8 INTRODUCTORY.
life, as well as the spirited and faithful likeness of an animal
which you gaze upon.
 A good deal of what is unique in Landseer belongs to this
peculiarity, and much of his great popularity is due to it.
Men are charmed not only by contemplating the representa-
tions of their four-footed favourites, but by having a genius
to interpret to them the beautiful and gracious ties which bind
together God's higher and humbler creatures. After all, God
put man at the head of His creatures in this world, and perhaps
man is not so far wrong as he has sometimes been said to
show himself, in seeing in the lower animals a reflection of his
own hopes, aims, and destiny.
 The selfish and sympathetic instincts are strong in us; and
neither grown man nor child will, unless- in very exceptional
cases, feel either long or deep concern in a kingdom from
which he himself is banished. Our familiarity, our fellow-
feeling, is to a large extent the measure of our interest in any
subject. If we cannot put ourselves in the place of our neigh-
bour, let him have two feet or four, we will not continue long
to care for him; and, vice versa, if we have not imagination
enough to endow our neighbour with some of our own attri-
butes, so that he may stand, in a way, in our place, our regard
for him will be but partial and fleeting.
 People speak of the charm in unlikeness and the attraction
in reverses; but there must be a more profound underlying
harmony for such a charm and attraction to exist. The fact
is, we can only appreciate what we understand in a degree at
least, and there is no understanding without some points of
union. If I may venture reverently to employ such an analogy,
though man was made in the image of his Maker, when he