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diff --git a/2541-h/2541-h.htm b/2541-h/2541-h.htm new file mode 100644 index 0000000..5b57f15 --- /dev/null +++ b/2541-h/2541-h.htm @@ -0,0 +1,14471 @@ +<?xml version="1.0" encoding="us-ascii"?> + +<!DOCTYPE html + PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN" + "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd" > + +<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en"> + <head> + <title> + Character, by Samuel Smiles + </title> + <style type="text/css" xml:space="preserve"> + + body { margin:5%; background:#faebd0; text-align:justify} + P { text-indent: 1em; margin-top: .25em; margin-bottom: .25em; } + H1,H2,H3,H4,H5,H6 { text-align: center; margin-left: 15%; margin-right: 15%; } + hr { width: 50%; text-align: center;} + .foot { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; text-indent: -3em; font-size: 90%; } + blockquote {font-size: 97%; font-style: italic; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%;} + .mynote {background-color: #DDE; color: #000; padding: .5em; margin-left: 10%; margin-right: 10%; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 95%;} + .toc { margin-left: 10%; margin-bottom: .75em;} + .toc2 { margin-left: 20%;} + div.fig { display:block; margin:0 auto; text-align:center; } + div.middle { margin-left: 20%; margin-right: 20%; text-align: justify; } + .figleft {float: left; margin-left: 0%; margin-right: 1%;} + .figright {float: right; margin-right: 0%; margin-left: 1%;} + .pagenum {display:inline; font-size: 70%; font-style:normal; + margin: 0; padding: 0; position: absolute; right: 1%; + text-align: right;} + pre { font-style: italic; font-size: 90%; margin-left: 10%;} + +</style> + </head> + <body> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + +The Project Gutenberg EBook of Character, by Samuel Smiles + +This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with +almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or +re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included +with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org + + +Title: Character + +Author: Samuel Smiles + +Release Date: December 11, 2008 [EBook #2541] +Last Updated: February 6, 2013 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ASCII + +*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHARACTER *** + + + + +Produced by Sean Hackett, and David Widger + + + + + +</pre> + <p> + <br /><br /> + </p> + <h1> + CHARACTER + </h1> + <p> + <br /> + </p> + <h2> + By Samuel Smiles + </h2> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <h2> + Contents + </h2> + <table summary="" style="margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto"> + <tr> + <td> + <a href="#link2HCH0001"> CHAPTER I. </a> + </td> + <td> + INFLUENCE OF CHARACTER. + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <a href="#link2HCH0002"> CHAPTER II. </a> + </td> + <td> + HOME POWER. + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <a href="#link2HCH0003"> CHAPTER III. </a> + </td> + <td> + COMPANIONSHIP AND EXAMPLES + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <a href="#link2HCH0004"> CHAPTER IV. </a> + </td> + <td> + WORK. + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <a href="#link2HCH0005"> CHAPTER V. </a> + </td> + <td> + COURAGE. + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <a href="#link2HCH0006"> CHAPTER VI. </a> + </td> + <td> + SELF-CONTROL. + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <a href="#link2HCH0007"> CHAPTER VII. </a> + </td> + <td> + DUTY—TRUTHFULNESS. + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <a href="#link2HCH0008"> CHAPTER VIII. </a> + </td> + <td> + TEMPER. + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <a href="#link2HCH0009"> CHAPTER IX. </a> + </td> + <td> + MANNER—ART. + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <a href="#link2HCH0010"> CHAPTER X. </a> + </td> + <td> + COMPANIONSHIP OF BOOKS. + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <a href="#link2HCH0011"> CHAPTER XI. </a> + </td> + <td> + COMPANIONSHIP IN MARRIAGE. + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <a href="#link2HCH0012"> CHAPTER XII. </a> + </td> + <td> + THE DISCIPLINE OF EXPERIENCE. + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + <a href="#link2H_FOOT"> FOOTNOTES. </a> + </td> + <td> + + </td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td> + </td> + </tr> + </table> + <p> + <br /> <br /> + </p> + <hr /> + <p> + <br /> <br /> <a name="link2HCH0001" id="link2HCH0001"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <h2> + CHAPTER I.—INFLUENCE OF CHARACTER. + </h2> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Unless above himself he can Erect himself, how poor a thing + is man"—DANIEL. + + "Character is moral order seen through the medium, of an + individual nature.... Men of character are the conscience of + the society to which they belong."—EMERSON. + + "The prosperity of a country depends, not on the abundance + of its revenues, nor on the strength of its fortifications, + nor on the beauty of its public buildings; but it consists + in the number of its cultivated citizens, in its men of + education, enlightenment, and character; here are to be + found its true interest, its chief strength, its real + power."—MARTIN LUTHER. +</pre> + <p> + Character is one of the greatest motive powers in the world. In its + noblest embodiments, it exemplifies human nature in its highest forms, for + it exhibits man at his best. + </p> + <p> + Men of genuine excellence, in every station of life—men of industry, + of integrity, of high principle, of sterling honesty of purpose—command + the spontaneous homage of mankind. It is natural to believe in such men, + to have confidence in them, and to imitate them. All that is good in the + world is upheld by them, and without their presence in it the world would + not be worth living in. + </p> + <p> + Although genius always commands admiration, character most secures + respect. The former is more the product of brain-power, the latter of + heart-power; and in the long run it is the heart that rules in life. Men + of genius stand to society in the relation of its intellect, as men of + character of its conscience; and while the former are admired, the latter + are followed. + </p> + <p> + Great men are always exceptional men; and greatness itself is but + comparative. Indeed, the range of most men in life is so limited, that + very few have the opportunity of being great. But each man can act his + part honestly and honourably, and to the best of his ability. He can use + his gifts, and not abuse them. He can strive to make the best of life. He + can be true, just, honest, and faithful, even in small things. In a word, + he can do his Duty in that sphere in which Providence has placed him. + </p> + <p> + Commonplace though it may appear, this doing of one's Duty embodies the + highest ideal of life and character. There may be nothing heroic about it; + but the common lot of men is not heroic. And though the abiding sense of + Duty upholds man in his highest attitudes, it also equally sustains him in + the transaction of the ordinary affairs of everyday existence. Man's life + is "centred in the sphere of common duties." The most influential of all + the virtues are those which are the most in request for daily use. They + wear the best, and last the longest. Superfine virtues, which are above + the standard of common men, may only be sources of temptation and danger. + Burke has truly said that "the human system which rests for its basis on + the heroic virtues is sure to have a superstructure of weakness or of + profligacy." + </p> + <p> + When Dr. Abbot, afterwards Archbishop of Canterbury, drew the character of + his deceased friend Thomas Sackville, <a href="#linknote-101" + name="linknoteref-101" id="linknoteref-101"><small>101</small></a> he did + not dwell upon his merits as a statesman, or his genius as a poet, but + upon his virtues as a man in relation to the ordinary duties of life. "How + many rare things were in him!" said he. "Who more loving unto his wife? + Who more kind unto his children?—Who more fast unto his friend?—Who + more moderate unto his enemy?—Who more true to his word?" Indeed, we + can always better understand and appreciate a man's real character by the + manner in which he conducts himself towards those who are the most nearly + related to him, and by his transaction of the seemingly commonplace + details of daily duty, than by his public exhibition of himself as an + author, an orator, or a statesman. + </p> + <p> + At the same time, while Duty, for the most part, applies to the conduct of + affairs in common life by the average of common men, it is also a + sustaining power to men of the very highest standard of character. They + may not have either money, or property, or learning, or power; and yet + they may be strong in heart and rich in spirit—honest, truthful, + dutiful. And whoever strives to do his duty faithfully is fulfilling the + purpose for which he was created, and building up in himself the + principles of a manly character. There are many persons of whom it may be + said that they have no other possession in the world but their character, + and yet they stand as firmly upon it as any crowned king. + </p> + <p> + Intellectual culture has no necessary relation to purity or excellence of + character. In the New Testament, appeals are constantly made to the heart + of man and to "the spirit we are of," whilst allusions to the intellect + are of very rare occurrence. "A handful of good life," says George + Herbert, "is worth a bushel of learning." Not that learning is to be + despised, but that it must be allied to goodness. Intellectual capacity is + sometimes found associated with the meanest moral character with abject + servility to those in high places, and arrogance to those of low estate. A + man may be accomplished in art, literature, and science, and yet, in + honesty, virtue, truthfulness, and the spirit of duty, be entitled to take + rank after many a poor and illiterate peasant. + </p> + <p> + "You insist," wrote Perthes to a friend, "on respect for learned men. I + say, Amen! But, at the same time, don't forget that largeness of mind, + depth of thought, appreciation of the lofty, experience of the world, + delicacy of manner, tact and energy in action, love of truth, honesty, and + amiability—that all these may be wanting in a man who may yet be + very learned." <a href="#linknote-102" name="linknoteref-102" + id="linknoteref-102"><small>102</small></a> + </p> + <p> + When some one, in Sir Walter Scott's hearing, made a remark as to the + value of literary talents and accomplishments, as if they were above all + things to be esteemed and honoured, he observed, "God help us! what a poor + world this would be if that were the true doctrine! I have read books + enough, and observed and conversed with enough of eminent and + splendidly-cultured minds, too, in my time; but I assure you, I have heard + higher sentiments from the lips of poor UNEDUCATED men and women, when + exerting the spirit of severe yet gentle heroism under difficulties and + afflictions, or speaking their simple thoughts as to circumstances in the + lot of friends and neighbours, than I ever yet met with out of the Bible. + We shall never learn to feel and respect our real calling and destiny, + unless we have taught ourselves to consider everything as moonshine, + compared with the education of the heart." <a href="#linknote-103" + name="linknoteref-103" id="linknoteref-103"><small>103</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Still less has wealth any necessary connection with elevation of + character. On the contrary, it is much more frequently the cause of its + corruption and degradation. Wealth and corruption, luxury and vice, have + very close affinities to each other. Wealth, in the hands of men of weak + purpose, of deficient self-control, or of ill-regulated passions, is only + a temptation and a snare—the source, it may be, of infinite mischief + to themselves, and often to others. + </p> + <p> + On the contrary, a condition of comparative poverty is compatible with + character in its highest form. A man may possess only his industry, his + frugality, his integrity, and yet stand high in the rank of true manhood. + The advice which Burns's father gave him was the best: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "He bade me act a manly part, though I had ne'er a farthing, + For without an honest manly heart no man was worth regarding." +</pre> + <p> + One of the purest and noblest characters the writer ever knew was a + labouring man in a northern county, who brought up his family respectably + on an income never amounting to more than ten shillings a week. Though + possessed of only the rudiments of common education, obtained at an + ordinary parish school, he was a man full of wisdom and thoughtfulness. + His library consisted of the Bible, 'Flavel,' and 'Boston'—books + which, excepting the first, probably few readers have ever heard of. This + good man might have sat for the portrait of Wordsworth's well-known + 'Wanderer.' When he had lived his modest life of work and worship, and + finally went to his rest, he left behind him a reputation for practical + wisdom, for genuine goodness, and for helpfulness in every good work, + which greater and richer men might have envied. + </p> + <p> + When Luther died, he left behind him, as set forth in his will, "no ready + money, no treasure of coin of any description." He was so poor at one part + of his life, that he was under the necessity of earning his bread by + turning, gardening, and clockmaking. Yet, at the very time when he was + thus working with his hands, he was moulding the character of his country; + and he was morally stronger, and vastly more honoured and followed, than + all the princes of Germany. + </p> + <p> + Character is property. It is the noblest of possessions. It is an estate + in the general goodwill and respect of men; and they who invest in it—though + they may not become rich in this world's goods—will find their + reward in esteem and reputation fairly and honourably won. And it is right + that in life good qualities should tell—that industry, virtue, and + goodness should rank the highest—and that the really best men should + be foremost. + </p> + <p> + Simple honesty of purpose in a man goes a long way in life, if founded on + a just estimate of himself and a steady obedience to the rule he knows and + feels to be right. It holds a man straight, gives him strength and + sustenance, and forms a mainspring of vigorous action. "No man," once said + Sir Benjamin Rudyard, "is bound to be rich or great,—no, nor to be + wise; but every man is bound to be honest." <a href="#linknote-104" + name="linknoteref-104" id="linknoteref-104"><small>104</small></a> + </p> + <p> + But the purpose, besides being honest, must be inspired by sound + principles, and pursued with undeviating adherence to truth, integrity, + and uprightness. Without principles, a man is like a ship without rudder + or compass, left to drift hither and thither with every wind that blows. + He is as one without law, or rule, or order, or government. "Moral + principles," says Hume, "are social and universal. They form, in a manner, + the PARTY of humankind against vice and disorder, its common enemy." + </p> + <p> + Epictetus once received a visit from a certain magnificent orator going to + Rome on a lawsuit, who wished to learn from the stoic something of his + philosophy. Epictetus received his visitor coolly, not believing in his + sincerity. "You will only criticise my style," said he; "not really + wishing to learn principles."—"Well, but," said the orator, "if I + attend to that sort of thing; I shall be a mere pauper, like you, with no + plate, nor equipage, nor land."—"I don't WANT such things," replied + Epictetus; "and besides, you are poorer than I am, after all. Patron or no + patron, what care I? You DO care. I am richer than you. I don't care what + Caesar thinks of me. I flatter no one. This is what I have, instead of + your gold and silver plate. You have silver vessels, but earthenware + reasons, principles, appetites. My mind to me a kingdom is, and it + furnishes me with abundant and happy occupation in lieu of your restless + idleness. All your possessions seem small to you; mine seem great to me. + Your desire is insatiate—mine is satisfied." <a href="#linknote-105" + name="linknoteref-105" id="linknoteref-105"><small>105</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Talent is by no means rare in the world; nor is even genius. But can the + talent be trusted?—can the genius? Not unless based on truthfulness—on + veracity. It is this quality more than any other that commands the esteem + and respect, and secures the confidence of others. Truthfulness is at the + foundation of all personal excellence. It exhibits itself in conduct. It + is rectitude—truth in action, and shines through every word and + deed. It means reliableness, and convinces other men that it can be + trusted. And a man is already of consequence in the world when it is known + that he can be relied on,—that when he says he knows a thing, he + does know it,—that when he says he will do a thing, he can do, and + does it. Thus reliableness becomes a passport to the general esteem and + confidence of mankind. + </p> + <p> + In the affairs of life or of business, it is not intellect that tells so + much as character,—not brains so much as heart,—not genius so + much as self-control, patience, and discipline, regulated by judgment. + Hence there is no better provision for the uses of either private or + public life, than a fair share of ordinary good sense guided by rectitude. + Good sense, disciplined by experience and inspired by goodness, issues in + practical wisdom. Indeed, goodness in a measure implies wisdom—the + highest wisdom—the union of the worldly with the spiritual. "The + correspondences of wisdom and goodness," says Sir Henry Taylor, "are + manifold; and that they will accompany each other is to be inferred, not + only because men's wisdom makes them good, but because their goodness + makes them wise." <a href="#linknote-106" name="linknoteref-106" + id="linknoteref-106"><small>106</small></a> + </p> + <p> + It is because of this controlling power of character in life that we often + see men exercise an amount of influence apparently out of all proportion + to their intellectual endowments. They appear to act by means of some + latent power, some reserved force, which acts secretly, by mere presence. + As Burke said of a powerful nobleman of the last century, "his virtues + were his means." The secret is, that the aims of such men are felt to be + pure and noble, and they act upon others with a constraining power. + </p> + <p> + Though the reputation of men of genuine character may be of slow growth, + their true qualities cannot be wholly concealed. They may be + misrepresented by some, and misunderstood by others; misfortune and + adversity may, for a time, overtake them but, with patience and endurance, + they will eventually inspire the respect and command the confidence which + they really deserve. + </p> + <p> + It has been said of Sheridan that, had he possessed reliableness of + character, he might have ruled the world; whereas, for want of it, his + splendid gifts were comparatively useless. He dazzled and amused, but was + without weight or influence in life or politics. Even the poor pantomimist + of Drury Lane felt himself his superior. Thus, when Delpini one day + pressed the manager for arrears of salary, Sheridan sharply reproved him, + telling him he had forgotten his station. "No, indeed, Monsieur Sheridan, + I have not," retorted Delpini; "I know the difference between us perfectly + well. In birth, parentage, and education, you are superior to me; but in + life, character, and behaviour, I am superior to you." + </p> + <p> + Unlike Sheridan, Burke, his countryman, was a great man of character. He + was thirty-five before he gained a seat in Parliament, yet he found time + to carve his name deep in the political history of England. He was a man + of great gifts, and of transcendent force of character. Yet he had a + weakness, which proved a serious defect—it was his want of temper; + his genius was sacrificed to his irritability. And without this apparently + minor gift of temper, the most splendid endowments may be comparatively + valueless to their possessor. + </p> + <p> + Character is formed by a variety of minute circumstances, more or less + under the regulation and control of the individual. Not a day passes + without its discipline, whether for good or for evil. There is no act, + however trivial, but has its train of consequences, as there is no hair so + small but casts its shadow. It was a wise saying of Mrs. + Schimmelpenninck's mother, never to give way to what is little; or by that + little, however you may despise it, you will be practically governed. + </p> + <p> + Every action, every thought, every feeling, contributes to the education + of the temper, the habits, and understanding; and exercises an inevitable + influence upon all the acts of our future life. Thus character is + undergoing constant change, for better or for worse—either being + elevated on the one hand, or degraded on the other. "There is no fault nor + folly of my life," says Mr. Ruskin, "that does not rise up against me, and + take away my joy, and shorten my power of possession, of sight, of + understanding. And every past effort of my life, every gleam of rightness + or good in it, is with me now, to help me in my grasp of this art and its + vision." <a href="#linknote-107" name="linknoteref-107" + id="linknoteref-107"><small>107</small></a> + </p> + <p> + The mechanical law, that action and reaction are equal, holds true also in + morals. Good deeds act and react on the doers of them; and so do evil. Not + only so: they produce like effects, by the influence of example, on those + who are the subjects of them. But man is not the creature, so much as he + is the creator, of circumstances: <a href="#linknote-108" + name="linknoteref-108" id="linknoteref-108"><small>108</small></a> and, by + the exercise of his freewill, he can direct his actions so that they shall + be productive of good rather than evil. "Nothing can work me damage but + myself," said St. Bernard; "the harm that I sustain I carry about with me; + and I am never a real sufferer but by my own fault." + </p> + <p> + The best sort of character, however, cannot be formed without effort. + There needs the exercise of constant self-watchfulness, self-discipline, + and self-control. There may be much faltering, stumbling, and temporary + defeat; difficulties and temptations manifold to be battled with and + overcome; but if the spirit be strong and the heart be upright, no one + need despair of ultimate success. The very effort to advance—to + arrive at a higher standard of character than we have reached—is + inspiring and invigorating; and even though we may fall short of it, we + cannot fail to be improved by every, honest effort made in an upward + direction. + </p> + <p> + And with the light of great examples to guide us—representatives of + humanity in its best forms—every one is not only justified, but + bound in duty, to aim at reaching the highest standard of character: not + to become the richest in means, but in spirit; not the greatest in worldly + position, but in true honour; not the most intellectual, but the most + virtuous; not the most powerful and influential, but the most truthful, + upright, and honest. + </p> + <p> + It was very characteristic of the late Prince Consort—a man himself + of the purest mind, who powerfully impressed and influenced others by the + sheer force of his own benevolent nature—when drawing up the + conditions of the annual prize to be given by Her Majesty at Wellington + College, to determine that it should be awarded, not to the cleverest boy, + nor to the most bookish boy, nor to the most precise, diligent, and + prudent boy,—but to the noblest boy, to the boy who should show the + most promise of becoming a large-hearted, high-motived man. <a + href="#linknote-109" name="linknoteref-109" id="linknoteref-109"><small>109</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Character exhibits itself in conduct, guided and inspired by principle, + integrity, and practical wisdom. In its highest form, it is the individual + will acting energetically under the influence of religion, morality, and + reason. It chooses its way considerately, and pursues it steadfastly; + esteeming duty above reputation, and the approval of conscience more than + the world's praise. While respecting the personality of others, it + preserves its own individuality and independence; and has the courage to + be morally honest, though it may be unpopular, trusting tranquilly to time + and experience for recognition. + </p> + <p> + Although the force of example will always exercise great influence upon + the formation of character, the self-originating and sustaining force of + one's own spirit must be the mainstay. This alone can hold up the life, + and give individual independence and energy. "Unless man can erect himself + above himself," said Daniel, a poet of the Elizabethan era, "how poor a + thing is man!" Without a certain degree of practical efficient force—compounded + of will, which is the root, and wisdom, which is the stem of character—life + will be indefinite and purposeless—like a body of stagnant water, + instead of a running stream doing useful work and keeping the machinery of + a district in motion. + </p> + <p> + When the elements of character are brought into action by determinate + will, and, influenced by high purpose, man enters upon and courageously + perseveres in the path of duty, at whatever cost of worldly interest, he + may be said to approach the summit of his being. He then exhibits + character in its most intrepid form, and embodies the highest idea of + manliness. The acts of such a man become repeated in the life and action + of others. His very words live and become actions. Thus every word of + Luther's rang through Germany like a trumpet. As Richter said of him, "His + words were half-battles." And thus Luther's life became transfused into + the life of his country, and still lives in the character of modern + Germany. + </p> + <p> + On the other hand, energy, without integrity and a soul of goodness, may + only represent the embodied principle of evil. It is observed by Novalis, + in his 'Thoughts on Morals,' that the ideal of moral perfection has no + more dangerous rival to contend with than the ideal of the highest + strength and the most energetic life, the maximum of the barbarian—which + needs only a due admixture of pride, ambition, and selfishness, to be a + perfect ideal of the devil. Amongst men of such stamp are found the + greatest scourges and devastators of the world—those elect + scoundrels whom Providence, in its inscrutable designs, permits to fulfil + their mission of destruction upon earth. <a href="#linknote-1010" + name="linknoteref-1010" id="linknoteref-1010"><small>1010</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Very different is the man of energetic character inspired by a noble + spirit, whose actions are governed by rectitude, and the law of whose life + is duty. He is just and upright,—in his business dealings, in his + public action, and in his family life—justice being as essential in + the government of a home as of a nation. He will be honest in all things—in + his words and in his work. He will be generous and merciful to his + opponents, as well as to those who are weaker than himself. It was truly + said of Sheridan—who, with all his improvidence, was generous, and + never gave pain—that, + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "His wit in the combat, as gentle as bright, + Never carried a heart-stain away on its blade." +</pre> + <p> + Such also was the character of Fox, who commanded the affection and + service of others by his uniform heartiness and sympathy. He was a man who + could always be most easily touched on the side of his honour. Thus, the + story is told of a tradesman calling upon him one day for the payment of a + promissory note which he presented. Fox was engaged at the time in + counting out gold. The tradesman asked to be paid from the money before + him. "No," said Fox, "I owe this money to Sheridan; it is a debt of + honour; if any accident happened to me, he would have nothing to show." + "Then," said the tradesman, "I change MY debt into one of honour;" and he + tore up the note. Fox was conquered by the act: he thanked the man for his + confidence, and paid him, saying, "Then Sheridan must wait; yours is the + debt of older standing." + </p> + <p> + The man of character is conscientious. He puts his conscience into his + work, into his words, into his every action. When Cromwell asked the + Parliament for soldiers in lieu of the decayed serving-men and tapsters + who filled the Commonwealth's army, he required that they should be men + "who made some conscience of what they did;" and such were the men of + which his celebrated regiment of "Ironsides" was composed. + </p> + <p> + The man of character is also reverential. The possession of this quality + marks the noblest, and highest type of manhood and womanhood: reverence + for things consecrated by the homage of generations—for high + objects, pure thoughts, and noble aims—for the great men of former + times, and the highminded workers amongst our contemporaries. Reverence is + alike indispensable to the happiness of individuals, of families, and of + nations. Without it there can be no trust, no faith, no confidence, either + in man or God—neither social peace nor social progress. For + reverence is but another word for religion, which binds men to each other, + and all to God. + </p> + <p> + "The man of noble spirit," says Sir Thomas Overbury, "converts all + occurrences into experience, between which experience and his reason there + is marriage, and the issue are his actions. He moves by affection, not for + affection; he loves glory, scorns shame, and governeth and obeyeth with + one countenance, for it comes from one consideration. Knowing reason to be + no idle gift of nature, he is the steersman of his own destiny. Truth is + his goddess, and he takes pains to get her, not to look like her. Unto the + society of men he is a sun, whose clearness directs their steps in a + regular motion. He is the wise man's friend, the example of the + indifferent, the medicine of the vicious. Thus time goeth not from him, + but with him, and he feels age more by the strength of his soul than by + the weakness of his body. Thus feels he no pain, but esteems all such + things as friends, that desire to file off his fetters, and help him out + of prison." <a href="#linknote-1011" name="linknoteref-1011" + id="linknoteref-1011"><small>1011</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Energy of will—self-originating force—is the soul of every + great character. Where it is, there is life; where it is not, there is + faintness, helplessness, and despondency. "The strong man and the + waterfall," says the proverb, "channel their own path." The energetic + leader of noble spirit not only wins a way for himself, but carries others + with him. His every act has a personal significance, indicating vigour, + independence, and self-reliance, and unconsciously commands respect, + admiration, and homage. Such intrepidity of character characterised + Luther, Cromwell, Washington, Pitt, Wellington, and all great leaders of + men. + </p> + <p> + "I am convinced," said Mr. Gladstone, in describing the qualities of the + late Lord Palmerston in the House of Commons, shortly after his death—"I + am convinced that it was the force of will, a sense of duty, and a + determination not to give in, that enabled him to make himself a model for + all of us who yet remain and follow him, with feeble and unequal steps, in + the discharge of our duties; it was that force of will that in point of + fact did not so much struggle against the infirmities of old age, but + actually repelled them and kept them at a distance. And one other quality + there is, at least, that may be noticed without the smallest risk of + stirring in any breast a painful emotion. It is this, that Lord Palmerston + had a nature incapable of enduring anger or any sentiment of wrath. This + freedom from wrathful sentiment was not the result of painful effort, but + the spontaneous fruit of the mind. It was a noble gift of his original + nature—a gift which beyond all others it was delightful to observe, + delightful also to remember in connection with him who has left us, and + with whom we have no longer to do, except in endeavouring to profit by his + example wherever it can lead us in the path of duty and of right, and of + bestowing on him those tributes of admiration and affection which he + deserves at our hands." + </p> + <p> + The great leader attracts to himself men of kindred character, drawing + them towards him as the loadstone draws iron. Thus, Sir John Moore early + distinguished the three brothers Napier from the crowd of officers by whom + he was surrounded, and they, on their part, repaid him by their passionate + admiration. They were captivated by his courtesy, his bravery, and his + lofty disinterestedness; and he became the model whom they resolved to + imitate, and, if possible, to emulate. "Moore's influence," says the + biographer of Sir William Napier, "had a signal effect in forming and + maturing their characters; and it is no small glory to have been the hero + of those three men, while his early discovery of their mental and moral + qualities is a proof of Moore's own penetration and judgment of + character." + </p> + <p> + There is a contagiousness in every example of energetic conduct. The brave + man is an inspiration to the weak, and compels them, as it were, to follow + him. Thus Napier relates that at the combat of Vera, when the Spanish + centre was broken and in flight, a young officer, named Havelock, sprang + forward, and, waving his hat, called upon the Spaniards within sight to + follow him. Putting spurs to his horse, he leapt the abbatis which + protected the French front, and went headlong against them. The Spaniards + were electrified; in a moment they dashed after him, cheering for "EL + CHICO BLANCO!" [10the fair boy], and with one shock they broke through the + French and sent them flying downhill. <a href="#linknote-1012" + name="linknoteref-1012" id="linknoteref-1012"><small>1012</small></a> + </p> + <p> + And so it is in ordinary life. The good and the great draw others after + them; they lighten and lift up all who are within reach of their + influence. They are as so many living centres of beneficent activity. Let + a man of energetic and upright character be appointed to a position of + trust and authority, and all who serve under him become, as it were, + conscious of an increase of power. When Chatham was appointed minister, + his personal influence was at once felt through all the ramifications of + office. Every sailor who served under Nelson, and knew he was in command, + shared the inspiration of the hero. + </p> + <p> + When Washington consented to act as commander-in-chief, it was felt as if + the strength of the American forces had been more than doubled. Many years + late; in 1798, when Washington, grown old, had withdrawn from public life + and was living in retirement at Mount Vernon, and when it seemed probable + that France would declare war against the United States, President Adams + wrote to him, saying, "We must have your name, if you will permit us to + use it; there will be more efficacy in it than in many an army." Such was + the esteem in which the great President's noble character and eminent + abilities were held by his countrymen! <a href="#linknote-1013" + name="linknoteref-1013" id="linknoteref-1013"><small>1013</small></a> + </p> + <p> + An incident is related by the historian of the Peninsular War, + illustrative of the personal influence exercised by a great commander over + his followers. The British army lay at Sauroren, before which Soult was + advancing, prepared to attack, in force. Wellington was absent, and his + arrival was anxiously looked for. Suddenly a single horseman was seen + riding up the mountain alone. It was the Duke, about to join his troops. + One of Campbell's Portuguese battalions first descried him, and raised a + joyful cry; then the shrill clamour, caught up by the next regiment, soon + swelled as it ran along the line into that appalling shout which the + British soldier is wont to give upon the edge of battle, and which no + enemy ever heard unmoved. Suddenly he stopped at a conspicuous point, for + he desired both armies should know he was there, and a double spy who was + present pointed out Soult, who was so near that his features could be + distinguished. Attentively Wellington fixed his eyes on that formidable + man, and, as if speaking to himself, he said: "Yonder is a great + commander; but he is cautious, and will delay his attack to ascertain the + cause of those cheers; that will give time for the Sixth Division to + arrive, and I shall beat him"—which he did. <a href="#linknote-1014" + name="linknoteref-1014" id="linknoteref-1014"><small>1014</small></a> + </p> + <p> + In some cases, personal character acts by a kind of talismanic influence, + as if certain men were the organs of a sort of supernatural force. "If I + but stamp on the ground in Italy," said Pompey, "an army will appear." At + the voice of Peter the Hermit, as described by the historian, "Europe + arose, and precipitated itself upon Asia." It was said of the Caliph Omar + that his walking-stick struck more terror into those who saw it than + another man's sword. The very names of some men are like the sound of a + trumpet. When the Douglas lay mortally wounded on the field of Otterburn, + he ordered his name to be shouted still louder than before, saying there + was a tradition in his family that a dead Douglas should win a battle. His + followers, inspired by the sound, gathered fresh courage, rallied, and + conquered; and thus, in the words of the Scottish poet:— + </p> + <p> + "The Douglas dead, his name hath won the field." <a href="#linknote-1015" + name="linknoteref-1015" id="linknoteref-1015"><small>1015</small></a> + </p> + <p> + There have been some men whose greatest conquests have been achieved after + they themselves were dead. "Never," says Michelet, "was Caesar more alive, + more powerful, more terrible, than when his old and worn-out body, his + withered corpse, lay pierced with blows; he appeared then purified, + redeemed,—that which he had been, despite his many stains—the + man of humanity." <a href="#linknote-1016" name="linknoteref-1016" + id="linknoteref-1016"><small>1016</small></a> Never did the great + character of William of Orange, surnamed the Silent, exercise greater + power over his countrymen than after his assassination at Delft by the + emissary of the Jesuits. On the very day of his murder the Estates of + Holland resolved "to maintain the good cause, with God's help, to the + uttermost, without sparing gold or blood;" and they kept their word. + </p> + <p> + The same illustration applies to all history and morals. The career of a + great man remains an enduring monument of human energy. The man dies and + disappears; but his thoughts and acts survive, and leave an indelible + stamp upon his race. And thus the spirit of his life is prolonged and + perpetuated, moulding the thought and will, and thereby contributing to + form the character of the future. It is the men that advance in the + highest and best directions, who are the true beacons of human progress. + They are as lights set upon a hill, illumining the moral atmosphere around + them; and the light of their spirit continues to shine upon all succeeding + generations. + </p> + <p> + It is natural to admire and revere really great men. They hallow the + nation to which they belong, and lift up not only all who live in their + time, but those who live after them. Their great example becomes the + common heritage of their race; and their great deeds and great thoughts + are the most glorious of legacies to mankind. They connect the present + with the past, and help on the increasing purpose of the future; holding + aloft the standard of principle, maintaining the dignity of human + character, and filling the mind with traditions and instincts of all that + is most worthy and noble in life. + </p> + <p> + Character, embodied in thought and deed, is of the nature of immortality. + The solitary thought of a great thinker will dwell in the minds of men for + centuries until at length it works itself into their daily life and + practice. It lives on through the ages, speaking as a voice from the dead, + and influencing minds living thousands of years apart. Thus, Moses and + David and Solomon, Plato and Socrates and Xenophon, Seneca and Cicero and + Epictetus, still speak to us as from their tombs. They still arrest the + attention, and exercise an influence upon character, though their thoughts + be conveyed in languages unspoken by them and in their time unknown. + Theodore Parker has said that a single man like Socrates was worth more to + a country than many such states as South Carolina; that if that state went + out of the world to-day, she would not have done so much for the world as + Socrates. <a href="#linknote-1017" name="linknoteref-1017" + id="linknoteref-1017"><small>1017</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Great workers and great thinkers are the true makers of history, which is + but continuous humanity influenced by men of character—by great + leaders, kings, priests, philosophers, statesmen, and patriots—the + true aristocracy of man. Indeed, Mr. Carlyle has broadly stated that + Universal History is, at bottom, but the history of Great Men. They + certainly mark and designate the epochs of national life. Their influence + is active, as well as reactive. Though their mind is, in a measure; the + product of their age, the public mind is also, to a great extent, their + creation. Their individual action identifies the cause—the + institution. They think great thoughts, cast them abroad, and the thoughts + make events. Thus the early Reformers initiated the Reformation, and with + it the liberation of modern thought. Emerson has said that every + institution is to be regarded as but the lengthened shadow of some great + man: as Islamism of Mahomet, Puritanism of Calvin, Jesuitism of Loyola, + Quakerism of Fox, Methodism of Wesley, Abolitionism of Clarkson. + </p> + <p> + Great men stamp their mind upon their age and nation—as Luther did + upon modern Germany, and Knox upon Scotland. <a href="#linknote-1018" + name="linknoteref-1018" id="linknoteref-1018"><small>1018</small></a> And + if there be one man more than another that stamped his mind on modern + Italy, it was Dante. During the long centuries of Italian degradation his + burning words were as a watchfire and a beacon to all true men. He was the + herald of his nation's liberty—braving persecution, exile, and + death, for the love of it. He was always the most national of the Italian + poets, the most loved, the most read. From the time of his death all + educated Italians had his best passages by heart; and the sentiments they + enshrined inspired their lives, and eventually influenced the history of + their nation. "The Italians," wrote Byron in 1821, "talk Dante, write + Dante, and think and dream Dante, at this moment, to an excess which would + be ridiculous, but that he deserves their admiration." <a + href="#linknote-1019" name="linknoteref-1019" id="linknoteref-1019"><small>1019</small></a> + </p> + <p> + A succession of variously gifted men in different ages—extending + from Alfred to Albert—has in like manner contributed, by their life + and example, to shape the multiform character of England. Of these, + probably the most influential were the men of the Elizabethan and + Cromwellian, and the intermediate periods—amongst which we find the + great names of Shakspeare, Raleigh, Burleigh, Sidney, Bacon, Milton, + Herbert, Hampden, Pym, Eliot, Vane, Cromwell, and many more—some of + them men of great force, and others of great dignity and purity of + character. The lives of such men have become part of the public life of + England, and their deeds and thoughts are regarded as among the most + cherished bequeathments from the past. + </p> + <p> + So Washington left behind him, as one of the greatest treasures of his + country, the example of a stainless life—of a great, honest, pure, + and noble character—a model for his nation to form themselves by in + all time to come. And in the case of Washington, as in so many other great + leaders of men, his greatness did not so much consist in his intellect, + his skill, and his genius, as in his honour, his integrity, his + truthfulness, his high and controlling sense of duty—in a word, in + his genuine nobility of character. + </p> + <p> + Men such as these are the true lifeblood of the country to which they + belong. They elevate and uphold it, fortify and ennoble it, and shed a + glory over it by the example of life and character which they have + bequeathed. "The names and memories of great men," says an able writer, + "are the dowry of a nation. Widowhood, overthrow, desertion, even slavery, + cannot take away from her this sacred inheritance.... Whenever national + life begins to quicken.... the dead heroes rise in the memories of men, + and appear to the living to stand by in solemn spectatorship and approval. + No country can be lost which feels herself overlooked by such glorious + witnesses. They are the salt of the earth, in death as well as in life. + What they did once, their descendants have still and always a right to do + after them; and their example lives in their country, a continual + stimulant and encouragement for him who has the soul to adopt it." <a + href="#linknote-1020" name="linknoteref-1020" id="linknoteref-1020"><small>1020</small></a> + </p> + <p> + But it is not great men only that have to be taken into account in + estimating the qualities of a nation, but the character that pervades the + great body of the people. When Washington Irving visited Abbotsford, Sir + Walter Scott introduced him to many of his friends and favourites, not + only amongst the neighbouring farmers, but the labouring peasantry. "I + wish to show you," said Scott, "some of our really excellent plain Scotch + people. The character of a nation is not to be learnt from its fine folks, + its fine gentlemen and ladies; such you meet everywhere, and they are + everywhere the same." While statesmen, philosophers, and divines represent + the thinking power of society, the men who found industries and carve out + new careers, as well as the common body of working-people, from whom the + national strength and spirit are from time to time recruited, must + necessarily furnish the vital force and constitute the real backbone of + every nation. + </p> + <p> + Nations have their character to maintain as well as individuals; and under + constitutional governments—where all classes more or less + participate in the exercise of political power—the national + character will necessarily depend more upon the moral qualities of the + many than of the few. And the same qualities which determine the character + of individuals, also determine the character of nations. Unless they are + highminded, truthful, honest, virtuous, and courageous, they will be held + in light esteem by other nations, and be without weight in the world. To + have character, they must needs also be reverential, disciplined, + self-controlling, and devoted to duty. The nation that has no higher god + than pleasure, or even dollars or calico, must needs be in a poor way. It + were better to revert to Homer's gods than be devoted to these; for the + heathen deities at least imaged human virtues, and were something to look + up to. + </p> + <p> + As for institutions, however good in themselves, they will avail but + little in maintaining the standard of national character. It is the + individual men, and the spirit which actuates them, that determine the + moral standing and stability of nations. Government, in the long run, is + usually no better than the people governed. Where the mass is sound in + conscience, morals, and habit, the nation will be ruled honestly and + nobly. But where they are corrupt, self-seeking, and dishonest in heart, + bound neither by truth nor by law, the rule of rogues and wirepullers + becomes inevitable. + </p> + <p> + The only true barrier against the despotism of public opinion, whether it + be of the many or of the few, is enlightened individual freedom and purity + of personal character. Without these there can be no vigorous manhood, no + true liberty in a nation. Political rights, however broadly framed, will + not elevate a people individually depraved. Indeed, the more complete a + system of popular suffrage, and the more perfect its protection, the more + completely will the real character of a people be reflected, as by a + mirror, in their laws and government. Political morality can never have + any solid existence on a basis of individual immorality. Even freedom, + exercised by a debased people, would come to be regarded as a nuisance, + and liberty of the press but a vent for licentiousness and moral + abomination. + </p> + <p> + Nations, like individuals, derive support and strength from the feeling + that they belong to an illustrious race, that they are the heirs of their + greatness, and ought to be the perpetuators of their glory. It is of + momentous importance that a nation should have a great past <a + href="#linknote-1021" name="linknoteref-1021" id="linknoteref-1021"><small>1021</small></a> + to look back upon. It steadies the life of the present, elevates and + upholds it, and lightens and lifts it up, by the memory of the great + deeds, the noble sufferings, and the valorous achievements of the men of + old. The life of nations, as of men, is a great treasury of experience, + which, wisely used, issues in social progress and improvement; or, + misused, issues in dreams, delusions, and failure. Like men, nations are + purified and strengthened by trials. Some of the most glorious chapters in + their history are those containing the record of the sufferings by means + of which their character has been developed. Love of liberty and patriotic + feeling may have done much, but trial and suffering nobly borne more than + all. + </p> + <p> + A great deal of what passes by the name of patriotism in these days + consists of the merest bigotry and narrow-mindedness; exhibiting itself in + national prejudice, national conceit, amid national hatred. It does not + show itself in deeds, but in boastings—in howlings, gesticulations, + and shrieking helplessly for help—in flying flags and singing songs—and + in perpetual grinding at the hurdy-gurdy of long-dead grievances and + long-remedied wrongs. To be infested by SUCH a patriotism as this is, + perhaps, amongst the greatest curses that can befall any country. + </p> + <p> + But as there is an ignoble, so is there a noble patriotism—the + patriotism that invigorates and elevates a country by noble work—that + does its duty truthfully and manfully—that lives an honest, sober, + and upright life, and strives to make the best use of the opportunities + for improvement that present themselves on every side; and at the same + time a patriotism that cherishes the memory and example of the great men + of old, who, by their sufferings in the cause of religion or of freedom, + have won for themselves a deathless glory, and for their nation those + privileges of free life and free institutions of which they are the + inheritors and possessors. + </p> + <p> + Nations are not to be judged by their size any more than individuals: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "it is not growing like a tree + In bulk, doth make Man better be." +</pre> + <p> + For a nation to be great, it need not necessarily be big, though bigness + is often confounded with greatness. A nation may be very big in point of + territory and population and yet be devoid of true greatness. The people + of Israel were a small people, yet what a great life they developed, and + how powerful the influence they have exercised on the destinies of + mankind! Greece was not big: the entire population of Attica was less than + that of South Lancashire. Athens was less populous than New York; and yet + how great it was in art, in literature, in philosophy, and in patriotism! + <a href="#linknote-1022" name="linknoteref-1022" id="linknoteref-1022"><small>1022</small></a> + </p> + <p> + But it was the fatal weakness of Athens that its citizens had no true + family or home life, while its freemen were greatly outnumbered by its + slaves. Its public men were loose, if not corrupt, in morals. Its women, + even the most accomplished, were unchaste. Hence its fall became + inevitable, and was even more sudden than its rise. + </p> + <p> + In like manner the decline and fall of Rome was attributable to the + general corruption of its people, and to their engrossing love of pleasure + and idleness—work, in the later days of Rome, being regarded only as + fit for slaves. Its citizens ceased to pride themselves on the virtues of + character of their great forefathers; and the empire fell because it did + not deserve to live. And so the nations that are idle and luxurious—that + "will rather lose a pound of blood," as old Burton says, "in a single + combat, than a drop of sweat in any honest labour"—must inevitably + die out, and laborious energetic nations take their place. + </p> + <p> + When Louis XIV. asked Colbert how it was that, ruling so great and + populous a country as France, he had been unable to conquer so small a + country as Holland, the minister replied: "Because, Sire, the greatness of + a country does not depend upon the extent of its territory, but on the + character of its people. It is because of the industry, the frugality, and + the energy of the Dutch that your Majesty has found them so difficult to + overcome." + </p> + <p> + It is also related of Spinola and Richardet, the ambassadors sent by the + King of Spain to negotiate a treaty at the Hague in 1608, that one day + they saw some eight or ten persons land from a little boat, and, sitting + down upon the grass, proceed to make a meal of bread-and-cheese and beer. + "Who are those travellers?" asked the ambassadors of a peasant. "These are + worshipful masters, the deputies from the States," was his reply. Spinola + at once whispered to his companion, "We must make peace: these are not men + to be conquered." + </p> + <p> + In fine, stability of institutions must depend upon stability of + character. Any number of depraved units cannot form a great nation. The + people may seem to be highly civilised, and yet be ready to fall to pieces + at first touch of adversity. Without integrity of individual character, + they can have no real strength, cohesion, soundness. They may be rich, + polite, and artistic; and yet hovering on the brink of ruin. If living for + themselves only, and with no end but pleasure—each little self his + own little god—such a nation is doomed, and its decay is inevitable. + </p> + <p> + Where national character ceases to be upheld, a nation may be regarded as + next to lost. Where it ceases to esteem and to practise the virtues of + truthfulness, honesty, integrity, and justice, it does not deserve to + live. And when the time arrives in any country when wealth has so + corrupted, or pleasure so depraved, or faction so infatuated the people, + that honour, order, obedience, virtue, and loyalty have seemingly become + things of the past; then, amidst the darkness, when honest men—if, + haply, there be such left—are groping about and feeling for each + other's hands, their only remaining hope will be in the restoration and + elevation of Individual Character; for by that alone can a nation be + saved; and if character be irrecoverably lost, then indeed there will be + nothing left worth saving. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0002" id="link2HCH0002"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER II.—HOME POWER. + </h2> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "So build we up the being that we are, + Thus deeply drinking in the soul of things, + We shall be wise perforce." WORDSWORTH. + + "The millstreams that turn the clappers of the world + arise in solitary places."—HELPS. + + "In the course of a conversation with Madame Campan, + Napoleon Buonaparte remarked: 'The old systems of + instruction seem to be worth nothing; what is yet wanting in + order that the people should be properly educated?' + 'MOTHERS,' replied Madame Campan. The reply struck the + Emperor. 'Yes!' said he 'here is a system of education in + one word. Be it your care, then, to train up mothers who + shall know how to educate their children.'"—AIME MARTIN. + + "Lord! with what care hast Thou begirt us round! + Parents first season us. Then schoolmasters + Deliver us to laws. They send us bound + To rules of reason."