In Residence

34 BALLADE OF LAWN TENNIS ridiculous characters of which we hear so much and see so little, is to point out the analogy of lawn-tennis and life in a light and humorous way which even on the most blasé of Freshmen will be unlikely to pall. I will quote you the Walt that was Whitman, the Wilde that was Oscar, the Vincent O’Sullivan, paean | and chant of the classical world, songs from America due to the lyre of the Harte that was Bret. ~ And all these estimable personages, very useful in their way, but to be strenuously opposed if they should endeavour to put their oar into morals, religion, or more important still, politics, say as with one voice (of course we do not insinuate any charge of plagiarism) in other words, substantially this, that is to say of course it must be put mystic- ally, because if a truth is important, it should be the duty of every thinking man to conceal it from the masses, this, I say, that the score of life (what- ever the score at Tennis may be, that doesn’t matter) is at Love-all. O Gilbert gyrates like a grouse in the green of the horrible heather, (Mr Swinburne cannot abide my straightforward English (that’s one to me) way of talking, though his morality is imported and perfectly well known to be as black as jet) But he’s right in the main, though he does so lovingly bleat and so blether,