royed--it might be by fire, or it might be by water
(though this latter alternative seems precluded by Genesis ix. 11). The
Rev. James Robertson, afterwards Head-master of Haileybury, compared the
difference between a dull boy and a clever boy to that between an ox and
a dog. "To the ox, the universe comprises only the impassive blue above,
and the edible green beneath; while the dog finds a world of excitement
in hunting, and a demi-god in man." Dean Stanley, preaching on Trinity
Sunday, 1868, thus explained away the doctrine of the Trinity--"God the
Father is God in Nature. God the Son is God in History. God the Holy
Ghost is God in the Conscience." And Thring of Uppingham bellowed an
exposition of Psalm lxxviii. 70 with such surprising vigour that he
acquired among us the affectionate nickname of "Old Sheepfolds." It is a
pleasure to place in contrast with these absurdities the truly pastoral
and moving sermons of Mr. John Smith, whose apostolic work at Harrow I
have already commemorated. His paraphrase of 1. St. Peter iv. 7-8 still
lingers in my ear--"Be watchful, be prayerful, be very kind." He is thus
described on a Memorial Tablet in the Chapel:

To the Young a Father,
To friends in joy or grief a Brother,
To the poor, the suffering, and the tempted,
A minister of Hope and Strength.
Tried by more than common sorrows,
And upborne by more than common faith,
His holy life interpreted to many
The Mind which was in Christ Jesus,
The Promise of the Comforter,
And the Vision granted to the Pure in Heart.

It may seem odd that one should remember so much about sermons preached
so long ago, but Bishop Welldon's testimony illustrates the point. "When
I came to Harrow, I was greatly struck by the feeling of the boys for
the weekly Sermon; they looked for it as an element in their lives, they
attended to it, and passed judgment upon it." (I may remark in passing
that Dr. Welldon promptly and wisely reduced the Sunday Sermons from two
to one.)

But the day of days in Harrow Chapel was Founder's Day, October 10th,
1868, when the preacher at the Commemoration Service was Liddon, who had
lately become famous by the Bampton Lectures of 1866. The scene and the
sermon can never be forgotten. Prayers and hymns and thanksgivings for
Founder and Benefactors had been duly performed, and we had listened
with becoming solemnity to th