—GEORGE HERBERT. +</pre> + <p> + HOME is the first and most important school of character. It is there that + every human being receives his best moral training, or his worst; for it + is there that he imbibes those principles of conduct which endure through + manhood, and cease only with life. + </p> + <p> + It is a common saying that "Manners make the man;" and there is a second, + that "Mind makes the man;" but truer than either is a third, that "Home + makes the man." For the home-training includes not only manners and mind, + but character. It is mainly in the home that the heart is opened, the + habits are formed, the intellect is awakened, and character moulded for + good or for evil. + </p> + <p> + From that source, be it pure or impure, issue the principles and maxims + that govern society. Law itself is but the reflex of homes. The tiniest + bits of opinion sown in the minds of children in private life afterwards + issue forth to the world, and become its public opinion; for nations are + gathered out of nurseries, and they who hold the leading-strings of + children may even exercise a greater power than those who wield the reins + of government. <a href="#linknote-111" name="linknoteref-111" + id="linknoteref-111"><small>111</small></a> + </p> + <p> + It is in the order of nature that domestic life should be preparatory to + social, and that the mind and character should first be formed in the + home. There the individuals who afterwards form society are dealt with in + detail, and fashioned one by one. From the family they enter life, and + advance from boyhood to citizenship. Thus the home may be regarded as the + most influential school of civilisation. For, after all, civilisation + mainly resolves itself into a question of individual training; and + according as the respective members of society are well or ill-trained in + youth, so will the community which they constitute be more or less + humanised and civilised. + </p> + <p> + The training of any man, even the wisest, cannot fail to be powerfully + influenced by the moral surroundings of his early years. He comes into the + world helpless, and absolutely dependent upon those about him for nurture + and culture. From the very first breath that he draws, his education + begins. When a mother once asked a clergyman when she should begin the + education of her child, then four years old, he replied: "Madam, if you + have not begun already, you have lost those four years. From the first + smile that gleams upon an infant's cheek, your opportunity begins." + </p> + <p> + But even in this case the education had already begun; for the child + learns by simple imitation, without effort, almost through the pores of + the skin. "A figtree looking on a figtree becometh fruitful," says the + Arabian proverb. And so it is with children; their first great instructor + is example. + </p> + <p> + However apparently trivial the influences which contribute to form the + character of the child, they endure through life. The child's character is + the nucleus of the man's; all after-education is but superposition; the + form of the crystal remains the same. Thus the saying of the poet holds + true in a large degree, "The child is father of the man;" or, as Milton + puts it, "The childhood shows the man, as morning shows the day." Those + impulses to conduct which last the longest and are rooted the deepest, + always have their origin near our birth. It is then that the germs of + virtues or vices, of feelings or sentiments, are first implanted which + determine the character for life. + </p> + <p> + The child is, as it were, laid at the gate of a new world, and opens his + eyes upon things all of which are full of novelty and wonderment. At first + it is enough for him to gaze; but by-and-by he begins to see, to observe, + to compare, to learn, to store up impressions and ideas; and under wise + guidance the progress which he makes is really wonderful. Lord Brougham + has observed that between the ages of eighteen and thirty months, a child + learns more of the material world, of his own powers, of the nature of + other bodies, and even of his own mind and other minds, than he acquires + in all the rest of his life. The knowledge which a child accumulates, and + the ideas generated in his mind, during this period, are so important, + that if we could imagine them to be afterwards obliterated, all the + learning of a senior wrangler at Cambridge, or a first-classman at Oxford, + would be as nothing to it, and would literally not enable its object to + prolong his existence for a week. + </p> + <p> + It is in childhood that the mind is most open to impressions, and ready to + be kindled by the first spark that falls into it. Ideas are then caught + quickly and live lastingly. Thus Scott is said to have received, his first + bent towards ballad literature from his mother's and grandmother's + recitations in his hearing long before he himself had learned to read. + Childhood is like a mirror, which reflects in after-life the images first + presented to it. The first thing continues for ever with the child. The + first joy, the first sorrow, the first success, the first failure, the + first achievement, the first misadventure, paint the foreground of his + life. + </p> + <p> + All this while, too, the training of the character is in progress—of + the temper, the will, and the habits—on which so much of the + happiness of human beings in after-life depends. Although man is endowed + with a certain self-acting, self-helping power of contributing to his own + development, independent of surrounding circumstances, and of reacting + upon the life around him, the bias given to his moral character in early + life is of immense importance. Place even the highest-minded philosopher + in the midst of daily discomfort, immorality, and vileness, and he will + insensibly gravitate towards brutality. How much more susceptible is the + impressionable and helpless child amidst such surroundings! It is not + possible to rear a kindly nature, sensitive to evil, pure in mind and + heart, amidst coarseness, discomfort, and impurity. + </p> + <p> + Thus homes, which are the nurseries of children who grow up into men and + women, will be good or bad according to the power that governs them. Where + the spirit of love and duty pervades the home—where head and heart + bear rule wisely there—where the daily life is honest and virtuous—where + the government is sensible, kind, and loving, then may we expect from such + a home an issue of healthy, useful, and happy beings, capable, as they + gain the requisite strength, of following the footsteps of their parents, + of walking uprightly, governing themselves wisely, and contributing to the + welfare of those about them. + </p> + <p> + On the other hand, if surrounded by ignorance, coarseness, and + selfishness, they will unconsciously assume the same character, and grow + up to adult years rude, uncultivated, and all the more dangerous to + society if placed amidst the manifold temptations of what is called + civilised life. "Give your child to be educated by a slave," said an + ancient Greek, "and instead of one slave, you will then have two." + </p> + <p> + The child cannot help imitating what he sees. Everything is to him a model—of + manner, of gesture, of speech, of habit, of character. "For the child," + says Richter, "the most important era of life is that of childhood, when + he begins to colour and mould himself by companionship with others. Every + new educator effects less than his predecessor; until at last, if we + regard all life as an educational institution, a circumnavigator of the + world is less influenced by all the nations he has seen than by his + nurse." <a href="#linknote-112" name="linknoteref-112" id="linknoteref-112"><small>112</small></a> + Models are therefore of every importance in moulding the nature of the + child; and if we would have fine characters, we must necessarily present + before them fine models. Now, the model most constantly before every + child's eye is the Mother. + </p> + <p> + One good mother, said George Herbert, is worth a hundred schoolmasters. In + the home she is "loadstone to all hearts, and loadstar to all eyes." + Imitation of her is constant—imitation, which Bacon likens to "a + globe of precepts." But example is far more than precept. It is + instruction in action. It is teaching without words, often exemplifying + more than tongue can teach. In the face of bad example, the best of + precepts are of but little avail. The example is followed, not the + precepts. Indeed, precept at variance with practice is worse than useless, + inasmuch as it only serves to teach the most cowardly of vices—hypocrisy. + Even children are judges of consistency, and the lessons of the parent who + says one thing and does the opposite, are quickly seen through. The + teaching of the friar was not worth much, who preached the virtue of + honesty with a stolen goose in his sleeve. + </p> + <p> + By imitation of acts, the character becomes slowly and imperceptibly, but + at length decidedly formed. The several acts may seem in themselves + trivial; but so are the continuous acts of daily life. Like snowflakes, + they fall unperceived; each flake added to the pile produces no sensible + change, and yet the accumulation of snowflakes makes the avalanche. So do + repeated acts, one following another, at length become consolidated in + habit, determine the action of the human being for good or for evil, and, + in a word, form the character. + </p> + <p> + It is because the mother, far more than the father, influences the action + and conduct of the child, that her good example is of so much greater + importance in the home. It is easy to understand how this should be so. + The home is the woman's domain—her kingdom, where she exercises + entire control. Her power over the little subjects she rules there is + absolute. They look up to her for everything. She is the example and model + constantly before their eyes, whom they unconsciously observe and imitate. + </p> + <p> + Cowley, speaking of the influence of early example, and ideas early + implanted in the mind, compares them to letters cut in the bark of a young + tree, which grow and widen with age. The impressions then made, howsoever + slight they may seem, are never effaced. The ideas then implanted in the + mind are like seeds dropped into the ground, which lie there and germinate + for a time, afterwards springing up in acts and thoughts and habits. Thus + the mother lives again in her children. They unconsciously mould + themselves after her manner, her speech, her conduct, and her method of + life. Her habits become theirs; and her character is visibly repeated in + them. + </p> + <p> + This maternal love is the visible providence of our race. Its influence is + constant and universal. It begins with the education of the human being at + the out-start of life, and is prolonged by virtue of the powerful + influence which every good mother exercises over her children through + life. When launched into the world, each to take part in its labours, + anxieties, and trials, they still turn to their mother for consolation, if + not for counsel, in their time of trouble and difficulty. The pure and + good thoughts she has implanted in their minds when children, continue to + grow up into good acts, long after she is dead; and when there is nothing + but a memory of her left, her children rise up and call her blessed. + </p> + <p> + It is not saying too much to aver that the happiness or misery, the + enlightenment or ignorance, the civilisation or barbarism of the world, + depends in a very high degree upon the exercise of woman's power within + her special kingdom of home. Indeed, Emerson says, broadly and truly, that + "a sufficient measure of civilisation is the influence of good women." + Posterity may be said to lie before us in the person of the child in the + mother's lap. What that child will eventually become, mainly depends upon + the training and example which he has received from his first and most + influential educator. + </p> + <p> + Woman, above all other educators, educates humanly. Man is the brain, but + woman is the heart of humanity; he its judgment, she its feeling; he its + strength, she its grace, ornament, and solace. Even the understanding of + the best woman seems to work mainly through her affections. And thus, + though man may direct the intellect, woman cultivates the feelings, which + mainly determine the character. While he fills the memory, she occupies + the heart. She makes us love what he can only make us believe, and it is + chiefly through her that we are enabled to arrive at virtue. + </p> + <p> + The respective influences of the father and the mother on the training and + development of character, are remarkably illustrated in the life of St. + Augustine. While Augustine's father, a poor freeman of Thagaste, proud of + his son's abilities, endeavoured to furnish his mind with the highest + learning of the schools, and was extolled by his neighbours for the + sacrifices he made with that object "beyond the ability of his means"—his + mother Monica, on the other hand, sought to lead her son's mind in the + direction of the highest good, and with pious care counselled him, + entreated him, advised him to chastity, and, amidst much anguish and + tribulation, because of his wicked life, never ceased to pray for him + until her prayers were heard and answered. Thus her love at last + triumphed, and the patience and goodness of the mother were rewarded, not + only by the conversion of her gifted son, but also of her husband. Later + in life, and after her husband's death, Monica, drawn by her affection, + followed her son to Milan, to watch over him; and there she died, when he + was in his thirty-third year. But it was in the earlier period of his life + that her example and instruction made the deepest impression upon his + mind, and determined his future character. + </p> + <p> + There are many similar instances of early impressions made upon a child's + mind, springing up into good acts late in life, after an intervening + period of selfishness and vice. Parents may do all that they can to + develope an upright and virtuous character in their children, and + apparently in vain. It seems like bread cast upon the waters and lost. And + yet sometimes it happens that long after the parents have gone to their + Rest—it may be twenty years or more—the good precept, the good + example set before their sons and daughters in childhood, at length + springs up and bears fruit. + </p> + <p> + One of the most remarkable of such instances was that of the Reverend John + Newton of Olney, the friend of Cowper the poet. It was long subsequent to + the death of both his parents, and after leading a vicious life as a youth + and as a seaman, that he became suddenly awakened to a sense of his + depravity; and then it was that the lessons which his mother had given him + when a child sprang up vividly in his memory. Her voice came to him as it + were from the dead, and led him gently back to virtue and goodness. + </p> + <p> + Another instance is that of John Randolph, the American statesman, who + once said: "I should have been an atheist if it had not been for one + recollection—and that was the memory of the time when my departed + mother used to take my little hand in hers, and cause me on my knees to + say, 'Our Father who art in heaven!'" + </p> + <p> + But such instance must, on the whole, be regarded as exceptional. As the + character is biassed in early life, so it generally remains, gradually + assuming its permanent form as manhood is reached. "Live as long as you + may," said Southey, "the first twenty years are the longest half of your + life," and they are by far the most pregnant in consequences. When the + worn-out slanderer and voluptuary, Dr. Wolcot, lay on his deathbed, one of + his friends asked if he could do anything to gratify him. "Yes," said the + dying man, eagerly, "give me back my youth." Give him but that, and he + would repent—he would reform. But it was all too late! His life had + become bound and enthralled by the chains of habit.' <a + href="#linknote-113" name="linknoteref-113" id="linknoteref-113"><small>113</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Gretry, the musical composer, thought so highly of the importance of woman + as an educator of character, that he described a good mother as "Nature's + CHEF-D'OEUVRE." And he was right: for good mothers, far more than fathers, + tend to the perpetual renovation of mankind, creating, as they do, the + moral atmosphere of the home, which is the nutriment of man's moral being, + as the physical atmosphere is of his corporeal frame. By good temper, + suavity, and kindness, directed by intelligence, woman surrounds the + indwellers with a pervading atmosphere of cheerfulness, contentment, and + peace, suitable for the growth of the purest as of the manliest natures. + </p> + <p> + The poorest dwelling, presided over by a virtuous, thrifty, cheerful, and + cleanly woman, may thus be the abode of comfort, virtue, and happiness; it + may be the scene of every ennobling relation in family life; it may be + endeared to a man by many delightful associations; furnishing a sanctuary + for the heart, a refuge from the storms of life, a sweet resting-place + after labour, a consolation in misfortune, a pride in prosperity, and a + joy at all times. + </p> + <p> + The good home is thus the best of schools, not only in youth but in age. + There young and old best learn cheerfulness, patience, self-control, and + the spirit of service and of duty. Izaak Walton, speaking of George + Herbert's mother, says she governed her family with judicious care, not + rigidly nor sourly, "but with such a sweetness and compliance with the + recreations and pleasures of youth, as did incline them to spend much of + their time in her company, which was to her great content." + </p> + <p> + The home is the true school of courtesy, of which woman is always the best + practical instructor. "Without woman," says the Provencal proverb, "men + were but ill-licked cubs." Philanthropy radiates from the home as from a + centre. "To love the little platoon we belong to in society," said Burke, + "is the germ of all public affections." The wisest and the best have not + been ashamed to own it to be their greatest joy and happiness to sit + "behind the heads of children" in the inviolable circle of home. A life of + purity and duty there is not the least effectual preparative for a life of + public work and duty; and the man who loves his home will not the less + fondly love and serve his country. But while homes, which are the + nurseries of character, may be the best of schools, they may also be the + worst. Between childhood and manhood how incalculable is the mischief + which ignorance in the home has the power to cause! Between the drawing of + the first breath and the last, how vast is the moral suffering and disease + occasioned by incompetent mothers and nurses! Commit a child to the care + of a worthless ignorant woman, and no culture in after-life will remedy + the evil you have done. Let the mother be idle, vicious, and a slattern; + let her home be pervaded by cavilling, petulance, and discontent, and it + will become a dwelling of misery—a place to fly from, rather than to + fly to; and the children whose misfortune it is to be brought up there, + will be morally dwarfed and deformed—the cause of misery to + themselves as well as to others. + </p> + <p> + Napoleon Buonaparte was accustomed to say that "the future good or bad + conduct of a child depended entirely on the mother." He himself attributed + his rise in life in a great measure to the training of his will, his + energy, and his self-control, by his mother at home. "Nobody had any + command over him," says one of his biographers, "except his mother, who + found means, by a mixture of tenderness, severity, and justice, to make + him love, respect, and obey her: from her he learnt the virtue of + obedience." + </p> + <p> + A curious illustration of the dependence of the character of children on + that of the mother incidentally occurs in one of Mr. Tufnell's school + reports. The truth, he observes, is so well established that it has even + been made subservient to mercantile calculation. "I was informed," he + says, "in a large factory, where many children were employed, that the + managers before they engaged a boy always inquired into the mother's + character, and if that was satisfactory they were tolerably certain that + her children would conduct themselves creditably. NO ATTENTION WAS PAID TO + THE CHARACTER OF THE FATHER." <a href="#linknote-114" + name="linknoteref-114" id="linknoteref-114"><small>114</small></a> + </p> + <p> + It has also been observed that in cases where the father has turned out + badly—become a drunkard, and "gone to the dogs"—provided the + mother is prudent and sensible, the family will be kept together, and the + children probably make their way honourably in life; whereas in cases of + the opposite sort, where the mother turns out badly, no matter how + well-conducted the father may be, the instances of after-success in life + on the part of the children are comparatively rare. + </p> + <p> + The greater part of the influence exercised by women on the formation of + character necessarily remains unknown. They accomplish their best work in + the quiet seclusion of the home and the family, by sustained effort and + patient perseverance in the path of duty. Their greatest triumphs, because + private and domestic, are rarely recorded; and it is not often, even in + the biographies of distinguished men, that we hear of the share which + their mothers have had in the formation of their character, and in giving + them a bias towards goodness. Yet are they not on that account without + their reward. The influence they have exercised, though unrecorded, lives + after them, and goes on propagating itself in consequences for ever. + </p> + <p> + We do not often hear of great women, as we do of great men. It is of good + women that we mostly hear; and it is probable that by determining the + character of men and women for good, they are doing even greater work than + if they were to paint great pictures, write great books, or compose great + operas. "It is quite true," said Joseph de Maistre, "that women have + produced no CHEFS-DOEUVRE. They have written no 'Iliad,' nor 'Jerusalem + Delivered,' nor 'Hamlet,' nor 'Phaedre,' nor 'Paradise Lost,' nor + 'Tartuffe;' they have designed no Church of St. Peter's, composed no + 'Messiah,' carved no 'Apollo Belvidere,' painted no 'Last Judgment;' they + have invented neither algebra, nor telescopes, nor steam-engines; but they + have done something far greater and better than all this, for it is at + their knees that upright and virtuous men and women have been trained—the + most excellent productions in the world." + </p> + <p> + De Maistre, in his letters and writings, speaks of his own mother with + immense love and reverence. Her noble character made all other women + venerable in his eyes. He described her as his "sublime mother"—"an + angel to whom God had lent a body for a brief season." To her he + attributed the bent of his character, and all his bias towards good; and + when he had grown to mature years, while acting as ambassador at the Court + of St. Petersburg, he referred to her noble example and precepts as the + ruling influence in his life. + </p> + <p> + One of the most charming features in the character of Samuel Johnson, + notwithstanding his rough and shaggy exterior, was the tenderness with + which he invariably spoke of his mother <a href="#linknote-115" + name="linknoteref-115" id="linknoteref-115"><small>115</small></a>—a + woman of strong understanding, who firmly implanted in his mind, as he + himself acknowledges, his first impressions of religion. He was + accustomed, even in the time of his greatest difficulties, to contribute + largely, out of his slender means, to her comfort; and one of his last + acts of filial duty was to write 'Rasselas' for the purpose of paying her + little debts and defraying her funeral charges. + </p> + <p> + George Washington was only eleven years of age—the eldest of five + children—when his father died, leaving his mother a widow. She was a + woman of rare excellence—full of resources, a good woman of + business, an excellent manager, and possessed of much strength of + character. She had her children to educate and bring up, a large household + to govern, and extensive estates to manage, all of which she accomplished + with complete success. Her good sense, assiduity, tenderness, industry, + and vigilance, enabled her to overcome every obstacle; and as the richest + reward of her solicitude and toil, she had the happiness to see all her + children come forward with a fair promise into life, filling the spheres + allotted to them in a manner equally honourable to themselves, and to the + parent who had been the only guide of their, principles, conduct, and + habits. <a href="#linknote-116" name="linknoteref-116" id="linknoteref-116"><small>116</small></a> + </p> + <p> + The biographer of Cromwell says little about the Protector's father, but + dwells upon the character of his mother, whom he describes as a woman of + rare vigour and decision of purpose: "A woman," he says, "possessed of the + glorious faculty of self-help when other assistance failed her; ready for + the demands of fortune in its extremest adverse turn; of spirit and energy + equal to her mildness and patience; who, with the labour of her own hands, + gave dowries to five daughters sufficient to marry them into families as + honourable but more wealthy than their own; whose single pride was + honesty, and whose passion was love; who preserved in the gorgeous palace + at Whitehall the simple tastes that distinguished her in the old brewery + at Huntingdon; and whose only care, amidst all her splendour, was for the + safety of her son in his dangerous eminence." <a href="#linknote-117" + name="linknoteref-117" id="linknoteref-117"><small>117</small></a> + </p> + <p> + We have spoken of the mother of Napoleon Buonaparte as a woman of great + force of character. Not less so was the mother of the Duke of Wellington, + whom her son strikingly resembled in features, person, and character; + while his father was principally distinguished as a musical composer and + performer. <a href="#linknote-118" name="linknoteref-118" + id="linknoteref-118"><small>118</small></a> But, strange to say, + Wellington's mother mistook him for a dunce; and, for some reason or + other, he was not such a favourite as her other children, until his great + deeds in after-life constrained her to be proud of him. + </p> + <p> + The Napiers were blessed in both parents, but especially in their mother, + Lady Sarah Lennox, who early sought to inspire her sons' minds with + elevating thoughts, admiration of noble deeds, and a chivalrous spirit, + which became embodied in their lives, and continued to sustain them, until + death, in the path of duty and of honour. + </p> + <p> + Among statesmen, lawyers, and divines, we find marked mention made of the + mothers of Lord Chancellors Bacon, Erskine, and Brougham—all women + of great ability, and, in the case of the first, of great learning; as + well as of the mothers of Canning, Curran, and President Adams—of + Herbert, Paley, and Wesley. Lord Brougham speaks in terms almost + approaching reverence of his grandmother, the sister of Professor + Robertson, as having been mainly instrumental in instilling into his mind + a strong desire for information, and the first principles of that + persevering energy in the pursuit of every kind of knowledge which formed + his prominent characteristic throughout life. + </p> + <p> + Canning's mother was an Irishwoman of great natural ability, for whom her + gifted son entertained the greatest love and respect to the close of his + career. She was a woman of no ordinary intellectual power. "Indeed," says + Canning's biographer, "were we not otherwise assured of the fact from + direct sources, it would be impossible to contemplate his profound and + touching devotion to her, without being led to conclude that the object of + such unchanging attachment must have been possessed of rare and commanding + qualities. She was esteemed by the circle in which she lived, as a woman + of great mental energy. Her conversation was animated and vigorous, and + marked by a distinct originality of manner and a choice of topics fresh + and striking, and out of the commonplace routine. To persons who were but + slightly acquainted with her, the energy of her manner had even something + of the air of eccentricity." <a href="#linknote-119" name="linknoteref-119" + id="linknoteref-119"><small>119</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Curran speaks with great affection of his mother, as a woman of strong + original understanding, to whose wise counsel, consistent piety, and + lessons of honourable ambition, which she diligently enforced on the minds + of her children, he himself principally attributed his success in life. + "The only inheritance," he used to say, "that I could boast of from my + poor father, was the very scanty one of an unattractive face and person; + like his own; and if the world has ever attributed to me something more + valuable than face or person, or than earthly wealth, it was that another + and a dearer parent gave her child a portion from the treasure of her + mind." <a href="#linknote-1110" name="linknoteref-1110" + id="linknoteref-1110"><small>1110</small></a> + </p> + <p> + When ex-President Adams was present at the examination of a girls' school + at Boston, he was presented by the pupils with an address which deeply + affected him; and in acknowledging it, he took the opportunity of + referring to the lasting influence which womanly training and association + had exercised upon his own life and character. "As a child," he said, "I + enjoyed perhaps the greatest of blessings that can be bestowed on man—that + of a mother, who was anxious and capable to form the characters of her + children rightly. From her I derived whatever instruction [11religious + especially, and moral] has pervaded a long life—I will not say + perfectly, or as it ought to be; but I will say, because it is only + justice to the memory of her I revere, that, in the course of that life, + whatever imperfection there has been, or deviation from what she taught + me, the fault is mine, and not hers." + </p> + <p> + The Wesleys were peculiarly linked to their parents by natural piety, + though the mother, rather than the father, influenced their minds and + developed their characters. The father was a man of strong will, but + occasionally harsh and tyrannical in his dealings with his family; <a + href="#linknote-1111" name="linknoteref-1111" id="linknoteref-1111"><small>1111</small></a> + while the mother, with much strength of understanding and ardent love of + truth, was gentle, persuasive, affectionate, and simple. She was the + teacher and cheerful companion of her children, who gradually became + moulded by her example. It was through the bias given by her to her sons' + minds in religious matters that they acquired the tendency which, even in + early years, drew to them the name of Methodists. In a letter to her son, + Samuel Wesley, when a scholar at Westminster in 1709, she said: "I would + advise you as much as possible to throw your business into a certain + METHOD, by which means you will learn to improve every precious moment, + and find an unspeakable facility in the performance of your respective + duties." This "method" she went on to describe, exhorting her son "in all + things to act upon principle;" and the society which the brothers John and + Charles afterwards founded at Oxford is supposed to have been in a great + measure the result of her exhortations. + </p> + <p> + In the case of poets, literary men, and artists, the influence of the + mother's feeling and taste has doubtless had great effect in directing the + genius of their sons; and we find this especially illustrated in the lives + of Gray, Thomson, Scott, Southey, Bulwer, Schiller, and Goethe. Gray + inherited, almost complete, his kind and loving nature from his mother, + while his father was harsh and unamiable. Gray was, in fact, a feminine + man—shy, reserved, and wanting in energy,—but thoroughly + irreproachable in life and character. The poet's mother maintained the + family, after her unworthy husband had deserted her; and, at her death, + Gray placed on her grave, in Stoke Pogis, an epitaph describing her as + "the careful tender mother of many children, one of whom alone had the + misfortune to survive her." The poet himself was, at his own desire, + interred beside her worshipped grave. + </p> + <p> + Goethe, like Schiller, owed the bias of his mind and character to his + mother, who was a woman of extraordinary gifts. She was full of joyous + flowing mother-wit, and possessed in a high degree the art of stimulating + young and active minds, instructing them in the science of life out of the + treasures of her abundant experience. <a href="#linknote-1112" + name="linknoteref-1112" id="linknoteref-1112"><small>1112</small></a> + After a lengthened interview with her, an enthusiastic traveller said, + "Now do I understand how Goethe has become the man he is." Goethe himself + affectionately cherished her memory. "She was worthy of life!" he once + said of her; and when he visited Frankfort, he sought out every individual + who had been kind to his mother, and thanked them all. + </p> + <p> + It was Ary Scheffer's mother—whose beautiful features the painter so + loved to reproduce in his pictures of Beatrice, St. Monica, and others of + his works—that encouraged his study of art, and by great self-denial + provided him with the means of pursuing it. While living at Dordrecht, in + Holland, she first sent him to Lille to study, and afterwards to Paris; + and her letters to him, while absent, were always full of sound motherly + advice, and affectionate womanly sympathy. "If you could but see me," she + wrote on one occasion, "kissing your picture, then, after a while, taking + it up again, and, with a tear in my eye, calling you 'my beloved son,' you + would comprehend what it costs me to use sometimes the stern language of + authority, and to occasion to you moments of pain. * * * Work diligently—be, + above all, modest and humble; and when you find yourself excelling others, + then compare what you have done with Nature itself, or with the 'ideal' of + your own mind, and you will be secured, by the contrast which will be + apparent, against the effects of pride and presumption." + </p> + <p> + Long years after, when Ary Scheffer was himself a grandfather, he + remembered with affection the advice of his mother, and repeated it to his + children. And thus the vital power of good example lives on from + generation to generation, keeping the world ever fresh and young. Writing + to his daughter, Madame Marjolin, in 1846, his departed mother's advice + recurred to him, and he said: "The word MUST—fix it well in your + memory, dear child; your grandmother seldom had it out of hers. The truth + is, that through our lives nothing brings any good fruit except what is + earned by either the work of the hands, or by the exertion of one's + self-denial. Sacrifices must, in short, be ever going on if we would + obtain any comfort or happiness. Now that I am no longer young, I declare + that few passages in my life afford me so much satisfaction as those in + which I made sacrifices, or denied myself enjoyments. 'Das Entsagen' + [11the forbidden] is the motto of the wise man. Self-denial is the quality + of which Jesus Christ set us the example." <a href="#linknote-1113" + name="linknoteref-1113" id="linknoteref-1113"><small>1113</small></a> + </p> + <p> + The French historian Michelet makes the following touching reference to + his mother in the Preface to one of his most popular books, the subject of + much embittered controversy at the time at which it appeared:— + </p> + <p> + "Whilst writing all this, I have had in my mind a woman, whose strong and + serious mind would not have failed to support me in these contentions. I + lost her thirty years ago [11I was a child then]—nevertheless, ever + living in my memory, she follows me from age to age. + </p> + <p> + "She suffered with me in my poverty, and was not allowed to share my + better fortune. When young, I made her sad, and now I cannot console her. + I know not even where her bones are: I was too poor then to buy earth to + bury her!" + </p> + <p> + "And yet I owe her much. I feel deeply that I am the son of woman. Every + instant, in my ideas and words [11not to mention my features and + gestures], I find again my mother in myself. It is my mother's blood which + gives me the sympathy I feel for bygone ages, and the tender remembrance + of all those who are now no more." + </p> + <p> + "What return then could I, who am myself advancing towards old age, make + her for the many things I owe her? One, for which she would have thanked + me—this protest in favour of women and mothers." <a + href="#linknote-1114" name="linknoteref-1114" id="linknoteref-1114"><small>1114</small></a> + </p> + <p> + But while a mother may greatly influence the poetic or artistic mind of + her son for good, she may also influence it for evil. Thus the + characteristics of Lord Byron—the waywardness of his impulses, his + defiance of restraint, the bitterness of his hate, and the precipitancy of + his resentments—were traceable in no small degree to the adverse + influences exercised upon his mind from his birth by his capricious, + violent, and headstrong mother. She even taunted her son with his personal + deformity; and it was no unfrequent occurrence, in the violent quarrels + which occurred between them, for her to take up the poker or tongs, and + hurl them after him as he fled from her presence. <a href="#linknote-1115" + name="linknoteref-1115" id="linknoteref-1115"><small>1115</small></a> It + was this unnatural treatment that gave a morbid turn to Byron's + after-life; and, careworn, unhappy, great, and yet weak as he was, he + carried about with him the mother's poison which he had sucked in his + infancy. Hence he exclaims, in his 'Childe Harold':— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Yet must I think less wildly:—I have thought + Too long and darkly, till my brain became, + In its own eddy boiling and o'erwrought, + A whirling gulf of phantasy and flame: + And thus, UNTAUGHT IN YOUTH MY HEART TO TAME, + MY SPRINGS OF LIFE WERE POISONED." +</pre> + <p> + In like manner, though in a different way, the character of Mrs. Foote, + the actor's mother, was curiously repeated in the life of her joyous, + jovial-hearted son. Though she had been heiress to a large fortune, she + soon spent it all, and was at length imprisoned for debt. In this + condition she wrote to Sam, who had been allowing her a hundred a year out + of the proceeds of his acting:-"Dear Sam, I am in prison for debt; come + and assist your loving mother, E. Foote." To which her son + characteristically replied—"Dear mother, so am I; which prevents his + duty being paid to his loving mother by her affectionate son, Sam Foote." + </p> + <p> + A foolish mother may also spoil a gifted son, by imbuing his mind with + unsound sentiments. Thus Lamartine's mother is said to have trained him in + altogether erroneous ideas of life, in the school of Rousseau and + Bernardin de St.-Pierre, by which his sentimentalism, sufficiently strong + by nature, was exaggerated instead of repressed: <a href="#linknote-1116" + name="linknoteref-1116" id="linknoteref-1116"><small>1116</small></a> and + he became the victim of tears, affectation, and improvidence, all his life + long. It almost savours of the ridiculous to find Lamartine, in his + 'Confidences,' representing himself as a "statue of Adolescence raised as + a model for young men." <a href="#linknote-1117" name="linknoteref-1117" + id="linknoteref-1117"><small>1117</small></a> As he was his mother's + spoilt child, so he was the spoilt child of his country to the end, which + was bitter and sad. Sainte-Beuve says of him: "He was the continual object + of the richest gifts, which he had not the power of managing, scattering + and wasting them—all, excepting, the gift of words, which seemed + inexhaustible, and on which he continued to play to the end as on an + enchanted flute." <a href="#linknote-1118" name="linknoteref-1118" + id="linknoteref-1118"><small>1118</small></a> + </p> + <p> + We have spoken of the mother of Washington as an excellent woman of + business; and to possess such a quality as capacity for business is not + only compatible with true womanliness, but is in a measure essential to + the comfort and wellbeing of every properly-governed family. Habits of + business do not relate to trade merely, but apply to all the practical + affairs of life—to everything that has to be arranged, to be + organised, to be provided for, to be done. And in all these respects the + management of a family, and of a household, is as much a matter of + business as the management of a shop or of a counting-house. It requires + method, accuracy, organization, industry, economy, discipline, tact, + knowledge, and capacity for adapting means to ends. All this is of the + essence of business; and hence business habits are as necessary to be + cultivated by women who would succeed in the affairs of home—in + other words, who would make home happy—as by men in the affairs of + trade, of commerce, or of manufacture. + </p> + <p> + The idea has, however, heretofore prevailed, that women have no concern + with such matters, and that business habits and qualifications relate to + men only. Take, for instance, the knowledge of figures. Mr. Bright has + said of boys, "Teach a boy arithmetic thoroughly, and he is a made man." + And why?—Because it teaches him method, accuracy, value, + proportions, relations. But how many girls are taught arithmetic well?—Very + few indeed. And what is the consequence?—When the girl becomes a + wife, if she knows nothing of figures, and is innocent of addition and + multiplication, she can keep no record of income and expenditure, and + there will probably be a succession of mistakes committed which may be + prolific in domestic contention. The woman, not being up to her business—that + is, the management of her domestic affairs in conformity with the simple + principles of arithmetic—will, through sheer ignorance, be apt to + commit extravagances, though unintentional, which may be most injurious to + her family peace and comfort. + </p> + <p> + Method, which is the soul of business, is also of essential importance in + the home. Work can only be got through by method. Muddle flies before it, + and hugger-mugger becomes a thing unknown. Method demands punctuality, + another eminently business quality. The unpunctual woman, like the + unpunctual man, occasions dislike, because she consumes and wastes time, + and provokes the reflection that we are not of sufficient importance to + make her more prompt. To the business man, time is money; but to the + business woman, method is more—it is peace, comfort, and domestic + prosperity. + </p> + <p> + Prudence is another important business quality in women, as in men. + Prudence is practical wisdom, and comes of the cultivated judgment. It has + reference in all things to fitness, to propriety; judging wisely of the + right thing to be done, and the right way of doing it. It calculates the + means, order, time, and method of doing. Prudence learns from experience, + quickened by knowledge. + </p> + <p> + For these, amongst other reasons, habits of business are necessary to be + cultivated by all women, in order to their being efficient helpers in the + world's daily life and work. Furthermore, to direct the power of the home + aright, women, as the nurses, trainers, and educators of children, need + all the help and strength that mental culture can give them. + </p> + <p> + Mere instinctive love is not sufficient. Instinct, which preserves the + lower creatures, needs no training; but human intelligence, which is in + constant request in a family, needs to be educated. The physical health of + the rising generation is entrusted to woman by Providence; and it is in + the physical nature that the moral and mental nature lies enshrined. It is + only by acting in accordance with the natural laws, which before she can + follow woman must needs understand, that the blessings of health of body, + and health of mind and morals, can be secured at home. Without a knowledge + of such laws, the mother's love too often finds its recompence only in a + child's coffin. <a href="#linknote-1119" name="linknoteref-1119" + id="linknoteref-1119"><small>1119</small></a> + </p> + <p> + It is a mere truism to say that the intellect with which woman as well as + man is endowed, has been given for use and exercise, and not "to fust in + her unused." Such endowments are never conferred without a purpose. The + Creator may be lavish in His gifts, but he is never wasteful. + </p> + <p> + Woman was not meant to be either an unthinking drudge, or the merely + pretty ornament of man's leisure. She exists for herself, as well as for + others; and the serious and responsible duties she is called upon to + perform in life, require the cultivated head as well as the sympathising + heart. Her highest mission is not to be fulfilled by the mastery of + fleeting accomplishments, on which so much useful time is now wasted; for, + though accomplishments may enhance the charms of youth and beauty, of + themselves sufficiently charming, they will be found of very little use in + the affairs of real life. + </p> + <p> + The highest praise which the ancient Romans could express of a noble + matron was that she sat at home and span—"DOMUM MANSIT, LANAM + FECIT." In our own time, it has been said that chemistry enough to keep + the pot boiling, and geography enough to know the different rooms in her + house, was science enough for any woman; whilst Byron, whose sympathies + for woman were of a very imperfect kind, professed that he would limit her + library to a Bible and a cookery-book. But this view of woman's character + and culture is as absurdly narrow and unintelligent, on the one hand, as + the opposite view, now so much in vogue, is extravagant and unnatural on + the other—that woman ought to be educated so as to be as much as + possible the equal of man; undistinguishable from him, except in sex; + equal to him in rights and votes; and his competitor in all that makes + life a fierce and selfish struggle for place and power and money. + </p> + <p> + Speaking generally, the training and discipline that are most suitable for + the one sex in early life, are also the most suitable for the other; and + the education and culture that fill the mind of the man will prove equally + wholesome for the woman. Indeed, all the arguments which have yet been + advanced in favour of the higher education of men, plead equally strongly + in favour of the higher education of women. In all the departments of + home, intelligence will add to woman's usefulness and efficiency. It will + give her thought and forethought, enable her to anticipate and provide for + the contingencies of life, suggest improved methods of management, and + give her strength in every way. In disciplined mental power she will find + a stronger and safer protection against deception and imposture than in + mere innocent and unsuspecting ignorance; in moral and religious culture + she will secure sources of influence more powerful and enduring than in + physical attractions; and in due self-reliance and self-dependence she + will discover the truest sources of domestic comfort and happiness. + </p> + <p> + But while the mind and character of women ought to be cultivated with a + view to their own wellbeing, they ought not the less to be educated + liberally with a view to the happiness of others. Men themselves cannot be + sound in mind or morals if women be the reverse; and if, as we hold to be + the case, the moral condition of a people mainly depends upon the + education of the home, then the education of women is to be regarded as a + matter of national importance. Not only does the moral character but the + mental strength of man find their best safeguard and support in the moral + purity and mental cultivation of woman; but the more completely the powers + of both are developed, the more harmonious and well-ordered will society + be—the more safe and certain its elevation and advancement. + </p> + <p> + When about fifty years since, the first Napoleon said that the great want + of France was mothers, he meant, in other words, that the French people + needed the education of homes, provided over by good, virtuous, + intelligent women. Indeed, the first French Revolution presented one of + the most striking illustrations of the social mischiefs resulting from a + neglect of the purifying influence of women. When that great national + outbreak occurred, society was impenetrated with vice and profligacy. + Morals, religion, virtue, were swamped by sensualism. The character of + woman had become depraved. Conjugal fidelity was disregarded; maternity + was held in reproach; family and home were alike corrupted. Domestic + purity no longer bound society together. France was motherless; the + children broke loose; and the Revolution burst forth, "amidst the yells + and the fierce violence of women." <a href="#linknote-1120" + name="linknoteref-1120" id="linknoteref-1120"><small>1120</small></a> + </p> + <p> + But the terrible lesson was disregarded, and again and again France has + grievously suffered from the want of that discipline, obedience, + self-control, and self-respect which can only be truly learnt at home. It + is said that the Third Napoleon attributed the recent powerlessness of + France, which left her helpless and bleeding at the feet of her + conquerors, to the frivolity and lack of principle of the people, as well + as to their love of pleasure—which, however, it must be confessed, + he himself did not a little to foster. It would thus seem that the + discipline which France still needs to learn, if she would be good and + great, is that indicated by the First Napoleon—home education by + good mothers. + </p> + <p> + The influence of woman is the same everywhere. Her condition influences + the morals, manners, and character of the people in all countries. Where + she is debased, society is debased; where she is morally pure and + enlightened, society will be proportionately elevated. + </p> + <p> + Hence, to instruct woman is to instruct man; to elevate her character is + to raise his own; to enlarge her mental freedom is to extend and secure + that of the whole community. For Nations are but the outcomes of Homes, + and Peoples of Mothers. + </p> + <p> + But while it is certain that the character of a nation will be elevated by + the enlightenment and refinement of woman, it is much more than doubtful + whether any advantage is to be derived from her entering into competition + with man in the rough work of business and polities. Women can no more do + men's special work in the world than men can do women's. And wherever + woman has been withdrawn from her home and family to enter upon other + work, the result has been socially disastrous. Indeed, the efforts of some + of the best philanthropists have of late years been devoted to withdrawing + women from toiling alongside of men in coalpits, factories, nailshops, and + brickyards. + </p> + <p> + It is still not uncommon in the North for the husbands to be idle at home, + while the mothers and daughters are working in the factory; the result + being, in many cases, an entire subversion of family order, of domestic + discipline, and of home rule. <a href="#linknote-1121" + name="linknoteref-1121" id="linknoteref-1121"><small>1121</small></a> And + for many years past, in Paris, that state of things has been reached which + some women desire to effect amongst ourselves. The women there mainly + attend to business—serving the BOUTIQUE, or presiding at the + COMPTOIR—while the men lounge about the Boulevards. But the result + has only been homelessness, degeneracy, and family and social decay. + </p> + <p> + Nor is there any reason to believe that the elevation and improvement of + women are to be secured by investing them with political power. There are, + however, in these days, many believers in the potentiality of "votes," <a + href="#linknote-1122" name="linknoteref-1122" id="linknoteref-1122"><small>1122</small></a> + who anticipate some indefinite good from the "enfranchisement" of women. + It is not necessary here to enter upon the discussion of this question. + But it may be sufficient to state that the power which women do not + possess politically is far more than compensated by that which they + exercise in private life—by their training in the home those who, + whether as men or as women, do all the manly as well as womanly work of + the world. The Radical Bentham has said that man, even if he would, cannot + keep power from woman; for that she already governs the world "with the + whole power of a despot," <a href="#linknote-1123" name="linknoteref-1123" + id="linknoteref-1123"><small>1123</small></a> though the power that she + mainly governs by is love. And to form the character of the whole human + race, is certainly a power far greater than that which women could ever + hope to exercise as voters for members of Parliament, or even as + lawmakers. + </p> + <p> + There is, however, one special department of woman's work demanding the + earnest attention of all true female reformers, though it is one which has + hitherto been unaccountably neglected. We mean the better economizing and + preparation of human food, the waste of which at present, for want of the + most ordinary culinary knowledge, is little short of scandalous. If that + man is to be regarded as a benefactor of his species who makes two stalks + of corn to grow where only one grew before, not less is she to be regarded + as a public benefactor who economizes and turns to the best practical + account the food-products of human skill and labour. The improved use of + even our existing supply would be equivalent to an immediate extension of + the cultivable acreage of our country—not to speak of the increase + in health, economy, and domestic comfort. Were our female reformers only + to turn their energies in this direction with effect, they would earn the + gratitude of all households, and be esteemed as among the greatest of + practical philanthropists. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0003" id="link2HCH0003"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER III.—COMPANIONSHIP AND EXAMPLES + </h2> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Keep good company, and you shall be of the number." + — GEORGE HERBERT. + + "For mine own part, + I Shall be glad to learn of noble men."—SHAKSPEARE + + "Examples preach to th' eye—Care then, mine says, + Not how you end but how you spend your days." + HENRY MARTEN—'LAST THOUGHTS.' + + "Dis moi qui t'admire, et je dirai qui tu es."—SAINTE-BEUVE + + "He that means to be a good limner will be sure to draw + after the most excellent copies and guide every stroke of + his pencil by the better pattern that lays before him; so he + that desires that the table of his life may be fair, will be + careful to propose the best examples, and will never be + content till he equals or excels them."