INTERLUDES
BEING
TWO ESSAYS, A STORY, AND SOME VERSES


BY
HORACE SMITH

London
MACMILLAN AND CO
AND NEW YORK
1892




ESSAYS.


I. ON CRITICISM.


Criticism is the art of judging. As reasonable persons we are called
upon to be constantly pronouncing judgment, and either acting upon such
judgment ourselves or inviting others to do so. I do not know how
anything can be more important with respect to any matter than the
forming a right judgment about it. We pray that we may have "a right
judgment in all things." I am aware that it is an old saying that
"people are better than their opinions," and it is a mercy that it is so,
for very many persons not only are full of false opinions upon almost