Transcriber's Notes _Italic_ words in the original text have been marked in this version with underscores. In addition to a few minor typographical errors which have been silently corrected, the following changes were made: "assymetrical" changed to "asymmetrical" on Page 25. "destro" changed to "destra" on Page 226. SCENES AND PORTRAITS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "MATRI CARISSIMAE" ------------------------------------------------------------------------ SCENES AND PORTRAITS BY FREDERIC MANNING AUTHOR OF "THE VIGIL OF BRUNHILD" LONDON JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET, W. 1909 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ PREFACE It is a necessity of the human mind to give everything a name, thus recognising a difference between one thing and another, and recording it. Science, which is the highest development of this necessity, recognises, and records systematically, all the facts of experience, distinguishing one from another, by the most minute analysis. The Maoris even go so far as bestow on their greenstone clubs, on their _tikis_, and on almost every separate article, a distinct name, as if recognising an individuality, much as the old myth-makers spoke of the sword Excalibur; but the average man is usually very loose in his application of terms. Renan in his preface to "Dialogues Philosophiques" writes: "La grande majorité des hommes ... se divise en deux catégories, à égale distance desquelles il nous semble qu' est la vérité. 'Ce que vous cherchez est trouvé depuis longtemps,' disent les orthodoxes de toutes les nuances. 'Ce que vous cherchez n'est pas trouvable,' disent les positivistes pratiques (les seuls dangereux), les politiques railleurs, les athées." Having thus differentiated his own position, from that of either school, one is a little surprised to find Matthew Arnold saying of him, that "the greatest intellect in France has declared for materialism." One recognises how pernicious the loose application of terms may be, and is a little irritated to discover a fine English critic lapsing into the vice, even in an unguarded moment. Really, thought, or at least any thought that justifies its existence, is too subtile and fluid a thing to be settled in this off-hand way; and the apparently childish custom of the Maoris is more scientific, since, at least, it recognises individuality.