of furtive ability to peer into a
millstone as far as any, had attracted the attention of several statesmen.
One of these, Charles Montague, afterward Lord Halifax, remarked, "I am a
friend of the Church, but I propose to do it the injury of keeping Addison
out of it."

Montague discussed the matter with Lord Somers, and these two concluded
that just a trifle more maturity of that gently ironical mind, a little
more seasoning of the gracious personality, and the State would have in
Joseph Addison a servant of untold value.

Thus we see that England's policy of selecting and training men for the
consular and diplomatic service is no new thing. It is a wonder that
America has not ere this profited by the example. The tradition holds that
we must at least have a scholar and a gentleman for the Court of Saint
James, and several times we have been put to straits to find the man. The
only way is to breed them and then bring them up in the way they should
go.

But beyond the zealous desire of Montague and Lord Somers to educate good
men for the diplomatic service, lurked the still more eager wish to secure
able writers to plead and defend the party cause. With this phase of the
question America is more familiar; the policy of rewarding able speakers
and ready writers with offices ready made or made to order has come to us
ably backed by precedent untold.

Addison set himself to literary tasks, but still regarded himself as a
scholar. Leisure fitted his temperament--he was never in haste, even when
he was in a hurry, and he carried with him the air of having all the time
there was. Nothing is so ungraceful as haste. Addison always had time to
listen; and we make friends, not by explaining things to other folks, but
by allowing others to explain to us.

The habit of attentive, sympathetic listening came to Addison early in
life. From his twenty-first to his twenty-seventh year he lived a studious
life--idle, his father called it--writing essays, political pamphlets and
Latin verse. His political friends took care that some of the output was
purchased, so that he was assured a comfortable living; but his success
was not sufficient to inflate his cosmos with an undue amount of ego.

One small book of criticism which he produced about this time was
entitled, "Account of the English Poets." A significant feature of the
work is that Shakespeare is not mentioned, even once, while Dryden is
placed as the standard of excellence,