—OWEN FELTHAM +</pre> + <p> + The natural education of the Home is prolonged far into life—indeed, + it never entirely ceases. But the time arrives, in the progress of years, + when the Home ceases to exercise an exclusive influence on the formation + of character; and it is succeeded by the more artificial education of the + school and the companionship of friends and comrades, which continue to + mould the character by the powerful influence of example. + </p> + <p> + Men, young and old—but the young more than the old—cannot help + imitating those with whom they associate. It was a saying of George + Herbert's mother, intended for the guidance of her sons, "that as our + bodies take a nourishment suitable to the meat on which we feed, so do our + souls as insensibly take in virtue or vice by the example or conversation + of good or bad company." + </p> + <p> + Indeed, it is impossible that association with those about us should not + produce a powerful influence in the formation of character. For men are by + nature imitators, and all persons are more or less impressed by the + speech, the manners, the gait, the gestures, and the very habits of + thinking of their companions. "Is example nothing?" said Burke. "It is + everything. Example is the school of mankind, and they will learn at no + other." Burke's grand motto, which he wrote for the tablet of the Marquis + of Rockingham, is worth repeating: it was, "Remember—resemble—persevere." + </p> + <p> + Imitation is for the most part so unconscious that its effects are almost + unheeded, but its influence is not the less permanent on that account. It + is only when an impressive nature is placed in contact with an + impressionable one, that the alteration in the character becomes + recognisable. Yet even the weakest natures exercise some influence upon + those about them. The approximation of feeling, thought, and habit is + constant, and the action of example unceasing. + </p> + <p> + Emerson has observed that even old couples, or persons who have been + housemates for a course of years, grow gradually like each other; so that, + if they were to live long enough, we should scarcely be able to know them + apart. But if this be true of the old, how much more true is it of the + young, whose plastic natures are so much more soft and impressionable, and + ready to take the stamp of the life and conversation of those about them! + </p> + <p> + "There has been," observed Sir Charles Bell in one of his letters, "a good + deal said about education, but they appear to me to put out of sight + EXAMPLE, which is all-in-all. My best education was the example set me by + my brothers. There was, in all the members of the family, a reliance on + self, a true independence, and by imitation I obtained it." <a + href="#linknote-121" name="linknoteref-121" id="linknoteref-121"><small>121</small></a> + </p> + <p> + It is in the nature of things that the circumstances which contribute to + form the character, should exercise their principal influence during the + period of growth. As years advance, example and imitation become custom, + and gradually consolidate into habit, which is of so much potency that, + almost before we know it, we have in a measure yielded up to it our + personal freedom. + </p> + <p> + It is related of Plato, that on one occasion he reproved a boy for playing + at some foolish game. "Thou reprovest me," said the boy, "for a very + little thing." "But custom," replied Plato, "is not a little thing." Bad + custom, consolidated into habit, is such a tyrant that men sometimes cling + to vices even while they curse them. They have become the slaves of habits + whose power they are impotent to resist. Hence Locke has said that to + create and maintain that vigour of mind which is able to contest the + empire of habit, may be regarded as one of the chief ends of moral + discipline. + </p> + <p> + Though much of the education of character by example is spontaneous and + unconscious, the young need not necessarily be the passive followers or + imitators of those about them. Their own conduct, far more than the + conduct of their companions, tends to fix the purpose and form the + principles of their life. Each possesses in himself a power of will and of + free activity, which, if courageously exercised, will enable him to make + his own individual selection of friends and associates. It is only through + weakness of purpose that young people, as well as old, become the slaves + of their inclinations, or give themselves up to a servile imitation of + others. + </p> + <p> + It is a common saying that men are known by the company they keep. The + sober do not naturally associate with the drunken, the refined with the + coarse, the decent with the dissolute. To associate with depraved persons + argues a low taste and vicious tendencies, and to frequent their society + leads to inevitable degradation of character. "The conversation of such + persons," says Seneca, "is very injurious; for even if it does no + immediate harm, it leaves its seeds in the mind, and follows us when we + have gone from the speakers—a plague sure to spring up in future + resurrection." + </p> + <p> + If young men are wisely influenced and directed, and conscientiously exert + their own free energies, they will seek the society of those better than + themselves, and strive to imitate their example. In companionship with the + good, growing natures will always find their best nourishment; while + companionship with the bad will only be fruitful in mischief. There are + persons whom to know is to love, honour, and admire; and others whom to + know is to shun and despise,—"DONT LE SAVOIR N'EST QUE BETERIE," as + says Rabelais when speaking of the education of Gargantua. Live with + persons of elevated characters, and you will feel lifted and lighted up in + them: "Live with wolves," says the Spanish proverb, "and you will learn to + howl." + </p> + <p> + Intercourse with even commonplace, selfish persons, may prove most + injurious, by inducing a dry, dull reserved, and selfish condition of + mind, more or less inimical to true manliness and breadth of character. + The mind soon learns to run in small grooves, the heart grows narrow and + contracted, and the moral nature becomes weak, irresolute, and + accommodating, which is fatal to all generous ambition or real excellence. + </p> + <p> + On the other hand, association with persons wiser, better, and more + experienced than ourselves, is always more or less inspiring and + invigorating. They enhance our own knowledge of life. We correct our + estimates by theirs, and become partners in their wisdom. We enlarge our + field of observation through their eyes, profit by their experience, and + learn not only from what they have enjoyed, but—which is still more + instructive—from what they have suffered. If they are stronger than + ourselves, we become participators in their strength. Hence companionship + with the wise and energetic never fails to have a most valuable influence + on the formation of character—increasing our resources, + strengthening our resolves, elevating our aims, and enabling us to + exercise greater dexterity and ability in our own affairs, as well as more + effective helpfulness of others. + </p> + <p> + "I have often deeply regretted in myself," says Mrs. Schimmelpenninck, + "the great loss I have experienced from the solitude of my early habits. + We need no worse companion than our unregenerate selves, and, by living + alone, a person not only becomes wholly ignorant of the means of helping + his fellow-creatures, but is without the perception of those wants which + most need help. Association with others, when not on so large a scale as + to make hours of retirement impossible, may be considered as furnishing to + an individual a rich multiplied experience; and sympathy so drawn forth, + though, unlike charity, it begins abroad, never fails to bring back rich + treasures home. Association with others is useful also in strengthening + the character, and in enabling us, while we never lose sight of our main + object, to thread our way wisely and well." + </p> + <p> + An entirely new direction may be given to the life of a young man by a + happy suggestion, a timely hint, or the kindly advice of an honest friend. + Thus the life of Henry Martyn the Indian missionary, seems to have been + singularly influenced by a friendship which he formed, when a boy, at + Truro Grammar School. Martyn himself was of feeble frame, and of a + delicate nervous temperament. Wanting in animal spirits, he took but + little pleasure in school sports; and being of a somewhat petulant temper, + the bigger boys took pleasure in provoking him, and some of them in + bullying him. One of the bigger boys, however, conceiving a friendship for + Martyn, took him under his protection, stood between him and his + persecutors, and not only fought his battles for him, but helped him with + his lessons. Though Martyn was rather a backward pupil, his father was + desirous that he should have the advantage of a college education, and at + the age of about fifteen he sent him to Oxford to try for a Corpus + scholarship, in which he failed. He remained for two years more at the + Truro Grammar School, and then went to Cambridge, where he was entered at + St. John's College. Who should he find already settled there as a student + but his old champion of the Truro Grammar School? Their friendship was + renewed; and the elder student from that time forward acted as the Mentor, + of the younger one. Martyn was fitful in his studies, excitable and + petulant, and occasionally subject to fits of almost uncontrollable rage. + His big friend, on the other hand, was a steady, patient, hardworking + fellow; and he never ceased to watch over, to guide, and to advise for + good his irritable fellow-student. He kept Martyn out of the way of evil + company, advised him to work hard, "not for the praise of men, but for the + glory of God;" and so successfully assisted him in his studies, that at + the following Christmas examination he was the first of his year. Yet + Martyn's kind friend and Mentor never achieved any distinction himself; he + passed away into obscurity, leading, most probably, a useful though an + unknown career; his greatest wish in life having been to shape the + character of his friend, to inspire his soul with the love of truth, and + to prepare him for the noble work, on which he shortly after entered, of + an Indian missionary. + </p> + <p> + A somewhat similar incident is said to have occurred in the college career + of Dr. Paley. When a student at Christ's College Cambridge, he was + distinguished for his shrewdness as well as his clumsiness, and he was at + the same time the favourite and the butt of his companions. Though his + natural abilities were great, he was thoughtless, idle, and a spendthrift; + and at the commencement of his third year he had made comparatively little + progress. After one of his usual night-dissipations, a friend stood by his + bedside on the following morning. "Paley," said he, "I have not been able + to sleep for thinking about you. I have been thinking what a fool you are! + I have the means of dissipation, and can afford to be idle: YOU are poor, + and cannot afford it. I could do nothing, probably, even were I to try: + YOU are capable of doing anything. I have lain awake all night thinking + about your folly, and I have now come solemnly to warn you. Indeed, if you + persist in your indolence, and go on in this way, I must renounce your + society altogether!" + </p> + <p> + It is said that Paley was so powerfully affected by this admonition, that + from that moment he became an altered man. He formed an entirely new plan + of life, and diligently persevered in it. He became one of the most + industrious of students. One by one he distanced his competitors, and at + the end of the year he came out Senior Wrangler. What he afterwards + accomplished as an author and a divine is sufficiently well known. + </p> + <p> + No one recognised more fully the influence of personal example on the + young than did Dr. Arnold. It was the great lever with which he worked in + striving to elevate the character of his school. He made it his principal + object, first to put a right spirit into the leading boys, by attracting + their good and noble feelings; and then to make them instrumental in + propagating the same spirit among the rest, by the influence of imitation, + example, and admiration. He endeavoured to make all feel that they were + fellow-workers with himself, and sharers with him in the moral + responsibility for the good government of the place. One of the first + effects of this highminded system of management was, that it inspired the + boys with strength and self-respect. They felt that they were trusted. + There were, of course, MAUVAIS SUJETS at Rugby, as there are at all + schools; and these it was the master's duty to watch, to prevent their bad + example contaminating others. On one occasion he said to an + assistant-master: "Do you see those two boys walking together? I never saw + them together before. You should make an especial point of observing the + company they keep: nothing so tells the changes in a boy's character." + </p> + <p> + Dr. Arnold's own example was an inspiration, as is that of every great + teacher. In his presence, young men learned to respect themselves; and out + of the root of self-respect there grew up the manly virtues. "His very + presence," says his biographer, "seemed to create a new spring of health + and vigour within them, and to give to life an interest and elevation + which remained with them long after they had left him; and dwelt so + habitually in their thoughts as a living image, that, when death had taken + him away, the bond appeared to be still unbroken, and the sense of + separation almost lost in the still deeper sense of a life and a Union + indestructible." <a href="#linknote-123" name="linknoteref-123" + id="linknoteref-123"><small>123</small></a> And thus it was that Dr. + Arnold trained a host of manly and noble characters, who spread the + influence of his example in all parts of the world. + </p> + <p> + So also was it said of Dugald Stewart, that he breathed the love of virtue + into whole generations of pupils. "To me," says the late Lord Cockburn, + "his lectures were like the opening of the heavens. I felt that I had a + soul. His noble views, unfolded in glorious sentences, elevated me into a + higher world... They changed my whole nature." <a href="#linknote-124" + name="linknoteref-124" id="linknoteref-124"><small>124</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Character tells in all conditions of life. The man of good character in a + workshop will give the tone to his fellows, and elevate their entire + aspirations. Thus Franklin, while a workman in London, is said to have + reformed the manners of an entire workshop. So the man of bad character + and debased energy will unconsciously lower and degrade his fellows. + Captain John Brown—the "marching-on Brown"—once said to + Emerson, that "for a settler in a new country, one good believing man is + worth a hundred, nay, worth a thousand men without character." His example + is so contagious, that all other men are directly and beneficially + influenced by him, and he insensibly elevates and lifts them up to his own + standard of energetic activity. + </p> + <p> + Communication with the good is invariably productive of good. The good + character is diffusive in his influence. "I was common clay till roses + were planted in me," says some aromatic earth in the Eastern fable. Like + begets like, and good makes good. "It is astonishing," says Canon Moseley, + "how much good goodness makes. Nothing that is good is alone, nor anything + bad; it makes others good or others bad—and that other, and so on: + like a stone thrown into a pond, which makes circles that make other wider + ones, and then others, till the last reaches the shore.... Almost all the + good that is in the world has, I suppose, thus come down to us + traditionally from remote times, and often unknown centres of good." <a + href="#linknote-125" name="linknoteref-125" id="linknoteref-125"><small>125</small></a> + So Mr. Ruskin says, "That which is born of evil begets evil; and that + which is born of valour and honour, teaches valour and honour." + </p> + <p> + Hence it is that the life of every man is a daily inculcation of good or + bad example to others. The life of a good man is at the same time the most + eloquent lesson of virtue and the most severe reproof of vice. Dr. Hooker + described the life of a pious clergyman of his acquaintance as "visible + rhetoric," convincing even the most godless of the beauty of goodness. And + so the good George Herbert said, on entering upon the duties of his + parish: "Above all, I will be sure to live well, because the virtuous life + of a clergyman is the most powerful eloquence, to persuade all who see it + to reverence and love, and—at least to desire to live like him. And + this I will do," he added, "because I know we live in an age that hath + more need of good examples than precepts." It was a fine saying of the + same good priest, when reproached with doing an act of kindness to a poor + man, considered beneath the dignity of his office,—that the thought + of such actions "would prove music to him at midnight." <a + href="#linknote-126" name="linknoteref-126" id="linknoteref-126"><small>126</small></a> + Izaak Walton speaks of a letter written by George Herbert to Bishop + Andrewes, about a holy life, which the latter "put into his bosom," and + after showing it to his scholars, "did always return it to the place where + he first lodged it, and continued it so, near his heart, till the last day + of his life." + </p> + <p> + Great is the power of goodness to charm and to command. The man inspired + by it is the true king of men, drawing all hearts after him. When General + Nicholson lay wounded on his deathbed before Delhi, he dictated this last + message to his equally noble and gallant friend, Sir Herbert Edwardes:—"Tell + him," said he, "I should have been a better man if I had continued to live + with him, and our heavy public duties had not prevented my seeing more of + him privately. I was always the better for a residence with him and his + wife, however short. Give my love to them both!" + </p> + <p> + There are men in whose presence we feel as if we breathed a spiritual + ozone, refreshing and invigorating, like inhaling mountain air, or + enjoying a bath of sunshine. The power of Sir Thomas More's gentle nature + was so great that it subdued the bad at the same time that it inspired the + good. Lord Brooke said of his deceased friend, Sir Philip Sidney, that + "his wit and understanding beat upon his heart, to make himself and + others, not in word or opinion, but in life and action, good and great." + </p> + <p> + The very sight of a great and good man is often an inspiration to the + young, who cannot help admiring and loving the gentle, the brave, the + truthful, the magnanimous! Chateaubriand saw Washington only once, but it + inspired him for life. After describing the interview, he says: + "Washington sank into the tomb before any little celebrity had attached to + my name. I passed before him as the most unknown of beings. He was in all + his glory—I in the depth of my obscurity. My name probably dwelt not + a whole day in his memory. Happy, however, was I that his looks were cast + upon me. I have felt warmed for it all the rest of my life. There is a + virtue even in the looks of a great man." + </p> + <p> + When Niebuhr died, his friend, Frederick Perthes, said of him: "What a + contemporary! The terror of all bad and base men, the stay of all the + sterling and honest, the friend and helper of youth." Perthes said on + another occasion: "It does a wrestling man good to be constantly + surrounded by tried wrestlers; evil thoughts are put to flight when the + eye falls on the portrait of one in whose living presence one would have + blushed to own them." A Catholic money-lender, when about to cheat, was + wont to draw a veil over the picture of his favourite saint. So Hazlitt + has said of the portrait of a beautiful female, that it seemed as if an + unhandsome action would be impossible in its presence. "It does one good + to look upon his manly honest face," said a poor German woman, pointing to + a portrait of the great Reformer hung upon the wall of her humble + dwelling. + </p> + <p> + Even the portrait of a noble or a good man, hung up in a room, is + companionship after a sort. It gives us a closer personal interest in him. + Looking at the features, we feel as if we knew him better, and were more + nearly related to him. It is a link that connects us with a higher and + better nature than our own. And though we may be far from reaching the + standard of our hero, we are, to a certain extent, sustained and fortified + by his depicted presence constantly before us. + </p> + <p> + Fox was proud to acknowledge how much he owed to the example and + conversation of Burke. On one occasion he said of him, that "if he was to + put all the political information he had gained from books, all that he + had learned from science, or that the knowledge of the world and its + affairs taught him, into one scale, and the improvement he had derived + from Mr. Burke's conversation and instruction into the other, the latter + would preponderate." + </p> + <p> + Professor Tyndall speaks of Faraday's friendship as "energy and + inspiration." After spending an evening with him he wrote: "His work + excites admiration, but contact with him warms and elevates the heart. + Here, surely, is a strong man. I love strength, but let me not forget the + example of its union with modesty, tenderness, and sweetness, in the + character of Faraday." + </p> + <p> + Even the gentlest natures are powerful to influence the character of + others for good. Thus Wordsworth seems to have been especially impressed + by the character of his sister Dorothy, who exercised upon his mind and + heart a lasting influence. He describes her as the blessing of his boyhood + as well as of his manhood. Though two years younger than himself, her + tenderness and sweetness contributed greatly to mould his nature, and open + his mind to the influences of poetry: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "She gave me eyes, she gave me ears, + And humble cares, and delicate fears; + A heart, the fountain of sweet tears, + And love and thought and joy." +</pre> + <p> + Thus the gentlest natures are enabled, by the power of affection and + intelligence, to mould the characters of men destined to influence and + elevate their race through all time. + </p> + <p> + Sir William Napier attributed the early direction of his character, first + to the impress made upon it by his mother, when a boy; and afterwards to + the noble example of his commander, Sir John Moore, when a man. Moore + early detected the qualities of the young officer; and he was one of those + to whom the General addressed the encouragement, "Well done, my majors!" + at Corunna. Writing home to his mother, and describing the little court by + which Moore was surrounded, he wrote, "Where shall we find such a king?" + It was to his personal affection for his chief that the world is mainly + indebted to Sir William Napier for his great book, 'The History of the + Peninsular War.' But he was stimulated to write the book by the advice of + another friend, the late Lord Langdale, while one day walking with him + across the fields on which Belgravia is now built. "It was Lord Langdale," + he says, "who first kindled the fire within me." And of Sir William Napier + himself, his biographer truly says, that "no thinking person could ever + come in contact with him without being strongly impressed with the genius + of the man." + </p> + <p> + The career of the late Dr. Marshall Hall was a lifelong illustration of + the influence of character in forming character. Many eminent men still + living trace their success in life to his suggestions and assistance, + without which several valuable lines of study and investigation might not + have been entered on, at least at so early a period. He would say to young + men about him, "Take up a subject and pursue it well, and you cannot fail + to succeed." And often he would throw out a new idea to a young friend, + saying, "I make you a present of it; there is fortune in it, if you pursue + it with energy." + </p> + <p> + Energy of character has always a power to evoke energy in others. It acts + through sympathy, one of the most influential of human agencies. The + zealous energetic man unconsciously carries others along with him. His + example is contagious, and compels imitation. He exercises a sort of + electric power, which sends a thrill through every fibre—flows into + the nature of those about him, and makes them give out sparks of fire. + </p> + <p> + Dr. Arnold's biographer, speaking of the power of this kind exercised by + him over young men, says: "It was not so much an enthusiastic admiration + for true genius, or learning, or eloquence, which stirred within them; it + was a sympathetic thrill, caught from a spirit that was earnestly at work + in the world—whose work was healthy, sustained, and constantly + carried forward in the fear of God—a work that was founded on a deep + sense of its duty and its value." <a href="#linknote-127" + name="linknoteref-127" id="linknoteref-127"><small>127</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Such a power, exercised by men of genius, evokes courage, enthusiasm, and + devotion. It is this intense admiration for individuals—such as one + cannot conceive entertained for a multitude—which has in all times + produced heroes and martyrs. It is thus that the mastery of character + makes itself felt. It acts by inspiration, quickening and vivifying the + natures subject to its influence. + </p> + <p> + Great minds are rich in radiating force, not only exerting power, but + communicating and even creating it. Thus Dante raised and drew after him a + host of great spirits—Petrarch, Boccacio, Tasso, and many more. From + him Milton learnt to bear the stings of evil tongues and the contumely of + evil days; and long years after, Byron, thinking of Dante under the + pine-trees of Ravenna, was incited to attune his harp to loftier strains + than he had ever attempted before. Dante inspired the greatest painters of + Italy—Giotto, Orcagna, Michael Angelo, and Raphael. So Ariosto and + Titian mutually inspired one another, and lighted up each other's glory. + </p> + <p> + Great and good men draw others after them, exciting the spontaneous + admiration of mankind. This admiration of noble character elevates the + mind, and tends to redeem it from the bondage of self, one of the greatest + stumbling blocks to moral improvement. The recollection of men who have + signalised themselves by great thoughts or great deeds, seems as if to + create for the time a purer atmosphere around us: and we feel as if our + aims and purposes were unconsciously elevated. + </p> + <p> + "Tell me whom you admire," said Sainte-Beuve, "and I will tell you what + you are, at least as regards your talents, tastes, and character." Do you + admire mean men?—your own nature is mean. Do you admire rich men?—you + are of the earth, earthy. Do you admire men of title?—you are a + toad-eater, or a tuft-hunter. <a href="#linknote-128" + name="linknoteref-128" id="linknoteref-128"><small>128</small></a> Do you + admire honest, brave, and manly men?—you are yourself of an honest, + brave, and manly spirit. + </p> + <p> + It is in the season of youth, while the character is forming, that the + impulse to admire is the greatest. As we advance in life, we crystallize + into habit; and "NIL ADMIRARI" too often becomes our motto. It is well to + encourage the admiration of great characters while the nature is plastic + and open to impressions; for if the good are not admired—as young + men will have their heroes of some sort—most probably the great bad + may be taken by them for models. Hence it always rejoiced Dr. Arnold to + hear his pupils expressing admiration of great deeds, or full of + enthusiasm for persons or even scenery. "I believe," said he, "that 'NIL + ADMIRARI' is the devil's favourite text; and he could not choose a better + to introduce his pupils into the more esoteric parts of his doctrine. And, + therefore, I have always looked upon a man infected with the disorder of + anti-romance as one who has lost the finest part of his nature, and his + best protection against everything low and foolish." <a + href="#linknote-129" name="linknoteref-129" id="linknoteref-129"><small>129</small></a> + </p> + <p> + It was a fine trait in the character of Prince Albert that he was always + so ready to express generous admiration of the good deeds of others. "He + had the greatest delight," says the ablest delineator of his character, + "in anybody else saying a fine saying, or doing a great deed. He would + rejoice over it, and talk about it for days; and whether it was a thing + nobly said or done by a little child, or by a veteran statesman, it gave + him equal pleasure. He delighted in humanity doing well on any occasion + and in any manner." <a href="#linknote-1210" name="linknoteref-1210" + id="linknoteref-1210"><small>1210</small></a> + </p> + <p> + "No quality," said Dr. Johnson, "will get a man more friends than a + sincere admiration of the qualities of others. It indicates generosity of + nature, frankness, cordiality, and cheerful recognition of merit." It was + to the sincere—it might almost be said the reverential—admiration + of Johnson by Boswell, that we owe one of the best biographies ever + written. One is disposed to think that there must have been some genuine + good qualities in Boswell to have been attracted by such a man as Johnson, + and to have kept faithful to his worship in spite of rebuffs and snubbings + innumerable. Macaulay speaks of Boswell as an altogether contemptible + person—as a coxcomb and a bore—weak, vain, pushing, curious, + garrulous; and without wit, humour, or eloquence. But Carlyle is doubtless + more just in his characterisation of the biographer, in whom—vain + and foolish though he was in many respects—he sees a man penetrated + by the old reverent feeling of discipleship, full of love and admiration + for true wisdom and excellence. Without such qualities, Carlyle insists, + the 'Life of Johnson' never could have been written. "Boswell wrote a good + book," he says, "because he had a heart and an eye to discern wisdom, and + an utterance to render it forth; because of his free insight, his lively + talent, and, above all, of his love and childlike openmindedness." + </p> + <p> + Most young men of generous mind have their heroes, especially if they be + book-readers. Thus Allan Cunningham, when a mason's apprentice in + Nithsdale, walked all the way to Edinburgh for the sole purpose of seeing + Sir Walter Scott as he passed along the street. We unconsciously admire + the enthusiasm of the lad, and respect the impulse which impelled him to + make the journey. It is related of Sir Joshua Reynolds, that when a boy of + ten, he thrust his hand through intervening rows of people to touch Pope, + as if there were a sort of virtue in the contact. At a much later period, + the painter Haydon was proud to see and to touch Reynolds when on a visit + to his native place. Rogers the poet used to tell of his ardent desire, + when a boy, to see Dr. Johnson; but when his hand was on the knocker of + the house in Bolt Court, his courage failed him, and he turned away. So + the late Isaac Disraeli, when a youth, called at Bolt Court for the same + purpose; and though he HAD the courage to knock, to his dismay he was + informed by the servant that the great lexicographer had breathed his last + only a few hours before. + </p> + <p> + On the contrary, small and ungenerous minds cannot admire heartily. To + their own great misfortune, they cannot recognise, much less reverence, + great men and great things. The mean nature admires meanly. The toad's + highest idea of beauty is his toadess. The small snob's highest idea of + manhood is the great snob. The slave-dealer values a man according to his + muscles. When a Guinea trader was told by Sir Godfrey Kneller, in the + presence of Pope, that he saw before him two of the greatest men in the + world, he replied: "I don't know how great you may be, but I don't like + your looks. I have often bought a man much better than both of you + together, all bones and muscles, for ten guineas!" + </p> + <p> + Although Rochefoucauld, in one of his maxims, says that there is something + that is not altogether disagreeable to us in the misfortunes of even our + best friends, it is only the small and essentially mean nature that finds + pleasure in the disappointment, and annoyance at the success of others. + There are, unhappily, for themselves, persons so constituted that they + have not the heart to be generous. The most disagreeable of all people are + those who "sit in the seat of the scorner." Persons of this sort often + come to regard the success of others, even in a good work, as a kind of + personal offence. They cannot bear to hear another praised, especially if + he belong to their own art, or calling, or profession. They will pardon a + man's failures, but cannot forgive his doing a thing better than they can + do. And where they have themselves failed, they are found to be the most + merciless of detractors. The sour critic thinks of his rival: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "When Heaven with such parts has blest him, + Have I not reason to detest him?" +</pre> + <p> + The mean mind occupies itself with sneering, carping, and fault-finding; + and is ready to scoff at everything but impudent effrontery or successful + vice. The greatest consolation of such persons are the defects of men of + character. "If the wise erred not," says George Herbert, "it would go hard + with fools." Yet, though wise men may learn of fools by avoiding their + errors, fools rarely profit by the example which, wise men set them. A + German writer has said that it is a miserable temper that cares only to + discover the blemishes in the character of great men or great periods. Let + us rather judge them with the charity of Bolingbroke, who, when reminded + of one of the alleged weaknesses of Marlborough, observed,—"He was + so great a man that I forgot he had that defect." + </p> + <p> + Admiration of great men, living or dead, naturally evokes imitation of + them in a greater or less degree. While a mere youth, the mind of + Themistocles was fired by the great deeds of his contemporaries, and he + longed to distinguish himself in the service of his country. When the + Battle of Marathon had been fought, he fell into a state of melancholy; + and when asked by his friends as to the cause, he replied "that the + trophies of Miltiades would not suffer him to sleep." A few years later, + we find him at the head of the Athenian army, defeating the Persian fleet + of Xerxes in the battles of Artemisium and Salamis,—his country + gratefully acknowledging that it had been saved through his wisdom and + valour. + </p> + <p> + It is related of Thucydides that, when a boy, he burst into tears on + hearing Herodotus read his History, and the impression made upon his mind + was such as to determine the bent of his own genius. And Demosthenes was + so fired on one occasion by the eloquence of Callistratus, that the + ambition was roused within him of becoming an orator himself. Yet + Demosthenes was physically weak, had a feeble voice, indistinct + articulation, and shortness of breath—defects which he was only + enabled to overcome by diligent study and invincible determination. But, + with all his practice, he never became a ready speaker; all his orations, + especially the most famous of them, exhibiting indications of careful + elaboration,—the art and industry of the orator being visible in + almost every sentence. + </p> + <p> + Similar illustrations of character imitating character, and moulding + itself by the style and manner and genius of great men, are to be found + pervading all history. Warriors, statesmen, orators, patriots, poets, and + artists—all have been, more or less unconsciously, nurtured by the + lives and actions of others living before them or presented for their + imitation. + </p> + <p> + Great men have evoked the admiration of kings, popes, and emperors. + Francis de Medicis never spoke to Michael Angelo without uncovering, and + Julius III. made him sit by his side while a dozen cardinals were + standing. Charles V. made way for Titian; and one day, when the brush + dropped from the painter's hand, Charles stooped and picked it up, saying, + "You deserve to be served by an emperor." Leo X. threatened with + excommunication whoever should print and sell the poems of Ariosto without + the author's consent. The same pope attended the deathbed of Raphael, as + Francis I. did that of Leonardo da Vinci. + </p> + <p> + Though Haydn once archly observed that he was loved and esteemed by + everybody except professors of music, yet all the greatest musicians were + unusually ready to recognise each other's greatness. Haydn himself seems + to have been entirely free from petty jealousy. His admiration of the + famous Porpora was such, that he resolved to gain admission to his house, + and serve him as a valet. Having made the acquaintance of the family with + whom Porpora lived, he was allowed to officiate in that capacity. Early + each morning he took care to brush the veteran's coat, polish his shoes, + and put his rusty wig in order. At first Porpora growled at the intruder, + but his asperity soon softened, and eventually melted into affection. He + quickly discovered his valet's genius, and, by his instructions, directed + it into the line in which Haydn eventually acquired so much distinction. + </p> + <p> + Haydn himself was enthusiastic in his admiration of Handel. "He is the + father of us all," he said on one occasion. Scarlatti followed Handel in + admiration all over Italy, and, when his name was mentioned, he crossed + himself in token of veneration. Mozart's recognition of the great composer + was not less hearty. "When he chooses," said he, "Handel strikes like the + thunderbolt." Beethoven hailed him as "The monarch of the musical + kingdom." When Beethoven was dying, one of his friends sent him a present + of Handel's works, in forty volumes. They were brought into his chamber, + and, gazing on them with reanimated eye, he exclaimed, pointing at them + with his finger, "There—there is the truth!" + </p> + <p> + Haydn not only recognised the genius of the great men who had passed away, + but of his young contemporaries, Mozart and Beethoven. Small men may be + envious of their fellows, but really great men seek out and love each + other. Of Mozart, Haydn wrote "I only wish I could impress on every friend + of music, and on great men in particular, the same depth of musical + sympathy, and profound appreciation of Mozart's inimitable music, that I + myself feel and enjoy; then nations would vie with each other to possess + such a jewel within their frontiers. Prague ought not only to strive to + retain this precious man, but also to remunerate him; for without this the + history of a great genius is sad indeed.... It enrages me to think that + the unparalleled Mozart is not yet engaged by some imperial or royal + court. Forgive my excitement; but I love the man so dearly!" + </p> + <p> + Mozart was equally generous in his recognition of the merits of Haydn. + "Sir," said he to a critic, speaking of the latter, "if you and I were + both melted down together, we should not furnish materials for one Haydn." + And when Mozart first heard Beethoven, he observed: "Listen to that young + man; be assured that he will yet make a great name in the world." + </p> + <p> + Buffon set Newton above all other philosophers, and admired him so highly + that he had always his portrait before him while he sat at work. So + Schiller looked up to Shakspeare, whom he studied reverently and zealously + for years, until he became capable of comprehending nature at first-hand, + and then his admiration became even more ardent than before. + </p> + <p> + Pitt was Canning's master and hero, whom he followed and admired with + attachment and devotion. "To one man, while he lived," said Canning, "I + was devoted with all my heart and all my soul. Since the death of Mr. Pitt + I acknowledge no leader; my political allegiance lies buried in his + grave." <a href="#linknote-1211" name="linknoteref-1211" + id="linknoteref-1211"><small>1211</small></a> + </p> + <p> + A French physiologist, M. Roux, was occupied one day in lecturing to his + pupils, when Sir Charles Bell, whose discoveries were even better known + and more highly appreciated abroad than at home, strolled into his + class-room. The professor, recognising his visitor, at once stopped his + exposition, saying: "MESSIEURS, C'EST ASSEZ POUR AUJOURD'HUI, VOUS AVEZ VU + SIR CHARLES BELL!" + </p> + <p> + The first acquaintance with a great work of art has usually proved an + important event in every young artist's life. When Correggio first gazed + on Raphael's 'Saint Cecilia,' he felt within himself an awakened power, + and exclaimed, "And I too am a painter" So Constable used to look back on + his first sight of Claude's picture of 'Hagar,' as forming an epoch in his + career. Sir George Beaumont's admiration of the same picture was such that + he always took it with him in his carriage when he travelled from home. + </p> + <p> + The examples set by the great and good do not die; they continue to live + and speak to all the generations that succeed them. It was very + impressively observed by Mr. Disraeli, in the House of Commons, shortly + after the death of Mr. Cobden:—"There is this consolation remaining + to us, when we remember our unequalled and irreparable losses, that those + great men are not altogether lost to us—that their words will often + be quoted in this House—that their examples will often be referred + to and appealed to, and that even their expressions will form part of our + discussions and debates. There are now, I may say, some members of + Parliament who, though they may not be present, are still members of this + House—who are independent of dissolutions, of the caprices of + constituencies, and even of the course of time. I think that Mr. Cobden + was one of those men." + </p> + <p> + It is the great lesson of biography to teach what man can be and can do at + his best. It may thus give each man renewed strength and confidence. The + humblest, in sight of even the greatest, may admire, and hope, and take + courage. These great brothers of ours in blood and lineage, who live a + universal life, still speak to us from their graves, and beckon us on in + the paths which they have trod. Their example is still with us, to guide, + to influence, and to direct us. For nobility of character is a perpetual + bequest; living from age to age, and constantly tending to reproduce its + like. + </p> + <p> + "The sage," say the Chinese, "is the instructor of a hundred ages. When + the manners of Loo are heard of, the stupid become intelligent, and the + wavering determined." Thus the acted life of a good man continues to be a + gospel of freedom and emancipation to all who succeed him: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "To live in hearts we leave behind, + is not to die." +</pre> + <p> + The golden words that good men have uttered, the examples they have set, + live through all time: they pass into the thoughts and hearts of their + successors, help them on the road of life, and often console them in the + hour of death. "And the most miserable or most painful of deaths," said + Henry Marten, the Commonwealth man, who died in prison, "is as nothing + compared with the memory of a well-spent life; and great alone is he who + has earned the glorious privilege of bequeathing such a lesson and example + to his successors!" + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0004" id="link2HCH0004"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER IV.—WORK. + </h2> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Arise therefore, and be doing, and the Lord be with thee." + —l CHRONICLES xxii. 16. + + "Work as if thou hadst to live for aye; + Worship as if thou wert to die to-day."—TUSCAN PROVERB. + + "C'est par le travail qu'on regne."—LOUIS XIV + + "Blest work! if ever thou wert curse of God, + What must His blessing be!"—J. B. SELKIRK. + + "Let every man be OCCUPIED, and occupied in the highest + employment of which his nature is capable, and die with the + consciousness that he has done his best"—Sydney Smith. +</pre> + <p> + WORK is one of the best educators of practical character. It evokes and + disciplines obedience, self-control, attention, application, and + perseverance; giving a man deftness and skill in his special calling, and + aptitude and dexterity in dealing with the affairs of ordinary life. + </p> + <p> + Work is the law of our being—the living principle that carries men + and nations onward. The greater number of men have to work with their + hands, as a matter of necessity, in order to live; but all must work in + one way or another, if they would enjoy life as it ought to be enjoyed. + </p> + <p> + Labour may be a burden and a chastisement, but it is also an honour and a + glory. Without it, nothing can be accomplished. All that is great in man + comes through work; and civilisation is its product. Were labour + abolished, the race of Adam were at once stricken by moral death. + </p> + <p> + It is idleness that is the curse of man—not labour. Idleness eats + the heart out of men as of nations, and consumes them as rust does iron. + When Alexander conquered the Persians, and had an opportunity of observing + their manners, he remarked that they did not seem conscious that there + could be anything more servile than a life of pleasure, or more princely + than a life of toil. + </p> + <p> + When the Emperor Severus lay on his deathbed at York, whither he had been + borne on a litter from the foot of the Grampians, his final watchword to + his soldiers was, "LABOREMUS" [we must work]; and nothing but constant + toil maintained the power and extended the authority of the Roman + generals. + </p> + <p> + In describing the earlier social condition of Italy, when the ordinary + occupations of rural life were considered compatible with the highest + civic dignity, Pliny speaks of the triumphant generals and their men, + returning contentedly to the plough. In those days the lands were tilled + by the hands even of generals, the soil exulting beneath a ploughshare + crowned with laurels, and guided by a husbandman graced with triumphs: + "IPSORUM TUNC MANIBUS IMPERATORUM COLEBANTUR AGRI: UT FAS EST CREDERE, + GAUDENTE TERRA VOMERE LAUREATO ET TRIUMPHALI ARATORE." <a + href="#linknote-131" name="linknoteref-131" id="linknoteref-131"><small>131</small></a> + It was only after slaves became extensively employed in all departments of + industry that labour came to be regarded as dishonourable and servile. And + so soon as indolence and luxury became the characteristics of the ruling + classes of Rome, the downfall of the empire, sooner or later, was + inevitable. + </p> + <p> + There is, perhaps, no tendency of our nature that has to be more carefully + guarded against than indolence. When Mr. Gurney asked an intelligent + foreigner who had travelled over the greater part of the world, whether he + had observed any one quality which, more than another, could be regarded + as a universal characteristic of our species, his answer was, in broken + English, "Me tink dat all men LOVE LAZY." It is characteristic of the + savage as of the despot. It is natural to men to endeavour to enjoy the + products of labour without its toils. Indeed, so universal is this desire, + that James Mill has argued that it was to prevent its indulgence at the + expense of society at large, that the expedient of Government was + originally invented. <a href="#linknote-132" name="linknoteref-132" + id="linknoteref-132"><small>132</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Indolence is equally degrading to individuals as to nations. Sloth never + made its mark in the world, and never will. Sloth never climbed a hill, + nor overcame a difficulty that it could avoid. Indolence always failed in + life, and always will. It is in the nature of things that it should not + succeed in anything. It is a burden, an incumbrance, and a nuisance—always + useless, complaining, melancholy, and miserable. + </p> + <p> + Burton, in his quaint and curious, book—the only one, Johnson says, + that ever took him out of bed two hours sooner than he wished to rise—describes + the causes of Melancholy as hingeing mainly on Idleness. "Idleness," he + says, "is the bane of body and mind, the nurse of naughtiness, the chief + mother of all mischief, one of the seven deadly sins, the devil's cushion, + his pillow and chief reposal.... An idle dog will be mangy; and how shall + an idle person escape? Idleness of the mind is much worse than that of the + body: wit, without employment, is a disease—the rust of the soul, a + plague, a hell itself. As in a standing pool, worms and filthy creepers + increase, so do evil and corrupt thoughts in an idle person; the soul is + contaminated.... Thus much I dare boldly say: he or she that is idle, be + they of what condition they will, never so rich, so well allied, + fortunate, happy—let them have all things in abundance and felicity + that heart can wish and desire, all contentment—so long as he, or + she, or they, are idle, they shall never be pleased, never well in body or + mind, but weary still, sickly still, vexed still, loathing still, weeping, + sighing, grieving, suspecting, offended with the world, with every object, + wishing themselves gone or dead, or else carried away with some foolish + phantasie or other." <a href="#linknote-133" name="linknoteref-133" + id="linknoteref-133"><small>133</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Burton says a great deal more to the same effect; the burden and lesson of + his book being embodied in the pregnant sentence with which it winds up:—"Only + take this for a corollary and conclusion, as thou tenderest thine own + welfare in this, and all other melancholy, thy good health of body and + mind, observe this short precept, Give not way to solitariness and + idleness. BE NOT SOLITARY—BE NOT IDLE." <a href="#linknote-134" + name="linknoteref-134" id="linknoteref-134"><small>134</small></a> + </p> + <p> + The indolent, however, are not wholly indolent. Though the body may shirk + labour, the brain is not idle. If it do not grow corn, it will grow + thistles, which will be found springing up all along the idle man's course + in life. The ghosts of indolence rise up in the dark, ever staring the + recreant in the face, and tormenting him: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "The gods are just, and of our pleasant vices, + Make instrument to scourge us." +</pre> + <p> + True happiness is never found in torpor of the faculties, <a + href="#linknote-135" name="linknoteref-135" id="linknoteref-135"><small>135</small></a> + but in their action and useful employment. It is indolence that exhausts, + not action, in which there is life, health, and pleasure. The spirits may + be exhausted and wearied by employment, but they are utterly wasted by + idleness. Hense a wise physician was accustomed to regard occupation as + one of his most valuable remedial measures. "Nothing is so injurious," + said Dr. Marshall Hall, "as unoccupied time." An archbishop of Mayence + used to say that "the human heart is like a millstone: if you put wheat + under it, it grinds the wheat into flour; if you put no wheat, it grinds + on, but then 'tis itself it wears away." + </p> + <p> + Indolence is usually full of excuses; and the sluggard, though unwilling + to work, is often an active sophist. "There is a lion in the path;" or + "The hill is hard to climb;" or "There is no use trying—I have + tried, and failed, and cannot do it." To the sophistries of such an + excuser, Sir Samuel Romilly once wrote to a young man:—"My attack + upon your indolence, loss of time, &c., was most serious, and I really + think that it can be to nothing but your habitual want of exertion that + can be ascribed your using such curious arguments as you do in your + defence. Your theory is this: Every man does all the good that he can. If + a particular individual does no good, it is a proof that he is incapable + of doing it. That you don't write proves that you can't; and your want of + inclination demonstrates your want of talents. What an admirable system!