little philosophies and views of the eternal verities.

By my recollection of those queer confused days, my colleagues were
cynically anarchical in their political views, unconvinced and
unconvincing Socialists, and indifferent Agnostics. I am not quite sure
that we believed in anything very thoroughly--except that things were in
a pretty bad way. Earnest belief in anything was not a feature of the
period. I recall one occasion when consideration of some tyrannical act
of our immediate chief, the news-editor, led our talk by way of
character and morality to questions of religion. The _Daily Gazette_, I
should mention, was a favourite organ with the most powerful religious
community--the Nonconformists. Campbell, one of the two Scotch
reporters, hazarded the first remark about religion, if I remember
aright: something it was to the effect that men like Pierce had neither
religion nor manners. Brown, the Cambridge man, took this up.

"Well now," he said, "that's a queer thing about religion. I'd like you
to tell me what anybody's religion is in London."

"It's the capital of a Christian country, isn't it?" said Dunbar.

"Yes," admitted Brown. "That's just it. We're officially and politically
Christian. It's a national affair. We're a Christian people; but who
knows a Christian individual? Ours is a Christian newspaper, Christian
city, Christian country, and all the rest of it. There's no doubt about
it. All England believes; but no single man I ever meet admits that he
believes. I suppose it's different up your way, Campbell. One gathers
the Scotch are religious?"

"H'm! I won't answer for that," growled Campbell. "As a people, yes, as
you say; but as individuals--well, I don't know. But my father's a
believer; I could swear to it."

"Ah, yes; so's mine. But I'm not talking of fathers. I mean our
generation."

"Well," I began, "for my part, I'm not so sure of the fathers."

"Oh, we can count you out," said Kelly, the Irishman. "All parsons' sons
are atheists, as a matter of course; and bad hats at that."

"Rather a severe blow at our Christianity, isn't it?" said Brown.

I had no more to say on this point, not wishing to discuss my father.
But I knew perfectly well that that good, kind man had cherished no
belief whatever in many of what were judged to be the vital dogmas of
Christianity.

"Well, I've just been thinking," said Campbell, "and upon my soul,
Brown--if I've got one--I believe you're right. I don't