Memorres or Tue NiereentH Century. By Reginald, 12th Earl of Meath, xr. John Murray. 18/- net.
By John Lofting, This book is a very encouraging piece of history. Lord Meath is best known to the public as a philanthropist. Though the title as fallen somewhat into disfavour during the past 20 years, there is very little of the bigotry and prejudice which occasioned the fall in the pages of* this record. The encouragement is in the fact that we see and enjoy now the fruits of the labours of Lord Meath and his Countess, These show clearly how the beneficial results of such labours increase and multiply. Not only that, but also and more especially how the original errors or mistakes of the efforts, due to contemporary social prejudice or what not, do actually fade out with time and leave the pure. intention burning its way to its end. Such a record as this seems to prove that good intentions, high aspirations, must effect some permanent good if any deed, however narrow or imperfect in action, 18 only done la their name. And since such is the minimum of religious hope in all of us, this book is good to read. This is not to decry or in apy way belittle the useful services of the many organizations and societies started by Lord and Lady "Meath. It is merely to say that all they did for their fellow creatures was good because the welfare of mankind was the main-spring of all their actions.
Philanthropy, in the narrowed sense in which it is usually understood, must always have its sad aspect, for the fact of the condition of society making it necessary at all. And, since the ultimate aim of philanthropy is so to alter the condition as to remove the necessity, the activities of philanthropy are of a temporary nature. None is wasted, but the far-sighted and un-Prejudiced action reaches farthest. In the 19h century and
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.