—and + what beneficial effects would it be attended with, if it were but + universally received!" + </p> + <p> + It has been truly said, that to desire to possess, without being burdened + with the trouble of acquiring, is as much a sign of weakness, as to + recognise that everything worth having is only to be got by paying its + price, is the prime secret of practical strength. Even leisure cannot be + enjoyed unless it is won by effort. If it have not been earned by work, + the price has not been paid for it. <a href="#linknote-136" + name="linknoteref-136" id="linknoteref-136"><small>136</small></a> + </p> + <p> + There must be work before and work behind, with leisure to fall back upon; + but the leisure, without the work, can no more be enjoyed than a surfeit. + Life must needs be disgusting alike to the idle rich man as to the idle + poor man, who has no work to do, or, having work, will not do it. The + words found tattooed on the right arm of a sentimental beggar of forty, + undergoing his eighth imprisonment in the gaol of Bourges in France, might + be adopted as the motto of all idlers: "LE PASSE M'A TROMPE; LE PRESENT ME + TOURMENTE; L'AVENIR M'EPOUVANTE;"—[13The past has deceived me; the + present torments me; the future terrifies me] + </p> + <p> + The duty of industry applies to all classes and conditions of society. All + have their work to do in the irrespective conditions of life—the + rich as well as the poor. <a href="#linknote-137" name="linknoteref-137" + id="linknoteref-137"><small>137</small></a> The gentleman by birth and + education, however richly he may be endowed with worldly possessions, + cannot but feel that he is in duty bound to contribute his quota of + endeavour towards the general wellbeing in which he shares. He cannot be + satisfied with being fed, clad, and maintained by the labour of others, + without making some suitable return to the society that upholds him. An + honest highminded man would revolt at the idea of sitting down to and + enjoying a feast, and then going away without paying his share of the + reckoning. To be idle and useless is neither an honour nor a privilege; + and though persons of small natures may be content merely to consume—FRUGES + CONSUMERE NATI—men of average endowment, of manly aspirations, and + of honest purpose, will feel such a condition to be incompatible with real + honour and true dignity. + </p> + <p> + "I don't believe," said Lord Stanley [13now Earl of Derby] at Glasgow, + "that an unemployed man, however amiable and otherwise respectable, ever + was, or ever can be, really happy. As work is our life, show me what you + can do, and I will show you what you are. I have spoken of love of one's + work as the best preventive of merely low and vicious tastes. I will go + further, and say that it is the best preservative against petty anxieties, + and the annoyances that arise out of indulged self-love. Men have thought + before now that they could take refuge from trouble and vexation by + sheltering themselves as it were in a world of their own. The experiment + has, often been tried, and always with one result. You cannot escape from + anxiety and labour—it is the destiny of humanity.... Those who shirk + from facing trouble, find that trouble comes to them. The indolent may + contrive that he shall have less than his share of the world's work to do, + but Nature proportioning the instinct to the work, contrives that the + little shall be much and hard to him. The man who has only himself to + please finds, sooner or later, and probably sooner than later, that he has + got a very hard master; and the excessive weakness which shrinks from + responsibility has its own punishment too, for where great interests are + excluded little matters become great, and the same wear and tear of mind + that might have been at least usefully and healthfully expended on the + real business of life is often wasted in petty and imaginary vexations, + such as breed and multiply in the unoccupied brain." <a + href="#linknote-138" name="linknoteref-138" id="linknoteref-138"><small>138</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Even on the lowest ground—that of personal enjoyment—constant + useful occupation is necessary. He who labours not, cannot enjoy the + reward of labour. "We sleep sound," said Sir Walter Scott, "and our waking + hours are happy, when they are employed; and a little sense of toil is + necessary to the enjoyment of leisure, even when earned by study and + sanctioned by the discharge of duty." + </p> + <p> + It is true, there are men who die of overwork; but many more die of + selfishness, indulgence, and idleness. Where men break down by overwork, + it is most commonly from want of duly ordering their lives, and neglect of + the ordinary conditions of physical health. Lord Stanley was probably + right when he said, in his address to the Glasgow students above + mentioned, that he doubted whether "hard work, steadily and regularly + carried on, ever yet hurt anybody." + </p> + <p> + Then, again, length of YEARS is no proper test of length of LIFE. A man's + life is to be measured by what he does in it, and what he feels in it. The + more useful work the man does, and the more he thinks and feels, the more + he really lives. The idle useless man, no matter to what extent his life + may be prolonged, merely vegetates. + </p> + <p> + The early teachers of Christianity ennobled the lot of toil by their + example. "He that will not work," said Saint Paul, "neither shall he eat;" + and he glorified himself in that he had laboured with his hands, and had + not been chargeable to any man. When St. Boniface landed in Britain, he + came with a gospel in one hand and a carpenter's rule in the other; and + from England he afterwards passed over into Germany, carrying thither the + art of building. Luther also, in the midst of a multitude of other + employments, worked diligently for a living, earning his bread by + gardening, building, turning, and even clockmaking. <a href="#linknote-139" + name="linknoteref-139" id="linknoteref-139"><small>139</small></a> + </p> + <p> + It was characteristic of Napoleon, when visiting a work of mechanical + excellence, to pay great respect to the inventor, and on taking his leave, + to salute him with a low bow. Once at St. Helena, when walking with Mrs. + Balcombe, some servants came along carrying a load. The lady, in an angry + tone, ordered them out of the way, on which Napoleon interposed, saying, + "Respect the burden, madam." Even the drudgery of the humblest labourer + contributes towards the general wellbeing of society; and it was a wise + saying of a Chinese Emperor, that "if there was a man who did not work, or + a woman that was idle, somebody must suffer cold or hunger in the empire." + </p> + <p> + The habit of constant useful occupation is as essential for the happiness + and wellbeing of woman as of man. Without it, women are apt to sink into a + state of listless ENNUI and uselessness, accompanied by sick headache and + attacks of "nerves." Caroline Perthes carefully warned her married + daughter Louisa to beware of giving way to such listlessness. "I myself," + she said, "when the children are gone out for a half-holiday, sometimes + feel as stupid and dull as an owl by daylight; but one must not yield to + this, which happens more or less to all young wives. The best relief is + WORK, engaged in with interest and diligence. Work, then, constantly and + diligently, at something or other; for idleness is the devil's snare for + small and great, as your grandfather says, and he says true." <a + href="#linknote-1310" name="linknoteref-1310" id="linknoteref-1310"><small>1310</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Constant useful occupation is thus wholesome, not only for the body, but + for the mind. While the slothful man drags himself indolently through + life, and the better part of his nature sleeps a deep sleep, if not + morally and spiritually dead, the energetic man is a source of activity + and enjoyment to all who come within reach of his influence. Even any + ordinary drudgery is better than idleness. Fuller says of Sir Francis + Drake, who was early sent to sea, and kept close to his work by his + master, that such "pains and patience in his youth knit the joints of his + soul, and made them more solid and compact." Schiller used to say that he + considered it a great advantage to be employed in the discharge of some + daily mechanical duty—some regular routine of work, that rendered + steady application necessary. + </p> + <p> + Thousands can bear testimony to the truth of the saying of Greuze, the + French painter, that work—employment, useful occupation—is one + of the great secrets of happiness. Casaubon was once induced by the + entreaties of his friends to take a few days entire rest, but he returned + to his work with the remark, that it was easier to bear illness doing + something, than doing nothing. + </p> + <p> + When Charles Lamb was released for life from his daily drudgery of + desk-work at the India Office, he felt himself the happiest of men. "I + would not go back to my prison," he said to a friend, "ten years longer, + for ten thousand pounds." He also wrote in the same ecstatic mood to + Bernard Barton: "I have scarce steadiness of head to compose a letter," he + said; "I am free! free as air! I will live another fifty years.... Would I + could sell you some of my leisure! Positively the best thing a man can do + is—Nothing; and next to that, perhaps, Good Works." Two years—two + long and tedious years passed; and Charles Lamb's feelings had undergone + an entire change. He now discovered that official, even humdrum work—"the + appointed round, the daily task"—had been good for him, though he + knew it not. Time had formerly been his friend; it had now become his + enemy. To Bernard Barton he again wrote: "I assure you, NO work is worse + than overwork; the mind preys on itself—the most unwholesome of + food. I have ceased to care for almost anything.... Never did the waters + of heaven pour down upon a forlorner head. What I can do, and overdo, is + to walk. I am a sanguinary murderer of time. But the oracle is silent." + </p> + <p> + No man could be more sensible of the practical importance of industry than + Sir Walter Scott, who was himself one of the most laborious and + indefatigable of men. Indeed, Lockhart says of him that, taking all ages + and countries together, the rare example of indefatigable energy, in union + with serene self-possession of mind and manner, such as Scott's, must be + sought for in the roll of great sovereigns or great captains, rather than + in that of literary genius. Scott himself was most anxious to impress upon + the minds of his own children the importance of industry as a means of + usefulness and happiness in the world. To his son Charles, when at school, + he wrote:—"I cannot too much impress upon your mind that LABOUR is + the condition which God has imposed on us in every station of life; there + is nothing worth having that can be had without it, from the bread which + the peasant wins with the sweat of his brow, to the sports by which the + rich man must get rid of his ENNUI.... As for knowledge, it can no more be + planted in the human mind without labour than a field of wheat can be + produced without the previous use of the plough. There is, indeed, this + great difference, that chance or circumstances may so cause it that + another shall reap what the farmer sows; but no man can be deprived, + whether by accident or misfortune, of the fruits of his own studies; and + the liberal and extended acquisitions of knowledge which he makes are all + for his own use. Labour, therefore, my dear boy, and improve the time. In + youth our steps are light, and our minds are ductile, and knowledge is + easily laid up; but if we neglect our spring, our summers will be useless + and contemptible, our harvest will be chaff, and the winter of our old age + unrespected and desolate." <a href="#linknote-1311" name="linknoteref-1311" + id="linknoteref-1311"><small>1311</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Southey was as laborious a worker as Scott. Indeed, work might almost be + said to form part of his religion. He was only nineteen when he wrote + these words:—"Nineteen years! certainly a fourth part of my life; + perhaps how great a part! and yet I have been of no service to society. + The clown who scares crows for twopence a day is a more useful man; he + preserves the bread which I eat in idleness." And yet Southey had not been + idle as a boy—on the contrary, he had been a most diligent student. + He had not only read largely in English literature, but was well + acquainted, through translations, with Tasso, Ariosto, Homer, and Ovid. He + felt, however, as if his life had been purposeless, and he determined to + do something. He began, and from that time forward he pursued an + unremitting career of literary labour down to the close of his life—"daily + progressing in learning," to use his own words—"not so learned as he + is poor, not so poor as proud, not so proud as happy." + </p> + <p> + The maxims of men often reveal their character. <a href="#linknote-1312" + name="linknoteref-1312" id="linknoteref-1312"><small>1312</small></a> That + of Sir Walter Scott was, "Never to be doing nothing." Robertson the + historian, as early as his fifteenth year, adopted the maxim of "VITA SINE + LITERIS MORS EST" [13Life without learning is death]. Voltaire's motto + was, "TOUJOURS AU TRAVAIL" [13Always at work]. The favourite maxim of + Lacepede, the naturalist, was, "VIVRE C'EST VEILLER" [13To live is to + observe]: it was also the maxim of Pliny. When Bossuet was at college, he + was so distinguished by his ardour in study, that his fellow students, + playing upon his name, designated him as "BOS-SUETUS ARATRO" [13The ox + used to the plough]. The name of VITA-LIS [13Life a struggle], which the + Swedish poet Sjoberg assumed, as Frederik von Hardenberg assumed that of + NOVA-LIS, described the aspirations and the labours of both these men of + genius. + </p> + <p> + We have spoken of work as a discipline: it is also an educator of + character. Even work that produces no results, because it IS work, is + better than torpor,—inasmuch as it educates faculty, and is thus + preparatory to successful work. The habit of working teaches method. It + compels economy of time, and the disposition of it with judicious + forethought. And when the art of packing life with useful occupations is + once acquired by practice, every minute will be turned to account; and + leisure, when it comes, will be enjoyed with all the greater zest. + </p> + <p> + Coleridge has truly observed, that "if the idle are described as killing + time, the methodical man may be justly said to call it into life and moral + being, while he makes it the distinct object not only of the + consciousness, but of the conscience. He organizes the hours and gives + them a soul; and by that, the very essence of which is to fleet and to + have been, he communicates an imperishable and spiritual nature. Of the + good and faithful servant, whose energies thus directed are thus + methodized, it is less truly affirmed that he lives in time than that time + lives in him. His days and months and years, as the stops and punctual + marks in the record of duties performed, will survive the wreck of worlds, + and remain extant when time itself shall be no more." <a + href="#linknote-1313" name="linknoteref-1313" id="linknoteref-1313"><small>1313</small></a> + </p> + <p> + It is because application to business teaches method most effectually, + that it is so useful as an educator of character. The highest working + qualities are best trained by active and sympathetic contact with others + in the affairs of daily life. It does not matter whether the business + relate to the management of a household or of a nation. Indeed, as we have + endeavoured to show in a preceding chapter, the able housewife must + necessarily be an efficient woman of business. She must regulate and + control the details of her home, keep her expenditure within her means, + arrange everything according to plan and system, and wisely manage and + govern those subject to her rule. Efficient domestic management implies + industry, application, method, moral discipline, forethought, prudence, + practical ability, insight into character, and power of organization—all + of which are required in the efficient management of business of whatever + sort. + </p> + <p> + Business qualities have, indeed, a very large field of action. They mean + aptitude for affairs, competency to deal successfully with the practical + work of life—whether the spur of action lie in domestic management, + in the conduct of a profession, in trade or commerce, in social + organization, or in political government. And the training which gives + efficiency in dealing with these various affairs is of all others the most + useful in practical life. <a href="#linknote-1314" name="linknoteref-1314" + id="linknoteref-1314"><small>1314</small></a> Moreover, it is the best + discipline of character; for it involves the exercise of diligence, + attention, self-denial, judgment, tact, knowledge of and sympathy with + others. + </p> + <p> + Such a discipline is far more productive of happiness as well as useful + efficiency in life, than any amount of literary culture or meditative + seclusion; for in the long run it will usually be found that practical + ability carries it over intellect, and temper and habits over talent. It + must, however, he added that this is a kind of culture that can only be + acquired by diligent observation and carefully improved experience. "To be + a good blacksmith," said General Trochu in a recent publication, "one must + have forged all his life: to be a good administrator one should have + passed his whole life in the study and practice of business." + </p> + <p> + It was characteristic of Sir Walter Scott to entertain the highest respect + for able men of business; and he professed that he did not consider any + amount of literary distinction as entitled to be spoken of in the same + breath with a mastery in the higher departments of practical life—least + of all with a first-rate captain. + </p> + <p> + The great commander leaves nothing to chance, but provides for every + contingency. He condescends to apparently trivial details. Thus, when + Wellington was at the head of his army in Spain, he directed the precise + manner in which the soldiers were to cook their provisions. When in India, + he specified the exact speed at which the bullocks were to be driven; + every detail in equipment was carefully arranged beforehand. And thus not + only was efficiency secured, but the devotion of his men, and their + boundless confidence in his command. <a href="#linknote-1315" + name="linknoteref-1315" id="linknoteref-1315"><small>1315</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Like other great captains, Wellington had an almost boundless capacity for + work. He drew up the heads of a Dublin Police Bill [13being still the + Secretary for Ireland], when tossing off the mouth of the Mondego, with + Junot and the French army waiting for him on the shore. So Caesar, another + of the greatest commanders, is said to have written an essay on Latin + Rhetoric while crossing the Alps at the head of his army. And Wallenstein + when at the head of 60,000 men, and in the midst of a campaign with the + enemy before him, dictated from headquarters the medical treatment of his + poultry-yard. + </p> + <p> + Washington, also, was an indefatigable man of business. From his boyhood + he diligently trained himself in habits of application, of study, and of + methodical work. His manuscript school-books, which are still preserved, + show that, as early as the age of thirteen, he occupied himself + voluntarily in copying out such things as forms of receipts, notes of + hand, bills of exchange, bonds, indentures, leases, land-warrants, and + other dry documents, all written out with great care. And the habits which + he thus early acquired were, in a great measure, the foundation of those + admirable business qualities which he afterwards so successfully brought + to bear in the affairs of government. + </p> + <p> + The man or woman who achieves success in the management of any great + affair of business is entitled to honour,—it may be, to as much as + the artist who paints a picture, or the author who writes a book, or the + soldier who wins a battle. Their success may have been gained in the face + of as great difficulties, and after as great struggles; and where they + have won their battle, it is at least a peaceful one, and there is no + blood on their hands. + </p> + <p> + The idea has been entertained by some, that business habits are + incompatible with genius. In the Life of Richard Lovell Edgeworth, <a + href="#linknote-1316" name="linknoteref-1316" id="linknoteref-1316"><small>1316</small></a> + it is observed of a Mr. Bicknell—a respectable but ordinary man, of + whom little is known but that he married Sabrina Sidney, the ELEVE of + Thomas Day, author of 'Sandford and Merton'—that "he had some of the + too usual faults of a man of genius: he detested the drudgery of + business." But there cannot be a greater mistake. The greatest geniuses + have, without exception, been the greatest workers, even to the extent of + drudgery. They have not only worked harder than ordinary men, but brought + to their work higher faculties and a more ardent spirit. Nothing great and + durable was ever improvised. It is only by noble patience and noble labour + that the masterpieces of genius have been achieved. + </p> + <p> + Power belongs only to the workers; the idlers are always powerless. It is + the laborious and painstaking men who are the rulers of the world. There + has not been a statesman of eminence but was a man of industry. "It is by + toil," said even Louis XIV., "that kings govern." When Clarendon described + Hampden, he spoke of him as "of an industry and vigilance not to be tired + out or wearied by the most laborious, and of parts not to be imposed on by + the most subtle and sharp, and of a personal courage equal to his best + parts." While in the midst of his laborious though self-imposed duties, + Hampden, on one occasion, wrote to his mother: "My lyfe is nothing but + toyle, and hath been for many yeares, nowe to the Commonwealth, nowe to + the Kinge.... Not so much tyme left as to doe my dutye to my deare + parents, nor to sende to them." Indeed, all the statesmen of the + Commonwealth were great toilers; and Clarendon himself, whether in office + or out of it, was a man of indefatigable application and industry. + </p> + <p> + The same energetic vitality, as displayed in the power of working, has + distinguished all the eminent men in our own as well as in past times. + During the Anti-Corn Law movement, Cobden, writing to a friend, described + himself as "working like a horse, with not a moment to spare." Lord + Brougham was a remarkable instance of the indefatigably active and + laborious man; and it might be said of Lord Palmerston, that he worked + harder for success in his extreme old age than he had ever done in the + prime of his manhood—preserving his working faculty, his good-humour + and BONHOMMIE, unimpaired to the end. <a href="#linknote-1317" + name="linknoteref-1317" id="linknoteref-1317"><small>1317</small></a> He + himself was accustomed to say, that being in office, and consequently full + of work, was good for his health. It rescued him from ENNUI. Helvetius + even held, that it is man's sense of ENNUI that is the chief cause of his + superiority over the brute,—that it is the necessity which he feels + for escaping from its intolerable suffering that forces him to employ + himself actively, and is hence the great stimulus to human progress. + </p> + <p> + Indeed, this living principle of constant work, of abundant occupation, of + practical contact with men in the affairs of life, has in all times been + the best ripener of the energetic vitality of strong natures. Business + habits, cultivated and disciplined, are found alike useful in every + pursuit—whether in politics, literature, science, or art. Thus, a + great deal of the best literary work has been done by men systematically + trained in business pursuits. The same industry, application, economy of + time and labour, which have rendered them useful in the one sphere of + employment, have been found equally available in the other. + </p> + <p> + Most of the early English writers were men of affairs, trained to + business; for no literary class as yet existed, excepting it might be the + priesthood. Chaucer, the father of English poetry, was first a soldier, + and afterwards a comptroller of petty customs. The office was no sinecure + either, for he had to write up all the records with his own hand; and when + he had done his "reckonings" at the custom-house, he returned with delight + to his favourite studies at home—poring over his books until his + eyes were "dazed" and dull. + </p> + <p> + The great writers in the reign of Elizabeth, during which there was such a + development of robust life in England, were not literary men according to + the modern acceptation of the word, but men of action trained in business. + Spenser acted as secretary to the Lord Deputy of Ireland; Raleigh was, by + turns, a courtier, soldier, sailor, and discoverer; Sydney was a + politician, diplomatist, and soldier; Bacon was a laborious lawyer before + he became Lord Keeper and Lord Chancellor; Sir Thomas Browne was a + physician in country practice at Norwich; Hooker was the hardworking + pastor of a country parish; Shakspeare was the manager of a theatre, in + which he was himself but an indifferent actor, and he seems to have been + even more careful of his money investments than he was of his intellectual + offspring. Yet these, all men of active business habits, are among the + greatest writers of any age: the period of Elizabeth and James I. standing + out in the history of England as the era of its greatest literary activity + and splendour. + </p> + <p> + In the reign of Charles I., Cowley held various offices of trust and + confidence. He acted as private secretary to several of the royalist + leaders, and was afterwards engaged as private secretary to the Queen, in + ciphering and deciphering the correspondence which passed between her and + Charles I.; the work occupying all his days, and often his nights, during + several years. And while Cowley was thus employed in the royal cause, + Milton was employed by the Commonwealth, of which he was the Latin + secretary, and afterwards secretary to the Lord Protector. Yet, in the + earlier part of his life, Milton was occupied in the humble vocation of a + teacher. Dr. Johnson says, "that in his school, as in everything else + which he undertook, he laboured with great diligence, there is no reason + for doubting" It was after the Restoration, when his official employment + ceased, that Milton entered upon the principal literary work of his life; + but before he undertook the writing of his great epic, he deemed it + indispensable that to "industrious and select reading" he should add + "steady observation" and "insight into all seemly and generous arts and + affairs." <a href="#linknote-1318" name="linknoteref-1318" + id="linknoteref-1318"><small>1318</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Locke held office in different reigns: first under Charles II. as + Secretary to the Board of Trade and afterwards under William III. as + Commissioner of Appeals and of Trade and Plantations. Many literary men of + eminence held office in Queen Anne's reign. Thus Addison was Secretary of + State; Steele, Commissioner of Stamps; Prior, Under-Secretary of State, + and afterwards Ambassador to France; Tickell, Under-Secretary of State, + and Secretary to the Lords Justices of Ireland; Congreve, Secretary of + Jamaica;, and Gay, Secretary of Legation at Hanover. + </p> + <p> + Indeed, habits of business, instead of unfitting a cultivated mind for + scientific or literary pursuits, are often the best training for them. + Voltaire insisted with truth that the real spirit of business and + literature are the same; the perfection of each being the union of energy + and thoughtfulness, of cultivated intelligence and practical wisdom, of + the active and contemplative essence—a union commended by Lord Bacon + as the concentrated excellence of man's nature. It has been said that even + the man of genius can write nothing worth reading in relation to human + affairs, unless he has been in some way or other connected with the + serious everyday business of life. + </p> + <p> + Hence it has happened that many of the best books, extant have been + written by men of business, with whom literature was a pastime rather than + a profession. Gifford, the editor of the 'Quarterly,' who knew the + drudgery of writing for a living, once observed that "a single hour of + composition, won from the business of the day, is worth more than the + whole day's toil of him who works at the trade of literature: in the one + case, the spirit comes joyfully to refresh itself, like a hart to the + waterbrooks; in the other, it pursues its miserable way, panting and + jaded, with the dogs and hunger of necessity behind." <a + href="#linknote-1319" name="linknoteref-1319" id="linknoteref-1319"><small>1319</small></a> + </p> + <p> + The first great men of letters in Italy were not mere men of letters; they + were men of business—merchants, statesmen, diplomatists, judges, and + soldiers. Villani, the author of the best History of Florence, was a + merchant; Dante, Petrarch, and Boccacio, were all engaged in more or less + important embassies; and Dante, before becoming a diplomatist, was for + some time occupied as a chemist and druggist. Galileo, Galvani, and Farini + were physicians, and Goldoni a lawyer. Ariosto's talent for affairs was as + great as his genius for poetry. At the death of his father, he was called + upon to manage the family estate for the benefit of his younger brothers + and sisters, which he did with ability and integrity. His genius for + business having been recognised, he was employed by the Duke of Ferrara on + important missions to Rome and elsewhere. Having afterwards been appointed + governor of a turbulent mountain district, he succeeded, by firm and just + governments in reducing it to a condition of comparative good order and + security. Even the bandits of the country respected him. Being arrested + one day in the mountains by a body of outlaws, he mentioned his name, when + they at once offered to escort him in safety wherever he chose. + </p> + <p> + It has been the same in other countries. Vattel, the author of the 'Rights + of Nations,' was a practical diplomatist, and a first-rate man of + business. Rabelais was a physician, and a successful practitioner; + Schiller was a surgeon; Cervantes, Lope de Vega, Calderon, Camoens, + Descartes, Maupertius, La Rochefoucauld, Lacepede, Lamark, were soldiers + in the early part of their respective lives. + </p> + <p> + In our own country, many men now known by their writings, earned their + living by their trade. Lillo spent the greater part of his life as a + working jeweller in the Poultry; occupying the intervals of his leisure in + the production of dramatic works, some of them of acknowledged power and + merit. Izaak Walton was a linendraper in Fleet Street, reading much in his + leisure hours, and storing his mind with facts for future use in his + capacity of biographer. De Foe was by turns horse-factor, brick and tile + maker, shopkeeper, author, and political agent. + </p> + <p> + Samuel Richardson successfully combined literature, with business; writing + his novels in his back-shop in Salisbury Court, Fleet Street, and selling + them over the counter in his front-shop. William Hutton, of Birmingham, + also successfully combined the occupations of bookselling and authorship. + He says, in his Autobiography, that a man may live half a century and not + be acquainted with his own character. He did not know that he was an + antiquary until the world informed him of it, from having read his + 'History of Birmingham,' and then, he said, he could see it himself. + Benjamin Franklin was alike eminent as a printer and bookseller—an + author, a philosopher and a statesman. + </p> + <p> + Coming down to our own time, we find Ebenezer Elliott successfully + carrying on the business of a bar-iron merchant in Sheffield, during which + time he wrote and published the greater number of his poems; and his + success in business was such as to enable him to retire into the country + and build a house of his own, in which he spent the remainder of his days. + Isaac Taylor, the author of the 'Natural History of Enthusiasm,' was an + engraver of patterns for Manchester calico-printers; and other members of + this gifted family were followers of the same branch of art. + </p> + <p> + The principal early works of John Stuart Mill were written in the + intervals of official work, while he held the office of principal examiner + in the East India House,—in which Charles Lamb, Peacock the author + of 'Headlong Hall,' and Edwin Norris the philologist, were also clerks. + Macaulay wrote his 'Lays of Ancient Rome' in the War Office, while holding + the post of Secretary of War. It is well known that the thoughtful + writings of Mr. Helps are literally "Essays written in the Intervals of + Business." Many of our best living authors are men holding important + public offices—such as Sir Henry Taylor, Sir John Kaye, Anthony + Trollope, Tom Taylor, Matthew Arnold, and Samuel Warren. + </p> + <p> + Mr. Proctor the poet, better known as "Barry Cornwall," was a barrister + and commissioner in lunacy. Most probably he assumed the pseudonym for the + same reason that Dr. Paris published his 'Philosophy in Sport made Science + in Earnest' anonymously—because he apprehended that, if known, it + might compromise his professional position. For it is by no means an + uncommon prejudice, still prevalent amongst City men, that a person who + has written a book, and still more one who has written a poem, is good for + nothing in the way of business. Yet Sharon Turner, though an excellent + historian, was no worse a solicitor on that account; while the brothers + Horace and James Smith, authors of 'The Rejected Addresses,' were men of + such eminence in their profession, that they were selected to fill the + important and lucrative post of solicitors to the Admiralty, and they + filled it admirably. + </p> + <p> + It was while the late Mr. Broderip, the barrister, was acting as a London + police magistrate, that he was attracted to the study of natural history, + in which he occupied the greater part of his leisure. He wrote the + principal articles on the subject for the 'Penny Cyclopaedia,' besides + several separate works of great merit, more particularly the 'Zoological + Recreations,' and 'Leaves from the Notebook of a Naturalist.' It is + recorded of him that, though he devoted so much of his time to the + production of his works, as well as to the Zoological Society and their + admirable establishment in Regent's Park, of which he was one of the + founders, his studies never interfered with the real business of his life, + nor is it known that a single question was ever raised upon his conduct or + his decisions. And while Mr. Broderip devoted himself to natural history, + the late Lord Chief Baron Pollock devoted his leisure to natural science, + recreating himself in the practice of photography and the study of + mathematics, in both of which he was thoroughly proficient. + </p> + <p> + Among literary bankers we find the names of Rogers, the poet; Roscoe, of + Liverpool, the biographer of Lorenzo de Medici; Ricardo, the author of + 'Political Economy and Taxation; <a href="#linknote-1320" + name="linknoteref-1320" id="linknoteref-1320"><small>1320</small></a> + Grote, the author of the 'History of Greece;' Sir John Lubbock, the + scientific antiquarian; <a href="#linknote-1321" name="linknoteref-1321" + id="linknoteref-1321"><small>1321</small></a> and Samuel Bailey, of + Sheffield, the author of 'Essays on the Formation and Publication of + Opinions,' besides various important works on ethics, political economy, + and philosophy. + </p> + <p> + Nor, on the other hand, have thoroughly-trained men of science and + learning proved themselves inefficient as first-rate men of business. + Culture of the best sort trains the habit of application and industry, + disciplines the mind, supplies it with resources, and gives it freedom and + vigour of action—all of which are equally requisite in the + successful conduct of business. Thus, in young men, education and + scholarship usually indicate steadiness of character, for they imply + continuous attention, diligence, and the ability and energy necessary to + master knowledge; and such persons will also usually be found possessed of + more than average promptitude, address, resource, and dexterity. + </p> + <p> + Montaigne has said of true philosophers, that "if they were great in + science, they were yet much greater in action;... and whenever they have + been put upon the proof, they have been seen to fly to so high a pitch, as + made it very well appear their souls were strangely elevated and enriched + with the knowledge of things." <a href="#linknote-1322" + name="linknoteref-1322" id="linknoteref-1322"><small>1322</small></a> + </p> + <p> + At the same time, it must be acknowledged that too exclusive a devotion to + imaginative and philosophical literature, especially if prolonged in life + until the habits become formed, does to a great extent incapacitate a man + for the business of practical life. Speculative ability is one thing, and + practical ability another; and the man who, in his study, or with his pen + in hand, shows himself capable of forming large views of life and policy, + may, in the outer world, be found altogether unfitted for carrying them + into practical effect. + </p> + <p> + Speculative ability depends on vigorous thinking—practical ability + on vigorous acting; and the two qualities are usually found combined in + very unequal proportions. The speculative man is prone to indecision: he + sees all the sides of a question, and his action becomes suspended in + nicely weighing the pros and cons, which are often found pretty nearly to + balance each other; whereas the practical man overleaps logical + preliminaries, arrives at certain definite convictions, and proceeds + forthwith to carry his policy into action. <a href="#linknote-1323" + name="linknoteref-1323" id="linknoteref-1323"><small>1323</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Yet there have been many great men of science who have proved efficient + men of business. We do not learn that Sir Isaac Newton made a worse Master + of the Mint because he was the greatest of philosophers. Nor were there + any complaints as to the efficiency of Sir John Herschel, who held the + same office. The brothers Humboldt were alike capable men in all that they + undertook—whether it was literature, philosophy, mining, philology, + diplomacy, or statesmanship. + </p> + <p> + Niebuhr, the historian, was distinguished for his energy and success as a + man of business. He proved so efficient as secretary and accountant to the + African consulate, to which he had been appointed by the Danish + Government, that he was afterwards selected as one of the commissioners to + manage the national finances; and he quitted that office to undertake the + joint directorship of a bank at Berlin. It was in the midst of his + business occupations that he found time to study Roman history, to master + the Arabic, Russian, and other Sclavonic languages, and to build up the + great reputation as an author by which he is now chiefly remembered. + </p> + <p> + Having regard to the views professed by the First Napoleon as to men of + science, it was to have been expected that he would endeavour to + strengthen his administration by calling them to his aid. Some of his + appointments proved failures, while others were completely successful. + Thus Laplace was made Minister of the Interior; but he had no sooner been + appointed than it was seen that a mistake had been made. Napoleon + afterwards said of him, that "Laplace looked at no question in its true + point of view. He was always searching after subtleties; all his ideas + were problems, and he carried the spirit of the infinitesimal calculus + into the management of business." But Laplace's habits had been formed in + the study, and he was too old to adapt them to the purposes of practical + life. + </p> + <p> + With Darn it was different. But Darn had the advantage of some practical + training in business, having served as an intendant of the army in + Switzerland under Massena, during which he also distinguished himself as + an author. When Napoleon proposed to appoint him a councillor of state and + intendant of the Imperial Household, Darn hesitated to accept the office. + "I have passed the greater part of my life," he said, "among books, and + have not had time to learn the functions of a courtier." "Of courtiers," + replied Napoleon, "I have plenty about me; they will never fail. But I + want a minister, at once enlightened, firm, and vigilant; and it is for + these qualities that I have selected you." Darn complied with the + Emperor's wishes, and eventually became his Prime Minister, proving + thoroughly efficient in that capacity, and remaining the same modest, + honourable, and disinterested man that he had ever been through life. + </p> + <p> + Men of trained working faculty so contract the habit of labour that + idleness becomes intolerable to them; and when driven by circumstances + from their own special line of occupation, they find refuge in other + pursuits. The diligent man is quick to find employment for his leisure; + and he is able to make leisure when the idle man finds none. "He hath no + leisure," says George Herbert, "who useth it not." "The most active or + busy man that hath been or can be," says Bacon, "hath, no question, many + vacant times of leisure, while he expecteth the tides and returns of + business, except he be either tedious and of no despatch, or lightly and + unworthily ambitious to meddle with things that may be better done by + others." Thus many great things have been done during such "vacant times + of leisure," by men to whom industry had become a second nature, and who + found it easier to work than to be idle. + </p> + <p> + Even hobbies are useful as educators of the working faculty. Hobbies evoke + industry of a certain kind, and at least provide agreeable occupation. Not + such hobbies as that of Domitian, who occupied himself in catching flies. + The hobbies of the King of Macedon who made lanthorns, and of the King of + France who made locks, were of a more respectable order. Even a routine + mechanical employment is felt to be a relief by minds acting under + high-pressure: it is an intermission of labour—a rest—a + relaxation, the pleasure consisting in the work itself rather than in the + result. + </p> + <p> + But the best of hobbies are intellectual ones. Thus men of active mind + retire from their daily business to find recreation in other pursuits—some + in science, some in art, and the greater number in literature. Such + recreations are among the best preservatives against selfishness and + vulgar worldliness. We believe it was Lord Brougham who said, "Blessed is + the man that hath a hobby!" and in the abundant versatility of his nature, + he himself had many, ranging from literature to optics, from history and + biography to social science. Lord Brougham is even said to have written a + novel; and the remarkable story of the 'Man in the Bell,' which appeared + many years ago in 'Blackwood,' is reputed to have been from his pen. + Intellectual hobbies, however, must not be ridden too hard—else, + instead of recreating, refreshing, and invigorating a man's nature, they + may only have the effect of sending him back to his business exhausted, + enervated, and depressed. + </p> + <p> + Many laborious statesmen besides Lord Brougham have occupied their + leisure, or consoled themselves in retirement from office, by the + composition of works which have become part of the standard literature of + the world. Thus 'Caesar's Commentaries' still survive as a classic; the + perspicuous and forcible style in which they are written placing him in + the same rank with Xenophon, who also successfully combined the pursuit of + letters with the business of active life. + </p> + <p> + When the great Sully was disgraced as a minister, and driven into + retirement, he occupied his leisure in writing out his 'Memoirs,' in + anticipation of the judgment of posterity upon his career as a statesman. + Besides these, he also composed part of a romance after the manner of the + Scuderi school, the manuscript of which was found amongst his papers at + his death. + </p> + <p> + Turgot found a solace for the loss of office, from which he had been + driven by the intrigues of his enemies, in the study of physical science. + He also reverted to his early taste for classical literature. During his + long journeys, and at nights when tortured by the gout, he amused himself + by making Latin verses; though the only line of his that has been + preserved was that intended to designate the portrait of Benjamin + Franklin: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Eripuit caelo fulmen, sceptrumque tyrannis." +</pre> + <p> + Among more recent French statesmen—with whom, however, literature + has been their profession as much as politics—may be mentioned De + Tocqueville, Thiers, Guizot, and Lamartine, while Napoleon III. challenged + a place in the Academy by his 'Life of Caesar.' + </p> + <p> + Literature has also been the chief solace of our greatest English + statesmen. When Pitt retired from office, like his great contemporary Fox, + he reverted with delight to the study of the Greek and Roman classics. + Indeed, Grenville considered Pitt the best Greek scholar he had ever + known. Canning and Wellesley, when in retirement, occupied themselves in + translating the odes and satires of Horace. Canning's passion for + literature entered into all his pursuits, and gave a colour to his whole + life. His biographer says of him, that after a dinner at Pitt's, while the + rest of the company were dispersed in conversation, he and Pitt would be + observed poring over some old Grecian in a corner of the drawing-room. Fox + also was a diligent student of the Greek authors, and, like Pitt, read + Lycophron. He was also the author of a History of James II., though the + book is only a fragment, and, it must be confessed, is rather a + disappointing work. + </p> + <p> + One of the most able and laborious of our recent statesmen—with whom + literature was a hobby as well as a pursuit—was the late Sir George + Cornewall Lewis. He was an excellent man of business—diligent, + exact, and painstaking. He filled by turns the offices of President of the + Poor Law Board—the machinery of which he created,—Chancellor + of the Exchequer, Home Secretary, and Secretary at War; and in each he + achieved the reputation of a thoroughly successful administrator. In the + intervals of his official labours, he occupied himself with inquiries into + a wide range of subjects—history, politics, philology, anthropology, + and antiquarianism. His works on 'The Astronomy of the Ancients,' and + 'Essays on the Formation of the Romanic Languages,' might have been + written by the profoundest of German SAVANS. He took especial delight in + pursuing the abstruser branches of learning, and found in them his chief + pleasure and recreation. Lord Palmerston sometimes remonstrated with him, + telling him he was "taking too much out of himself" by laying aside + official papers after office-hours in order to study books; Palmerston + himself declaring that he had no time to read books—that the reading + of manuscript was quite enough for him. + </p> + <p> + Doubtless Sir George Lewis rode his hobby too hard, and but for his + devotion to study, his useful life would probably have been prolonged. + Whether in or out of office, he read, wrote, and studied. He relinquished + the editorship of the 'Edinburgh Review' to become Chancellor of the + Exchequer; and when no longer occupied in preparing budgets, he proceeded + to copy out a mass of Greek manuscripts at the British Museum. He took + particular delight in pursuing any difficult inquiry in classical + antiquity. One of the odd subjects with which he occupied himself was an + examination into the truth of reported cases of longevity, which, + according to his custom, he doubted or disbelieved. This subject was + uppermost in his mind while pursuing his canvass of Herefordshire in 1852. + On applying to a voter one day for his support, he was met by a decided + refusal. "I am sorry," was the candidate's reply, "that you can't give me + your vote; but perhaps you can tell me whether anybody in your parish has + died at an extraordinary age!" + </p> + <p> + The contemporaries of Sir George Lewis also furnish many striking + instances of the consolations afforded by literature to statesmen wearied + with the toils of public life. Though the door of office may be closed, + that of literature stands always open, and men who are at daggers-drawn in + politics, join hands over the poetry of Homer and Horace. The late Earl of + Derby, on retiring from power, produced his noble version of 'The Iliad,' + which will probably continue to be read when his speeches have been + forgotten. Mr. Gladstone similarly occupied his leisure in preparing for + the press his 'Studies on Homer,' <a href="#linknote-1324" + name="linknoteref-1324" id="linknoteref-1324"><small>1324</small></a> and + in editing a translation of 'Farini's Roman State;' while Mr. Disraeli + signalised his retirement from office by the production of his 'Lothair.' + Among statesmen who have figured as novelists, besides Mr. Disraeli, are + Lord Russell, who has also contributed largely to history and biography; + the Marquis of Normandy, and the veteran novelist, Lord Lytton, with whom, + indeed, politics may be said to have been his recreation, and literature + the chief employment of his life. + </p> + <p> + To conclude: a fair measure of work is good for mind as well as body. Man + is an intelligence sustained and preserved by bodily organs, and their + active exercise is necessary to the enjoyment of health. It is not work, + but overwork, that is hurtful; and it is not hard work that is injurious + so much as monotonous work, fagging work, hopeless work. All hopeful work + is healthful; and to be usefully and hopefully employed is one of the + great secrets of happiness. Brain-work, in moderation, is no more wearing + than any other kind of work. Duly regulated, it is as promotive of health + as bodily exercise; and, where due attention is paid to the physical + system, it seems difficult to put more upon a man than he can bear. Merely + to eat and drink and sleep one's way idly through life is vastly more + injurious. The wear-and-tear of rust is even faster than the tear-and-wear + of work. + </p> + <p> + But overwork is always bad economy. It is, in fact, great waste, + especially if conjoined with worry. Indeed, worry kills far more than work + does. It frets, it excites, it consumes the body—as sand and grit, + which occasion excessive friction, wear out the wheels of a machine. + Overwork and worry have both to be guarded against. For over-brain-work is + strain-work; and it is exhausting and destructive according as it is in + excess of nature. And the brain-worker may exhaust and overbalance his + mind by excess, just as the athlete may overstrain his muscles and break + his back by attempting feats beyond the strength of his physical system. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0005" id="link2HCH0005"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER V.—COURAGE. + </h2> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "It is not but the tempest that doth show + The seaman's cunning; but the field that tries + The captain's courage; and we come to know + Best what men are, in their worst jeopardies."—DANIEL. + + "If thou canst plan a noble deed, + And never flag till it succeed, + Though in the strife thy heart should bleed, + Whatever obstacles control, + Thine hour will come—go on, true soul! + Thou'lt win the prize, thou'lt reach the goal."—C. MACKAY. + + "The heroic example of other days is in great part the + source of the courage of each generation; and men walk up + composedly to the most perilous enterprises, beckoned + onwards by the shades of the brave that were."—HELPS. + + "That which we are, we are, + One equal temper of heroic hearts, + Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will + To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."—TENNYSON. +</pre> + <p> + THE world owes much to its men and women of courage. We do not mean + physical courage, in which man is at least equalled by the bulldog; nor is + the bulldog considered the wisest of his species. + </p> + <p> + The courage that displays itself in silent effort and endeavour—that + dares to endure all and suffer all for truth and duty—is more truly + heroic than the achievements of physical valour, which are rewarded by + honours and titles, or by laurels sometimes steeped in blood. + </p> + <p> + It is moral courage that characterises the highest order of manhood and + womanhood—the courage to seek and to speak the truth; the courage to + be just; the courage to be honest; the courage to resist temptation; the + courage to do one's duty. If men and women do not possess this virtue, + they have no security whatever for the preservation of any other. + </p> + <p> + Every step of progress in the history of our race has been made in the + face of opposition and difficulty, and been achieved and secured by men of + intrepidity and valour—by leaders in the van of thought—by + great discoverers, great patriots, and great workers in all walks of life. + There is scarcely a great truth or doctrine but has had to fight its way + to public recognition in the face of detraction, calumny, and persecution. + "Everywhere," says Heine, "that a great soul gives utterance to its + thoughts, there also is a Golgotha." + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Many loved Truth and lavished life's best oil, + Amid the dust of books to find her, + Content at last, for guerdon of their toil, + With the cast mantle she had left behind her. + Many in sad faith sought for her, + Many with crossed hands sighed for her, + But these, our brothers, fought for her, + At life's dear peril wrought for her, + So loved her that they died for her, + Tasting the raptured fleetness + Of her divine completeness." <a href="#linknote-141" name="linknoteref-141" + id="linknoteref-141">141</a> +</pre> + <p> + Socrates was condemned to drink the hemlock at Athens in his + seventy-second year, because his lofty teaching ran counter to the + prejudices and party-spirit of his age. He was charged by his accusers + with corrupting the youth of Athens by inciting them to despise the + tutelary deities of the state. He had the moral courage to brave not only + the tyranny of the judges who condemned him, but of the mob who could not + understand him. He died discoursing of the doctrine of the immortality of + the soul; his last words to his judges being, "It is now time that we + depart—I to die, you to live; but which has the better destiny is + unknown to all, except to the God." + </p> + <p> + How many great men and thinkers have been persecuted in the name of + religion! Bruno was burnt alive at Rome, because of his exposure of the + fashionable but false philosophy of his time. When the judges of the + Inquisition condemned him, to die, Bruno said proudly: "You are more + afraid to pronounce my sentence than I am to receive it." + </p> + <p> + To him succeeded Galileo, whose character as a man of science is almost + eclipsed by that of the martyr. Denounced by the priests from the pulpit, + because of the views he taught as to the motion of the earth, he was + summoned to Rome, in his seventieth year, to answer for his heterodoxy. + And he was imprisoned in the Inquisition, if he was not actually put to + the torture there. He was pursued by persecution even when dead, the Pope + refusing a tomb for his body. + </p> + <p> + Roger Bacon, the Franciscan monk, was persecuted on account of his studies + in natural philosophy, and he was charged with, dealing in magic, because + of his investigations in chemistry. His writings were condemned, and he + was thrown into prison, where he lay for ten years, during the lives of + four successive Popes. It is even averred that he died in prison. + </p> + <p> + Ockham, the early English speculative philosopher, was excommunicated by + the Pope, and died in exile at Munich, where he was protected by the + friendship of the then Emperor of Germany. + </p> + <p> + The Inquisition branded Vesalius as a heretic for revealing man to man, as + it had before branded Bruno and Galileo for revealing the heavens to man. + Vesalius had the boldness to study the structure of the human body by + actual dissection, a practice until then almost entirely forbidden. He + laid the foundations of a science, but he paid for it with his life. + Condemned by the Inquisition, his penalty was commuted, by the + intercession of the Spanish king, into a pilgrimage to the Holy Land; and + when on his way back, while still in the prime of life, he died miserably + at Zante, of fever and want—a martyr to his love of science. + </p> + <p> + When the 'Novum Organon' appeared, a hue-and-cry was raised against it, + because of its alleged tendency to produce "dangerous revolutions," to + "subvert governments," and to "overturn the authority of religion;" <a + href="#linknote-142" name="linknoteref-142" id="linknoteref-142"><small>142</small></a> + and one Dr. Henry Stubbe [14whose name would otherwise have been + forgotten] wrote a book against the new philosophy, denouncing the whole + tribe of experimentalists as "a Bacon-faced generation." Even the + establishment of the Royal Society was opposed, on the ground that + "experimental philosophy is subversive of the Christian faith." + </p> + <p> + While the followers of Copernicus were persecuted as infidels, Kepler was + branded with the stigma of heresy, "because," said he, "I take that side + which seems to me to be consonant with the Word of God." Even the pure and + simpleminded Newton, of whom Bishop Burnet said that he had the WHITEST + SOUL he ever knew—who was a very infant in the purity of his mind—even + Newton was accused of "dethroning the Deity" by his sublime discovery of + the law of gravitation; and a similar charge was made against Franklin for + explaining the nature of the thunderbolt. + </p> + <p> + Spinoza was excommunicated by the Jews, to whom he belonged, because of + his views of philosophy, which were supposed to be adverse to religion; + and his life was afterwards attempted by an assassin for the same reason. + Spinoza remained courageous and self-reliant to the last, dying in + obscurity and poverty. + </p> + <p> + The philosophy of Descartes was denounced as leading to irreligion; the + doctrines of Locke were said to produce materialism; and in our own day, + Dr. Buckland, Mr. Sedgwick, and other leading geologists, have been + accused of overturning revelation with regard to the constitution and + history of the earth. Indeed, there has scarcely been a discovery in + astronomy, in natural history, or in physical science, that has not been + attacked by the bigoted and narrow-minded as leading to infidelity. + </p> + <p> + Other great discoverers, though they may not have been charged with + irreligion, have had not less obloquy of a professional and public nature + to encounter. When Dr. Harvey published his theory of the circulation of + the blood, his practice fell off, <a href="#linknote-143" + name="linknoteref-143" id="linknoteref-143"><small>143</small></a> and the + medical profession stigmatised him as a fool. "The few good things I have + been able to do," said John Hunter, "have been accomplished with the + greatest difficulty, and encountered the greatest opposition." Sir Charles + Bell, while employed in his important investigations as to the nervous + system, which issued in one of the greatest of physiological discoveries, + wrote to a friend: "If I were not so poor, and had not so many vexations + to encounter, how happy would I be!" But he himself observed that his + practice sensibly fell off after the publication of each successive stage + of his discovery. + </p> + <p> + Thus, nearly every enlargement of the domain of knowledge, which has made + us better acquainted with the heavens, with the earth, and with ourselves, + has been established by the energy, the devotion, the self-sacrifice, and + the courage of the great spirits of past times, who, however much they + have been opposed or reviled by their contemporaries, now rank amongst + those whom the enlightened of the human race most delight to honour. + </p> + <p> + Nor is the unjust intolerance displayed towards men of science in the + past, without its lesson for the present. It teaches us to be forbearant + towards those who differ from us, provided they observe patiently, think + honestly, and utter their convictions freely and truthfully. It was a + remark of Plato, that "the world is God's epistle to mankind;" and to read + and study that epistle, so as to elicit its true meaning, can have no + other effect on a well-ordered mind than to lead to a deeper impression of + His power, a clearer perception of His wisdom, and a more grateful sense + of His goodness. + </p> + <p> + While such has been the courage of the martyrs of science, not less + glorious has been the courage of the martyrs of faith. The passive + endurance of the man or woman who, for conscience sake, is found ready to + suffer and to endure in solitude, without so much as the encouragement of + even a single sympathising voice, is an exhibition of courage of a far + higher kind than that displayed in the roar of battle, where even the + weakest feels encouraged and inspired by the enthusiasm of sympathy and + the power of numbers. Time would fail to tell of the deathless names of + those who through faith in principles, and in the face of difficulty, + danger, and suffering, "have wrought righteousness and waxed valiant" in + the moral warfare of the world, and been content to lay down their lives + rather than prove false to their conscientious convictions of the truth. + </p> + <p> + Men of this stamp, inspired by a high sense of duty, have in past times + exhibited character in its most heroic aspects, and continue to present to + us some of the noblest spectacles to be seen in history. Even women, full + of tenderness and gentleness, not less than men, have in this cause been + found capable of exhibiting the most unflinching courage. Such, for + instance, as that of Anne Askew, who, when racked until her bones were + dislocated, uttered no cry, moved no muscle, but looked her tormentors + calmly in the face, and refused either to confess or to recant; or such as + that of Latimer and Ridley, who, instead of bewailing their hard fate and + beating their breasts, went as cheerfully to their death as a bridegroom + to the altar—the one bidding the other to "be of good comfort," for + that "we shall this day light such a candle in England, by God's grace, as + shall never be put out;" or such, again, as that of Mary Dyer, the + Quakeress, hanged by the Puritans of New England for preaching to the + people, who ascended the scaffold with a willing step, and, after calmly + addressing those who stood about, resigned herself into the hands of her + persecutors, and died in peace and joy. + </p> + <p> + Not less courageous was the behaviour of the good Sir Thomas More, who + marched willingly to the scaffold, and died cheerfully there, rather than + prove false to his conscience. When More had made his final decision to + stand upon his principles, he felt as if he had won a victory, and said to + his son-in-law Roper: "Son Roper, I thank Our Lord, the field is won!" The + Duke of Norfolk told him of his danger, saying: "By the mass, Master More, + it is perilous striving with princes; the anger of a prince brings + death!". "Is that all, my lord?" said More; "then the difference between + you and me is this—that I shall die to-day, and you to-morrow." + </p> + <p> + While it has been the lot of many great men, in times of difficulty and + danger, to be cheered and supported by their wives, More had no such + consolation. His helpmate did anything but console him during his + imprisonment in the Tower. <a href="#linknote-144" name="linknoteref-144" + id="linknoteref-144"><small>144</small></a> She could not conceive that + there was any sufficient reason for his continuing to lie there, when by + merely doing what the King required of him, he might at once enjoy his + liberty, together with his fine house at Chelsea, his library, his + orchard, his gallery, and the society of his wife and children. "I + marvel," said she to him one day, "that you, who have been alway hitherto + taken for wise, should now so play the fool as to lie here in this close + filthy prison, and be content to be shut up amongst mice and rats, when + you might be abroad at your liberty, if you would but do as the bishops + have done?" But More saw his duty from a different point of view: it was + not a mere matter of personal comfort with him; and the expostulations of + his wife were of no avail. He gently put her aside, saying cheerfully, "Is + not this house as nigh heaven as my own?"