Notes On Literature, Science, And Art.

Whose minds—the reflex of self-leaven'd natures-Find nought but folly in his noblest themes . Well , let them scoff 1 the bard reveres his mission As holy , and beyond their envious rage ; His numbers may be weak , yet' point a moral ' To cheer some brother through Life ' s pilgrimage . "

The following seems to me to be far more likely to carry conviction to the mind of an unbeliever than all the angry denunciations of " stupid atheists , " which substitute abuse for argument : — " Each trembling leaf , the zephyr , and the streamlet , Each flower whichbloomsupon the verdant sod , The roar of oceanand the howl of tempest

, , Speaks to the souls of men with voice from'Godl There ' s not a tone , a touch , a look of Nature , But tells of Him who gave her wonders birth ; There's not a creature of all things created In ocean ' s depths , or on the face of earth , But serves the purpose of the Great Creator , — Fulfilling wondrously His love-wrought plan , him with mi mindsoul immortal

Save ghty , a , And form most God-like , —unbelieving Man ! Oh ! that the sermons ever preach'd around us , With all the melting eloquence of Love , By thousand voices of adoring Nature , From sea , and fell , and mountain , dale , and grove , Would touch with living fire the crumbling altars Of poor humanity , and roll a flood Of mighty Truth to overspread the nations , Till men were sanctified in brotherhood , " etc .

But I must pause for the present , my space being exhausted , and I have no wish to monopolize the whole Magazine . That Bro . Douglas-Lithgow is really a poet , in the highest sense of that term , and no mere namby-pamby versifier ; that his sentiments are truly Masonic , and beautifully expressed ; all this , I think , must be apparent from the few brief extracts I have given . I have a few more marked for quotation , which perhaps our good Brother , the Editor—himself a poet , and therefore a true lover of

genuine poesy—may allow me space for in another number . The book ought to have a wide circulation , being neatly " got up , " and one which the most fastidious man need not to hesitate for a moment to present to his mother , his sister , his wife , his sweetheart , his daughter , or his friend . Once read , it will be read again ; and I hope our gifted Brother will long be spared , and that he will enrich our noble English literature with many more poems of like sterling quality ; for by doing so I am sure that he will materially help to leave the world better than he found it—which is the warm aspiration of every true Freemason . Rose Cottage , Stolcesley .

The Anglo-Saxon Language.

THE ANGLO-SAXON LANGUAGE .

"pHE Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon ( the Rev . W . AV . Skeat , M . A ., of Christ's College ) , delivered an inaugural lecture in the Senate House a short time back , on is _ subject . There was a good attendance , and the new Professor was warmly 'eceivech He said , — " It is more than 230 years ago since the first attempt was made w establish an Anglo-Saxon lectureship at Cambridge . This was due to the zeal of Sir thfF P elmiffl > wil 0 founded a lectureship in 1640 , to which Abraham Wheelock ( also e nrst Professor of Arabic ) was appointed . His successor was William Somner , the author of an Anglo-Saxon dictionary . In the . Civil War the Snelinan estate suffered