’"In time,” replied Jane, “the chickens will grow big, and each of them will fetch money at the market.  One must think on the end to be attained without counting trouble, and learn to wait.”

’Perceiving a colt, which looked eagerly at him, the little boy cried out:  “Jane, why is the colt not in the fields with the labourers helping to draw the carts?”

’"The colt is young,” replied Jane, “and he must lie idle till he gets the necessary strength; one must not sacrifice the future to the present."’

The reader will say that is most mean and trivial stuff, the vulgar English nature in full force; just such food as the Philistine would naturally provide for his young.  He will say he can see the boy fed upon it growing up to be like his father, to be all for business, to despise culture, to go through his dull days, and to die without having ever lived.  That may be so; but now take the German story (one of Krummacher’s), and see the difference:-

’There lived at the court of King Herod a rich man who was the king’s chamberlain.  He clothed himself in purple and fine linen, and fared like the king himself.

’Once a friend of his youth, whom he had not seen for many years, came from a distant land to pay him a visit.  Then the chamberlain invited all his friends and made a feast in honour of the stranger.

’The tables were covered with choice food placed on dishes of gold and silver, and the finest wines of all kinds.  The rich man sat at the head of the table, glad to do the honours to his friend who was seated at his right hand.  So they ate and drank, and were merry.

’Then the stranger said to the chamberlain of King Herod:  “Riches and splendour like thine are nowhere to be found in my country.”  And he praised his greatness, and called him happy above all men on earth.

’Well, the rich man took an apple from a golden vessel.  The apple was large, and red, and pleasant to the eye.  Then said be:  “Behold, this apple hath rested on gold, and its form is very beautiful.”  And he presented it to the stranger, the friend of his youth.  The stranger cut the apple in two; and behold, in the middle of it there was a worm!

’Then the stranger looked at the chamberlain; and the chamberlain bent his eyes on the ground and sighed.’

There it ends.  Now I say, one sees there an abyss of platitude open, and the German nature swimming calmly about in it, which seems in some way or other to have its entry screened off for the English nature.  The English story leads with a direct issue into practical life:  a narrow and dry practical life, certainly, but yet enough to supply a plain motive for the story; the German story leads simply nowhere except into bathos.  Shall we say that the Norman talent for affairs saves us here, or the Celtic perceptive instinct? one of them it must be, surely.  The Norman turn seems most germane to the matter here immediately