—to which she + contemptuously rejoined: "Tilly vally—tilly vally!" + </p> + <p> + More's daughter, Margaret Roper, on the contrary, encouraged her father to + stand firm in his principles, and dutifully consoled and cheered him + during his long confinement. Deprived of pen-and-ink, he wrote his letters + to her with a piece of coal, saying in one of them: "If I were to declare + in writing how much pleasure your daughterly loving letters gave me, a + PECK OF COALS would not suffice to make the pens." More was a martyr to + veracity: he would not swear a false oath; and he perished because he was + sincere. When his head had been struck off, it was placed on London + Bridge, in accordance with the barbarous practice of the times. Margaret + Roper had the courage to ask for the head to be taken down and given to + her, and, carrying her affection for her father beyond the grave, she + desired that it might be buried with her when she died; and long after, + when Margaret Roper's tomb was opened, the precious relic was observed + lying on the dust of what had been her bosom. + </p> + <p> + Martin Luther was not called upon to lay down his life for his faith; but, + from the day that he declared himself against the Pope, he daily ran the + risk of losing it. At the beginning of his great struggle, he stood almost + entirely alone. The odds against him were tremendous. "On one side," said + he himself, "are learning, genius, numbers, grandeur, rank, power, + sanctity, miracles; on the other Wycliffe, Lorenzo Valla, Augustine, and + Luther—a poor creature, a man of yesterday, standing wellnigh alone + with a few friends." Summoned by the Emperor to appear at Worms; to answer + the charge made against him of heresy, he determined to answer in person. + Those about him told him that he would lose his life if he went, and they + urged him to fly. "No," said he, "I will repair thither, though I should + find there thrice as many devils as there are tiles upon the housetops!" + Warned against the bitter enmity of a certain Duke George, he said—"I + will go there, though for nine whole days running it rained Duke Georges." + </p> + <p> + Luther was as good as his word; and he set forth upon his perilous + journey. When he came in sight of the old bell-towers of Worms, he stood + up in his chariot and sang, "EIN FESTE BURG IST UNSER GOTT."—the + 'Marseillaise' of the Reformation—the words and music of which he is + said to have improvised only two days before. Shortly before the meeting + of the Diet, an old soldier, George Freundesberg, put his hand upon + Luther's shoulder, and said to him: "Good monk, good monk, take heed what + thou doest; thou art going into a harder fight than any of us have ever + yet been in." But Luther's only answer to the veteran was, that he had + "determined to stand upon the Bible and his conscience." + </p> + <p> + Luther's courageous defence before the Diet is on record, and forms one of + the most glorious pages in history. When finally urged by the Emperor to + retract, he said firmly: "Sire, unless I am convinced of my error by the + testimony of Scripture, or by manifest evidence, I cannot and will not + retract, for we must never act contrary to our conscience. Such is my + profession of faith, and you must expect none other from me. HIER STEHE + ICH: ICH KANN NICHT ANDERS: GOTT HELFE MIR!" [14Here stand I: I cannot do + otherwise: God help me!]. He had to do his duty—to obey the orders + of a Power higher than that of kings; and he did it at all hazards. + </p> + <p> + Afterwards, when hard pressed by his enemies at Augsburg, Luther said that + "if he had five hundred heads, he would lose them all rather than recant + his article concerning faith." Like all courageous men, his strength only + seemed to grow in proportion to the difficulties he had to encounter and + overcome. "There is no man in Germany," said Hutten, "who more utterly + despises death than does Luther." And to his moral courage, perhaps more + than to that of any other single man, do we owe the liberation of modern + thought, and the vindication of the great rights of the human + understanding. + </p> + <p> + The honourable and brave man does not fear death compared with ignominy. + It is said of the Royalist Earl of Strafford that, as he walked to the + scaffold on Tower Hill, his step and manner were those of a general + marching at the head of an army to secure victory, rather than of a + condemned man to undergo sentence of death. So the Commonwealth's man, Sir + John Eliot, went alike bravely to his death on the same spot, saying: "Ten + thousand deaths rather than defile my conscience, the chastity and purity + of which I value beyond all this world." Eliot's greatest tribulation was + on account of his wife, whom he had to leave behind. When he saw her + looking down upon him from the Tower window, he stood up in the cart, + waved his hat, and cried: "To heaven, my love!—to heaven!—and + leave you in the storm!" As he went on his way, one in the crowd called + out, "That is the most glorious seat you ever sat on;" to which he + replied: "It is so, indeed!" and rejoiced exceedingly. <a + href="#linknote-145" name="linknoteref-145" id="linknoteref-145"><small>145</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Although success is the guerdon for which all men toil, they have + nevertheless often to labour on perseveringly, without any glimmer of + success in sight. They have to live, meanwhile, upon their courage—sowing + their seed, it may be, in the dark, in the hope that it will yet take root + and spring up in achieved result. The best of causes have had to fight + their way to triumph through a long succession of failures, and many of + the assailants have died in the breach before the fortress has been won. + The heroism they have displayed is to be measured, not so much by their + immediate success, as by the opposition they have encountered, and the + courage with which they have maintained the struggle. + </p> + <p> + The patriot who fights an always-losing battle—the martyr who goes + to death amidst the triumphant shouts of his enemies—the discoverer, + like Columbus, whose heart remains undaunted through the bitter years of + his "long wandering woe"—are examples of the moral sublime which + excite a profounder interest in the hearts of men than even the most + complete and conspicuous success. By the side of such instances as these, + how small by comparison seem the greatest deeds of valour, inciting men to + rush upon death and die amidst the frenzied excitement of physical + warfare! + </p> + <p> + But the greater part of the courage that is needed in the world is not of + a heroic kind. Courage may be displayed in everyday life as well as in + historic fields of action. There needs, for example, the common courage to + be honest—the courage to resist temptation—the courage to + speak the truth—the courage to be what we really are, and not to + pretend to be what we are not—the courage to live honestly within + our own means, and not dishonestly upon the means of others. + </p> + <p> + A great deal of the unhappiness, and much of the vice, of the world is + owing to weakness and indecision of purpose—in other words, to lack + of courage. Men may know what is right, and yet fail to exercise the + courage to do it; they may understand the duty they have to do, but will + not summon up the requisite resolution to perform it. The weak and + undisciplined man is at the mercy of every temptation; he cannot say "No," + but falls before it. And if his companionship be bad, he will be all the + easier led away by bad example into wrongdoing. + </p> + <p> + Nothing can be more certain than that the character can only be sustained + and strengthened by its own energetic action. The will, which is the + central force of character, must be trained to habits of decision—otherwise + it will neither be able to resist evil nor to follow good. Decision gives + the power of standing firmly, when to yield, however slightly, might be + only the first step in a downhill course to ruin. + </p> + <p> + Calling upon others for help in forming a decision is worse than useless. + A man must so train his habits as to rely upon his own powers and depend + upon his own courage in moments of emergency. Plutarch tells of a King of + Macedon who, in the midst of an action, withdrew into the adjoining town + under pretence of sacrificing to Hercules; whilst his opponent Emilius, at + the same time that he implored the Divine aid, sought for victory sword in + hand, and won the battle. And so it ever is in the actions of daily life. + </p> + <p> + Many are the valiant purposes formed, that end merely in words; deeds + intended, that are never done; designs projected, that are never begun; + and all for want of a little courageous decision. Better far the silent + tongue but the eloquent deed. For in life and in business, despatch is + better than discourse; and the shortest answer of all is, DOING. "In + matters of great concern, and which must be done," says Tillotson, "there + is no surer argument of a weak mind than irresolution—to be + undetermined when the case is so plain and the necessity so urgent. To be + always intending to live a new life, but never to find time to set about + it,—this is as if a man should put off eating and drinking and + sleeping from one day to another, until he is starved and destroyed." + </p> + <p> + There needs also the exercise of no small degree of moral courage to + resist the corrupting influences of what is called "Society." Although + "Mrs. Grundy" may be a very vulgar and commonplace personage, her + influence is nevertheless prodigious. Most men, but especially women, are + the moral slaves of the class or caste to which they belong. There is a + sort of unconscious conspiracy existing amongst them against each other's + individuality. Each circle and section, each rank and class, has its + respective customs and observances, to which conformity is required at the + risk of being tabooed. Some are immured within a bastile of fashion, + others of custom, others of opinion; and few there are who have the + courage to think outside their sect, to act outside their party, and to + step out into the free air of individual thought and action. We dress, and + eat, and follow fashion, though it may be at the risk of debt, ruin, and + misery; living not so much according to our means, as according to the + superstitious observances of our class. Though we may speak contemptuously + of the Indians who flatten their heads, and of the Chinese who cramp their + toes, we have only to look at the deformities of fashion amongst + ourselves, to see that the reign of "Mrs. Grundy" is universal. + </p> + <p> + But moral cowardice is exhibited quite as much in public as in private + life. Snobbism is not confined to the toadying of the rich, but is quite + as often displayed in the toadying of the poor. Formerly, sycophancy + showed itself in not daring to speak the truth to those in high places; + but in these days it rather shows itself in not daring to speak the truth + to those in low places. Now that "the masses" <a href="#linknote-146" + name="linknoteref-146" id="linknoteref-146"><small>146</small></a> + exercise political power, there is a growing tendency to fawn upon them, + to flatter them, and to speak nothing but smooth words to them. They are + credited with virtues which they themselves know they do not possess. The + public enunciation of wholesome because disagreeable truths is avoided; + and, to win their favour, sympathy is often pretended for views, the + carrying out of which in practice is known to be hopeless. + </p> + <p> + It is not the man of the noblest character—the highest-cultured and + best-conditioned man—whose favour is now sought, so much as that of + the lowest man, the least-cultured and worst-conditioned man, because his + vote is usually that of the majority. Even men of rank, wealth, and + education, are seen prostrating themselves before the ignorant, whose + votes are thus to be got. They are ready to be unprincipled and unjust + rather than unpopular. It is so much easier for some men to stoop, to bow, + and to flatter, than to be manly, resolute, and magnanimous; and to yield + to prejudices than run counter to them. It requires strength and courage + to swim against the stream, while any dead fish can float with it. + </p> + <p> + This servile pandering to popularity has been rapidly on the increase of + late years, and its tendency has been to lower and degrade the character + of public men. Consciences have become more elastic. There is now one + opinion for the chamber, and another for the platform. Prejudices are + pandered to in public, which in private are despised. Pretended + conversions—which invariably jump with party interests are more + sudden; and even hypocrisy now appears to be scarcely thought + discreditable. + </p> + <p> + The same moral cowardice extends downwards as well as upwards. The action + and reaction are equal. Hypocrisy and timeserving above are accompanied by + hypocrisy and timeserving below. Where men of high standing have not the + courage of their opinions, what is to be expected from men of low + standing? They will only follow such examples as are set before them. They + too will skulk, and dodge, and prevaricate—be ready to speak one way + and act another—just like their betters. Give them but a sealed box, + or some hole-and-corner to hide their act in, and they will then enjoy + their "liberty!" + </p> + <p> + Popularity, as won in these days, is by no means a presumption in a man's + favour, but is quite as often a presumption against him. "No man," says + the Russian proverb, "can rise to honour who is cursed with a stiff + backbone." But the backbone of the popularity-hunter is of gristle; and he + has no difficulty in stooping and bending himself in any direction to + catch the breath of popular applause. + </p> + <p> + Where popularity is won by fawning upon the people, by withholding the + truth from them, by writing and speaking down to the lowest tastes, and + still worse by appeals to class-hatred, <a href="#linknote-147" + name="linknoteref-147" id="linknoteref-147"><small>147</small></a> such a + popularity must be simply contemptible in the sight of all honest men. + Jeremy Bentham, speaking of a well-known public character, said: "His + creed of politics results less from love of the many than from hatred of + the few; it is too much under the influence of selfish and dissocial + affection." To how many men in our own day might not the same description + apply? + </p> + <p> + Men of sterling character have the courage to speak the truth, even when + it is unpopular. It was said of Colonel Hutchinson by his wife, that he + never sought after popular applause, or prided himself on it: "He more + delighted to do well than to be praised, and never set vulgar + commendations at such a rate as to act contrary to his own conscience or + reason for the obtaining them; nor would he forbear a good action which he + was bound to, though all the world disliked it; for he ever looked on + things as they were in themselves, not through the dim spectacles of + vulgar estimation." <a href="#linknote-148" name="linknoteref-148" + id="linknoteref-148"><small>148</small></a> + </p> + <p> + "Popularity, in the lowest and most common sense," said Sir John + Pakington, on a recent occasion, <a href="#linknote-149" + name="linknoteref-149" id="linknoteref-149"><small>149</small></a> "is not + worth the having. Do your duty to the best of your power, win the + approbation of your own conscience, and popularity, in its best and + highest sense, is sure to follow." + </p> + <p> + When Richard Lovell Edgeworth, towards the close of his life, became very + popular in his neighbourhood, he said one day to his daughter: "Maria, I + am growing dreadfully popular; I shall be good for nothing soon; a man + cannot be good for anything who is very popular." Probably he had in his + mind at the time the Gospel curse of the popular man, "Woe unto you, when + all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false + prophets." + </p> + <p> + Intellectual intrepidity is one of the vital conditions of independence + and self-reliance of character. A man must have the courage to be himself, + and not the shadow or the echo of another. He must exercise his own + powers, think his own thoughts, and speak his own sentiments. He must + elaborate his own opinions, and form his own convictions. It has been said + that he who dare not form an opinion, must be a coward; he who will not, + must be an idler; he who cannot, must be a fool. + </p> + <p> + But it is precisely in this element of intrepidity that so many persons of + promise fall short, and disappoint the expectations of their friends. They + march up to the scene of action, but at every step their courage oozes + out. They want the requisite decision, courage, and perseverance. They + calculate the risks, and weigh the chances, until the opportunity for + effective effort has passed, it may be never to return. + </p> + <p> + Men are bound to speak the truth in the love of it. "I had rather suffer," + said John Pym, the Commonwealth man, "for speaking the truth, than that + the truth should suffer for want of my speaking." When a man's convictions + are honestly formed, after fair and full consideration, he is justified in + striving by all fair means to bring them into action. There are certain + states of society and conditions of affairs in which a man is bound to + speak out, and be antagonistic—when conformity is not only a + weakness, but a sin. Great evils are in some cases only to be met by + resistance; they cannot be wept down, but must be battled down. + </p> + <p> + The honest man is naturally antagonistic to fraud, the truthful man to + lying, the justice-loving man to oppression, the pureminded man to vice + and iniquity. They have to do battle with these conditions, and if + possible overcome them. Such men have in all ages represented the moral + force of the world. Inspired by benevolence and sustained by courage, they + have been the mainstays of all social renovation and progress. But for + their continuous antagonism to evil conditions, the world were for the + most part given over to the dominion of selfishness and vice. All the + great reformers and martyrs were antagonistic men—enemies to + falsehood and evildoing. The Apostles themselves were an organised band of + social antagonists, who contended with pride, selfishness, superstition, + and irreligion. And in our own time the lives of such men as Clarkson and + Granville Sharpe, Father Mathew and Richard Cobden, inspired by singleness + of purpose, have shown what highminded social antagonism can effect. + </p> + <p> + It is the strong and courageous men who lead and guide and rule the world. + The weak and timid leave no trace behind them; whilst the life of a single + upright and energetic man is like a track of light. His example is + remembered and appealed to; and his thoughts, his spirit, and his courage + continue to be the inspiration of succeeding generations. + </p> + <p> + It is energy—the central element of which is will—that + produces the miracles of enthusiasm in all ages. Everywhere it is the + mainspring of what is called force of character, and the sustaining power + of all great action. In a righteous cause the determined man stands upon + his courage as upon a granite block; and, like David, he will go forth to + meet Goliath, strong in heart though an host be encamped against him. + </p> + <p> + Men often conquer difficulties because they feel they can. Their + confidence in themselves inspires the confidence of others. When Caesar + was at sea, and a storm began to rage, the captain of the ship which + carried him became unmanned by fear. "What art thou afraid of?" cried the + great captain; "thy vessel carries Caesar!" The courage of the brave man + is contagious, and carries others along with it. His stronger nature awes + weaker natures into silence, or inspires them with his own will and + purpose. + </p> + <p> + The persistent man will not be baffled or repulsed by opposition. + Diogenes, desirous of becoming the disciple of Antisthenes, went and + offered himself to the cynic. He was refused. Diogenes still persisting, + the cynic raised his knotty staff, and threatened to strike him if he did + not depart. "Strike!" said Diogenes; "you will not find a stick hard + enough to conquer my perseverance." Antisthenes, overcome, had not another + word to say, but forthwith accepted him as his pupil. + </p> + <p> + Energy of temperament, with a moderate degree of wisdom, will carry a man + further than any amount of intellect without it. Energy makes the man of + practical ability. It gives him VIS, force, MOMENTUM. It is the active + motive power of character; and if combined with sagacity and + self-possession, will enable a man to employ his powers to the best + advantage in all the affairs of life. + </p> + <p> + Hence it is that, inspired by energy of purpose, men of comparatively + mediocre powers have often been enabled to accomplish such extraordinary + results. For the men who have most powerfully influenced the world have + not been so much men of genius as men of strong convictions and enduring + capacity for work, impelled by irresistible energy and invincible + determination: such men, for example, as were Mahomet, Luther, Knox, + Calvin, Loyola, and Wesley. + </p> + <p> + Courage, combined with energy and perseverance, will overcome difficulties + apparently insurmountable. It gives force and impulse to effort, and does + not permit it to retreat. Tyndall said of Faraday, that "in his warm + moments he formed a resolution, and in his cool ones he made that + resolution good." Perseverance, working in the right direction, grows with + time, and when steadily practised, even by the most humble, will rarely + fail of its reward. Trusting in the help of others is of comparatively + little use. When one of Michael Angelo's principal patrons died, he said: + "I begin to understand that the promises of the world are for the most + part vain phantoms, and that to confide in one's self, and become + something of worth and value, is the best and safest course." + </p> + <p> + Courage is by no means incompatible with tenderness. On the contrary, + gentleness and tenderness have been found to characterise the men, not + less than the women, who have done the most courageous deeds. Sir Charles + Napier gave up sporting, because he could not bear to hurt dumb creatures. + The same gentleness and tenderness characterised his brother, Sir William, + the historian of the Peninsular War. <a href="#linknote-1410" + name="linknoteref-1410" id="linknoteref-1410"><small>1410</small></a> Such + also was the character of Sir James Outram, pronounced by Sir Charles + Napier to be "the Bayard of India, SANS PEUR ET SANS REPROCHE"—one + of the bravest and yet gentlest of men; respectful and reverent to women, + tender to children, helpful of the weak, stern to the corrupt, but kindly + as summer to the honest and deserving. Moreover, he was himself as honest + as day, and as pure as virtue. Of him it might be said with truth, what + Fulke Greville said of Sidney: "He was a true model of worth—a man + fit for conquest, reformation, plantation, or what action soever is the + greatest and hardest among men; his chief ends withal being above all + things the good of his fellows, and the service of his sovereign and + country." + </p> + <p> + When Edward the Black Prince won the Battle of Poictiers, in which he took + prisoner the French king and his son, he entertained them in the evening + at a banquet, when he insisted on waiting upon and serving them at table. + The gallant prince's knightly courtesy and demeanour won the hearts of his + captives as completely as his valour had won their persons; for, + notwithstanding his youth, Edward was a true knight, the first and bravest + of his time—a noble pattern and example of chivalry; his two + mottoes, 'Hochmuth' and 'Ich dien' [14high spirit and reverent service] + not inaptly expressing his prominent and pervading qualities. + </p> + <p> + It is the courageous man who can best afford to be generous; or rather, it + is his nature to be so. When Fairfax, at the Battle of Naseby, seized the + colours from an ensign whom he had struck down in the fight, he handed + them to a common soldier to take care of. The soldier, unable to resist + the temptation, boasted to his comrades that he had himself seized the + colours, and the boast was repeated to Fairfax. "Let him retain the + honour," said the commander; "I have enough beside." + </p> + <p> + So when Douglas, at the Battle of Bannockburn, saw Randolph, his rival, + outnumbered and apparently overpowered by the enemy, he prepared to hasten + to his assistance; but, seeing that Randolph was already driving them + back, he cried out, "Hold and halt! We are come too late to aid them; let + us not lessen the victory they have won by affecting to claim a share in + it." + </p> + <p> + Quite as chivalrous, though in a very different field of action, was the + conduct of Laplace to the young philosopher Biot, when the latter had read + to the French Academy his paper, "SUR LES EQUATIONS AUX DIFFERENCE + MELEES." The assembled SAVANS, at its close, felicitated the reader of the + paper on his originality. Monge was delighted at his success. Laplace also + praised him for the clearness of his demonstrations, and invited Biot to + accompany him home. Arrived there, Laplace took from a closet in his study + a paper, yellow with age, and handed it to the young philosopher. To + Biot's surprise, he found that it contained the solutions, all worked out, + for which he had just gained so much applause. With rare magnanimity, + Laplace withheld all knowledge of the circumstance from Biot until the + latter had initiated his reputation before the Academy; moreover, he + enjoined him to silence; and the incident would have remained a secret had + not Biot himself published it, some fifty years afterwards. + </p> + <p> + An incident is related of a French artisan, exhibiting the same + characteristic of self-sacrifice in another form. In front of a lofty + house in course of erection at Paris was the usual scaffold, loaded with + men and materials. The scaffold, being too weak, suddenly broke down, and + the men upon it were precipitated to the ground—all except two, a + young man and a middle-aged one, who hung on to a narrow ledge, which + trembled under their weight, and was evidently on the point of giving way. + "Pierre," cried the elder of the two, "let go; I am the father of a + family." "C'EST JUSTE!" said Pierre; and, instantly letting go his hold, + he fell and was killed on the spot. The father of the family was saved. + </p> + <p> + The brave man is magnanimous as well as gentle. He does not take even an + enemy at a disadvantage, nor strike a man when he is down and unable to + defend himself. Even in the midst of deadly strife such instances of + generosity have not been uncommon. Thus, at the Battle of Dettingen, + during the heat of the action, a squadron of French cavalry charged an + English regiment; but when the young French officer who led them, and was + about to attack the English leader, observed that he had only one arm, + with which he held his bridle, the Frenchman saluted him courteously with + his sword, and passed on. <a href="#linknote-1411" name="linknoteref-1411" + id="linknoteref-1411"><small>1411</small></a> + </p> + <p> + It is related of Charles V., that after the siege and capture of + Wittenburg by the Imperialist army, the monarch went to see the tomb of + Luther. While reading the inscription on it, one of the servile courtiers + who accompanied him proposed to open the grave, and give the ashes of the + "heretic" to the winds. The monarch's cheek flushed with honest + indignation: "I war not with the dead," said he; "let this place be + respected." + </p> + <p> + The portrait which the great heathen, Aristotle, drew of the Magnanimous + Man, in other words the True Gentleman, more than two thousand years ago, + is as faithful now as it was then. "The magnanimous man," he said, "will + behave with moderation under both good fortune and bad. He will know how + to be exalted and how to be abased. He will neither be delighted with + success nor grieved by failure. He will neither shun danger nor seek it, + for there are few things which he cares for. He is reticent, and somewhat + slow of speech, but speaks his mind openly and boldly when occasion calls + for it. He is apt to admire, for nothing is great to him. He overlooks + injuries. He is not given to talk about himself or about others; for he + does not care that he himself should be praised, or that other people + should be blamed. He does not cry out about trifles, and craves help from + none." + </p> + <p> + On the other hand, mean men admire meanly. They have neither modesty, + generosity, nor magnanimity. They are ready to take advantage of the + weakness or defencelessness of others, especially where they have + themselves succeeded, by unscrupulous methods, in climbing to positions of + authority. Snobs in high places are always much less tolerable than snobs + of low degree, because they have more frequent opportunities of making + their want of manliness felt. They assume greater airs, and are + pretentious in all that they do; and the higher their elevation, the more + conspicuous is the incongruity of their position. "The higher the monkey + climbs," says the proverb, "the more he shows his tail." + </p> + <p> + Much depends on the way in which a thing is done. An act which might be + taken as a kindness if done in a generous spirit, when done in a grudging + spirit, may be felt as stingy, if not harsh and even cruel. When Ben + Jonson lay sick and in poverty, the king sent him a paltry message, + accompanied by a gratuity. The sturdy plainspoken poet's reply was: "I + suppose he sends me this because I live in an alley; tell him his soul + lives in an alley." + </p> + <p> + From what we have said, it will be obvious that to be of an enduring and + courageous spirit, is of great importance in the formation of character. + It is a source not only of usefulness in life, but of happiness. On the + other hand, to be of a timid and, still more, of a cowardly nature is one + of the greatest misfortunes. A. wise man was accustomed to say that one of + the principal objects he aimed at in the education of his sons and + daughters was to train them in the habit of fearing nothing so much as + fear. And the habit of avoiding fear is, doubtless, capable of being + trained like any other habit, such as the habit of attention, of + diligence, of study, or of cheerfulness. + </p> + <p> + Much of the fear that exists is the offspring of imagination, which + creates the images of evils which MAY happen, but perhaps rarely do; and + thus many persons who are capable of summoning up courage to grapple with + and overcome real dangers, are paralysed or thrown into consternation by + those which are imaginary. Hence, unless the imagination be held under + strict discipline, we are prone to meet evils more than halfway—to + suffer them by forestalment, and to assume the burdens which we ourselves + create. + </p> + <p> + Education in courage is not usually included amongst the branches of + female training, and yet it is really of greater importance than either + music, French, or the use of the globes. Contrary to the view of Sir + Richard Steele, that women should be characterised by a "tender fear," and + "an inferiority which makes her lovely," we would have women educated in + resolution and courage, as a means of rendering them more helpful, more + self-reliant, and vastly more useful and happy. + </p> + <p> + There is, indeed, nothing attractive in timidity, nothing loveable in + fear. All weakness, whether of mind or body, is equivalent to deformity, + and the reverse of interesting. Courage is graceful and dignified, whilst + fear, in any form, is mean and repulsive. Yet the utmost tenderness and + gentleness are consistent with courage. Ary Scheffer, the artist, once + wrote to his daughter:-"Dear daughter, strive to be of good courage, to be + gentle-hearted; these are the true qualities for woman. 'Troubles' + everybody must expect. There is but one way of looking at fate—whatever + that be, whether blessings or afflictions—to behave with dignity + under both. We must not lose heart, or it will be the worse both for + ourselves and for those whom we love. To struggle, and again and again to + renew the conflict—THIS is life's inheritance." <a + href="#linknote-1412" name="linknoteref-1412" id="linknoteref-1412"><small>1412</small></a> + </p> + <p> + In sickness and sorrow, none are braver and less complaining sufferers + than women. Their courage, where their hearts are concerned, is indeed + proverbial: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Oh! femmes c'est a tort qu'on vous nommes timides, + A la voix de vos coeurs vous etes intrepides." +</pre> + <p> + Experience has proved that women can be as enduring as men, under the + heaviest trials and calamities; but too little pains are taken to teach + them to endure petty terrors and frivolous vexations with fortitude. Such + little miseries, if petted and indulged, quickly run into sickly + sensibility, and become the bane of their life, keeping themselves and + those about them in a state of chronic discomfort. + </p> + <p> + The best corrective of this condition of mind is wholesome moral and + mental discipline. Mental strength is as necessary for the development of + woman's character as of man's. It gives her capacity to deal with the + affairs of life, and presence of mind, which enable her to act with vigour + and effect in moments of emergency. Character, in a woman, as in a man, + will always be found the best safeguard of virtue, the best nurse of + religion, the best corrective of Time. Personal beauty soon passes; but + beauty of mind and character increases in attractiveness the older it + grows. + </p> + <p> + Ben Jonson gives a striking portraiture of a noble woman in these lines:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "I meant she should be courteous, facile, sweet, + Free from that solemn vice of greatness, pride; + I meant each softed virtue there should meet, + Fit in that softer bosom to abide. + Only a learned and a manly soul, + I purposed her, that should with even powers, + The rock, the spindle, and the shears control + Of destiny, and spin her own free hours." +</pre> + <p> + The courage of woman is not the less true because it is for the most part + passive. It is not encouraged by the cheers of the world, for it is mostly + exhibited in the recesses of private life. Yet there are cases of heroic + patience and endurance on the part of women which occasionally come to the + light of day. One of the most celebrated instances in history is that of + Gertrude Von der Wart. Her husband, falsely accused of being an accomplice + in the murder of the Emperor Albert, was condemned to the most frightful + of all punishments—to be broken alive on the wheel. With most + profound conviction of her husband's innocence the faithful woman stood by + his side to the last, watching over him during two days and nights, + braving the empress's anger and the inclemency of the weather, in the hope + of contributing to soothe his dying agonies. <a href="#linknote-1413" + name="linknoteref-1413" id="linknoteref-1413"><small>1413</small></a> + </p> + <p> + But women have not only distinguished themselves for their passive + courage: impelled by affection, or the sense of duty, they have + occasionally become heroic. When the band of conspirators, who sought the + life of James II. of Scotland, burst into his lodgings at Perth, the king + called to the ladies, who were in the chamber outside his room, to keep + the door as well as they could, and give him time to escape. The + conspirators had previously destroyed the locks of the doors, so that the + keys could not be turned; and when they reached the ladies' apartment, it + was found that the bar also had been removed. But, on hearing them + approach, the brave Catherine Douglas, with the hereditary courage of her + family, boldly thrust her arm across the door instead of the bar; and held + it there until, her arm being broken, the conspirators burst into the room + with drawn swords and daggers, overthrowing the ladies, who, though + unarmed, still endeavoured to resist them. + </p> + <p> + The defence of Lathom House by Charlotte de la Tremouille, the worthy + descendant of William of Nassau and Admiral Coligny, was another striking + instance of heroic bravery on the part of a noble woman. When summoned by + the Parliamentary forces to surrender, she declared that she had been + entrusted by her husband with the defence of the house, and that she could + not give it up without her dear lord's orders, but trusted in God for + protection and deliverance. In her arrangements for the defence, she is + described as having "left nothing with her eye to be excused afterwards by + fortune or negligence, and added to her former patience a most resolved + fortitude." The brave lady held her house and home good against the enemy + for a whole year—during three months of which the place was strictly + besieged and bombarded—until at length the siege was raised, after a + most gallant defence, by the advance of the Royalist army. + </p> + <p> + Nor can we forget the courage of Lady Franklin, who persevered to the + last, when the hopes of all others had died out, in prosecuting the search + after the Franklin Expedition. On the occasion of the Royal Geographical + Society determining to award the Founder's Medal to Lady Franklin, Sir + Roderick Murchison observed, that in the course of a long friendship with + her, he had abundant opportunities of observing and testing the sterling + qualities of a woman who had proved herself worthy of the admiration of + mankind. "Nothing daunted by failure after failure, through twelve long + years of hope deferred, she had persevered, with a singleness of purpose + and a sincere devotion which were truly unparalleled. And now that her one + last expedition of the FOX, under the gallant M'Clintock, had realised the + two great facts—that her husband had traversed wide seas unknown to + former navigators, and died in discovering a north-west passage—then, + surely, the adjudication of the medal would be hailed by the nation as one + of the many recompences to which the widow of the illustrious Franklin was + so eminently entitled." + </p> + <p> + But that devotion to duty which marks the heroic character has more often + been exhibited by women in deeds of charity and mercy. The greater part of + these are never known, for they are done in private, out of the public + sight, and for the mere love of doing good. Where fame has come to them, + because of the success which has attended their labours in a more general + sphere, it has come unsought and unexpected, and is often felt as a + burden. Who has not heard of Mrs. Fry and Miss Carpenter as prison + visitors and reformers; of Mrs. Chisholm and Miss Rye as promoters of + emigration; and of Miss Nightingale and Miss Garrett as apostles of + hospital nursing? + </p> + <p> + That these women should have emerged from the sphere of private and + domestic life to become leaders in philanthropy, indicates no small, + degree of moral courage on their part; for to women, above all others, + quiet and ease and retirement are most natural and welcome. Very few women + step beyond the boundaries of home in search of a larger field of + usefulness. But when they have desired one, they have had no difficulty in + finding it. The ways in which men and women can help their neighbours are + innumerable. It needs but the willing heart and ready hand. Most of the + philanthropic workers we have named, however, have scarcely been + influenced by choice. The duty lay in their way—it seemed to be the + nearest to them—and they set about doing it without desire for fame, + or any other reward but the approval of their own conscience. + </p> + <p> + Among prison-visitors, the name of Sarah Martin is much less known than + that of Mrs. Fry, although she preceded her in the work. How she was led + to undertake it, furnishes at the same time an illustration of womanly + trueheartedness and earnest womanly courage. + </p> + <p> + Sarah Martin was the daughter of poor parents, and was left an orphan at + an early age. She was brought up by her grandmother, at Caistor, near + Yarmouth, and earned her living by going out to families as + assistant-dressmaker, at a shilling a day. In 1819, a woman was tried and + sentenced to imprisonment in Yarmouth Gaol, for cruelly beating and + illusing her child, and her crime became the talk of the town. The young + dressmaker was much impressed by the report of the trial, and the desire + entered her mind of visiting the woman in gaol, and trying to reclaim her. + She had often before, on passing the walls of the borough gaol, felt + impelled to seek admission, with the object of visiting the inmates, + reading the Scriptures to them, and endeavouring to lead them back to the + society whose laws they had violated. + </p> + <p> + At length she could not resist her impulse to visit the mother. She + entered the gaol-porch, lifted the knocker, and asked the gaoler for + admission. For some reason or other she was refused; but she returned, + repeated her request, and this time she was admitted. The culprit mother + shortly stood before her. When Sarah Martin told the motive of her visit, + the criminal burst into tears, and thanked her. Those tears and thanks + shaped the whole course of Sarah Martin's after-life; and the poor + seamstress, while maintaining herself by her needle, continued to spend + her leisure hours in visiting the prisoners, and endeavouring to alleviate + their condition. She constituted herself their chaplain and + schoolmistress, for at that time they had neither; she read to them from + the Scriptures, and taught them to read and write. She gave up an entire + day in the week for this purpose, besides Sundays, as well as other + intervals of spare time, "feeling," she says, "that the blessing of God + was upon her." She taught the women to knit, to sew, and to cut out; the + sale of the articles enabling her to buy other materials, and to continue + the industrial education thus begun. She also taught the men to make straw + hats, men's and boys' caps, gray cotton shirts, and even patchwork—anything + to keep them out of idleness, and from preying on their own thoughts. Out + of the earnings of the prisoners in this way, she formed a fund, which she + applied to furnishing them with work on their discharge; thus enabling + them again to begin the world honestly, and at the same time affording + her, as she herself says, "the advantage of observing their conduct." + </p> + <p> + By attending too exclusively to this prison-work, however, Sarah Martin's + dressmaking business fell off; and the question arose with her, whether in + order to recover her business she was to suspend her prison-work. But her + decision had already been made. "I had counted the cost," she said, "and + my mind, was made up. If, whilst imparting truth to others, I became + exposed to temporal want, the privations so momentary to an individual + would not admit of comparison with following the Lord, in thus + administering to others." She now devoted six or seven hours every day to + the prisoners, converting what would otherwise have been a scene of + dissolute idleness into a hive of orderly industry. Newly-admitted + prisoners were sometimes refractory, but her persistent gentleness + eventually won their respect and co-operation. Men old in years and crime, + pert London pickpockets, depraved boys and dissolute sailors, profligate + women, smugglers, poachers, and the promiscuous horde of criminals which + usually fill the gaol of a seaport and county town, all submitted to the + benign influence of this good woman; and under her eyes they might be + seen, for the first time in their lives, striving to hold a pen, or to + master the characters in a penny primer. She entered into their + confidences—watched, wept, prayed, and felt for all by turns. She + strengthened their good resolutions, cheered the hopeless and despairing, + and endeavoured to put all, and hold all, in the right road of amendment. + </p> + <p> + For more than twenty years this good and truehearted woman pursued her + noble course, with little encouragement, and not much help; almost her + only means of subsistence consisting in an annual income of ten or twelve + pounds left by her grandmother, eked out by her little earnings at + dressmaking. During the last two years of her ministrations, the borough + magistrates of Yarmouth, knowing that her self-imposed labours saved them + the expense of a schoolmaster and chaplain [14which they had become bound + by law to appoint], made a proposal to her of an annual salary of 12L. a + year; but they did it in so indelicate a manner as greatly to wound her + sensitive feelings. She shrank from becoming the salaried official of the + corporation, and bartering for money those serviced which had throughout + been labours of love. But the Gaol Committee coarsely informed her, "that + if they permitted her to visit the prison she must submit to their terms, + or be excluded." For two years, therefore, she received the salary of 12L. + a year—the acknowledgment of the Yarmouth corporation for her + services as gaol chaplain and schoolmistress! She was now, however, + becoming old and infirm, and the unhealthy atmosphere of the gaol did much + towards finally disabling her. While she lay on her deathbed, she resumed + the exercise of a talent she had occasionally practised before in her + moments of leisure—the composition of sacred poetry. As works of + art, they may not excite admiration; yet never were verses written truer + in spirit, or fuller of Christian love. But her own life was a nobler poem + than any she ever wrote—full of true courage, perseverance, charity, + and wisdom. It was indeed a commentary upon her own words: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "The high desire that others may be blest + Savours of heaven." +</pre> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0006" id="link2HCH0006"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER VI.—SELF-CONTROL. + </h2> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Honour and profit do not always lie in the same sack."— + GEORGE HERBERT. + + "The government of one's self is the only true freedom for + the Individual."—FREDERICK PERTHES. + + "It is in length of patience, and endurance, and + forbearance, that so much of what is good in mankind and + womankind is shown."—ARTHUR HELPS. + + "Temperance, proof + Against all trials; industry severe + And constant as the motion of the day; + Stern self-denial round him spread, with shade + That might be deemed forbidding, did not there + All generous feelings flourish and rejoice; + Forbearance, charity indeed and thought, + And resolution competent to take + Out of the bosom of simplicity + All that her holy customs recommend."—WORDSWORTH. +</pre> + <p> + Self-control is only courage under another form. It may almost be regarded + as the primary essence of character. It is in virtue of this quality that + Shakspeare defines man as a being "looking before and after." It forms the + chief distinction between man and the mere animal; and, indeed, there can + be no true manhood without it. + </p> + <p> + Self-control is at the root of all the virtues. Let a man give the reins + to his impulses and passions, and from that moment he yields up his moral + freedom. He is carried along the current of life, and becomes the slave of + his strongest desire for the time being. + </p> + <p> + To be morally free—to be more than an animal—man must be able + to resist instinctive impulse, and this can only be done by the exercise + of self-control. Thus it is this power which constitutes the real + distinction between a physical and a moral life, and that forms the + primary basis of individual character. + </p> + <p> + In the Bible praise is given, not to the strong man who "taketh a city," + but to the stronger man who "ruleth his own spirit." This stronger man is + he who, by discipline, exercises a constant control over his thoughts, his + speech, and his acts. Nine-tenths of the vicious desires that degrade + society, and which, when indulged, swell into the crimes that disgrace it, + would shrink into insignificance before the advance of valiant + self-discipline, self-respect, and self-control. By the watchful exercise + of these virtues, purity of heart and mind become habitual, and the + character is built up in chastity, virtue, and temperance. + </p> + <p> + The best support of character will always be found in habit, which, + according as the will is directed rightly or wrongly, as the case may be, + will prove either a benignant ruler or a cruel despot. We may be its + willing subject on the one hand, or its servile slave on the other. It may + help us on the road to good, or it may hurry us on the road to ruin. + </p> + <p> + Habit is formed by careful training. And it is astonishing how much can be + accomplished by systematic discipline and drill. See how, for instance, + out of the most unpromising materials—such as roughs picked up in + the streets, or raw unkempt country lads taken from the plough—steady + discipline and drill will bring out the unsuspected qualities of courage, + endurance, and self-sacrifice; and how, in the field of battle, or even on + the more trying occasions of perils by sea—such as the burning of + the SARAH SANDS or the wreck of the BIRKENHEAD—such men, carefully + disciplined, will exhibit the unmistakable characteristics of true bravery + and heroism! + </p> + <p> + Nor is moral discipline and drill less influential in the formation of + character. Without it, there will be no proper system and order in the + regulation of the life. Upon it depends the cultivation of the sense of + self-respect, the education of the habit of obedience, the development of + the idea of duty. The most self-reliant, self-governing man is always + under discipline: and the more perfect the discipline, the higher will be + his moral condition. He has to drill his desires, and keep them in + subjection to the higher powers of his nature. They must obey the word of + command of the internal monitor, the conscience—otherwise they will + be but the mere slaves of their inclinations, the sport of feeling and + impulse. + </p> + <p> + "In the supremacy of self-control," says Herbert Spencer, "consists one of + the perfections of the ideal man. Not to be impulsive—not to be + spurred hither and thither by each desire that in turn comes uppermost—but + to be self-restrained, self-balanced, governed by the joint decision of + the feelings in council assembled, before whom every action shall have + been fully debated and calmly determined—that it is which education, + moral education at least, strives to produce." <a href="#linknote-151" + name="linknoteref-151" id="linknoteref-151"><small>151</small></a> + </p> + <p> + The first seminary of moral discipline, and the best, as we have already + shown, is the home; next comes the school, and after that the world, the + great school of practical life. Each is preparatory to the other, and what + the man or woman becomes, depends for the most part upon what has gone + before. If they have enjoyed the advantage of neither the home nor the + school, but have been allowed to grow up untrained, untaught, and + undisciplined, then woe to themselves—woe to the society of which + they form part! + </p> + <p> + The best-regulated home is always that in which the discipline is the most + perfect, and yet where it is the least felt. Moral discipline acts with + the force of a law of nature. Those subject to it yield themselves to it + unconsciously; and though it shapes and forms the whole character, until + the life becomes crystallized in habit, the influence thus exercised is + for the most part unseen and almost unfelt. + </p> + <p> + The importance of strict domestic discipline is curiously illustrated by a + fact mentioned in Mrs. Schimmelpenninck's Memoirs, to the following + effect: that a lady who, with her husband, had inspected most of the + lunatic asylums of England and the Continent, found the most numerous + class of patients was almost always composed of those who had been only + children, and whose wills had therefore rarely been thwarted or + disciplined in early life; whilst those who were members of large + families, and who had been trained in self-discipline, were far less + frequent victims to the malady. + </p> + <p> + Although the moral character depends in a great degree on temperament and + on physical health, as well as on domestic and early training and the + example of companions, it is also in the power of each individual to + regulate, to restrain, and to discipline it by watchful and persevering + self-control. A competent teacher has said of the propensities and habits, + that they are as teachable as Latin and Greek, while they are much more + essential to happiness. + </p> + <p> + Dr. Johnson, though himself constitutionally prone to melancholy, and + afflicted by it as few have been from his earliest years, said that "a + man's being in a good or bad humour very much depends upon his will." We + may train ourselves in a habit of patience and contentment on the one + hand, or of grumbling and discontent on the other. We may accustom + ourselves to exaggerate small evils, and to underestimate great blessings. + We may even become the victim of petty miseries by giving way to them. + Thus, we may educate ourselves in a happy disposition, as well as in a + morbid one. Indeed, the habit of viewing things cheerfully, and of + thinking about life hopefully, may be made to grow up in us like any other + habit. <a href="#linknote-152" name="linknoteref-152" id="linknoteref-152"><small>152</small></a> + It was not an exaggerated estimate of Dr. Johnson to say, that the habit + of looking at the best side of any event is worth far more than a thousand + pounds a year. + </p> + <p> + The religious man's life is pervaded by rigid self-discipline and + self-restraint. He is to be sober and vigilant, to eschew evil and do + good, to walk in the spirit, to be obedient unto death, to withstand in + the evil day, and having done all, to stand; to wrestle against spiritual + wickedness, and against the rulers of the darkness of this world; to be + rooted and built up in faith, and not to be weary of well-doing; for in + due season he shall reap, if he faint not. + </p> + <p> + The man of business also must needs be subject to strict rule and system. + Business, like life, is managed by moral leverage; success in both + depending in no small degree upon that regulation of temper and careful + self-discipline, which give a wise man not only a command over himself, + but over others. Forbearance and self-control smooth the road of life, and + open many ways which would otherwise remain closed. And so does + self-respect: for as men respect themselves, so will they usually respect + the personality of others. + </p> + <p> + It is the same in politics as in business. Success in that sphere of life + is achieved less by talent than by temper, less by genius than by + character. If a man have not self-control, he will lack patience, be + wanting in tact, and have neither the power of governing himself nor of + managing others. When the quality most needed in a Prime Minister was the + subject of conversation in the presence of Mr. Pitt, one of the speakers + said it was "Eloquence;" another said it was "Knowledge;" and a third said + it was "Toil," "No," said Pitt, "it is Patience!" And patience means + self-control, a quality in which he himself was superb. His friend George + Rose has said of him that he never once saw Pitt out of temper. <a + href="#linknote-153" name="linknoteref-153" id="linknoteref-153"><small>153</small></a> + Yet, although patience is usually regarded as a "slow" virtue, Pitt + combined with it the most extraordinary readiness, vigour, and rapidity of + thought as well as action. + </p> + <p> + It is by patience and self-control that the truly heroic character is + perfected. These were among the most prominent characteristics of the + great Hampden, whose noble qualities were generously acknowledged even by + his political enemies. Thus Clarendon described him as a man of rare + temper and modesty, naturally cheerful and vivacious, and above all, of a + flowing courtesy. He was kind and intrepid, yet gentle, of unblameable + conversation, and his heart glowed with love to all men. He was not a man + of many words, but, being of unimpeachable character, every word he + uttered carried weight. "No man had ever a greater power over himself.... + He was very temperate in diet, and a supreme governor over all his + passions and affections; and he had thereby great power over other men's." + Sir Philip Warwick, another of his political opponents, incidentally + describes his great influence in a certain debate: "We had catched at each + other's locks, and sheathed our swords in each other's bowels, had not the + sagacity and great calmness of