sary ? Such were the kind of appeals made to the officers of the Society to gratify curiosity, or to advance the interests of benevolence. During the official tour of the Society's secretary and superintendent, Mr. William Jones, on behalf of the Institution, several friends suspected that he was the identical "old gentleman" who so freely, yet kindly, pointed out many interesting facts connected with the visits he paid to many of the attached friends of the Society. As the secretary occasionally supplied Mr. Mogridge with topics and incidents which had passed under his notice in his journeys, the persons concerned, when these matters appeared in print, were not only pleasantly surprised, but saw in them, as they thought, corroborative proofs of the authorship of the papers. It need scarcely be said, that Old Humphrey was never requested to refer to any circumstance of a private nature, or which could possibly wound the feelings of any person. The interest in the "unknown" was not lessened when a paper was announced, entitled, "Who is Old Humphrey?" In one of these communications to "Old Humphrey," he was told that many friends were anxious that he should give a description of himself in one of his articles. He readily complied. After some particulars of a negative kind, which playfully increase the curiosity of the inquirer without satisfy ing it, showing that he was not absorbed in his own importance, nor of an imperious and churlish temper, nor of a slandering tongue, nor without sympathy for the afflicted, nor of an epicurean taste, he proceeds: "If you see an elderly-looking man parting two passionate lads who are fighting; giving twopence to a poor girl who has by accident broken her jug, to make all right again; picking up a fallen child out of the dirt; guiding a blind man carefully across the street; or hesitating for a moment whether an importunate beggar is an impostor or not, and then deciding in his favour: if you see such a one, so occupied, he is not unlikely to be Old Humphrey. "If, in the house of God, either in a retired pew, or standing up among the poor people in the middle aisle, you see a stranger, a man of years, regarding the minister as a friend, listening to the words of eternal life with thankfulness, and gazing with a fixed eye on the preacher, while he describes the sufferings of the Saviour of sinners, many things in this world are more improbable than that he should be Old Humphrey. "If you ever observe a thoughtful person, somewhat stricken in years, after talking with and putting something into the hands of a weary and meanly-dressed traveller, turning out of the turnpike-road, and leaning over a gate to admire the glory of the setting sun; or gazing on the tall elm trees with an expression of admiration; or following with his eyes the green-bodied dragon-fly, as it lightly skims over the surface of the rippling brook; or sitting by the side of a ditch, poring with interest over a foxglove, a thistle, a daisy, a sere leaf, a lady-bird, 'toad, frog, newt, nettle-top, or dandelion;' if, ever and anon, he looks up, amidst his speculations, to the clear bright sky, with an expression of reverence and thankfulness, you have very good grounds for supposing him to be Old Humphrey. "If, in any village churchyard, not more than twelve miles from London, you observe an old gentleman poring over a time-worn gravestone, stocking up the grass with the end of his walkingstick, to get at the date; if he muses over some lowly green hillock in the unfrequented part of the burial-ground longer than at the beautiful sarcophagus or the costly mausoleum with the hatchment sculptured on its side, keep your eyes on him; he is not half so likely to be the lord mayor of London, as he is to be Old Humphrey. "If you meet an ancient man, with a kindhearted countenance, who, as he passes a throng of playful boys, softly speaks, 'Bless you all, my little merry hearts; may you be as free from sin as you are from sorrow!' or ejaculates, as a pale-faced woman, habited in black, with a crape bonnet on her head, moves on with a dejected air, 'May thy Maker be thy Husband, and thy mourning be turned into joy!' or who comforts a little orphan boy, patting him on the head, and speaking to him of a heavenly Father, and quoting to him, 'When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up;' follow him up closely, for it is ten to one but he will turn out to be Old Humphrey." The pieces to which this popular name was affixed appeared regularly in a fugitive form, and were subsequently collected into volumes. Of these, his "Observations," "Addresses," "Thoughts for the Thoughtful," "Walks in London," "Country Strolls," "Pithy Papers," "Half Hours," and "Friendly Appeals," have been perused by delighted thousands, in almost every part of the world. In addition to these, ten smaller books, for children, are part of the "Old Humphrey" volumes. In forming an estimate of the papers that appeared with this signature, it is necessary to consider for whom, and for what purpose, they were written. It was to win the attention of the greatest number to subjects of the highest interest. Their apparent egotism and garrulity were in keeping with the character assumed. Without being profound, there was in them considerable knowledge of human life and of the workings of the human heart. With singular tact, their author drew solid instruction from the commonest incidents of every-day life. His shrewdness of observation and sound practical A natural wisdom gave point to the sentiments. geniality of disposition imparted a fresh and ge nerous tone to the thoughts : "A man he seem'd of cheerful yesterdays And confident to-morrows." Ardent in feeling, grateful, and disinterested, with a keen sense of the humorous and ridiculous, he brought into play the sprightliness of his fancy and his habitual buoyancy of spirit, chastened and tempered with a habit of grave remark. Under the surface of a lively style there ran a flow of deep solemnity. He ever took a sunny and hopeful view of things as they rose before him; yet, however gay, he was never volatile, nor lost sight of the responsibilities of authorship, or his character as a Christian. He instructed without wearying, and by touches of good-humour prepared the way for the reproof of a fault, or exposure of a vice, in a spirit of love and gentleness. There were some topics on which, in this series of papers, he delighted to exercise his pen, such as the use and abuse of wealth, the benefits of earthly trials, charity for the poor, kindness to animals, the horrors of war and the blessings of peace, Christian temper in the lesser things of life in these and kindred themes he agreeably mingled the useful and the practical with spiritual truths of the highest importance to man. Old Humphrey was not merely in his feigned character, but in reality, a : |