* * * * *
Minor Notes.
_A Bit o' fine Writin'._--In the Preface to certain _Lectures on
Ecclesiastes_, recently published, there occurs a choice scientific
illustration, the "intellectual vastitude" whereof "necessitates a certain
catholicity" of acquirements possessed by few readers. The author is
referring to Jerome, and says:
"The most painful thing in his writings is the tone of _litigious
infelicity_ by which they are pervaded. It is a sort of _formic acid
which flows from the finger-points not of our good father alone, but of
a whole class of {582} divines; and, like the red marks left by the
feet of ants on litmus-paper, it discolours all his pages_."
There are two vignettes in the work: one illustrates "Consider the lilies,"
concerning which the artist had the benefit of an eminent botanist's
opinion, to ensure correctness in the design. The other represents Solomon
in all his glory, _driving his own chariot_, holding the reins in his right
hand, and a sceptre or "morning-star" in his left hand. Methinks this
illustration would not have passed muster with Mr. Scharf or Dr. Braun.