said that his
the presence or absence of a correct taste words were half battles, be, when
he first be-
make the same practice or amusement agree- gan to preach, suffered unheard
agony. -Oh!
ble or repugnant-that nothing can be judged Dr. Stanpits," said he to
the vicar-general of
fairly without taking the manner of doing it his order, 'I shall die in three
months; in-
into consideration  lie is therefore, forever deed, I cannot do it."
 Dr. Stanpitz, a wise
grumbling at the inconsistencies and partiali- and considerate man, said,
upon this, "Well,
ties of mankind.  The fact is, every hinge Sir Martin, if you must die, you
must; but
with some people, grates and creaks, at each remember that they need good
heads up yon-
turn jarring on sensitive nerves; while good der, too: so preach man, preach,
and then live
taste is the oil which keeps the machinery of or die, as it happens !"
So Luther preached
society, with the least wear and tear, nois  and lived, and he became, indeed,
one great
lesaly and profitibly at work.-London &afwr- whirlwind of energy, to
work without resting
day Review.                                  in this world; and also, before
he died, he



I