or more abundant spiritual experience,
may carry them through difficulties which surpass our strength.'

My brother's reverence for his father probably prevented him from
criticising this letter as he would have criticised a similar utterance
from another teacher. He has, however, endorsed it--I cannot say whether
at the time--with a tolerably significant remark. 'This,' he says, 'is
in the nature of a surrebutter; only the parties, instead of being at
issue, are agreed. My opinion as to his opinions is that they are a sort
of humility which comes so very near to irony that I do not know how to
separate them. Fancy old Venn and Simeon having had more capacious minds
than Sir James (_credat Christianus_).'

The 'Christian Observer' was at this time edited by J. W. Cunningham,
vicar of Harrow, who was trying to save it from extinction. He had been
educated at Mr. Jowett's, at Little Dunham and at Cambridge, and had
been a curate of John Venn, of Clapham. He belonged, therefore, by
right, to the evangelical party, and had been more or less known to my
father for many years. His children were specially intimate with my
aunt, Mrs. Batten, whose husband was a master at Harrow. Emelia Batten,
now Mrs. Russell Gurney, was a friend of Cunningham's children, and at
this time was living in London, and on very affectionate terms with
Fitzjames. He used to pour out to her his difficulties in the matter of
profession choosing. There were thus various links between the
Cunninghams and ourselves. Mr. Cunningham happened to call upon my
father at Norwich, in the summer of 1850. With him came his eldest
daughter by his second wife, Mary Richenda Cunningham, and there my
brother saw her for the first time. He met her again in company with
Miss Batten, on March 2, 1851, as he records, and thereupon fell in
love, 'though in a quiet way at first. This feeling has never been
disturbed in the slightest degree. It has widened, deepened, and
strengthened itself without intermission from that day to this' (January
3, 1887).

The connection with the 'Christian Observer' was of value, not for the
few guineas earned, but as leading to occasional visits to Harrow.
Fitzjames says that he took great pains with his articles, and probably
improved his style, though 'kind old Mr. Cunningham' had to add a few
sentences to give them the proper tone. They got him some credit from
the small circle which they reached, but that was hardly his main
object. 'T