He had two sets of ardent friends: his political associates, and that other little group of literary cronies made up of Johnson, Goldsmith, Boswell, Reynolds and Garrick. With these his soul was free--his sense of sublimity then found wings: the vocabulary of Johnson, the purling poetry of Goldsmith, the grace of Garrick's mimicry, the miracle of Reynolds' pencil and brush--these ministered to his hungry heart. They were forms of expression. All life is an expression of spirit. Burke's life was dedicated to expression. He expressed through speech, personal presence and written words. Who ever expressed in this way so well? And--stay!--who ever had so much that was worth while to express? WILLIAM PITT Time was when slaves were exported like cattle from the British Coast and exposed for sale in the Roman market. These men and women who were thus sold were supposed to be guilty of witchcraft, debt, blasphemy or theft. Or else they were prisoners taken in war--they had forfeited their right to freedom, and we sold them. We said they were incapable of self-government and so must be looked after. Later we quit selling British slaves, but began to buy and trade in African humanity. We silenced conscience by saying, "It's all right--they are incapable of self-government." We were once as obscure, as debased, as ignorant, as barbaric, as the African is now. I trust that the time will come when we are willing to give to Africa the opportunity, the hope, the right to attain to the same blessings that we ourselves enjoy. --_William Pitt, on "Abolition of Slavery in England"_ [Illustration: WILLIAM PITT] The Law of Heredity has been described as that law of our nature which provides that a man shall resemble his grandmother--or not, as the case may be. What traits are inherited and what acquired--who shall say? Married folks who resort to the happy expedient of procuring their children at orphan-asylums can testify to the many times they have been complimented on the striking resemblance of father to daughter, or son to mother. Possibly that is all there is of it--we resemble those with whom we associate. Far be it from me to say the final word on this theme--I would not, if I could, deprive men of a problem they can never solve. When all questions are answered, it will be time to telephone the undertaker. That men of genius do not reproduce themselves after the flesh is an axiom; but that William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, did, is brought forth as an exception, incident, accident or circumstance, just according to one's mood at the moment. "Great men do have great sons!" we cry. "Just look at the Pitts, the Adamses, the Walpoles, the Beechers, the Booths, the Bellinis, the Disraelis!" and here we begin to falter. And then the opposition takes it up and rattles off a list of great men whose sons were spendthrifts, gamblers, ne'er-do-wells and jackanapes.