ness. The displays of
this latter quality were very rare; but they left an ineffaceable
impression upon all witnesses.

The only political questions which deeply moved him were those social
problems to which his sympathy for the poor had always directed his
attention,--the Poor Law, temperance, Sunday observance, punishment and
prisons, labor and strikes. But that he much influenced the legislation
of his country by his writings, no man can doubt. In religion he was a
Liberal. Born in the Church of England, we are told by Professor Ward
that he had so strong an aversion for what seemed dogmatism of any kind,
that for a time--in 1843--he connected himself with a Unitarian
congregation, and to Unitarian views his own probably continued during
his life most nearly to approach.

In his will he says:--

"I commit my soul to the mercy of God through our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ, and I exhort my dear children humbly to try to guide
themselves by the teaching of the New Testament, in its broad
spirit, and to put no faith in any man's narrow construction of its
letter here or there."

Although a man of deep emotional nature, his religion was, after all,
mostly a religion of good deeds. Helpfulness, kindliness,--these were to
him the supreme things. One who knew him well wrote after his death:--

"I frankly confess that having met innumerable men and had dealings
with innumerable men, I never met one with an approach to his
genuine, unaffected, unchanging kindness, or one that ever found so
sunshiny a pleasure in doing one a kindness. I cannot call to mind
that any request I ever made to him was ungranted, or left without
an attempt to grant it."

Upon this point all who ever knew the man are well agreed. It will
suffice. To him who loved so much, if need be much will be forgiven.

As we close this paper, how softly pass before us the long procession of
the men and women he has created,--for they all seem thus to us,--not
characters, but people, many of them personal acquaintances of our own.
There are actual tears in our eyes as the little company of children
pass in review, led by David Copperfield, and followed by Oliver Twist,
with Paul Dombey in his wake, and little Nell timidly pressing near;
while trooping after, sad, tearful, or grotesque, come Florence Dombey,
poor Joe, Pip and Smike, Sloppy and Peepy, Little Dorrit and Tiny Tim,
and many more of those w