Mr. Hampden, by a short speech, prevented + it, and led us to defer our angry debate until the next morning." + </p> + <p> + A strong temper is not necessarily a bad temper. But the stronger the + temper, the greater is the need of self-discipline and self-control. Dr. + Johnson says men grow better as they grow older, and improve with + experience; but this depends upon the width, and depth, and generousness + of their nature. It is not men's faults that ruin them so much as the + manner in which they conduct themselves after the faults have been + committed. The wise will profit by the suffering they cause, and eschew + them for the future; but there are those on whom experience exerts no + ripening influence, and who only grow narrower and bitterer and more + vicious with time. + </p> + <p> + What is called strong temper in a young man, often indicates a large + amount of unripe energy, which will expend itself in useful work if the + road be fairly opened to it. It is said of Stephen Gerard, a Frenchman, + who pursued a remarkably successful career in the United States, that when + he heard of a clerk with a strong temper, he would readily take him into + his employment, and set him to work in a room by himself; Gerard being of + opinion that such persons were the best workers, and that their energy + would expend itself in work if removed from the temptation to quarrel. + </p> + <p> + Strong temper may only mean a strong and excitable will. Uncontrolled, it + displays itself in fitful outbreaks of passion; but controlled and held in + subjection—like steam pent-up within the organised mechanism of a + steam-engine, the use of which is regulated and controlled by slide-valves + and governors and levers—it may become a source of energetic power + and usefulness. Hence, some of the greatest characters in history have + been men of strong temper, but of equally strong determination to hold + their motive power under strict regulation and control. + </p> + <p> + The famous Earl of Strafford was of an extremely choleric and passionate + nature, and had great struggles with himself in his endeavours to control + his temper. Referring to the advice of one of his friends, old Secretary + Cooke, who was honest enough to tell him of his weakness, and to caution + him against indulging it, he wrote: "You gave me a good lesson to be + patient; and, indeed, my years and natural inclinations give me heat more + than enough, which, however, I trust more experience shall cool, and a + watch over myself in time altogether overcome; in the meantime, in this at + least it will set forth itself more pardonable, because my earnestness + shall ever be for the honour, justice, and profit of my master; and it is + not always anger, but the misapplying of it, that is the vice so + blameable, and of disadvantage to those that let themselves loose + there-unto." <a href="#linknote-154" name="linknoteref-154" + id="linknoteref-154"><small>154</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Cromwell, also, is described as having been of a wayward and violent + temper in his youth—cross, untractable, and masterless—with a + vast quantity of youthful energy, which exploded in a variety of youthful + mischiefs. He even obtained the reputation of a roysterer in his native + town, and seemed to be rapidly going to the bad, when religion, in one of + its most rigid forms, laid hold upon his strong nature, and subjected it + to the iron discipline of Calvinism. An entirely new direction was thus + given to his energy of temperament, which forced an outlet for itself into + public life, and eventually became the dominating influence in England for + a period of nearly twenty years. + </p> + <p> + The heroic princes of the House of Nassau were all distinguished for the + same qualities of self-control, self-denial, and determination of purpose. + William the Silent was so called, not because he was a taciturn man—for + he was an eloquent and powerful speaker where eloquence was necessary—but + because he was a man who could hold his tongue when it was wisdom not to + speak, and because he carefully kept his own counsel when to have revealed + it might have been dangerous to the liberties of his country. He was so + gentle and conciliatory in his manner that his enemies even described him + as timid and pusillanimous. Yet, when the time for action came, his + courage was heroic, his determination unconquerable. "The rock in the + ocean," says Mr. Motley, the historian of the Netherlands, "tranquil amid + raging billows, was the favourite emblem by which his friends expressed + their sense of his firmness." + </p> + <p> + Mr. Motley compares William the Silent to Washington, whom he in many + respects resembled. The American, like the Dutch patriot, stands out in + history as the very impersonation of dignity, bravery, purity, and + personal excellence. His command over his feelings, even in moments of + great difficulty and danger, was such as to convey the impression, to + those who did not know him intimately, that he was a man of inborn + calmness and almost impassiveness of disposition. Yet Washington was by + nature ardent and impetuous; his mildness, gentleness, politeness, and + consideration for others, were the result of rigid self-control and + unwearied self-discipline, which he diligently practised even from his + boyhood. His biographer says of him, that "his temperament was ardent, his + passions strong, and amidst the multiplied scenes of temptation and + excitement through which he passed, it was his constant effort, and + ultimate triumph, to check the one and subdue the other." And again: "His + passions were strong, and sometimes they broke out with vehemence, but he + had the power of checking them in an instant. Perhaps self-control was the + most remarkable trait of his character. It was in part the effect of + discipline; yet he seems by nature to have possessed this power in a + degree which has been denied to other men." <a href="#linknote-155" + name="linknoteref-155" id="linknoteref-155"><small>155</small></a> + </p> + <p> + The Duke of Wellington's natural temper, like that of Napoleon, was + irritable in the extreme; and it was only by watchful self-control that he + was enabled to restrain it. He studied calmness and coolness in the midst + of danger, like any Indian chief. At Waterloo, and elsewhere, he gave his + orders in the most critical moments, without the slightest excitement, and + in a tone of voice almost more than usually subdued. <a + href="#linknote-156" name="linknoteref-156" id="linknoteref-156"><small>156</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Wordsworth the poet was, in his childhood, "of a stiff, moody, and violent + temper," and "perverse and obstinate in defying chastisement." When + experience of life had disciplined his temper, he learnt to exercise + greater self-control; but, at the same time, the qualities which + distinguished him as a child were afterwards useful in enabling him to + defy the criticism of his enemies. Nothing was more marked than + Wordsworth's self-respect and self-determination, as well as his + self-consciousness of power, at all periods of his history. + </p> + <p> + Henry Martyn, the missionary, was another instance of a man in whom + strength of temper was only so much pent-up, unripe energy. As a boy he + was impatient, petulant, and perverse; but by constant wrestling against + his tendency to wrongheadedness, he gradually gained the requisite + strength, so as to entirely overcome it, and to acquire what he so greatly + coveted—the gift of patience. + </p> + <p> + A man may be feeble in organization, but, blessed with a happy + temperament, his soul may be great, active, noble, and sovereign. + Professor Tyndall has given us a fine picture of the character of Faraday, + and of his self-denying labours in the cause of science—exhibiting + him as a man of strong, original, and even fiery nature, and yet of + extreme tenderness and sensibility. "Underneath his sweetness and + gentleness," he says, "was the heat of a volcano. He was a man of + excitable and fiery nature; but, through high self-discipline, he had + converted the fire into a central glow and motive power of life, instead + of permitting it to waste itself in useless passion." + </p> + <p> + There was one fine feature in Faraday's character which is worthy of + notice—one closely akin to self-control: it was his self-denial. By + devoting himself to analytical chemistry, he might have speedily realised + a large fortune; but he nobly resisted the temptation, and preferred to + follow the path of pure science. "Taking the duration of his life into + account," says Mr. Tyndall, "this son of a blacksmith and apprentice to a + bookbinder had to decide between a fortune of L.150,000 on the one side, + and his undowered science on the other. He chose the latter, and died a + poor man. But his was the glory of holding aloft among the nations the + scientific name of England for a period of forty years." <a + href="#linknote-157" name="linknoteref-157" id="linknoteref-157"><small>157</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Take a like instance of the self-denial of a Frenchman. The historian + Anquetil was one of the small number of literary men in France who refused + to bow to the Napoleonic yoke. He sank into great poverty, living on + bread-and-milk, and limiting his expenditure to only three sous a day. "I + have still two sous a day left," said he, "for the conqueror of Marengo + and Austerlitz." "But if you fall sick," said a friend to him, "you will + need the help of a pension. Why not do as others do? Pay court to the + Emperor—you have need of him to live." "I do not need him to die," + was the historian's reply. But Anquetil did not die of poverty; he lived + to the age of ninety-four, saying to a friend, on the eve of his death, + "Come, see a man who dies still full of life!" + </p> + <p> + Sir James Outram exhibited the same characteristic of noble self-denial, + though in an altogether different sphere of life. Like the great King + Arthur, he was emphatically a man who "forbore his own advantage." He was + characterised throughout his whole career by his noble unselfishness. + Though he might personally disapprove of the policy he was occasionally + ordered to carry out, he never once faltered in the path of duty. Thus he + did not approve of the policy of invading Scinde; yet his services + throughout the campaign were acknowledged by General Sir C. Napier to have + been of the most brilliant character. But when the war was over, and the + rich spoils of Scinde lay at the conqueror's feet, Outram said: "I + disapprove of the policy of this war—I will accept no share of the + prize-money!" + </p> + <p> + Not less marked was his generous self-denial when despatched with a strong + force to aid Havelock in fighting his way to Lucknow. As superior officer, + he was entitled to take upon himself the chief command; but, recognising + what Havelock had already done, with rare disinterestedness, he left to + his junior officer the glory of completing the campaign, offering to serve + under him as a volunteer. "With such reputation," said Lord Clyde, "as + Major-General Outram has won for himself, he can afford to share glory and + honour with others. But that does not lessen the value of the sacrifice he + has made with such disinterested generosity." + </p> + <p> + If a man would get through life honourably and peaceably, he must + necessarily learn to practise self-denial in small things as well as + great. Men have to bear as well as forbear. The temper has to be held in + subjection to the judgment; and the little demons of ill-humour, + petulance, and sarcasm, kept resolutely at a distance. If once they find + an entrance to the mind, they are very apt to return, and to establish for + themselves a permanent occupation there. + </p> + <p> + It is necessary to one's personal happiness, to exercise control over + one's words as well as acts: for there are words that strike even harder + than blows; and men may "speak daggers," though they use none. "UN COUP DE + LANGUE," says the French proverb, "EST PIRE QU'UN COUP DE LANCE." The + stinging repartee that rises to the lips, and which, if uttered, might + cover an adversary with confusion, how difficult it sometimes is to resist + saying it! "Heaven keep us," says Miss Bremer in her 'Home,' "from the + destroying power of words! There are words which sever hearts more than + sharp swords do; there are words the point of which sting the heart + through the course of a whole life." + </p> + <p> + Thus character exhibits itself in self-control of speech as much as in + anything else. The wise and forbearant man will restrain his desire to say + a smart or severe thing at the expense of another's feelings; while the + fool blurts out what he thinks, and will sacrifice his friend rather than + his joke. "The mouth of a wise man," said Solomon, "is in his heart; the + heart of a fool is in his mouth." + </p> + <p> + There are, however, men who are no fools, that are headlong in their + language as in their acts, because of their want of forbearance and + self-restraining patience. The impulsive genius, gifted with quick thought + and incisive speech—perhaps carried away by the cheers of the moment—lets + fly a sarcastic sentence which may return upon him to his own infinite + damage. Even statesmen might be named, who have failed through their + inability to resist the temptation of saying clever and spiteful things at + their adversary's expense. "The turn of a sentence," says Bentham, "has + decided the fate of many a friendship, and, for aught that we know, the + fate of many a kingdom." So, when one is tempted to write a clever but + harsh thing, though it may be difficult to restrain it, it is always + better to leave it in the inkstand. "A goose's quill," says the Spanish + proverb, "often hurts more than a lion's claw." + </p> + <p> + Carlyle says, when speaking of Oliver Cromwell, "He that cannot withal + keep his mind to himself, cannot practise any considerable thing + whatsoever." It was said of William the Silent, by one of his greatest + enemies, that an arrogant or indiscreet word was never known to fall from + his lips. Like him, Washington was discretion itself in the use of speech, + never taking advantage of an opponent, or seeking a shortlived triumph in + a debate. And it is said that in the long run, the world comes round to + and supports the wise man who knows when and how to be silent. + </p> + <p> + We have heard men of great experience say that they have often regretted + having spoken, but never once regretted holding their tongue. "Be silent," + says Pythagoras, "or say something better than silence." "Speak fitly," + says George Herbert, "or be silent wisely." St. Francis de Sales, whom + Leigh Hunt styled "the Gentleman Saint," has said: "It is better to remain + silent than to speak the truth ill-humouredly, and so spoil an excellent + dish by covering it with bad sauce." Another Frenchman, Lacordaire, + characteristically puts speech first, and silence next. "After speech," he + says, "silence is the greatest power in the world." Yet a word spoken in + season, how powerful it may be! As the old Welsh proverb has it, "A golden + tongue is in the mouth of the blessed." + </p> + <p> + It is related, as a remarkable instance of self-control on the part of De + Leon, a distinguished Spanish poet of the sixteenth century, who lay for + years in the dungeons of the Inquisition without light or society, because + of his having translated a part of the Scriptures into his native tongue, + that on being liberated and restored to his professorship, an immense + crowd attended his first lecture, expecting some account of his long + imprisonment; but Do Leon was too wise and too gentle to indulge in + recrimination. He merely resumed the lecture which, five years before, had + been so sadly interrupted, with the accustomed formula "HERI DICEBAMUS," + and went directly into his subject. + </p> + <p> + There are, of course, times and occasions when the expression of + indignation is not only justifiable but necessary. We are bound to be + indignant at falsehood, selfishness, and cruelty. A man of true feeling + fires up naturally at baseness or meanness of any sort, even in cases + where he may be under no obligation to speak out. "I would have nothing to + do," said Perthes, "with the man who cannot be moved to indignation. There + are more good people than bad in the world, and the bad get the upper hand + merely because they are bolder. We cannot help being pleased with a man + who uses his powers with decision; and we often take his side for no other + reason than because he does so use them. No doubt, I have often repented + speaking; but not less often have I repented keeping silence." <a + href="#linknote-158" name="linknoteref-158" id="linknoteref-158"><small>158</small></a> + </p> + <p> + One who loves right cannot be indifferent to wrong, or wrongdoing. If he + feels warmly, he will speak warmly, out of the fulness of his heart. As a + noble lady <a href="#linknote-159" name="linknoteref-159" + id="linknoteref-159"><small>159</small></a> has written: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "A noble heart doth teach a virtuous scorn— + To scorn to owe a duty overlong, + To scorn to be for benefits forborne, + To scorn to lie, to scorn to do a wrong, + To scorn to bear an injury in mind, + To scorn a freeborn heart slave-like to bind." +</pre> + <p> + We have, however, to be on our guard against impatient scorn. The best + people are apt to have their impatient side; and often, the very temper + which makes men earnest, makes them also intolerant. <a + href="#linknote-1510" name="linknoteref-1510" id="linknoteref-1510"><small>1510</small></a> + "Of all mental gifts," says Miss Julia Wedgwood, "the rarest is + intellectual patience; and the last lesson of culture is to believe in + difficulties which are invisible to ourselves." + </p> + <p> + The best corrective of intolerance in disposition, is increase of wisdom + and enlarged experience of life. Cultivated good sense will usually save + men from the entanglements in which moral impatience is apt to involve + them; good sense consisting chiefly in that temper of mind which enables + its possessor to deal with the practical affairs of life with justice, + judgment, discretion, and charity. Hence men of culture and experience are + invariably, found the most forbearant and tolerant, as ignorant and + narrowminded persons are found the most unforgiving and intolerant. Men of + large and generous natures, in proportion to their practical wisdom, are + disposed to make allowance for the defects and disadvantages of others—allowance + for the controlling power of circumstances in the formation of character, + and the limited power of resistance of weak and fallible natures to + temptation and error. "I see no fault committed," said Goethe, "which I + also might not have committed." So a wise and good man exclaimed, when he + saw a criminal drawn on his hurdle to Tyburn: "There goes Jonathan + Bradford—but for the grace of God!" + </p> + <p> + Life will always be, to a great extent, what we ourselves make it. The + cheerful man makes a cheerful world, the gloomy man a gloomy one. We + usually find but our own temperament reflected in the dispositions of + those about us. If we are ourselves querulous, we will find them so; if we + are unforgiving and uncharitable to them, they will be the same to us. A + person returning from an evening party not long ago, complained to a + policeman on his beat that an ill-looking fellow was following him: it + turned out to be only his own shadow! And such usually is human life to + each of us; it is, for the most part, but the reflection of ourselves. + </p> + <p> + If we would be at peace with others, and ensure their respect, we must + have regard for their personality. Every man has his peculiarities of + manner and character, as he has peculiarities of form and feature; and we + must have forbearance in dealing with them, as we expect them to have + forbearance in dealing with us. We may not be conscious of our own + peculiarities, yet they exist nevertheless. There is a village in South + America where gotos or goitres are so common that to be without one is + regarded as a deformity. One day a party of Englishmen passed through the + place, when quite a crowd collected to jeer them, shouting: "See, see + these people—they have got NO GOTOS!" + </p> + <p> + Many persons give themselves a great deal of fidget concerning what other + people think of them and their peculiarities. Some are too much disposed + to take the illnatured side, and, judging by themselves, infer the worst. + But it is very often the case that the uncharitableness of others, where + it really exists, is but the reflection of our own want of charity and + want of temper. It still oftener happens, that the worry we subject + ourselves to, has its source in our own imagination. And even though those + about us may think of us uncharitably, we shall not mend matters by + exasperating ourselves against them. We may thereby only expose ourselves + unnecessarily to their illnature or caprice. "The ill that comes out of + our mouth," says Herbert, "ofttimes falls into our bosom." + </p> + <p> + The great and good philosopher Faraday communicated the following piece of + admirable advice, full of practical wisdom, the result of a rich + experience of life, in a letter to his friend Professor Tyndall:- "Let me, + as an old man, who ought by this time to have profited by experience, say + that when I was younger I found I often misrepresented the intentions of + people, and that they did not mean what at the time I supposed they meant; + and further, that, as a general rule, it was better to be a little dull of + apprehension where phrases seemed to imply pique, and quick in perception + when, on the contrary, they seemed to imply kindly feeling. The real truth + never fails ultimately to appear; and opposing parties, if wrong, are + sooner convinced when replied to forbearingly, than when overwhelmed. All + I mean to say is, that it is better to be blind to the results of + partisanship, and quick to see goodwill. One has more happiness in one's + self in endeavouring to follow the things that make for peace. You can + hardly imagine how often I have been heated in private when opposed, as I + have thought unjustly and superciliously, and yet I have striven, and + succeeded, I hope, in keeping down replies of the like kind. And I know I + have never lost by it." <a href="#linknote-1511" name="linknoteref-1511" + id="linknoteref-1511"><small>1511</small></a> + </p> + <p> + While the painter Barry was at Rome, he involved himself, as was his wont, + in furious quarrels with the artists and dilettanti, about + picture-painting and picture-dealing, upon which his friend and + countryman, Edmund Burke—always the generous friend of struggling + merit—wrote to him kindly and sensibly: "Believe me, dear Barry, + that the arms with which the ill-dispositions of the world are to be + combated, and the qualities by which it is to be reconciled to us, and we + reconciled to it, are moderation, gentleness, a little indulgence to + others, and a great deal of distrust of ourselves; which are not qualities + of a mean spirit, as some may possibly think them, but virtues of a great + and noble kind, and such as dignify our nature as much as they contribute + to our repose and fortune; for nothing can be so unworthy of a + well-composed soul as to pass away life in bickerings and litigations—in + snarling and scuffling with every one about us. We must be at peace with + our species, if not for their sakes, at least very much for our own." <a + href="#linknote-1512" name="linknoteref-1512" id="linknoteref-1512"><small>1512</small></a> + </p> + <p> + No one knew the value of self-control better than the poet Burns, and no + one could teach it more eloquently to others; but when it came to + practice, Burns was as weak as the weakest. He could not deny himself the + pleasure of uttering a harsh and clever sarcasm at another's expense. One + of his biographers observes of him, that it was no extravagant arithmetic + to say that for every ten jokes he made himself a hundred enemies. But + this was not all. Poor Burns exercised no control over his appetites, but + freely gave them rein: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Thus thoughtless follies laid him low + And stained his name." +</pre> + <p> + Nor had he the self-denial to resist giving publicity to compositions + originally intended for the delight of the tap-room, but which continue + secretly to sow pollution broadcast in the minds of youth. Indeed, + notwithstanding the many exquisite poems of this writer, it is not saying + too much to aver that his immoral writings have done far more harm than + his purer writings have done good; and that it would be better that all + his writings should be destroyed and forgotten provided his indecent songs + could be destroyed with them. + </p> + <p> + The remark applies alike to Beranger, who has been styled "The Burns of + France." Beranger was of the same bright incisive genius; he had the same + love of pleasure, the same love of popularity; and while he flattered + French vanity to the top of its bent, he also painted the vices most loved + by his countrymen with the pen of a master. Beranger's songs and Thiers' + History probably did more than anything else to reestablish the Napoleonic + dynasty in France. But that was a small evil compared with the moral + mischief which many of Beranger's songs are calculated to produce; for, + circulating freely as they do in French households, they exhibit pictures + of nastiness and vice, which are enough to pollute and destroy a nation. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> +One of Burns's finest poems, written, in his twenty-eighth year, is +entitled 'A Bard's Epitaph.' It is a description, by anticipation, of +his own life. Wordsworth has said of it: "Here is a sincere and solemn +avowal; a public declaration from his own will; a confession at once +devout, poetical and human; a history in the shape of a prophecy." It +concludes with these lines:— + + "Reader, attend—whether thy soul + Soars fancy's flights beyond the pole, + Or darkling grubs this earthly hole + In low pursuit; + Know—prudent, cautious self-control, + Is Wisdom's root." +</pre> + <p> + One of the vices before which Burns fell—and it may be said to be a + master-vice, because it is productive of so many other vices—was + drinking. Not that he was a drunkard, but because he yielded to the + temptations of drink, with its degrading associations, and thereby lowered + and depraved his whole nature. <a href="#linknote-1513" + name="linknoteref-1513" id="linknoteref-1513"><small>1513</small></a> But + poor Burns did not stand alone; for, alas! of all vices, the unrestrained + appetite for drink was in his time, as it continues to be now, the most + prevalent, popular, degrading, and destructive. + </p> + <p> + Were it possible to conceive the existence of a tyrant who should compel + his people to give up to him one-third or more of their earnings, and + require them at the same time to consume a commodity that should brutalise + and degrade them, destroy the peace and comfort of their families, and sow + in themselves the seeds of disease and premature death—what + indignation meetings, what monster processions there would be! 'What + eloquent speeches and apostrophes to the spirit of liberty!—what + appeals against a despotism so monstrous and so unnatural! And yet such a + tyrant really exists amongst us—the tyrant of unrestrained appetite, + whom no force of arms, or voices, or votes can resist, while men are + willing to be his slaves. + </p> + <p> + The power of this tyrant can only be overcome by moral means—by + self-discipline, self-respect, and self-control. There is no other way of + withstanding the despotism of appetite in any of its forms. No reform of + institutions, no extended power of voting, no improved form of government, + no amount of scholastic instruction, can possibly elevate the character of + a people who voluntarily abandon themselves to sensual indulgence. The + pursuit of ignoble pleasure is the degradation of true happiness; it saps + the morals, destroys the energies, and degrades the manliness and + robustness of individuals as of nations. + </p> + <p> + The courage of self-control exhibits itself in many ways, but in none more + clearly than in honest living. Men without the virtue of self-denial are + not only subject to their own selfish desires, but they are usually in + bondage to others who are likeminded with themselves. What others do, they + do. They must live according to the artificial standard of their class, + spending like their neighbours, regardless of the consequences, at the + same time that all are, perhaps, aspiring after a style of living higher + than their means. Each carries the others along with him, and they have + not the moral courage to stop. They cannot resist the temptation of living + high, though it may be at the expense of others; and they gradually become + reckless of debt, until it enthrals them. In all this there is great moral + cowardice, pusillanimity, and want of manly independence of character. + </p> + <p> + A rightminded man will shrink from seeming to be what he is not, or + pretending to be richer than he really is, or assuming a style of living + that his circumstances will not justify. He will have the courage to live + honestly within his own means, rather than dishonestly upon the means of + other people; for he who incurs debts in striving to maintain a style of + living beyond his income, is in spirit as dishonest as the man who openly + picks your pocket. + </p> + <p> + To many, this may seem an extreme view, but it will bear the strictest + test. Living at the cost of others is not only dishonesty, but it is + untruthfulness in deed, as lying is in word. The proverb of George + Herbert, that "debtors are liars," is justified by experience. Shaftesbury + somewhere says that a restlessness to have something which we have not, + and to be something which we are not, is the root of all immorality. <a + href="#linknote-1514" name="linknoteref-1514" id="linknoteref-1514"><small>1514</small></a> + No reliance is to be placed on the saying—a very dangerous one—of + Mirabeau, that "LA PETITE MORALE ETAIT L'ENNEMIE DE LA GRANDE." On the + contrary, strict adherence to even the smallest details of morality is the + foundation of all manly and noble character. + </p> + <p> + The honourable man is frugal of his means, and pays his way honestly. He + does not seek to pass himself off as richer than he is, or, by running + into debt, open an account with ruin. As that man is not poor whose means + are small, but whose desires are uncontrolled, so that man is rich whose + means are more than sufficient for his wants. When Socrates saw a great + quantity of riches, jewels, and furniture of great value, carried in pomp + through Athens, he said, "Now do I see how many things I do NOT desire." + "I can forgive everything but selfishness," said Perthes. "Even the + narrowest circumstances admit of greatness with reference to 'mine and + thine'; and none but the very poorest need fill their daily life with + thoughts of money, if they have but prudence to arrange their housekeeping + within the limits of their income." + </p> + <p> + A man may be indifferent to money because of higher considerations, as + Faraday was, who sacrificed wealth to pursue science; but if he would have + the enjoyments that money can purchase, he must honestly earn it, and not + live upon the earnings of others, as those do who habitually incur debts + which they have no means of paying. When Maginn, always drowned in debt, + was asked what he paid for his wine, he replied that he did not know, but + he believed they "put something down in a book." <a href="#linknote-1515" + name="linknoteref-1515" id="linknoteref-1515"><small>1515</small></a> + </p> + <p> + This "putting-down in a book" has proved the ruin of a great many + weakminded people, who cannot resist the temptation of taking things upon + credit which they have not the present means of paying for; and it would + probably prove of great social benefit if the law which enables creditors + to recover debts contracted under certain circumstances were altogether + abolished. But, in the competition for trade, every encouragement is given + to the incurring of debt, the creditor relying upon the law to aid him in + the last extremity. When Sydney Smith once went into a new neighbourhood, + it was given out in the local papers that he was a man of high + connections, and he was besought on all sides for his "custom." But he + speedily undeceived his new neighbours. "We are not great people at all," + he said: "we are only common honest people—people that pay our + debts." + </p> + <p> + Hazlitt, who was a thoroughly honest though rather thriftless man, speaks + of two classes of persons, not unlike each other—those who cannot + keep their own money in their hands, and those who cannot keep their hands + from other people's. The former are always in want of money, for they + throw it away on any object that first presents itself, as if to get rid + of it; the latter make away with what they have of their own, and are + perpetual borrowers from all who will lend to them; and their genius for + borrowing, in the long run, usually proves their ruin. + </p> + <p> + Sheridan was one of such eminent unfortunates. He was impulsive and + careless in his expenditure, borrowing money, and running into debt with + everybody who would trust him. When he stood for Westminster, his + unpopularity arose chiefly from his general indebtedness. "Numbers of poor + people," says Lord Palmerston in one of his letters, "crowded round the + hustings, demanding payment for the bills he owed them." In the midst of + all his difficulties, Sheridan was as lighthearted as ever, and cracked + many a good joke at his creditors' expense. Lord Palmerston was actually + present at the dinner given by him, at which the sheriff's in possession + were dressed up and officiated as waiters + </p> + <p> + Yet however loose Sheridan's morality may have been as regarded his + private creditors, he was honest so far as the public money was concerned. + Once, at dinner, at which Lord Byron happened to be present, an + observation happened to be made as to the sturdiness of the Whigs in + resisting office, and keeping to their principles—on which Sheridan + turned sharply and said: "Sir, it is easy for my Lord this, or Earl that, + or the Marquis of t'other, with thousands upon thousands a year, some of + it either presently derived or inherited in sinecure or acquisitions from + the public money, to boast of their patriotism, and keep aloof from + temptation; but they do not know from what temptation those have kept + aloof who had equal pride, at least equal talents, and not unequal + passions, and nevertheless knew not, in the course of their lives, what it + was to have a shilling of their own." And Lord Byron adds, that, in saying + this, Sheridan wept. <a href="#linknote-1516" name="linknoteref-1516" + id="linknoteref-1516"><small>1516</small></a> + </p> + <p> + The tone of public morality in money-matters was very low in those days. + Political peculation was not thought discreditable; and heads of parties + did not hesitate to secure the adhesion of their followers by a free use + of the public money. They were generous, but at the expense of others—like + that great local magnate, who, + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Out of his great bounty, + Built a bridge at the expense of the county." +</pre> + <p> + When Lord Cornwallis was appointed Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, he pressed + upon Colonel Napier, the father of THE Napiers, the comptrollership of + army accounts. "I want," said his Lordship, "AN HONEST MAN, and this is + the only thing I have been able to wrest from the harpies around me." + </p> + <p> + It is said that Lord Chatham was the first to set the example of + disdaining to govern by petty larceny; and his great son was alike honest + in his administration. While millions of money were passing through Pitt's + hands, he himself was never otherwise than poor; and he died poor. Of all + his rancorous libellers, not one ever ventured to call in question his + honesty. + </p> + <p> + In former times, the profits of office were sometimes enormous. When + Audley, the famous annuity-monger of the sixteenth century, was asked the + value of an office which he had purchased in the Court of Wards, he + replied:—"Some thousands to any one who wishes to get to heaven + immediately; twice as much to him who does not mind being in purgatory; + and nobody knows what to him who is not afraid of the devil." + </p> + <p> + Sir Walter Scott was a man who was honest to the core of his nature and + his strenuous and determined efforts to pay his debts, or rather the debts + of the firm with which he had become involved, has always appeared to us + one of the grandest things in biography. When his publisher and printer + broke down, ruin seemed to stare him in the face. There was no want of + sympathy for him in his great misfortune, and friends came forward who + offered to raise money enough to enable him to arrange with his creditors. + "No! "said he, proudly; "this right hand shall work it all off!" "If we + lose everything else," he wrote to a friend, "we will at least keep our + honour unblemished." <a href="#linknote-1517" name="linknoteref-1517" + id="linknoteref-1517"><small>1517</small></a> While his health was already + becoming undermined by overwork, he went on "writing like a tiger," as he + himself expressed it, until no longer able to wield a pen; and though he + paid the penalty of his supreme efforts with his life, he nevertheless + saved his honour and his self-respect. + </p> + <p> + Everybody knows bow Scott threw off 'Woodstock,' the 'Life of Napoleon' + (which he thought would be his death <a href="#linknote-1518" + name="linknoteref-1518" id="linknoteref-1518"><small>1518</small></a> ), + articles for the 'Quarterly,' 'Chronicles of the Canongate,' 'Prose + Miscellanies,' and 'Tales of a Grandfather'—all written in the midst + of pain, sorrow, and ruin. The proceeds of those various works went to his + creditors. "I could not have slept sound," he wrote, "as I now can, under + the comfortable impression of receiving the thanks of my creditors, and + the conscious feeling of discharging my duty as a man of honour and + honesty. I see before me a long, tedious, and dark path, but it leads to + stainless reputation. If I die in the harrows, as is very likely, I shall + die with honour. If I achieve my task, I shall have the thanks of all + concerned, and the approbation of my own conscience." <a + href="#linknote-1519" name="linknoteref-1519" id="linknoteref-1519"><small>1519</small></a> + </p> + <p> + And then followed more articles, memoirs, and even sermons—'The Fair + Maid of Perth,' a completely revised edition of his novels, 'Anne of + Geierstein,' and more 'Tales of a Grandfather'—until he was suddenly + struck down by paralysis. But he had no sooner recovered sufficient + strength to be able to hold a pen, than we find him again at his desk + writing the 'Letters on Demonology and Witchcraft,' a volume of Scottish + History for 'Lardner's Cyclopaedia,' and a fourth series of 'Tales of a + Grandfather' in his French History. In vain his doctors told him to give + up work; he would not be dissuaded. "As for bidding me not work," he said + to Dr. Abercrombie, "Molly might just as well put the kettle on the fire + and say, 'Now, kettle, don't boil;'" to which he added, "If I were to be + idle I should go mad!" + </p> + <p> + By means of the profits realised by these tremendous efforts, Scott saw + his debts in course of rapid diminution, and he trusted that, after a few + more years' work, he would again be a free man. But it was not to be. He + went on turning out such works as his 'Count Robert of Paris' with greatly + impaired skill, until he was prostrated by another and severer attack of + palsy. He now felt that the plough was nearing the end of the furrow; his + physical strength was gone; he was "not quite himself in all things," and + yet his courage and perseverance never failed. "I have suffered terribly," + he wrote in his Diary, "though rather in body than in mind, and I often + wish I could lie down and sleep without waking. But I WILL FIGHT IT OUT IF + I CAN." He again recovered sufficiently to be able to write 'Castle + Dangerous,' though the cunning of the workman's hand had departed. And + then there was his last tour to Italy in search of rest and health, during + which, while at Naples, in spite of all remonstrances, he gave several + hours every morning to the composition of a new novel, which, however, has + not seen the light. + </p> + <p> + Scott returned to Abbotsford to die. "I have seen much," he said on his + return, "but nothing like my own house—give me one turn more." One + of the last things he uttered, in one of his lucid intervals, was worthy + of him. "I have been," he said, "perhaps the most voluminous author of my + day, and it IS a comfort to me to think that I have tried to unsettle no + man's faith, to corrupt no man's principles, and that I have written + nothing which on my deathbed I should wish blotted out." His last + injunction to his son-in-law was: "Lockhart, I may have but a minute to + speak to you. My dear, be virtuous—be religious—be a good man. + Nothing else will give you any comfort when you come to lie here." + </p> + <p> + The devoted conduct of Lockhart himself was worthy of his great relative. + The 'Life of Scott,' which he afterwards wrote, occupied him several + years, and was a remarkably successful work. Yet he himself derived no + pecuniary advantage from it; handing over the profits of the whole + undertaking to Sir Walter's creditors in payment of debts which he was in + no way responsible, but influenced entirely by a spirit of honour, of + regard for the memory of the illustrious dead. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0007" id="link2HCH0007"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER VII.—DUTY—TRUTHFULNESS. + </h2> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "I slept, and dreamt that life was Beauty; I woke, and found + that life was Duty." + + "Duty! wondrous thought, that workest neither by fond + insinuation, flattery, nor by any threat, but merely by + holding up thy naked law in the soul, and so extorting for + thyself always reverence, if not always obedience; before + whom all appetites are dumb, however secretly they rebel"— + KANT. + + "How happy is he born and taught, + That serveth not another's will! + Whose armour is his honest thought, + And simple truth his utmost skill! + + "Whose passions not his masters are, + Whose soul is still prepared for death; + Unti'd unto the world by care + Of public fame, or private breath. + + "This man is freed from servile bands, + Of hope to rise, or fear to fall: + Lord of himself, though not of land; + And having nothing, yet hath all."—WOTTON. + + "His nay was nay without recall; + His yea was yea, and powerful all; + He gave his yea with careful heed, + His thoughts and words were well agreed; + His word, his bond and seal." + INSCRIPTION ON BARON STEIN'S TOMB. +</pre> + <p> + DUTY is a thing that is due, and must be paid by every man who would avoid + present discredit and eventual moral insolvency. It is an obligation—a + debt—which can only be discharged by voluntary effort and resolute + action in the affairs of life. + </p> + <p> + Duty embraces man's whole existence. It begins in the home, where there is + the duty which children owe to their parents on the one hand, and the duty + which parents owe to their children on the other. There are, in like + manner, the respective duties of husbands and wives, of masters and + servants; while outside the home there are the duties which men and women + owe to each other as friends and neighbours, as employers and employed, as + governors and governed. + </p> + <p> + "Render, therefore," says St. Paul, "to all their dues: tribute to whom + tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom + honour. Owe no man anything, but to love one another; for he that loveth + another hath fulfilled the law," + </p> + <p> + Thus duty rounds the whole of life, from our entrance into it until our + exit from it—duty to superiors, duty to inferiors, and duty to + equals—duty to man, and duty to God. Wherever there is power to use + or to direct, there is duty. For we are but as stewards, appointed to + employ the means entrusted to us for our own and for others' good. + </p> + <p> + The abiding sense of duty is the very crown of character. It is the + upholding law of man in his highest attitudes. Without it, the individual + totters and falls before the first puff of adversity or temptation; + whereas, inspired by it, the weakest becomes strong and full of courage. + "Duty," says Mrs. Jameson, "is the cement which binds the whole moral + edifice together; without which, all power, goodness, intellect, truth, + happiness, love itself, can have no permanence; but all the fabric of + existence crumbles away from under us, and leaves us at last sitting in + the midst of a ruin, astonished at our own desolation." + </p> + <p> + Duty is based upon a sense of justice—justice inspired by love, + which is the most perfect form of goodness. Duty is not a sentiment, but a + principle pervading the life: and it exhibits itself in conduct and in + acts, which are mainly determined by man's conscience and freewill. + </p> + <p> + The voice of conscience speaks in duty done; and without its regulating + and controlling influence, the brightest and greatest intellect may be + merely as a light that leads astray. Conscience sets a man upon his feet, + while his will holds him upright. Conscience is the moral governor of the + heart—the governor of right action, of right thought, of right + faith, of right life—and only through its dominating influence can + the noble and upright character be fully developed. + </p> + <p> + The conscience, however, may speak never so loudly, but without energetic + will it may speak in vain. The will is free to choose between the right + course and the wrong one, but the choice is nothing unless followed by + immediate and decisive action. If the sense of duty be strong, and the + course of action clear, the courageous will, upheld by the conscience, + enables a man to proceed on his course bravely, and to accomplish his + purposes in the face of all opposition and difficulty. And should failure + be the issue, there will remain at least this satisfaction, that it has + been in the cause of duty. + </p> + <p> + "Be and continue poor, young man," said Heinzelmann, "while others around + you grow rich by fraud and disloyalty; be without place or power while + others beg their way upwards; bear the pain of disappointed hopes, while + others gain the accomplishment of theirs by flattery; forego the gracious + pressure of the hand, for which others cringe and crawl. Wrap yourself in + your own virtue, and seek a friend and your daily bread. If you have in + your own cause grown gray with unbleached honour, bless God and die!" + </p> + <p> + Men inspired by high principles are often required to sacrifice all that + they esteem and love rather than fail in their duty. The old English idea + of this sublime devotion to duty was expressed by the loyalist poet to his + sweetheart, on taking up arms for his sovereign:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "I could love thee, dear, so much, + Loved I not honour more." <a href="#linknote-161" + name="linknoteref-161" id="linknoteref-161">161</a> +</pre> + <p> + And Sertorius has said: "The man who has any dignity of character, should + conquer with honour, and not use any base means even to save his life." So + St. Paul, inspired by duty and faith, declared himself as not only "ready + to be bound, but to die at Jerusalem." + </p> + <p> + When the Marquis of Pescara was entreated by the princes of Italy to + desert the Spanish cause, to which he was in honour bound, his noble wife, + Vittoria Colonna, reminded him of his duty. She wrote to him: "Remember + your honour, which raises you above fortune and above kings; by that + alone, and not by the splendour of titles, is glory acquired—that + glory which it will be your happiness and pride to transmit unspotted to + your posterity." Such was the dignified view which she took of her + husband's honour; and when he fell at Pavia, though young and beautiful, + and besought by many admirers, she betook herself to solitude, that she + might lament over her husband's loss and celebrate his exploits. <a + href="#linknote-162" name="linknoteref-162" id="linknoteref-162"><small>162</small></a> + </p> + <p> + To live really, is to act energetically. Life is a battle to be fought + valiantly. Inspired by high and honourable resolve, a man must stand to + his post, and die there, if need be. Like the old Danish hero, his + determination should be, "to dare nobly, to will strongly, and never to + falter in the path of duty." The power of will, be it great or small, + which God has given us, is a Divine gift; and we ought neither to let it + perish for want of using on the one hand, nor profane it by employing it + for ignoble purposes on the other. Robertson, of Brighton, has truly said, + that man's real greatness consists not in seeking his own pleasure, or + fame, or advancement—"not that every one shall save his own life, + not that every man shall seek his own glory—but that every man shall + do his own duty." + </p> + <p> + What most stands in the way of the performance of duty, is irresolution, + weakness of purpose, and indecision. On the one side are conscience and + the knowledge of good and evil; on the other are indolence, selfishness, + love of pleasure, or passion. The weak and ill-disciplined will may remain + suspended for a time between these influences; but at length the balance + inclines one way or the other, according as the will is called into action + or otherwise. If it be allowed to remain passive, the lower influence of + selfishness or passion will prevail; and thus manhood suffers abdication, + individuality is renounced, character is degraded, and the man permits + himself to become the mere passive slave of his senses. + </p> + <p> + Thus, the power of exercising the will promptly, in obedience to the + dictates of conscience, and thereby resisting the impulses of the lower + nature, is of essential importance in moral discipline, and absolutely + necessary for the development of character in its best forms. To acquire + the habit of well-doing, to resist evil propensities, to fight against + sensual desires, to overcome inborn selfishness, may require a long and + persevering discipline; but when once the practice of duty is learnt, it + becomes consolidated in habit, and thence-forward is comparatively easy. + </p> + <p> + The valiant good man is he who, by the resolute exercise of his freewill, + has so disciplined himself as to have acquired the habit of virtue; as the + bad man is he who, by allowing his freewill to remain inactive, and giving + the bridle to his desires and passions, has acquired the habit of vice, by + which he becomes, at last, bound as by chains of iron. + </p> + <p> + A man can only achieve strength of purpose by the action of his own + freewill. If he is to stand erect, it must be by his own efforts; for he + cannot be kept propped up by the help of others. He is master of himself + and of his actions. He can avoid falsehood, and be truthful; he can shun + sensualism, and be continent; he can turn aside from doing a cruel thing, + and be benevolent and forgiving. All these lie within the sphere of + individual efforts, and come within the range of self-discipline. And it + depends upon men themselves whether in these respects they will be free, + pure, and good on the one hand; or enslaved, impure, and miserable on the + other. + </p> + <p> + Among the wise sayings of Epictetus we find the following: "We do not + choose our own parts in life, and have nothing to do with those parts: our + simple duty is confined to playing them well. The slave may be as free as + the consul; and freedom is the chief of blessings; it dwarfs all others; + beside it all others are insignificant; with it all others are needless; + without it no others are possible.... You must teach men that happiness is + not where, in their blindness and misery, they seek it. It is not in + strength, for Myro and Ofellius were not happy; not in wealth, for Croesus + was not happy; not in power, for the Consuls were not happy; not in all + these together, for Nero and Sardanapulus and Agamemnon sighed and wept + and tore their hair, and were the slaves of circumstances and the dupes of + semblances. It lies in yourselves; in true freedom, in the absence or + conquest of every ignoble fear; in perfect self-government; and in a power + of contentment and peace, and the even flow of life amid poverty, exile, + disease, and the very valley of the shadow of death." <a + href="#linknote-163" name="linknoteref-163" id="linknoteref-163"><small>163</small></a> + </p> + <p> + The sense of duty is a sustaining power even to a courageous man. It holds + him upright, and makes him strong. It was a noble saying of Pompey, when + his friends tried to dissuade him from embarking for Rome in a storm, + telling him that he did so at the great peril of his life: "It is + necessary for me to go," he said; "it is not necessary for me to live." + What it was right that he should do, he would do, in the face of danger + and in defiance of storms. + </p> + <p> + As might be expected of the great Washington, the chief motive power in + his life was the spirit of duty. It was the regal and commanding element + in his character which gave it unity, compactness, and vigour. When he + clearly saw his duty before him, he did it at all hazards, and with + inflexible integrity. He did not do it for effect; nor did he think of + glory, or of fame and its rewards; but of the right thing to be done, and + the best way of doing it. + </p> + <p> + Yet Washington had a most modest opinion of himself; and when offered the + chief command of the American patriot army, he hesitated to accept it + until it was pressed upon him. When acknowledging in Congress the honour + which had been done him in selecting him to so important a trust, on the + execution of which the future of his country in a great measure depended, + Washington said: "I beg it may be remembered, lest some unlucky event + should happen unfavourable to my reputation, that I this day declare, with + the utmost sincerity, I do not think myself equal to the command I am + honoured with." + </p> + <p> + And in his letter to his wife, communicating to her his appointment as + Commander-in-Chief, he said: "I have used every endeavour in my power to + avoid it, not only from my unwillingness to part with you and the family, + but from a consciousness of its being a trust too great for my capacity; + and that I should enjoy more real happiness in one month with you at home, + than I have the most distant prospect of finding abroad, if my stay were + to be seven times seven years. But, as it has been a kind of destiny that + has thrown me upon this service, I shall hope that my undertaking it is + designed for some good purpose. It was utterly out of my power to refuse + the appointment, without exposing my character to such censures as would + have reflected dishonour upon myself, and given pain to my friends. This, + I am sure, could not, and ought not, to be pleasing to you, and must have + lessened me considerably in my own esteem." <a href="#linknote-164" + name="linknoteref-164" id="linknoteref-164"><small>164</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Washington pursued his upright course through life, first as + Commander-in-Chief, and afterwards as President, never faltering in the + path of duty. He had no regard for popularity, but held to his purpose, + through good and through evil report, often at the risk of his power and + influence. Thus, on one occasion, when the ratification of a treaty, + arranged by Mr. Jay with Great Britain, was in question, Washington was + urged to reject it. But his honour, and the honour of his country, was + committed, and he refused to do so. A great outcry was raised against the + treaty, and for a time Washington was so unpopular that he is said to have + been actually stoned by the mob. But he, nevertheless, held it to be his + duty to ratify the treaty; and it was carried out, in despite of petitions + and remonstrances from all quarters. "While I feel," he said, in answer to + the remonstrants, "the most lively gratitude for the many instances of + approbation from my country, I can no otherwise deserve it than by obeying + the dictates of my conscience." Wellington's watchword, like Washington's, + was duty; and no man could be more loyal to it than he was. <a + href="#linknote-165" name="linknoteref-165" id="linknoteref-165"><small>165</small></a> + "There is little or nothing," he once said, "in this life worth living + for; but we can all of us go straight forward and do our duty." None + recognised more cheerfully than he did the duty of obedience and willing + service; for unless men can serve faithfully, they will not rule others + wisely. There is no motto that becomes the wise man better than ICH DIEN, + "I serve;" and "They also serve who only stand and wait." + </p> + <p> + When the mortification of an officer, because of his being appointed to a + command inferior to what he considered to be his merits, was communicated + to the Duke, he said: "In the course of my military career, I have gone + from the command of a brigade to that of my regiment, and from the command + of an army to that of a brigade or a division, as I was ordered, and + without any feeling of mortification." + </p> + <p> + Whilst commanding the allied army in Portugal, the conduct of the native + population did not seem to Wellington to be either becoming or dutiful. + "We have enthusiasm in plenty," he said, "and plenty of cries of 'VIVA!' + We have illuminations, patriotic songs, and FETES everywhere. But what we + want is, that each in his own station should do his duty faithfully, and + pay implicit obedience to legal authority." + </p> + <p> + This abiding ideal of duty seemed to be the governing principle of + Wellington's character. It was always uppermost in his mind, and directed + all the public actions of his life. Nor did it fail to communicate itself + to those under him, who served him in the like spirit. When he rode into + one of his infantry squares at Waterloo, as its diminished numbers closed + up to receive a charge of French cavalry, he said to the men, "Stand + steady, lads; think of what they will say of us in England;" to which the + men replied, "Never fear, sir—we know our duty." + </p> + <p> + Duty was also the dominant idea in Nelson's mind. The spirit in which he + served his country was expressed in the famous watchword, "England expects + every man to do his duty," signalled by him to the fleet before going into + action at Trafalgar, as well as in the last words that passed his lips,—"I + have done my duty; I praise God for it!" + </p> + <p> + And Nelson's companion and friend—the brave, sensible, homely-minded + Collingwood—he who, as his ship bore down into the great sea-fight, + said to his flag-captain, "Just about this time our wives are going to + church in England,"—Collingwood too was, like his commander, an + ardent devotee of duty. "Do your duty to the best of your ability," was + the maxim which he urged upon many young men starting on the voyage of + life. To a midshipman he once gave the following manly and sensible + advice:- "You may depend upon it, that it is more in your own power than + in anybody else's to promote both your comfort and advancement. A strict + and unwearied attention to your duty, and a complacent and respectful + behaviour, not only to your superiors but to everybody, will ensure you + their regard, and the reward will surely come; but if it should not, I am + convinced you have too much good sense to let disappointment sour you. + Guard carefully against letting discontent appear in you. It will be + sorrow to your friends, a triumph to your competitors, and cannot be + productive of any good. Conduct yourself so as to deserve the best that + can come to you, and the consciousness of your own proper behaviour will + keep you in spirits if it should not come. Let it be your ambition to be + foremost in all duty. Do not be a nice observer of turns, but ever present + yourself ready for everything, and, unless your officers are very + inattentive men, they will not allow others to impose more duty on you + than they should." + </p> + <p> + This devotion to duty is said to be peculiar to the English nation; and it + has certainly more or less characterised our greatest public men. Probably + no commander of any other nation ever went into action with such a signal + flying as Nelson at Trafalgar—not "Glory," or "Victory," or + "Honour," or "Country"—but simply "Duty!" How few are the nations + willing to rally to such a battle-cry! + </p> + <p> + Shortly after the wreck of the BIRKENHEAD off the coast of Africa, in + which the officers and men went down firing a FEU-DE-JOIE after seeing the + women and children safely embarked in the boats,—Robertson of + Brighton, referring to the circumstance in one of his letters, said: "Yes! + Goodness, Duty, Sacrifice,—these are the qualities that England + honours. She gapes and wonders every now and then, like an awkward + peasant, at some other things—railway kings, electro-biology, and + other trumperies; but nothing stirs her grand old heart down to its + central deeps universally and long, except the Right. She puts on her + shawl very badly, and she is awkward enough in a concert-room, scarce + knowing a Swedish nightingale from a jackdaw; but—blessings large + and long upon her!