Non-Fiction > Books > London, 1887 - Virginibus Puerisque, and other papers

1 04 Ci^abbed Age and Youth
credulity. A man finds he has been wrong
at every preceding stage of his career, only
to deduce the astonishing conclusion that he
is at last entirely right. Mankind, after
centuries of failure, are still upon the eve
of a thoroughly constitutional millennium.
Since we have explored the maze so long
without result, it follows, for poor human
reason, that we cannot have to explore much
longer ; close by must be the centre, with a
champagne luncheon and a piece of orna-
mental water. How if there were no centre
at all, but just one alley after another, and
the whole world a labyrinth without end or
issue ?
I overheard the other day a scrap of con-
versation, which I take the liberty to repro-
duce. "What I advance is true," said one.
" But not the whole truth," answered the
other. "Sir," returned the first (and it
seemed to me there was a smack of Dr.
Johnson in the speech), " Sir, there is no
such thing as the whole truth!" Indeed,
there is nothing so evident in life as that