The Equinox (Volume I, Number VIII)

AN OBITUARY persistent rumours (especially in latter years) of his assaults on young children to be entirely without foundation. At least it is certain that nothing was ever brought home to him. While he was still a young man he definitely founded an organization on the lines of the well-known and justly admired Children's Scripture Union. He issued a card, price one penny, with the days of the year, and a “portion of Scripture" indicated for reading on this day. As the card could be prepared in half an hour by any one, and printed at about fourpence halfpenny a hundred, there was a small but sufficient margin of profit— or would have been but for the expense of getting the scheme under way. My uncle's genius never hesitated. “Of all the puppies on earth, the ‘pi‘ set at Cambridge are the most priggish," he exclaimed enthusiastically. So he got hold of a few, and called them Evangelists. They were to go down (of course, at their own expense) to the seaside—where the children with the pennies were, not to the slums, where there were plenty of children but no pennies— and hold “services," the object of all which was to sell these cards, and force the unhappy infant who was really interested in Judges to switch off to Leviticus Christian parents were, however, quick to see that my uncle's genius had forged a new tyranny, and his scheme had the heartiest of receptions. The Children‘s Special Service Mission had met with un— qualified success ; his own might easily match it, so he surmised—as the event proved, justly. Children were obliged to throw down spade and bucket, and gather round the un- washed (eet and swelled head of the “ university man”— usually non-collegiatel—who found himself free to splutter 247