"Still, through our paltry stir and strife,
Glows down the wished ideal,
And longing molds in clay what life
Carves in the marble real;

"To let the new life in, we know,
Desire must ope the portal,--
Perhaps the longing to be so
Helps make the soul immortal."





THE EVOLUTION OF A VIOLINIST


He was a famous artist whom kings and queens and emperors
delighted to honor. The emperor of all the Russias had sent him an
affectionate letter, written by his own hand; the empress, a
magnificent emerald ring set with diamonds; the king of his own
beloved Norway, who had listened reverently, standing with
uncovered head, while he, the king of violinists, played before
him, had bestowed upon him the Order of Vasa; the king of
Copenhagen presented him with a gold snuffbox, encrusted with
diamonds; while, at a public dinner given him by the students of
Christiana, he was crowned with a laurel wreath. Not all the
thousands who thronged to hear him in London could gain entrance
to the concert hall, and in Liverpool he received four thousand