true, he may have a hand in it
still. The answers to correspondents, in his time, were piquant and
original above any I ever saw. I think a very readable book might be made
out of them, resembling "Guesses at Truth:" the turn given to an inquiry
about morals, religion, or socials, is often of the highest degree of
_unexpectedness_; the poor querist would find himself right in a most
unpalatable way.

Answers to correspondents, in newspapers, are very often the fag ends of
literature. I shall never forget the following. A person was invited to
name a rule without exception, if he could: he answered "A man _must_ be
present when he is shaved." A lady--what right have ladies to decide
questions about shaving?--said this was not properly a rule; and the oracle
was consulted. The editor agreed with the lady; he said that "a man _must_
be present when he is shaved" is not a _rule_, but a _fact_.

[Among my anonymous communicants is one who states that I have done
injustice to the Rev. James Smith in "referring to him as a spiritualist,"
and placing his "Divine Drama" among paradoxes: "it is no paradox, nor do
_spiritualistic_ views mar or weaken the execution of the design." Quite
true: for the design is to produce and enforce "spiritualistic views"; and
leather does not mar nor weaken a shoemaker's plan. I knew Mr. Smith well,
and have often talked to him on the subject: but more testimony from me is
unnecessary; his book will speak for itself. {57} His peculiar style will
justify a little more quotation than is just necessary to prove the point.
Looking at the "battle of opinion" now in progress, we see that Mr. Smith
was a prescient:

(P. 588.) "From the general review of parties in England, it is evident
that no country in the world is better prepared for the great Battle of
Opinion. Where else can the battle be fought but where the armies are
arrayed? And here they all are, Greek, Roman, Anglican, Scotch, Lutheran,
Calvinist, Established and Territorial, with Baronial Bishops, and
Nonestablished of every grade--churches with living prophets and apostles,
and churches with dead prophets and apostles, and apostolical churches
without apostles, and philosophies without either prophets or apostles, and
only wanting one more, 'the Christian Church,' like Aaron's rod, to swallow
up and digest them all, and then bud and flourish. As if to prepare our
minds for this desirable and inevitable consummation, different parties