—she knows how to teach her sons to sink like men + amidst sharks and billows, without parade, without display, as if Duty + were the most natural thing in the world; and she never mistakes long an + actor for a hero, or a hero for an actor." <a href="#linknote-166" + name="linknoteref-166" id="linknoteref-166"><small>166</small></a> + </p> + <p> + It is a grand thing, after all, this pervading spirit of Duty in a nation; + and so long as it survives, no one need despair of its future. But when it + has departed, or become deadened, and been supplanted by thirst for + pleasure, or selfish aggrandisement, or "glory"—then woe to that + nation, for its dissolution is near at hand! + </p> + <p> + If there be one point on which intelligent observers are agreed more than + another as to the cause of the late deplorable collapse of France as a + nation, it was the utter absence of this feeling of duty, as well as of + truthfulness, from the mind, not only of the men, but of the leaders of + the French people. The unprejudiced testimony of Baron Stoffel, French + military attache at Berlin, before the war, is conclusive on this point. + In his private report to the Emperor, found at the Tuileries, which was + written in August, 1869, about a year before the outbreak of the war, + Baron Stoffel pointed out that the highly-educated and disciplined German + people were pervaded by an ardent sense of duty, and did not think it + beneath them to reverence sincerely what was noble and lofty; whereas, in + all respects, France presented a melancholy contrast. There the people, + having sneered at everything, had lost the faculty of respecting anything, + and virtue, family life, patriotism, honour, and religion, were + represented to a frivolous generation as only fitting subjects for + ridicule. <a href="#linknote-167" name="linknoteref-167" + id="linknoteref-167"><small>167</small></a> Alas! how terribly has France + been punished for her sins against truth and duty! + </p> + <p> + Yet the time was, when France possessed many great men inspired by duty; + but they were all men of a comparatively remote past. The race of Bayard, + Duguesclin, Coligny, Duquesne, Turenne, Colbert, and Sully, seems to have + died out and left no lineage. There has been an occasional great Frenchman + of modern times who has raised the cry of Duty; but his voice has been as + that of one crying in the wilderness. De Tocqueville was one of such; but, + like all men of his stamp, he was proscribed, imprisoned, and driven from + public life. Writing on one occasion to his friend Kergorlay, he said: + "Like you, I become more and more alive to the happiness which consists in + the fulfilment of Duty. I believe there is no other so deep and so real. + There is only one great object in the world which deserves our efforts, + and that is the good of mankind." <a href="#linknote-168" + name="linknoteref-168" id="linknoteref-168"><small>168</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Although France has been the unquiet spirit among the nations of Europe + since the reign of Louis XIV., there have from time to time been honest + and faithful men who have lifted up their voices against the turbulent + warlike tendencies of the people, and not only preached, but endeavoured + to carry into practice, a gospel of peace. Of these, the Abbe de + St.-Pierre was one of the most courageous. He had even the boldness to + denounce the wars of Louis XIV., and to deny that monarch's right to the + epithet of 'Great,' for which he was punished by expulsion from the + Academy. The Abbe was as enthusiastic an agitator for a system of + international peace as any member of the modern Society of Friends. As + Joseph Sturge went to St. Petersburg to convert the Emperor of Russia to + his views, so the Abbe went to Utrecht to convert the Conference sitting + there, to his project for a Diet; to secure perpetual peace. Of course he + was regarded as an enthusiast, Cardinal Dubois characterising his scheme + as "the dream of an honest man." Yet the Abbe had found his dream in the + Gospel; and in what better way could he exemplify the spirit of the Master + he served than by endeavouring to abate the horrors and abominations of + war? The Conference was an assemblage of men representing Christian + States: and the Abbe merely called upon them to put in practice the + doctrines they professed to believe. It was of no use: the potentates and + their representatives turned to him a deaf ear. + </p> + <p> + The Abbe de St.-Pierre lived several hundred years too soon. But he + determined that his idea should not be lost, and in 1713 he published his + 'Project of Perpetual Peace.' He there proposed the formation of a + European Diet, or Senate, to be composed of representatives of all + nations, before which princes should be bound, before resorting to arms, + to state their grievances and require redress. Writing about eighty years + after the publication of this project, Volney asked: "What is a people?—an + individual of the society at large. What a war?—a duel between two + individual people. In what manner ought a society to act when two of its + members fight?—Interfere, and reconcile or repress them. In the days + of the Abbe de St.-Pierre, this was treated as a dream; but, happily for + the human race, it begins to be realised." Alas for the prediction of + Volney! The twenty-five years that followed the date at which this passage + was written, were distinguished by more devastating and furious wars on + the part of France than had ever been known in the world before. + </p> + <p> + The Abbe was not, however, a mere dreamer. He was an active practical + philanthropist and anticipated many social improvements which have since + become generally adopted. He was the original founder of industrial + schools for poor children, where they not only received a good education, + but learned some useful trade, by which they might earn an honest living + when they grew up to manhood. He advocated the revision and simplification + of the whole code of laws—an idea afterwards carried out by the + First Napoleon. He wrote against duelling, against luxury, against + gambling, against monasticism, quoting the remark of Segrais, that "the + mania for a monastic life is the smallpox of the mind." He spent his whole + income in acts of charity—not in almsgiving, but in helping poor + children, and poor men and women, to help themselves. His object always + was to benefit permanently those whom he assisted. He continued his love + of truth and his freedom of speech to the last. At the age of eighty he + said: "If life is a lottery for happiness, my lot has been one of the + best." When on his deathbed, Voltaire asked him how he felt, to which he + answered, "As about to make a journey into the country." And in this + peaceful frame of mind he died. But so outspoken had St.-Pierre been + against corruption in high places, that Maupertius, his Successor at the + Academy, was not permitted to pronounce his ELOGE; nor was it until + thirty-two years after his death that this honour was done to his memory + by D'Alembert. The true and emphatic epitaph of the good, truth-loving, + truth-speaking Abbe was this—"HE LOVED MUCH!" + </p> + <p> + Duty is closely allied to truthfulness of character; and the dutiful man + is, above all things, truthful in his words as in his actions. He says and + he does the right thing, in the right way, and at the right time. + </p> + <p> + There is probably no saying of Lord Chesterfield that commends itself more + strongly to the approval of manly-minded men, than that it is truth that + makes the success of the gentleman. Clarendon, speaking of one of the + noblest and purest gentlemen of his age, says of Falkland, that he "was so + severe an adorer of truth that he could as easily have given himself leave + to steal as to dissemble." + </p> + <p> + It was one of the finest things that Mrs. Hutchinson could say of her + husband, that he was a thoroughly truthful and reliable man: "He never + professed the thing he intended not, nor promised what he believed out of + his power, nor failed in the performance of anything that was in his power + to fulfil." + </p> + <p> + Wellington was a severe admirer of truth. An illustration may be given. + When afflicted by deafness he consulted a celebrated aurist, who, after + trying all remedies in vain, determined, as a last resource, to inject + into the ear a strong solution of caustic. It caused the most intense + pain, but the patient bore it with his usual equanimity. The family + physician accidentally calling one day, found the Duke with flushed cheeks + and bloodshot eyes, and when he rose he staggered about like a drunken + man. The doctor asked to be permitted to look at his ear, and then he + found that a furious inflammation was going on, which, if not immediately + checked, must shortly reach the brain and kill him. Vigorous remedies were + at once applied, and the inflammation was checked. But the hearing of that + ear was completely destroyed. When the aurist heard of the danger his + patient had run, through the violence of the remedy he had employed, he + hastened to Apsley House to express his grief and mortification; but the + Duke merely said: "Do not say a word more about it—you did all for + the best." The aurist said it would be his ruin when it became known that + he had been the cause of so much suffering and danger to his Grace. "But + nobody need know anything about it: keep your own counsel, and, depend + upon it, I won't say a word to any one." "Then your Grace will allow me to + attend you as usual, which will show the public that you have not + withdrawn your confidence from me?" "No," replied the Duke, kindly but + firmly; "I can't do that, for that would be a lie." He would not act a + falsehood any more than he would speak one. <a href="#linknote-169" + name="linknoteref-169" id="linknoteref-169"><small>169</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Another illustration of duty and truthfulness, as exhibited in the + fulfilment of a promise, may be added from the life of Blucher. When he + was hastening with his army over bad roads to the help of Wellington, on + the 18th of June, 1815, he encouraged his troops by words and gestures. + "Forwards, children—forwards!" "It is impossible; it can't be done," + was the answer. Again and again he urged them. "Children, we must get on; + you may say it can't be done, but it MUST be done! I have promised my + brother Wellington—PROMISED, do you hear? You wouldn't have me BREAK + MY WORD!" And it was done. + </p> + <p> + Truth is the very bond of society, without which it must cease to exist, + and dissolve into anarchy and chaos. A household cannot be governed by + lying; nor can a nation. Sir Thomas Browne once asked, "Do the devils + lie?" "No," was his answer; "for then even hell could not subsist." No + considerations can justify the sacrifice of truth, which ought to be + sovereign in all the relations of life. + </p> + <p> + Of all mean vices, perhaps lying is the meanest. It is in some cases the + offspring of perversity and vice, and in many others of sheer moral + cowardice. Yet many persons think so lightly of it that they will order + their servants to lie for them; nor can they feel surprised if, after such + ignoble instruction, they find their servants lying for themselves. + </p> + <p> + Sir Harry Wotton's description of an ambassador as "an honest man sent to + lie abroad for the benefit of his country," though meant as a satire, + brought him into disfavour with James I. when it became published; for an + adversary quoted it as a principle of the king's religion. That it was not + Wotton's real view of the duty of an honest man, is obvious from the lines + quoted at the head of this chapter, on 'The Character of a Happy Life,' in + which he eulogises the man + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Whose armour is his honest thought, + And simple truth his utmost skill." +</pre> + <p> + But lying assumes many forms—such as diplomacy, expediency, and + moral reservation; and, under one guise or another, it is found more or + less pervading all classes of society. Sometimes it assumes the form of + equivocation or moral dodging—twisting and so stating the things + said as to convey a false impression—a kind of lying which a + Frenchman once described as "walking round about the truth." + </p> + <p> + There are even men of narrow minds and dishonest natures, who pride + themselves upon their jesuitical cleverness in equivocation, in their + serpent-wise shirking of the truth and getting out of moral back-doors, in + order to hide their real opinions and evade the consequences of holding + and openly professing them. Institutions or systems based upon any such + expedients must necessarily prove false and hollow. "Though a lie be ever + so well dressed," says George Herbert, "it is ever overcome." Downright + lying, though bolder and more vicious, is even less contemptible than such + kind of shuffling and equivocation. + </p> + <p> + Untruthfulness exhibits itself in many other forms: in reticency on the + one hand, or exaggeration on the other; in disguise or concealment; in + pretended concurrence in others opinions; in assuming an attitude of + conformity which is deceptive; in making promises, or allowing them to be + implied, which are never intended to be performed; or even in refraining + from speaking the truth when to do so is a duty. There are also those who + are all things to all men, who say one thing and do another, like Bunyan's + Mr. Facing-both-ways; only deceiving themselves when they think they are + deceiving others—and who, being essentially insincere, fail to evoke + confidence, and invariably in the end turn out failures, if not impostors. + </p> + <p> + Others are untruthful in their pretentiousness, and in assuming merits + which they do not really possess. The truthful man is, on the contrary, + modest, and makes no parade of himself and his deeds. When Pitt was in his + last illness, the news reached England of the great deeds of Wellington in + India. "The more I hear of his exploits," said Pitt, "the more I admire + the modesty with which he receives the praises he merits for them. He is + the only man I ever knew that was not vain of what he had done, and yet + had so much reason to be so." + </p> + <p> + So it is said of Faraday by Professor Tyndall, that "pretence of all + kinds, whether in life or in philosophy, was hateful to him." Dr. Marshall + Hall was a man of like spirit—courageously truthful, dutiful, and + manly. One of his most intimate friends has said of him that, wherever he + met with untruthfulness or sinister motive, he would expose it, saying—"I + neither will, nor can, give my consent to a lie." The question, "right or + wrong," once decided in his own mind, the right was followed, no matter + what the sacrifice or the difficulty—neither expediency nor + inclination weighing one jot in the balance. + </p> + <p> + There was no virtue that Dr. Arnold laboured more sedulously to instil + into young men than the virtue of truthfulness, as being the manliest of + virtues, as indeed the very basis of all true manliness. He designated + truthfulness as "moral transparency," and he valued it more highly than + any other quality. When lying was detected, he treated it as a great moral + offence; but when a pupil made an assertion, he accepted it with + confidence. "If you say so, that is quite enough; OF COURSE I believe your + word." By thus trusting and believing them, he educated the young in + truthfulness; the boys at length coming to say to one another: "It's a + shame to tell Arnold a lie—he always believes one." <a + href="#linknote-1610" name="linknoteref-1610" id="linknoteref-1610"><small>1610</small></a> + </p> + <p> + One of the most striking instances that could be given of the character of + the dutiful, truthful, laborious man, is presented in the life of the late + George Wilson, Professor of Technology in the University of Edinburgh. <a + href="#linknote-1611" name="linknoteref-1611" id="linknoteref-1611"><small>1611</small></a> + Though we bring this illustration under the head of Duty, it might equally + have stood under that of Courage, Cheerfulness, or Industry, for it is + alike illustrative of these several qualities. + </p> + <p> + Wilson's life was, indeed, a marvel of cheerful laboriousness; exhibiting + the power of the soul to triumph over the body, and almost to set it at + defiance. It might be taken as an illustration of the saying of the + whaling-captain to Dr. Kane, as to the power of moral force over physical: + "Bless you, sir, the soul will any day lift the body out of its boots!" + </p> + <p> + A fragile but bright and lively boy, he had scarcely entered manhood ere + his constitution began to exhibit signs of disease. As early, indeed, as + his seventeenth year, he began to complain of melancholy and + sleeplessness, supposed to be the effects of bile. "I don't think I shall + live long," he then said to a friend; "my mind will—must work itself + out, and the body will soon follow it." A strange confession for a boy to + make! But he gave his physical health no fair chance. His life was all + brain-work, study, and competition. When he took exercise it was in sudden + bursts, which did him more harm than good. Long walks in the Highlands + jaded and exhausted him; and he returned to his brain-work unrested and + unrefreshed. + </p> + <p> + It was during one of his forced walks of some twenty-four miles in the + neighbourhood of Stirling, that he injured one of his feet, and he + returned home seriously ill. The result was an abscess, disease of the + ankle-joint, and long agony, which ended in the amputation of the right + foot. But he never relaxed in his labours. He was now writing, lecturing, + and teaching chemistry. Rheumatism and acute inflammation of the eye next + attacked him; and were treated by cupping, blisetring, and colchicum. + Unable himself to write, he went on preparing his lectures, which he + dictated to his sister. Pain haunted him day and night, and sleep was only + forced by morphia. While in this state of general prostration, symptoms of + pulmonary disease began to show themselves. Yet he continued to give the + weekly lectures to which he stood committed to the Edinburgh School of + Arts. Not one was shirked, though their delivery, before a large audience, + was a most exhausting duty. "Well, there's another nail put into my + coffin," was the remark made on throwing off his top-coat on returning + home; and a sleepless night almost invariably followed. + </p> + <p> + At twenty-seven, Wilson was lecturing ten, eleven, or more hours weekly, + usually with setons or open blister-wounds upon him—his "bosom + friends," he used to call them. He felt the shadow of death upon him; and + he worked as if his days were numbered. "Don't be surprised," he wrote to + a friend, "if any morning at breakfast you hear that I am gone." But while + he said so, he did not in the least degree indulge in the feeling of + sickly sentimentality. He worked on as cheerfully and hopefully as if in + the very fulness of his strength. "To none," said he, "is life so sweet as + to those who have lost all fear to die." + </p> + <p> + Sometimes he was compelled to desist from his labours by sheer debility, + occasioned by loss of blood from the lungs; but after a few weeks' rest + and change of air, he would return to his work, saying, "The water is + rising in the well again!" Though disease had fastened on his lungs, and + was spreading there, and though suffering from a distressing cough, he + went on lecturing as usual. To add to his troubles, when one day + endeavouring to recover himself from a stumble occasioned by his lameness, + he overstrained his arm, and broke the bone near the shoulder. But he + recovered from his successive accidents and illnesses in the most + extraordinary way. The reed bent, but did not break: the storm passed, and + it stood erect as before. + </p> + <p> + There was no worry, nor fever, nor fret about him; but instead, + cheerfulness, patience, and unfailing perseverance. His mind, amidst all + his sufferings, remained perfectly calm and serene. He went about his + daily work with an apparently charmed life, as if he had the strength of + many men in him. Yet all the while he knew he was dying, his chief anxiety + being to conceal his state from those about him at home, to whom the + knowledge of his actual condition would have been inexpressibly + distressing. "I am cheerful among strangers," he said, "and try to live + day by day as a dying man." <a href="#linknote-1612" + name="linknoteref-1612" id="linknoteref-1612"><small>1612</small></a> + </p> + <p> + He went on teaching as before—lecturing to the Architectural + Institute and to the School of Arts. One day, after a lecture before the + latter institute, he lay down to rest, and was shortly awakened by the + rupture of a bloodvessel, which occasioned him the loss of a considerable + quantity of blood. He did not experience the despair and agony that Keats + did on a like occasion; <a href="#linknote-1613" name="linknoteref-1613" + id="linknoteref-1613"><small>1613</small></a> though he equally knew that + the messenger of death had come, and was waiting for him. He appeared at + the family meals as usual, and next day he lectured twice, punctually + fulfilling his engagements; but the exertion of speaking was followed by a + second attack of haemorrhage. He now became seriously ill, and it was + doubted whether he would survive the night. But he did survive; and during + his convalescence he was appointed to an important public office—that + of Director of the Scottish Industrial Museum, which involved a great + amount of labour, as well as lecturing, in his capacity of Professor of + Technology, which he held in connection with the office. + </p> + <p> + From this time forward, his "dear museum," as he called it, absorbed all + his surplus energies. While busily occupied in collecting models and + specimens for the museum, he filled up his odds-and-ends of time in + lecturing to Ragged Schools, Ragged Kirks, and Medical Missionary + Societies. He gave himself no rest, either of mind or body; and "to die + working" was the fate he envied. His mind would not give in, but his poor + body was forced to yield, and a severe attack of haemorrhage—bleeding + from both lungs and stomach <a href="#linknote-1614" + name="linknoteref-1614" id="linknoteref-1614"><small>1614</small></a>—compelled + him to relax in his labours. "For a month, or some forty days," he wrote—"a + dreadful Lent—the mind has blown geographically from 'Araby the + blest,' but thermometrically from Iceland the accursed. I have been made a + prisoner of war, hit by an icicle in the lungs, and have shivered and + burned alternately for a large portion of the last month, and spat blood + till I grew pale with coughing. Now I am better, and to-morrow I give my + concluding lecture [16on Technology], thankful that I have contrived, + notwithstanding all my troubles, to carry on without missing a lecture to + the last day of the Faculty of Arts, to which I belong." <a + href="#linknote-1615" name="linknoteref-1615" id="linknoteref-1615"><small>1615</small></a> + </p> + <p> + How long was it to last? He himself began to wonder, for he had long felt + his life as if ebbing away. At length he became languid, weary, and unfit + for work; even the writing of a letter cost him a painful effort, and. he + felt "as if to lie down and sleep were the only things worth doing." Yet + shortly after, to help a Sunday-school, he wrote his 'Five Gateways of + Knowledge,' as a lecture, and afterwards expanded it into a book. He also + recovered strength sufficient to enable him to proceed with his lectures + to the institutions to which he belonged, besides on various occasions + undertaking to do other people's work. "I am looked upon as good as mad," + he wrote to his brother, "because, on a hasty notice, I took a defaulting + lecturer's place at the Philosophical Institution, and discoursed on the + Polarization of Light.... But I like work: it is a family weakness." + </p> + <p> + Then followed chronic malaise—sleepless nights, days of pain, and + more spitting of blood. "My only painless moments," he says, "were when + lecturing." In this state of prostration and disease, the indefatigable + man undertook to write the 'Life of Edward Forbes'; and he did it, like + everything he undertook, with admirable ability. He proceeded with his + lectures as usual. To an association of teachers he delivered a discourse + on the educational value of industrial science. After he had spoken to his + audience for an hour, he left them to say whether he should go on or not, + and they cheered him on to another half-hour's address. "It is curious," + he wrote, "the feeling of having an audience, like clay in your hands, to + mould for a season as you please. It is a terribly responsible power.... I + do not mean for a moment to imply that I am indifferent to the good + opinion of others—far otherwise; but to gain this is much less a + concern with me than to deserve it. It was not so once. I had no wish for + unmerited praise, but I was too ready to settle that I did merit it. Now, + the word DUTY seems to me the biggest word in the world, and is uppermost + in all my serious doings." + </p> + <p> + This was written only about four months before his death. A little later + he wrote, "I spin my thread of life from week to week, rather than from + year to year." Constant attacks of bleeding from the lungs sapped his + little remaining strength, but did not altogether disable him from + lecturing. He was amused by one of his friends proposing to put him under + trustees for the purpose of looking after his health. But he would not be + restrained from working, so long as a vestige of strength remained. + </p> + <p> + One day, in the autumn of 1859, he returned from his customary lecture in + the University of Edinburgh with a severe pain in his side. He was + scarcely able to crawl upstairs. Medical aid was sent for, and he was + pronounced to be suffering from pleurisy and inflammation of the lungs. + His enfeebled frame was ill able to resist so severe a disease, and he + sank peacefully to the rest he so longed for, after a few days' illness: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Wrong not the dead with tears! + A glorious bright to-morrow + Endeth a weary life of pain and sorrow." +</pre> + <p> + The life of George Wilson—so admirably and affectionately related by + his sister—is probably one of the most marvellous records of pain + and longsuffering, and yet of persistent, noble, and useful work, that is + to be found in the whole history of literature. His entire career was + indeed but a prolonged illustration of the lines which he himself + addressed to his deceased friend, Dr. John Reid, a likeminded man, whose + memoir he wrote:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Thou wert a daily lesson + Of courage, hope, and faith; + We wondered at thee living, + We envy thee thy death. + + Thou wert so meek and reverent, + So resolute of will, + So bold to bear the uttermost, + And yet so calm and still." +</pre> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0008" id="link2HCH0008"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER VIII.—TEMPER. + </h2> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Temper is nine-tenths of Christianity."—BISHOP WILSON. + + "Heaven is a temper, not a place."—DR. CHALMERS. + + "And should my youth, as youth is apt I know, + Some harshness show; + All vain asperities I day by day + Would wear away, + Till the smooth temper of my age should be + Like the high leaves upon the Holly Tree"—SOUTHEY. + + "Even Power itself hath not one-half the might of Gentleness" + —LEIGH HUNT. +</pre> + <p> + It has been said that men succeed in life quite as much by their temper as + by their talents. However this may be, it is certain that their happiness + in life depends mainly upon their equanimity of disposition, their + patience and forbearance, and their kindness and thoughtfulness for those + about them. It is really true what Plato says, that in seeking the good of + others we find our own. + </p> + <p> + There are some natures so happily constituted that they can find good in + everything. There is no calamity so great but they can educe comfort or + consolation from it—no sky so black but they can discover a gleam of + sunshine issuing through it from some quarter or another; and if the sun + be not visible to their eyes, they at least comfort themselves with the + thought that it IS there, though veiled from them for some good and wise + purpose. + </p> + <p> + Such happy natures are to be envied. They have a beam in the eye—a + beam of pleasure, gladness, religious cheerfulness, philosophy, call it + what you will. Sunshine is about their hearts, and their mind gilds with + its own hues all that it looks upon. When they have burdens to bear, they + bear them cheerfully—not repining, nor fretting, nor wasting their + energies in useless lamentation, but struggling onward manfully, gathering + up such flowers as lie along their path. + </p> + <p> + Let it not for a moment be supposed that men such as those we speak of are + weak and unreflective. The largest and most comprehensive natures are + generally also the most cheerful, the most loving, the most hopeful, the + most trustful. It is the wise man, of large vision, who is the quickest to + discern the moral sunshine gleaming through the darkest cloud. In present + evil he sees prospective good; in pain, he recognises the effort of nature + to restore health; in trials, he finds correction and discipline; and in + sorrow and suffering, he gathers courage, knowledge, and the best + practical wisdom. + </p> + <p> + When Jeremy Taylor had lost all—when his house had been plundered, + and his family driven out-of-doors, and all his worldly estate had been + sequestrated—he could still write thus: "I am fallen into the hands + of publicans and sequestrators, and they have taken all from me; what now? + Let me look about me. They have left me the sun and moon, a loving wife, + and many friends to pity me, and some to relieve me; and I can still + discourse, and, unless I list, they have not taken away my merry + countenance and my cheerful spirit, and a good conscience; they have still + left me the providence of God, and all the promises of the Gospel, and my + religion, and my hopes of heaven, and my charity to them, too; and still I + sleep and digest, I eat and drink, I read and meditate.... And he that + hath so many causes of joy, and so great, is very much in love with sorrow + and peevishness, who loves all these pleasures, and chooses to sit down + upon his little handful of thorns." <a href="#linknote-171" + name="linknoteref-171" id="linknoteref-171"><small>171</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Although cheerfulness of disposition is very much a matter of inborn + temperament, it is also capable of being trained and cultivated like any + other habit. We may make the best of life, or we may make the worst of it; + and it depends very much upon ourselves whether we extract joy or misery + from it. There are always two sides of life on which we can look, + according as we choose—the bright side or the gloomy. We can bring + the power of the will to bear in making the choice, and thus cultivate the + habit of being happy or the reverse. We can encourage the disposition of + looking at the brightest side of things, instead of the darkest. And while + we see the cloud, let us not shut our eyes to the silver lining. + </p> + <p> + The beam in the eye sheds brightness, beauty, and joy upon life in all its + phases. It shines upon coldness, and warms it; upon suffering, and + comforts it; upon ignorance, and enlightens it; upon sorrow, and cheers + it. The beam in the eye gives lustre to intellect, and brightens beauty + itself. Without it the sunshine of life is not felt, flowers bloom in + vain, the marvels of heaven and earth are not seen or acknowledged, and + creation is but a dreary, lifeless, soulless blank. + </p> + <p> + While cheerfulness of disposition is a great source of enjoyment in life, + it is also a great safeguard of character. A devotional writer of the + present day, in answer to the question, How are we to overcome + temptations? says: "Cheerfulness is the first thing, cheerfulness is the + second, and cheerfulness is the third." It furnishes the best soil for the + growth of goodness and virtue. It gives brightness of heart and elasticity + of spirit. It is the companion of charity, the nurse of patience the + mother of wisdom. It is also the best of moral and mental tonics. "The + best cordial of all," said Dr. Marshall Hall to one of his patients, "is + cheerfulness." And Solomon has said that "a merry heart doeth good like a + medicine." When Luther was once applied to for a remedy against + melancholy, his advice was: "Gaiety and courage—innocent gaiety, and + rational honourable courage—are the best medicine for young men, and + for old men, too; for all men against sad thoughts." <a + href="#linknote-172" name="linknoteref-172" id="linknoteref-172"><small>172</small></a> + Next to music, if not before it, Luther loved children and flowers. The + great gnarled man had a heart as tender as a woman's. + </p> + <p> + Cheerfulness is also an excellent wearing quality. It has been called the + bright weather of the heart. It gives harmony of soul, and is a perpetual + song without words. It is tantamount to repose. It enables nature to + recruit its strength; whereas worry and discontent debilitate it, + involving constant wear-and-tear. How is it that we see such men as Lord + Palmerston growing old in harness, working on vigorously to the end? + Mainly through equanimity of temper and habitual cheerfulness. They have + educated themselves in the habit of endurance, of not being easily + provoked, of bearing and forbearing, of hearing harsh and even unjust + things said of them without indulging in undue resentment, and avoiding + worreting, petty, and self-tormenting cares. An intimate friend of Lord + Palmerston, who observed him closely for twenty years, has said that he + never saw him angry, with perhaps one exception; and that was when the + ministry responsible for the calamity in Affghanistan, of which he was + one, were unjustly accused by their opponents of falsehood, perjury, and + wilful mutilation of public documents. + </p> + <p> + So far as can be learnt from biography, men of the greatest genius have + been for the most part cheerful, contented men—not eager for + reputation, money, or power—but relishing life, and keenly + susceptible of enjoyment, as we find reflected in their works. Such seem + to have been Homer, Horace, Virgil, Montaigne, Shakspeare, Cervantes. + Healthy serene cheerfulness is apparent in their great creations. Among + the same class of cheerful-minded men may also be mentioned Luther, More, + Bacon, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, and Michael Angelo. Perhaps they were + happy because constantly occupied, and in the pleasantest of all work—that + of creating out of the fulness and richness of their great minds. + </p> + <p> + Milton, too, though a man of many trials and sufferings, must have been a + man of great cheerfulness and elasticity of nature. Though overtaken by + blindness, deserted by friends, and fallen upon evil days—"darkness + before and danger's voice behind"—yet did he not bate heart or hope, + but "still bore up and steered right onward." + </p> + <p> + Henry Fielding was a man borne down through life by debt, and difficulty, + and bodily suffering; and yet Lady Mary Wortley Montague has said of him + that, by virtue of his cheerful disposition, she was persuaded he "had + known more happy moments than any person on earth." + </p> + <p> + Dr. Johnson, through all his trials and sufferings and hard fights with + fortune, was a courageous and cheerful-natured man. He manfully made the + best of life, and tried to be glad in it. Once, when a clergyman was + complaining of the dulness of society in the country, saying "they only + talk of runts" [17young cows], Johnson felt flattered by the observation + of Mrs. Thrale's mother, who said, "Sir, Dr. Johnson would learn to talk + of runts"—meaning that he was a man who would make the most of his + situation, whatever it was. + </p> + <p> + Johnson was of opinion that a man grew better as he grew older, and that + his nature mellowed with age. This is certainly a much more cheerful view + of human nature than that of Lord Chesterfield, who saw life through the + eyes of a cynic, and held that "the heart never grows better by age: it + only grows harder." But both sayings may be true according to the point + from which life is viewed, and the temper by which a man is governed; for + while the good, profiting by experience, and disciplining themselves by + self-control, will grow better, the ill-conditioned, uninfluenced by + experience, will only grow worse. + </p> + <p> + Sir Walter Scott was a man full of the milk of human kindness. Everybody + loved him. He was never five minutes in a room ere the little pets of the + family, whether dumb or lisping, had found out his kindness for all their + generation. Scott related to Captain Basil Hall an incident of his boyhood + which showed the tenderness of his nature. One day, a dog coming towards + him, he took up a big stone, threw it, and hit the dog. The poor creature + had strength enough left to crawl up to him and lick his feet, although he + saw its leg was broken. The incident, he said, had given him the bitterest + remorse in his after-life; but he added, "An early circumstance of that + kind, properly reflected on, is calculated to have the best effect on + one's character throughout life." + </p> + <p> + "Give me an honest laugher," Scott would say; and he himself laughed the + heart's laugh. He had a kind word for everybody, and his kindness acted + all round him like a contagion, dispelling the reserve and awe which his + great name was calculated to inspire. "He'll come here," said the keeper + of the ruins of Melrose Abbey to Washington Irving—"he'll come here + some-times, wi' great folks in his company, and the first I'll know of it + is hearing his voice calling out, 'Johnny! Johnny Bower!' And when I go + out I'm sure to be greeted wi' a joke or a pleasant word. He'll stand and + crack and laugh wi' me, just like an auld wife; and to think that of a man + that has SUCH AN AWFU' KNOWLEDGE O' HISTORY!" + </p> + <p> + Dr. Arnold was a man of the same hearty cordiality of manner—full of + human sympathy. There was not a particle of affectation or pretence of + condescension about him. "I never knew such a humble man as the doctor," + said the parish clerk at Laleham; "he comes and shakes us by the hand as + if he was one of us." "He used to come into my house," said an old woman + near Fox How, "and talk to me as if I were a lady." + </p> + <p> + Sydney Smith was another illustration of the power of cheerfulness. He was + ever ready to look on the bright side of things; the darkest cloud had to + him its silver lining. Whether working as country curate, or as parish + rector, he was always kind, laborious, patient, and exemplary; exhibiting + in every sphere of life the spirit of a Christian, the kindness of a + pastor, and the honour of a gentleman. In his leisure he employed his pen + on the side of justice, freedom, education, toleration, emancipation; and + his writings, though full of common-sense and bright humour, are never + vulgar; nor did he ever pander to popularity or prejudice. His good + spirits, thanks to his natural vivacity and stamina of constitution, never + forsook him; and in his old age, when borne down by disease, he wrote to a + friend: "I have gout, asthma, and seven other maladies, but am otherwise + very well." In one of the last letters he wrote to Lady Carlisle, he said: + "If you hear of sixteen or eighteen pounds of flesh wanting an owner, they + belong to me. I look as if a curate had been taken out of me." + </p> + <p> + Great men of science have for the most part been patient, laborious, + cheerful-minded men. Such were Galileo, Descartes, Newton, and Laplace. + Euler the mathematician, one of the greatest of natural philosophers, was + a distinguished instance. Towards the close of his life he became + completely blind; but he went on writing as cheerfully as before, + supplying the want of sight by various ingenious mechanical devices, and + by the increased cultivation of his memory, which became exceedingly + tenacious. His chief pleasure was in the society of his grandchildren, to + whom he taught their little lessons in the intervals of his severer + studies. + </p> + <p> + In like manner, Professor Robison of Edinburgh, the first editor of the + 'Encyclopaedia Britannica,' when disabled from work by a lingering and + painful disorder, found his chief pleasure in the society of his + grandchild. "I am infinitely delighted," he wrote to James Watt, "with + observing the growth of its little soul, and particularly with its + numberless instincts, which formerly passed unheeded. I thank the French + theorists for more forcibly directing my attention to the finger of God, + which I discern in every awkward movement and every wayward whim. They are + all guardians of his life and growth and power. I regret indeed that I + have not time to make infancy and the development of its powers my sole + study." + </p> + <p> + One of the sorest trials of a man's temper and patience was that which + befell Abauzit, the natural philosopher, while residing at Geneva; + resembling in many respects a similar calamity which occurred to Newton, + and which he bore with equal resignation. Amongst other things, Abauzit + devoted much study to the barometer and its variations, with the object of + deducing the general laws which regulated atmospheric pressure. During + twenty-seven years he made numerous observations daily, recording them on + sheets prepared for the purpose. One day, when a new servant was installed + in the house, she immediately proceeded to display her zeal by "putting + things to-rights." Abauzit's study, amongst other rooms, was made tidy and + set in order. When he entered it, he asked of the servant, "What have you + done with the paper that was round the barometer?" "Oh, sir," was the + reply, "it was so dirty that I burnt it, and put in its place this paper, + which you will see is quite new." Abauzit crossed his arms, and after some + moments of internal struggle, he said, in a tone of calmness and + resignation: "You have destroyed the results of twenty-seven years labour; + in future touch nothing whatever in this room." + </p> + <p> + The study of natural history more than that of any other branch of + science, seems to be accompanied by unusual cheerfulness and equanimity of + temper on the part of its votaries; the result of which is, that the life + of naturalists is on the whole more prolonged than that of any other class + of men of science. A member of the Linnaean Society has informed us that + of fourteen members who died in 1870, two were over ninety, five were over + eighty, and two were over seventy. The average age of all the members who + died in that year was seventy-five. + </p> + <p> + Adanson, the French botanist, was about seventy years old when the + Revolution broke out, and amidst the shock he lost everything—his + fortune, his places, and his gardens. But his patience, courage, and + resignation never forsook him. He became reduced to the greatest straits, + and even wanted food and clothing; yet his ardour of investigation + remained the same. Once, when the Institute invited him, as being one of + its oldest members, to assist at a SEANCE, his answer was that he + regretted he could not attend for want of shoes. "It was a touching + sight," says Cuvier, "to see the poor old man, bent over the embers of a + decaying fire, trying to trace characters with a feeble hand on the little + bit of paper which he held, forgetting all the pains of life in some new + idea in natural history, which came to him like some beneficent fairy to + cheer him in his loneliness." The Directory eventually gave him a small + pension, which Napoleon doubled; and at length, easeful death came to his + relief in his seventy-ninth year. A clause in his will, as to the manner + of his funeral, illustrates the character of the man. He directed that a + garland of flowers, provided by fifty-eight families whom he had + established in life, should be the only decoration of his coffin—a + slight but touching image of the more durable monument which he had + erected for himself in his works. + </p> + <p> + Such are only a few instances, of the cheerful-working-ness of great men, + which might, indeed, be multiplied to any extent. All large healthy + natures are cheerful as well as hopeful. Their example is also contagious + and diffusive, brightening and cheering all who come within reach of their + influence. It was said of Sir John Malcolm, when he appeared in a saddened + camp in India, that "it was like a gleam of sunlight,.... no man left him + without a smile on his face. He was 'boy Malcolm' still. It was impossible + to resist the fascination of his genial presence." <a href="#linknote-173" + name="linknoteref-173" id="linknoteref-173"><small>173</small></a> + </p> + <p> + There was the same joyousness of nature about Edmund Burke. Once at a + dinner at Sir Joshua Reynolds's, when the conversation turned upon the + suitability of liquors for particular temperaments, Johnson said, "Claret + is for boys, port for men, and brandy for heroes." "Then," said Burke, + "let me have claret: I love to be a boy, and to have the careless gaiety + of boyish days." And so it is, that there are old young men, and young old + men—some who are as joyous and cheerful as boys in their old age, + and others who are as morose and cheerless as saddened old men while still + in their boyhood. + </p> + <p> + In the presence of some priggish youths, we have heard a cheerful old man + declare that, apparently, there would soon be nothing but "old boys" left. + Cheerfulness, being generous and genial, joyous and hearty, is never the + characteristic of prigs. Goethe used to exclaim of goody-goody persons, + "Oh! if they had but the heart to commit an absurdity!" This was when he + thought they wanted heartiness and nature. "Pretty dolls!" was his + expression when speaking of them, and turning away. + </p> + <p> + The true basis of cheerfulness is love, hope, and patience. Love evokes + love, and begets loving kindness. Love cherishes hopeful and generous + thoughts of others. It is charitable, gentle, and truthful. It is a + discerner of good. It turns to the brightest side of things, and its face + is ever directed towards happiness. It sees "the glory in the grass, the + sunshine on the flower." It encourages happy thoughts, and lives in an + atmosphere of cheerfulness. It costs nothing, and yet is invaluable; for + it blesses its possessor, and grows up in abundant happiness in the bosoms + of others. Even its sorrows are linked with pleasures, and its very tears + are sweet. + </p> + <p> + Bentham lays it down as a principle, that a man becomes rich in his own + stock of pleasures in proportion to the amount he distributes to others. + His kindness will evoke kindness, and his happiness be increased by his + own benevolence. "Kind words," he says, "cost no more than unkind ones. + Kind words produce kind actions, not only on the part of him to whom they + are addressed, but on the part of him by whom they are employed; and this + not incidentally only, but habitually, in virtue of the principle of + association.".... "It may indeed happen, that the effort of beneficence + may not benefit those for whom it was intended; but when wisely directed, + it MUST benefit the person from whom it emanates. Good and friendly + conduct may meet with an unworthy and ungrateful return; but the absence + of gratitude on the part of the receiver cannot destroy the + self-approbation which recompenses the giver, and we may scatter the seeds + of courtesy and kindliness around us at so little expense. Some of them + will inevitably fall on good ground, and grow up into benevolence in the + minds of others; and all of them will bear fruit of happiness in the bosom + whence they spring. Once blest are all the virtues always; twice blest + sometimes." <a href="#linknote-174" name="linknoteref-174" + id="linknoteref-174"><small>174</small></a> + </p> + <p> + The poet Rogers used to tell a story of a little girl, a great favourite + with every one who knew her. Some one said to her, "Why does everybody + love you so much?" She answered, "I think it is because I love everybody + so much." This little story is capable of a very wide application; for our + happiness as human beings, generally speaking, will be found to be very + much in proportion to the number of things we love, and the number of + things that love us. And the greatest worldly success, however honestly + achieved, will contribute comparatively little to happiness, unless it be + accompanied by a lively benevolence towards every human being. + </p> + <p> + Kindness is indeed a great power in the world. Leigh Hunt has truly said + that "Power itself hath not one half the might of gentleness." Men are + always best governed through their affections. There is a French proverb + which says that, "LES HOMMES SE PRENNENT PAR LA DOUCEUR," and a coarser + English one, to the effect that "More wasps are caught by honey than by + vinegar." "Every act of kindness," says Bentham, "is in fact an exercise + of power, and a stock of friendship laid up; and why should not power + exercise itself in the production of pleasure as of pain?" + </p> + <p> + Kindness does not consist in gifts, but in gentleness and generosity of + spirit. Men may give their money which comes from the purse, and withhold + their kindness which comes from the heart. The kindness that displays + itself in giving money, does not amount to much, and often does quite as + much harm as good; but the kindness of true sympathy, of thoughtful help, + is never without beneficent results. + </p> + <p> + The good temper that displays itself in kindness must not be confounded + with softness or silliness. In its best form, it is not a merely passive + but an active condition of being. It is not by any means indifferent, but + largely sympathetic. It does not characterise the lowest and most + gelatinous forms of human life, but those that are the most highly + organized. True kindness cherishes and actively promotes all reasonable + instrumentalities for doing practical good in its own time; and, looking + into futurity, sees the same spirit working on for the eventual elevation + and happiness of the race. + </p> + <p> + It is the kindly-dispositioned men who are the active men of the world, + while the selfish and the sceptical, who have no love but for themselves, + are its idlers. Buffon used to say, that he would give nothing for a young + man who did not begin life with an enthusiasm of some sort. It showed that + at least he had faith in something good, lofty, and generous, even if + unattainable. + </p> + <p> + Egotism, scepticism, and selfishness are always miserable companions in + life, and they are especially unnatural in youth. The egotist is next-door + to a fanatic. Constantly occupied with self, he has no thought to spare + for others. He refers to himself in all things, thinks of himself, and + studies himself, until his own little self becomes his own little god. + </p> + <p> + Worst of all are the grumblers and growlers at fortune—who find that + "whatever is is wrong," and will do nothing to set matters right—who + declare all to be barren "from Dan even to Beersheba." These grumblers are + invariably found the least efficient helpers in the school of life. As the + worst workmen are usually the readiest to "strike," so the least + industrious members of society are the readiest to complain. The worst + wheel of all is the one that creaks. + </p> + <p> + There is such a thing as the cherishing of discontent until the feeling + becomes morbid. The jaundiced see everything about them yellow. The + ill-conditioned think all things awry, and the whole world out-of-joint. + All is vanity and vexation of spirit. The little girl in PUNCH, who found + her doll stuffed with bran, and forthwith declared everything to be hollow + and wanted to "go into a nunnery," had her counterpart in real life. Many + full-grown people are quite as morbidly unreasonable. There are those who + may be said to "enjoy bad health;" they regard it as a sort of property. + They can speak of "MY headache"—"MY backache," and so forth, until + in course of time it becomes their most cherished possession. But perhaps + it is the source to them of much coveted sympathy, without which they + might find themselves of comparatively little importance in the world. + </p> + <p> + We have to be on our guard against small troubles, which, by encouraging, + we are apt to magnify into great ones. Indeed, the chief source of worry + in the world is not real but imaginary evil—small vexations and + trivial afflictions. In the presence of a great sorrow, all petty troubles + disappear; but we are too ready to take some cherished misery to our + bosom, and to pet it there. Very often it is the child of our fancy; and, + forgetful of the many means of happiness which lie within our reach, we + indulge this spoilt child of ours until it masters us. We shut the door + against cheerfulness, and surround ourselves with gloom. The habit gives a + colouring to our life. We grow querulous, moody, and unsympathetic. Our + conversation becomes full of regrets. We are harsh in our judgment of + others. We are unsociable, and think everybody else is so. We make our + breast a storehouse of pain, which we inflict upon ourselves as well as + upon others. + </p> + <p> + This disposition is encouraged by selfishness: indeed, it is for the most + part selfishness unmingled, without any admixture of sympathy or + consideration for the feelings of those about us. It is simply wilfulness + in the wrong direction. It is wilful, because it might be avoided. Let the + necessitarians argue as they may, freedom of will and action is the + possession of every man and woman. It is sometimes our glory, and very + often it is our shame: all depends upon the manner in which it is used. We + can choose to look at the bright side of things, or at the dark. We can + follow good and eschew evil thoughts. We can be wrongheaded and + wronghearted, or the reverse, as we ourselves determine. The world will be + to each one of us very much what we make it. The cheerful are its real + possessors, for the world belongs to those who enjoy it. + </p> + <p> + It must, however, be admitted that there are cases beyond the reach of the + moralist. Once, when a miserable-looking dyspeptic called upon a leading + physician and laid his case before him, "Oh!" said the doctor, "you only + want a good hearty laugh: go and see Grimaldi." "Alas!" said the miserable + patient, "I am Grimaldi!" So, when Smollett, oppressed by disease, + travelled over Europe in the hope of finding health, he saw everything + through his own jaundiced eyes. "I'll tell it," said Smellfungus, "to the + world." "You had better tell it," said Sterne, "to your physician." The + restless, anxious, dissatisfied temper, that is ever ready to run and meet + care half-way, is fatal to all happiness and peace of mind. How often do + we see men and women set themselves about as if with stiff bristles, so + that one dare scarcely approach them without fear of being pricked! For + want of a little occasional command over one's temper, an amount of misery + is occasioned in society which is positively frightful. Thus enjoyment is + turned into bitterness, and life becomes like a journey barefooted amongst + thorns and briers and prickles. "Though sometimes small evils," says + Richard Sharp, "like invisible insects, inflict great pain, and a single + hair may stop a vast machine, yet the chief secret of comfort lies in not + suffering trifles to vex us; and in prudently cultivating an undergrowth + of small pleasures, since very few great ones, alas! are let on long + leases." <a href="#linknote-175" name="linknoteref-175" + id="linknoteref-175"><small>175</small></a> + </p> + <p> + St. Francis de Sales treats the same topic from the Christian's point of + view. "How carefully," he says, "we should cherish the little virtues + which spring up at the foot of the Cross!" When the saint was asked, "What + virtues do you mean?" he replied: "Humility, patience, meekness, + benignity, bearing one another's burden, condescension, softness of heart, + cheerfulness, cordiality, compassion, forgiving injuries, simplicity, + candour—all, in short of that sort of little virtues. They, like + unobtrusive violets, love the shade; like them are sustained by dew; and + though, like them, they make little show, they shed a sweet odour on all + around." <a href="#linknote-176" name="linknoteref-176" + id="linknoteref-176"><small>176</small></a> + </p> + <p> + And again he said: "If you would fall into any extreme, let it be on the + side of gentleness. The human mind is so constructed that it resists + rigour, and yields to softness. A mild word quenches anger, as water + quenches the rage of fire; and by benignity any soil may be rendered + fruitful. Truth, uttered with courtesy, is heaping coals of fire on the + head—or rather, throwing roses in the face. How can we resist a foe + whose weapons are pearls and diamonds?" <a href="#linknote-177" + name="linknoteref-177" id="linknoteref-177"><small>177</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Meeting evils by anticipation is not the way to overcome them. If we + perpetually carry our burdens about with us, they will soon bear us down + under their load. When evil comes, we must deal with it bravely and + hopefully. What Perthes wrote to a young man, who seemed to him inclined + to take trifles as well as sorrows too much to heart, was doubtless good + advice: "Go forward with hope and confidence. This is the advice given + thee by an old man, who has had a full share of the burden and heat of + life's day. We must ever stand upright, happen what may, and for this end + we must cheerfully resign ourselves to the varied influences of this + many-coloured life. You may call this levity, and you are partly right; + for flowers and colours are but trifles light as air, but such levity is a + constituent portion of our human nature, without which it would sink under + the weight of time. While on earth we must still play with earth, and with + that which blooms and fades upon its breast. The consciousness of this + mortal life being but the way to a higher goal, by no means precludes our + playing with it cheerfully; and, indeed, we must do so, otherwise our + energy in action will entirely fail." <a href="#linknote-178" + name="linknoteref-178" id="linknoteref-178"><small>178</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Cheerfulness also accompanies patience, which is one of the main + conditions of happiness and success in life. "He that will be served," + says George Herbert, "must be patient." It was said of the cheerful and + patient King Alfred, that "good fortune accompanied him like a gift of + God." Marlborough's expectant calmness was great, and a principal secret + of his success as a general. "Patience will overcome all things," he wrote + to Godolphin, in 1702. In the midst of a great emergency, while baffled + and opposed by his allies, he said, "Having done all that is possible, we + should submit with patience." + </p> + <p> + Last and chiefest of blessings is Hope, the most common of possessions; + for, as Thales the philosopher said, "Even those who have nothing else + have hope." Hope is the great helper of the poor. It has even been styled + "the poor man's bread." It is also the sustainer and inspirer of great + deeds. It is recorded of Alexander the Great, that when he succeeded to + the throne of Macedon, he gave away amongst his friends the greater part + of the estates which his father had left him; and when Perdiccas asked him + what he reserved for himself, Alexander answered, "The greatest possession + of all,—Hope!" + </p> + <p> + The pleasures of memory, however great, are stale compared with those of + hope; for hope is the parent of all effort and endeavour; and "every gift + of noble origin is breathed upon by Hope's perpetual breath." It may be + said to be the moral engine that moves the world, and keeps it in action; + and at the end of all there stands before us what Robertson of Ellon + styled "The Great Hope." "If it were not for Hope," said Byron, "where + would the Future be?