Page:Dawn of the Day.pdf/346

310 already gained so much in depth and extent, that the artists of our century have quite unconsciously become the glorifiers of the scientific felicities per se.

—Unpretending regions are subjects for, great landscape-painters ; remarkable and rare regions for inferior ones. For the great things in nature and humanity have to intercede in favour of all their inferior, mediocre and ambitions admirers— whereas the great man intereedes in favour of simple things.

—Our qualifications and greatness are not only once, but constantly crumbling away; the herbs that shoot up among everything aid cling to everything, kill all that is great in us—the daily, hourly disregarded wretched of our surroundings, the thousands of small roots of mean and pusillanimous feelings which grow up from our neighbourhood, our office, our society, and our daily arrangements. If we allow this small weed to escape our notice, we shall perish of it unnoticed. And if you are bent upon perishing, do se forthwith and suddenly ; in that case, perhaps, you will leave proud relies ! And not, as there is now grave cause to fear, mole-hills, covered with grass and weeds, those petty victors, humble as ever and too wretched even for triumph.