—in hell! It is useless to say where the Present + is, for most of us know; and as for the Past, WHAT predominates in memory?—Hope + baffled. ERGO, in all human affairs it is Hope, Hope, Hope!" <a + href="#linknote-179" name="linknoteref-179" id="linknoteref-179"><small>179</small></a> + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0009" id="link2HCH0009"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER IX.—MANNER—ART. + </h2> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "We must be gentle, now we are gentlemen."—SHAKSPEARE. + + "Manners are not idle, but the fruit + Of noble nature and of loyal mind."—TENNYSON. + + "A beautiful behaviour is better than a beautiful form; it + gives a higher pleasure than statues and pictures; it is the + finest of the fine arts."—EMERSON. + + "Manners are often too much neglected; they are most + important to men, no less than to women.... Life is too + short to get over a bad manner; besides, manners are the + shadows of virtues."—THE REV. SIDNEY SMITH. +</pre> + <p> + Manner is one of the principal external graces of character. It is the + ornament of action, and often makes the commonest offices beautiful by the + way in which it performs them. It is a happy way of doing things, adorning + even the smallest details of life, and contributing to render it, as a + whole, agreeable and pleasant. + </p> + <p> + Manner is not so frivolous or unimportant as some may think it to be; for + it tends greatly to facilitate the business of life, as well as to sweeten + and soften social intercourse. "Virtue itself," says Bishop Middleton, + "offends, when coupled with a forbidding manner." + </p> + <p> + Manner has a good deal to do with the estimation in which men are held by + the world; and it has often more influence in the government of others + than qualities of much greater depth and substance. A manner at once + gracious and cordial is among the greatest aids to success, and many there + are who fail for want of it. <a href="#linknote-181" name="linknoteref-181" + id="linknoteref-181"><small>181</small></a> For a great deal depends upon + first impressions; and these are usually favourable or otherwise according + to a man's courteousness and civility. + </p> + <p> + While rudeness and gruffness bar doors and shut hearts, kindness and + propriety of behaviour, in which good manners consist, act as an "open + sesame" everywhere. Doors unbar before them, and they are a passport to + the hearts of everybody, young and old. + </p> + <p> + There is a common saying that "Manners make the man;" but this is not so + true as that "Man makes the manners." A man may be gruff, and even rude, + and yet be good at heart and of sterling character; yet he would doubtless + be a much more agreeable, and probably a much more useful man, were he to + exhibit that suavity of disposition and courtesy of manner which always + gives a finish to the true gentleman. + </p> + <p> + Mrs. Hutchinson, in the noble portraiture of her husband, to which we have + already had occasion to refer, thus describes his manly courteousness and + affability of disposition:—"I cannot say whether he were more truly + magnanimous or less proud; he never disdained the meanest person, nor + flattered the greatest; he had a loving and sweet courtesy to the poorest, + and would often employ many spare hours with the commonest soldiers and + poorest labourers; but still so ordering his familiarity, that it never + raised them to a contempt, but entertained still at the same time a + reverence and love of him." <a href="#linknote-182" name="linknoteref-182" + id="linknoteref-182"><small>182</small></a> + </p> + <p> + A man's manner, to a certain extent, indicates his character. It is the + external exponent of his inner nature. It indicates his taste, his + feelings, and his temper, as well as the society to which he has been + accustomed. There is a conventional manner, which is of comparatively + little importance; but the natural manner, the outcome of natural gifts, + improved by careful self-culture, signifies a great deal. + </p> + <p> + Grace of manner is inspired by sentiment, which is a source of no slight + enjoyment to a cultivated mind. Viewed in this light, sentiment is of + almost as much importance as talents and acquirements, while it is even + more influential in giving the direction to a man s tastes and character. + Sympathy is the golden key that unlocks the hearts of others. It not only + teaches politeness and courtesy, but gives insight and unfolds wisdom, and + may almost be regarded as the crowning grace of humanity. + </p> + <p> + Artificial rules of politeness are of very little use. What passes by the + name of "Etiquette" is often of the essence of unpoliteness and + untruthfulness. It consists in a great measure of posture-making, and is + easily seen through. Even at best, etiquette is but a substitute for good + manners, though it is often but their mere counterfeit. + </p> + <p> + Good manners consist, for the most part, in courteousness and kindness. + Politeness has been described as the art of showing, by external signs, + the internal regard we have for others. But one may be perfectly polite to + another without necessarily having a special regard for him. Good manners + are neither more nor less than beautiful behaviour. It has been well said, + that "a beautiful form is better than a beautiful face, and a beautiful + behaviour is better than a beautiful form; it gives a higher pleasure than + statues or pictures—it is the finest of the fine arts." + </p> + <p> + The truest politeness comes of sincerity. It must be the outcome of the + heart, or it will make no lasting impression; for no amount of polish can + dispense with truthfulness. The natural character must be allowed to + appear, freed of its angularities and asperities. Though politeness, in + its best form, should [18as St. Francis de Sales says] resemble water—"best + when clearest, most simple, and without taste,"—yet genius in a man + will always cover many defects of manner, and much will be excused to the + strong and the original. Without genuineness and individuality, human life + would lose much of its interest and variety, as well as its manliness and + robustness of character. + </p> + <p> + True courtesy is kind. It exhibits itself in the disposition to contribute + to the happiness of others, and in refraining from all that may annoy + them. It is grateful as well as kind, and readily acknowledges kind + actions. Curiously enough, Captain Speke found this quality of character + recognised even by the natives of Uganda on the shores of Lake Nyanza, in + the heart of Africa, where, he says. "Ingratitude, or neglecting to thank + a person for a benefit conferred, is punishable." + </p> + <p> + True politeness especially exhibits itself in regard for the personality + of others. A man will respect the individuality of another if he wishes to + be respected himself. He will have due regard for his views and opinions, + even though they differ from his own. The well-mannered man pays a + compliment to another, and sometimes even secures his respect, by + patiently listening to him. He is simply tolerant and forbearant, and + refrains from judging harshly; and harsh judgments of others will almost + invariably provoke harsh judgments of ourselves. + </p> + <p> + The unpolite impulsive man will, however, sometimes rather lose his friend + than his joke. He may surely be pronounced a very foolish person who + secures another's hatred at the price of a moment's gratification. It was + a saying of Brunel the engineer—himself one of the kindest-natured + of men—that "spite and ill-nature are among the most expensive + luxuries in life." Dr. Johnson once said: "Sir, a man has no more right to + SAY an uncivil thing than to ACT one—no more right to say a rude + thing to another than to knock him down." + </p> + <p> + A sensible polite person does not assume to be better or wiser or richer + than his neighbour. He does not boast of his rank, or his birth, or his + country; or look down upon others because they have not been born to like + privileges with himself. He does not brag of his achievements or of his + calling, or "talk shop" whenever he opens his mouth. On the contrary, in + all that he says or does, he will be modest, unpretentious, unassuming; + exhibiting his true character in performing rather than in boasting, in + doing rather than in talking. + </p> + <p> + Want of respect for the feelings of others usually originates in + selfishness, and issues in hardness and repulsiveness of manner. It may + not proceed from malignity so much as from want of sympathy and want of + delicacy—a want of that perception of, and attention to, those + little and apparently trifling things by which pleasure is given or pain + occasioned to others. Indeed, it may be said that in self-sacrificingness, + so to speak, in the ordinary intercourse of life, mainly consists the + difference between being well and ill bred. + </p> + <p> + Without some degree of self-restraint in society, a man may be found + almost insufferable. No one has pleasure in holding intercourse with such + a person, and he is a constant source of annoyance to those about him. For + want of self-restraint, many men are engaged all their lives in fighting + with difficulties of their own making, and rendering success impossible by + their own crossgrained ungentleness; whilst others, it may be much less + gifted, make their way and achieve success by simple patience, equanimity, + and self-control. + </p> + <p> + It has been said that men succeed in life quite as much by their temper as + by their talents. However this may be, it is certain that their happiness + depends mainly on their temperament, especially upon their disposition to + be cheerful; upon their complaisance, kindliness of manner, and + willingness to oblige others—details of conduct which are like the + small-change in the intercourse of life, and are always in request. + </p> + <p> + Men may show their disregard of others in various unpolite ways—as, + for instance, by neglect of propriety in dress, by the absence of + cleanliness, or by indulging in repulsive habits. The slovenly dirty + person, by rendering himself physically disagreeable, sets the tastes and + feelings of others at defiance, and is rude and uncivil only under another + form. + </p> + <p> + David Ancillon, a Huguenot preacher of singular attractiveness, who + studied and composed his sermons with the greatest care, was accustomed to + say "that it was showing too little esteem for the public to take no pains + in preparation, and that a man who should appear on a ceremonial-day in + his nightcap and dressing-gown, could not commit a greater breach of + civility." + </p> + <p> + The perfection of manner is ease—that it attracts no man's notice as + such, but is natural and unaffected. Artifice is incompatible with + courteous frankness of manner. Rochefoucauld has said that "nothing so + much prevents our being natural as the desire of appearing so." Thus we + come round again to sincerity and truthfulness, which find their outward + expression in graciousness, urbanity, kindliness, and consideration for + the feelings of others. The frank and cordial man sets those about him at + their ease. He warms and elevates them by his presence, and wins all + hearts. Thus manner, in its highest form, like character, becomes a + genuine motive power. + </p> + <p> + "The love and admiration," says Canon Kingsley, "which that truly brave + and loving man, Sir Sydney Smith, won from every one, rich and poor, with + whom he came in contact seems to have arisen from the one fact, that + without, perhaps, having any such conscious intention, he treated rich and + poor, his own servants and the noblemen his guests, alike, and alike + courteously, considerately, cheerfully, affectionately—so leaving a + blessing, and reaping a blessing, wherever he went." + </p> + <p> + Good manners are usually supposed to be the peculiar characteristic of + persons gently born and bred, and of persons moving in the higher rather + than in the lower spheres of society. And this is no doubt to a great + extent true, because of the more favourable surroundings of the former in + early life. But there is no reason why the poorest classes should not + practise good manners towards each other as well as the richest. + </p> + <p> + Men who toil with their hands, equally with those who do not, may respect + themselves and respect one another; and it is by their demeanour to each + other—in other words, by their manners—that self-respect as + well as mutual respect are indicated. There is scarcely a moment in their + lives, the enjoyment of which might not be enhanced by kindliness of this + sort—in the workshop, in the street, or at home. The civil workman + will exercise increased power amongst his class, and gradually induce them + to imitate him by his persistent steadiness, civility, and kindness. Thus + Benjamin Franklin, when a working-man, is said to have reformed the habits + of an entire workshop. + </p> + <p> + One may be polite and gentle with very little money in his purse. + Politeness goes far, yet costs nothing. It is the cheapest of all + commodities. It is the humblest of the fine arts, yet it is so useful and + so pleasure-giving, that it might almost be ranked amongst the humanities. + </p> + <p> + Every nation may learn something of others; and if there be one thing more + than another that the English working-class might afford to copy with + advantage from their Continental neighbours, it is their politeness. The + French and Germans, of even the humblest classes, are gracious in manner, + complaisant, cordial, and well-bred. The foreign workman lifts his cap and + respectfully salutes his fellow-workman in passing. There is no sacrifice + of manliness in this, but grace and dignity. Even the lowest poverty of + the foreign workpeople is not misery, simply because it is cheerful. + Though not receiving one-half the income which our working-classes do, + they do not sink into wretchedness and drown their troubles in drink; but + contrive to make the best of life, and to enjoy it even amidst poverty. + </p> + <p> + Good taste is a true economist. It may be practised on small means, and + sweeten the lot of labour as well as of ease. It is all the more enjoyed, + indeed, when associated with industry and the performance of duty. Even + the lot of poverty is elevated by taste. It exhibits itself in the + economies of the household. It gives brightness and grace to the humblest + dwelling. It produces refinement, it engenders goodwill, and creates an + atmosphere of cheerfulness. Thus good taste, associated with kindliness, + sympathy, and intelligence, may elevate and adorn even the lowliest lot. + </p> + <p> + The first and best school of manners, as of character, is always the Home, + where woman is the teacher. The manners of society at large are but the + reflex of the manners of our collective homes, neither better nor worse. + Yet, with all the disadvantages of ungenial homes, men may practise + self-culture of manner as of intellect, and learn by good examples to + cultivate a graceful and agreeable behaviour towards others. Most men are + like so many gems in the rough, which need polishing by contact with other + and better natures, to bring out their full beauty and lustre. Some have + but one side polished, sufficient only to show the delicate graining of + the interior; but to bring out the full qualities of the gem needs the + discipline of experience, and contact with the best examples of character + in the intercourse of daily life. + </p> + <p> + A good deal of the success of manner consists in tact, and it is because + women, on the whole, have greater tact than men, that they prove its most + influential teachers. They have more self-restraint than men, and are + naturally more gracious and polite. They possess an intuitive quickness + and readiness of action, have a keener insight into character, and exhibit + greater discrimination and address. In matters of social detail, aptness + and dexterity come to them like nature; and hence well-mannered men + usually receive their best culture by mixing in the society of gentle and + adroit women. + </p> + <p> + Tact is an intuitive art of manner, which carries one through a difficulty + better than either talent or knowledge. "Talent," says a public writer, + "is power: tact is skill. Talent is weight: tact is momentum. Talent knows + what to do: tact knows how to do it. Talent makes a man respectable: tact + makes him respected. Talent is wealth: tact is ready-money." + </p> + <p> + The difference between a man of quick tact and of no tact whatever was + exemplified in an interview which once took place between Lord Palmerston + and Mr. Behnes, the sculptor. At the last sitting which Lord Palmerston + gave him, Behnes opened the conversation with—"Any news, my Lord, + from France? How do we stand with Louis Napoleon?" The Foreign Secretary + raised his eyebrows for an instant, and quietly replied, "Really, Mr. + Behnes, I don't know: I have not seen the newspapers!" Poor Behnes, with + many excellent qualities and much real talent, was one of the many men who + entirely missed their way in life through want of tact. + </p> + <p> + Such is the power of manner, combined with tact, that Wilkes, one of the + ugliest of men, used to say, that in winning the graces of a lady, there + was not more than three days' difference between him and the handsomest + man in England. + </p> + <p> + But this reference to Wilkes reminds us that too much importance must not + be attached to manner, for it does not afford any genuine test of + character. The well-mannered man may, like Wilkes, be merely acting a + part, and that for an immoral purpose. Manner, like other fine arts, gives + pleasure, and is exceedingly agreeable to look upon; but it may be assumed + as a disguise, as men "assume a virtue though they have it not." It is but + the exterior sign of good conduct, but may be no more than skin-deep. The + most highly-polished person may be thoroughly depraved in heart; and his + superfine manners may, after all, only consist in pleasing gestures and in + fine phrases. + </p> + <p> + On the other hand, it must be acknowledged that some of the richest and + most generous natures have been wanting in the graces of courtesy and + politeness. As a rough rind sometimes covers the sweetest fruit, so a + rough exterior often conceals a kindly and hearty nature. The blunt man + may seem even rude in manner, and yet, at heart, be honest, kind, and + gentle. + </p> + <p> + John Knox and Martin Luther were by no means distinguished for their + urbanity. They had work to do which needed strong and determined rather + than well-mannered men. Indeed, they were both thought to be unnecessarily + harsh and violent in their manner. "And who art thou," said Mary Queen of + Scots to Knox, "that presumest to school the nobles and sovereign of this + realm?"—"Madam," replied Knox, "a subject born within the same." It + is said that his boldness, or roughness, more than once made Queen Mary + weep. When Regent Morton heard of this, he said, "Well, 'tis better that + women should weep than bearded men." + </p> + <p> + As Knox was retiring from the Queen's presence on one occasion, he + overheard one of the royal attendants say to another, "He is not afraid!" + Turning round upon them, he said: "And why should the pleasing face of a + gentleman frighten me? I have looked on the faces of angry men, and yet + have not been afraid beyond measure." When the Reformer, worn-out by + excess of labour and anxiety, was at length laid to his rest, the Regent, + looking down into the open grave, exclaimed, in words which made a strong + impression from their aptness and truth—"There lies he who never + feared the face of man!" + </p> + <p> + Luther also was thought by some to be a mere compound of violence and + ruggedness. But, as in the case of Knox, the times in which he lived were + rude and violent; and the work he had to do could scarcely have been + accomplished with gentleness and suavity. To rouse Europe from its + lethargy, he had to speak and to write with force, and even vehemence. Yet + Luther's vehemence was only in words. His apparently rude exterior covered + a warm heart. In private life he was gentle, loving, and affectionate. He + was simple and homely, even to commonness. Fond of all common pleasures + and enjoyments, he was anything but an austere man, or a bigot; for he was + hearty, genial, and even "jolly." Luther was the common people's hero in + his lifetime, and he remains so in Germany to this day. + </p> + <p> + Samuel Johnson was rude and often gruff in manner. But he had been brought + up in a rough school. Poverty in early life had made him acquainted with + strange companions. He had wandered in the streets with Savage for nights + together, unable between them to raise money enough to pay for a bed. When + his indomitable courage and industry at length secured for him a footing + in society, he still bore upon him the scars of his early sorrows and + struggles. He was by nature strong and robust, and his experience made him + unaccommodating and self-asserting. When he was once asked why he was not + invited to dine out as Garrick was, he answered, "Because great lords and + ladies did not like to have their mouths stopped;" and Johnson was a + notorious mouth-stopper, though what he said was always worth listening + to. + </p> + <p> + Johnson's companions spoke of him as "Ursa Major;" but, as Goldsmith + generously said of him, "No man alive has a more tender heart; he has + nothing of the bear about him but his skin." The kindliness of Johnson's + nature was shown on one occasion by the manner in which he assisted a + supposed lady in crossing Fleet Street. He gave her his arm, and led her + across, not observing that she was in liquor at the time. But the spirit + of the act was not the less kind on that account. On the other hand, the + conduct of the bookseller on whom Johnson once called to solicit + employment, and who, regarding his athletic but uncouth person, told him + he had better "go buy a porter's knot and carry trunks," in howsoever + bland tones the advice might have been communicated, was simply brutal. + </p> + <p> + While captiousness of manner, and the habit of disputing and contradicting + everything said, is chilling and repulsive, the opposite habit of + assenting to, and sympathising with, every statement made, or emotion + expressed, is almost equally disagreeable. It is unmanly, and is felt to + be dishonest. "It may seem difficult," says Richard Sharp, "to steer + always between bluntness and plain-dealing, between giving merited praise + and lavishing indiscriminate flattery; but it is very easy—good-humour, + kindheartedness, and perfect simplicity, being all that are requisite to + do what is right in the right way." <a href="#linknote-183" + name="linknoteref-183" id="linknoteref-183"><small>183</small></a> + </p> + <p> + At the same time, many are unpolite—not because they mean to be so, + but because they are awkward, and perhaps know no better. Thus, when + Gibbon had published the second and third volumes of his 'Decline and + Fall,' the Duke of Cumberland met him one day, and accosted him with, "How + do you do, Mr. Gibbon? I see you are always AT IT in the old way—SCRIBBLE, + SCRIBBLE, SCRIBBLE!" The Duke probably intended to pay the author a + compliment, but did not know how better to do it, than in this blunt and + apparently rude way. + </p> + <p> + Again, many persons are thought to be stiff, reserved, and proud, when + they are only shy. Shyness is characteristic of most people of Teutonic + race. It has been styled "the English mania," but it pervades, to a + greater or less degree, all the Northern nations. The ordinary Englishman, + when he travels abroad, carries his shyness with him. He is stiff, + awkward, ungraceful, undemonstrative, and apparently unsympathetic; and + though he may assume a brusqueness of manner, the shyness is there, and + cannot be wholly concealed. The naturally graceful and intensely social + French cannot understand such a character; and the Englishman is their + standing joke—the subject of their most ludicrous caricatures. + George Sand attributes the rigidity of the natives of Albion to a stock of + FLUIDE BRITANNIQUE which they carry about with them, that renders them + impassive under all circumstances, and "as impervious to the atmosphere of + the regions they traverse as a mouse in the centre of an exhausted + receiver." <a href="#linknote-184" name="linknoteref-184" + id="linknoteref-184"><small>184</small></a> + </p> + <p> + The average Frenchman or Irishman excels the average Englishman, German, + or American in courtesy and ease of manner, simply because it is his + nature. They are more social and less self-dependent than men of Teutonic + origin, more demonstrative and less reticent; they are more communicative, + conversational, and freer in their intercourse with each other in all + respects; whilst men of German race are comparatively stiff, reserved, + shy, and awkward. At the same time, a people may exhibit ease, gaiety, and + sprightliness of character, and yet possess no deeper qualities calculated + to inspire respect. They may have every grace of manner, and yet be + heartless, frivolous, selfish. The character may be on the surface only, + and without any solid qualities for a foundation. + </p> + <p> + There can be no doubt as to which of the two sorts of people—the + easy and graceful, or the stiff and awkward—it is most agreeable to + meet, either in business, in society, or in the casual intercourse of + life. Which make the fastest friends, the truest men of their word, the + most conscientious performers of their duty, is an entirely different + matter. + </p> + <p> + The dry GAUCHE Englishman—to use the French phrase, L'ANGLAIS + EMPETRE—is certainly a somewhat disagreeable person to meet at + first. He looks as if he had swallowed a poker. He is shy himself, and the + cause of shyness in others. He is stiff, not because he is proud, but + because he is shy; and he cannot shake it off, even if he would. Indeed, + we should not be surprised to find that even the clever writer who + describes the English Philistine in all his enormity of awkward manner and + absence of grace, were himself as shy as a bat. + </p> + <p> + When two shy men meet, they seem like a couple of icicles. They sidle away + and turn their backs on each other in a room, or when travelling creep + into the opposite corners of a railway-carriage. When shy Englishmen are + about to start on a journey by railway, they walk along the train, to + discover an empty compartment in which to bestow themselves; and when once + ensconced, they inwardly hate the next man who comes in. So; on entering + the dining-room of their club, each shy man looks out for an unoccupied + table, until sometimes—all the tables in the room are occupied by + single diners. All this apparent unsociableness is merely shyness—the + national characteristic of the Englishman. + </p> + <p> + "The disciples of Confucius," observes Mr. Arthur Helps, "say that when in + the presence of the prince, his manner displayed RESPECTFUL UNEASINESS. + There could hardly be given any two words which more fitly describe the + manner of most Englishmen when in society." Perhaps it is due to this + feeling that Sir Henry Taylor, in his 'Statesman,' recommends that, in the + management of interviews, the minister should be as "near to the door" as + possible; and, instead of bowing his visitor out, that he should take + refuge, at the end of an interview, in the adjoining room. "Timid and + embarrassed men," he says, "will sit as if they were rooted to the spot, + when they are conscious that they have to traverse the length of a room in + their retreat. In every case, an interview will find a more easy and + pleasing termination WHEN THE DOOR IS AT HAND as the last words are + spoken." <a href="#linknote-185" name="linknoteref-185" + id="linknoteref-185"><small>185</small></a> + </p> + <p> + The late Prince Albert, one of the gentlest and most amiable, was also one + of the most retiring of men. He struggled much against his sense of + shyness, but was never able either to conquer or conceal it. His + biographer, in explaining its causes, says: "It was the shyness of a very + delicate nature, that is not sure it will please, and is without the + confidence and the vanity which often go to form characters that are + outwardly more genial." <a href="#linknote-186" name="linknoteref-186" + id="linknoteref-186"><small>186</small></a> + </p> + <p> + But the Prince shared this defect with some of the greatest of Englishmen. + Sir Isaac Newton was probably the shyest man of his age. He kept secret + for a time some of his greatest discoveries, for fear of the notoriety + they might bring him. His discovery of the Binomial Theorem and its most + important applications, as well as his still greater discovery of the Law + of Gravitation, were not published for years after they were made; and + when he communicated to Collins his solution of the theory of the moon's + rotation round the earth, he forbade him to insert his name in connection + with it in the 'Philosophical Transactions,' saying: "It would, perhaps, + increase my acquaintance—the thing which I chiefly study to + decline." + </p> + <p> + From all that can be learnt of Shakspeare, it is to be inferred that he + was an exceedingly shy man. The manner in which his plays were sent into + the world—for it is not known that he edited or authorized the + publication of a single one of them—and the dates at which they + respectively appeared, are mere matters of conjecture. His appearance in + his own plays in second and even third-rate parts—his indifference + to reputation, and even his apparent aversion to be held in repute by his + contemporaries—his disappearance from London [18the seat and centre + of English histrionic art] so soon as he had realised a moderate + competency—and his retirement about the age of forty, for the + remainder of his days, to a life of obscurity in a small town in the + midland counties—all seem to unite in proving the shrinking nature + of the man, and his unconquerable shyness. + </p> + <p> + It is also probable that, besides being shy—and his shyness may, + like that of Byron, have been increased by his limp—Shakspeare did + not possess in any high degree the gift of hope. It is a remarkable + circumstance, that whilst the great dramatist has, in the course of his + writings, copiously illustrated all other gifts, affections, and virtues, + the passages are very rare in which Hope is mentioned, and then it is + usually in a desponding and despairing tone, as when he says: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "The miserable hath no other medicine, But only Hope." +</pre> + <p> + Many of his sonnets breathe the spirit of despair and hopelessness. <a + href="#linknote-187" name="linknoteref-187" id="linknoteref-187"><small>187</small></a> + He laments his lameness; <a href="#linknote-188" name="linknoteref-188" + id="linknoteref-188"><small>188</small></a> apologizes for his profession + as an actor; <a href="#linknote-189" name="linknoteref-189" + id="linknoteref-189"><small>189</small></a> expresses his "fear of trust" + in himself, and his hopeless, perhaps misplaced, affection; <a + href="#linknote-1810" name="linknoteref-1810" id="linknoteref-1810"><small>1810</small></a> + anticipates a "coffin'd doom;" and utters his profoundly pathetic cry "for + restful death." + </p> + <p> + It might naturally be supposed that Shakspeare's profession of an actor, + and his repeated appearances in public, would speedily overcome his + shyness, did such exist. But inborn shyness, when strong, is not so easily + conquered. <a href="#linknote-1811" name="linknoteref-1811" + id="linknoteref-1811"><small>1811</small></a> Who could have believed that + the late Charles Mathews, who entertained crowded houses night after + night, was naturally one of the shyest of men? He would even make long + circuits [18lame though he was] along the byelanes of London to avoid + recognition. His wife says of him, that he looked "sheepish" and confused + if recognised; and that his eyes would fall, and his colour would mount, + if he heard his name even whispered in passing along the streets. <a + href="#linknote-1812" name="linknoteref-1812" id="linknoteref-1812"><small>1812</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Nor would it at first sight have been supposed that Lord Byron was + affected with shyness, and yet he was a victim to it; his biographer + relating that, while on a visit to Mrs. Pigot, at Southwell, when he saw + strangers approaching, he would instantly jump out of the window, and + escape on to the lawn to avoid them. + </p> + <p> + But a still more recent and striking instance is that of the late + Archbishop Whately, who, in the early part of his life, was painfully + oppressed by the sense of shyness. When at Oxford, his white rough coat + and white hat obtained for him the soubriquet of "The White Bear;" and his + manners, according to his own account of himself, corresponded with the + appellation. He was directed, by way of remedy, to copy the example of the + best-mannered men he met in society; but the attempt to do this only + increased his shyness, and he failed. He found that he was all the while + thinking of himself, rather than of others; whereas thinking of others, + rather than of one's self, is of the true essence of politeness. + </p> + <p> + Finding that he was making no progress, Whately was driven to utter + despair; and then he said to himself: "Why should I endure this torture + all my life to no purpose? I would bear it still if there was any success + to be hoped for; but since there is not, I will die quietly, without + taking any more doses. I have tried my very utmost, and find that I must + be as awkward as a bear all my life, in spite of it. I will endeavour to + think as little about it as a bear, and make up my mind to endure what + can't be cured." From this time forth he struggled to shake off all + consciousness as to manner, and to disregard censure as much as possible. + In adopting this course, he says: "I succeeded beyond my expectations; for + I not only got rid of the personal suffering of shyness, but also of most + of those faults of manner which consciousness produces; and acquired at + once an easy and natural manner—careless, indeed, in the extreme, + from its originating in a stern defiance of opinion, which I had convinced + myself must be ever against me; rough and awkward, for smoothness and + grace are quite out of my way, and, of course, tutorially pedantic; but + unconscious, and therefore giving expression to that goodwill towards men + which I really feel; and these, I believe, are the main points." <a + href="#linknote-1813" name="linknoteref-1813" id="linknoteref-1813"><small>1813</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Washington, who was an Englishman in his lineage, was also one in his + shyness. He is described incidentally by Mr. Josiah Quincy, as "a little + stiff in his person, not a little formal in his manner, and not + particularly at ease in the presence of strangers. He had the air of a + country gentleman not accustomed to mix much in society, perfectly polite, + but not easy in his address and conversation, and not graceful in his + movements." + </p> + <p> + Although we are not accustomed to think of modern Americans as shy, the + most distinguished American author of our time was probably the shyest of + men. Nathaniel Hawthorne was shy to the extent of morbidity. We have + observed him, when a stranger entered the room where he was, turn his back + for the purpose of avoiding recognition. And yet, when the crust of his + shyness was broken, no man could be more cordial and genial than + Hawthorne. + </p> + <p> + We observe a remark in one of Hawthorne's lately-published 'Notebooks,' <a + href="#linknote-1814" name="linknoteref-1814" id="linknoteref-1814"><small>1814</small></a> + that on one occasion he met Mr. Helps in society, and found him "cold." + And doubtless Mr. Helps thought the same of him. It was only the case of + two shy men meeting, each thinking the other stiff and reserved, and + parting before their mutual film of shyness had been removed by a little + friendly intercourse. Before pronouncing a hasty judgment in such cases, + it would be well to bear in mind the motto of Helvetius, which Bentham + says proved such a real treasure to him: "POUR AIMER LES HOMMES, IL FAUT + ATTENDRE PEU." + </p> + <p> + We have thus far spoken of shyness as a defect. But there is another way + of looking at it; for even shyness has its bright side, and contains an + element of good. Shy men and shy races are ungraceful and undemonstrative, + because, as regards society at large, they are comparatively unsociable. + They do not possess those elegances of manner, acquired by free + intercourse, which distinguish the social races, because their tendency is + to shun society rather than to seek it. They are shy in the presence of + strangers, and shy even in their own families. They hide their affections + under a robe of reserve, and when they do give way to their feelings, it + is only in some very hidden inner-chamber. And yet the feelings ARE there, + and not the less healthy and genuine that they are not made the subject of + exhibition to others. + </p> + <p> + It was not a little characteristic of the ancient Germans, that the more + social and demonstrative peoples by whom they were surrounded should have + characterised them as the NIEMEC, or Dumb men. And the same designation + might equally apply to the modern English, as compared, for example, with + their nimbler, more communicative and vocal, and in all respects more + social neighbours, the modern French and Irish. + </p> + <p> + But there is one characteristic which marks the English people, as it did + the races from which they have mainly sprung, and that is their intense + love of Home. Give the Englishman a home, and he is comparatively + indifferent to society. For the sake of a holding which he can call his + own, he will cross the seas, plant himself on the prairie or amidst the + primeval forest, and make for himself a home. The solitude of the + wilderness has no fears for him; the society of his wife and family is + sufficient, and he cares for no other. Hence it is that the people of + Germanic origin, from whom the English and Americans have alike sprung, + make the best of colonizers, and are now rapidly extending themselves as + emigrants and settlers in all parts of the habitable globe. + </p> + <p> + The French have never made any progress as colonizers, mainly because of + their intense social instincts—the secret of their graces of manner,—and + because they can never forget that they are Frenchmen. <a + href="#linknote-1815" name="linknoteref-1815" id="linknoteref-1815"><small>1815</small></a> + It seemed at one time within the limits of probability that the French + would occupy the greater part of the North American continent. From Lower + Canada their line of forts extended up the St. Lawrence, and from Fond du + Lac on Lake Superior, along the River St. Croix, all down the Mississippi, + to its mouth at New Orleans. But the great, self-reliant, industrious + "Niemec," from a fringe of settlements along the seacoast, silently + extended westward, settling and planting themselves everywhere solidly + upon the soil; and nearly all that now remains of the original French + occupation of America, is the French colony of Acadia, in Lower Canada. + </p> + <p> + And even there we find one of the most striking illustrations of that + intense sociability of the French which keeps them together, and prevents + their spreading over and planting themselves firmly in a new country, as + it is the instinct of the men of Teutonic race to do. While, in Upper + Canada, the colonists of English and Scotch descent penetrate the forest + and the wilderness, each settler living, it may be, miles apart from his + nearest neighbour, the Lower Canadians of French descent continue + clustered together in villages, usually consisting of a line of houses on + either side of the road, behind which extend their long strips of + farm-land, divided and subdivided to an extreme tenuity. They willingly + submit to all the inconveniences of this method of farming for the sake of + each other's society, rather than betake themselves to the solitary + backwoods, as English, Germans, and Americans so readily do. Indeed, not + only does the American backwoodsman become accustomed to solitude, but he + prefers it. And in the Western States, when settlers come too near him, + and the country seems to become "overcrowded," he retreats before the + advance of society, and, packing up his "things" in a waggon, he sets out + cheerfully, with his wife and family, to found for himself a new home in + the Far West. + </p> + <p> + Thus the Teuton, because of his very shyness, is the true colonizer. + English, Scotch, Germans, and Americans are alike ready to accept + solitude, provided they can but establish a home and maintain a family. + Thus their comparative indifference to society has tended to spread this + race over the earth, to till and to subdue it; while the intense social + instincts of the French, though issuing in much greater gracefulness of + manner, has stood in their way as colonizers; so that, in the countries in + which they have planted themselves—as in Algiers and elsewhere—they + have remained little more than garrisons. <a href="#linknote-1816" + name="linknoteref-1816" id="linknoteref-1816"><small>1816</small></a> + </p> + <p> + There are other qualities besides these, which grow out of the comparative + unsociableness of the Englishman. His shyness throws him back upon + himself, and renders him self-reliant and self-dependent. Society not + being essential to his happiness, he takes refuge in reading, in study, in + invention; or he finds pleasure in industrial work, and becomes the best + of mechanics. He does not fear to entrust himself to the solitude of the + ocean, and he becomes a fisherman, a sailor, a discoverer. Since the early + Northmen scoured the northern seas, discovered America, and sent their + fleets along the shores of Europe and up the Mediterranean, the seamanship + of the men of Teutonic race has always been in the ascendant. + </p> + <p> + The English are inartistic for the same reason that they are unsociable. + They may make good colonists, sailors, and mechanics; but they do not make + good singers, dancers, actors, artistes, or modistes. They neither dress + well, act well, speak well, nor write well. They want style—they + want elegance. What they have to do they do in a straightforward manner, + but without grace. This was strikingly exhibited at an International + Cattle Exhibition held at Paris a few years ago. At the close of the + Exhibition, the competitors came up with the prize animals to receive the + prizes. First came a gay and gallant Spaniard, a magnificent man, + beautifully dressed, who received a prize of the lowest class with an air + and attitude that would have become a grandee of the highest order. Then + came Frenchmen and Italians, full of grace, politeness, and CHIC—themselves + elegantly dressed, and their animals decorated to the horns with flowers + and coloured ribbons harmoniously blended. And last of all came the + exhibitor who was to receive the first prize—a slouching man, + plainly dressed, with a pair of farmer's gaiters on, and without even a + flower in his buttonhole. "Who is he?" asked the spectators. "Why, he is + the Englishman," was the reply. "The Englishman!—that the + representative of a great country!" was the general exclamation. But it + was the Englishman all over. He was sent there, not to exhibit himself, + but to show "the best beast," and he did it, carrying away the first + prize. Yet he would have been nothing the worse for the flower in his + buttonhole. + </p> + <p> + To remedy this admitted defect of grace and want of artistic taste in the + English people, a school has sprung up amongst us for the more general + diffusion of fine art. The Beautiful has now its teachers and preachers, + and by some it is almost regarded in the light of a religion. "The + Beautiful is the Good"—"The Beautiful is the True"—"The + Beautiful is the priest of the Benevolent," are among their texts. It is + believed that by the study of art the tastes of the people may be + improved; that by contemplating objects of beauty their nature will become + purified; and that by being thereby withdrawn from sensual enjoyments, + their character will be refined and elevated. + </p> + <p> + But though such culture is calculated to be elevating and purifying in a + certain degree, we must not expect too much from it. Grace is a sweetener + and embellisher of life, and as such is worthy of cultivation. Music, + painting, dancing, and the fine arts, are all sources of pleasure; and + though they may not be sensual, yet they are sensuous, and often nothing + more. The cultivation of a taste for beauty of form or colour, of sound or + attitude, has no necessary effect upon the cultivation of the mind or the + development of the character. The contemplation of fine works of art will + doubtless improve the taste, and excite admiration; but a single noble + action done in the sight of men will more influence the mind, and + stimulate the character to imitation, than the sight of miles of statuary + or acres of pictures. For it is mind, soul, and heart—not taste or + art—that make men great. + </p> + <p> + It is indeed doubtful whether the cultivation of art—which usually + ministers to luxury—has done so much for human progress as is + generally supposed. It is even possible that its too exclusive culture may + effeminate rather than strengthen the character, by laying it more open to + the temptations of the senses. "It is the nature of the imaginative + temperament cultivated by the arts," says Sir Henry Taylor, "to undermine + the courage, and, by abating strength of character, to render men more + easily subservient—SEQUACES, CEREOS, ET AD MANDATA DUCTILES." <a + href="#linknote-1817" name="linknoteref-1817" id="linknoteref-1817"><small>1817</small></a> + The gift of the artist greatly differs from that of the thinker; his + highest idea is to mould his subject—whether it be of painting, or + music, or literature—into that perfect grace of form in which + thought [18it may not be of the deepest] finds its apotheosis and + immortality. + </p> + <p> + Art has usually flourished most during the decadence of nations, when it + has been hired by wealth as the minister of luxury. Exquisite art and + degrading corruption were contemporary in Greece as well as in Rome. + Phidias and Iktinos had scarcely completed the Parthenon, when the glory + of Athens had departed; Phidias died in prison; and the Spartans set up in + the city the memorials of their own triumph and of Athenian defeat. It was + the same in ancient Rome, where art was at its greatest height when the + people were in their most degraded condition. Nero was an artist, as well + as Domitian, two of the greatest monsters of the Empire. If the + "Beautiful" had been the "Good," Commodus must have been one of the best + of men. But according to history he was one of the worst. + </p> + <p> + Again, the greatest period of modern Roman art was that in which Pope Leo + X. flourished, of whose reign it has been said, that "profligacy and + licentiousness prevailed amongst the people and clergy, as they had done + almost uncontrolled ever since the pontificate of Alexander VI." In like + manner, the period at which art reached its highest point in the Low + Countries was that which immediately succeeded the destruction of civil + and religious liberty, and the prostration of the national life under the + despotism of Spain. If art could elevate a nation, and the contemplation + of The Beautiful were calculated to make men The Good—then Paris + ought to contain a population of the wisest and best of human beings. Rome + also is a great city of art; and yet there, the VIRTUS or valour of the + ancient Romans has characteristically degenerated into VERTU, or a taste + for knicknacks; whilst, according to recent accounts, the city itself is + inexpressibly foul. <a href="#linknote-1818" name="linknoteref-1818" + id="linknoteref-1818"><small>1818</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Art would sometimes even appear to have a close connection with dirt; and + it is said of Mr. Ruskin, that when searching for works of art in Venice, + his attendant in his explorations would sniff an ill-odour, and when it + was strong would say, "Now we are coming to something very old and fine!"—meaning + in art. <a href="#linknote-1819" name="linknoteref-1819" + id="linknoteref-1819"><small>1819</small></a> A little common education in + cleanliness, where it is wanting, would probably be much more improving, + as well as wholesome, than any amount of education in fine art. Ruffles + are all very well, but it is folly to cultivate them to the neglect of the + shirt. + </p> + <p> + Whilst, therefore, grace of manner, politeness of behaviour, elegance of + demeanour, and all the arts that contribute to make life pleasant and + beautiful, are worthy of cultivation, it must not be at the expense of the + more solid and enduring qualities of honesty, sincerity, and truthfulness. + The fountain of beauty must be in the heart; more than in the eye, and if + art do not tend to produce beautiful life and noble practice, it will be + of comparatively little avail. Politeness of manner is not worth much, + unless accompanied by polite action. Grace may be but skin-deep—very + pleasant and attractive, and yet very heartless. Art is a source of + innocent enjoyment, and an important aid to higher culture; but unless it + leads to higher culture, it will probably be merely sensuous. And when art + is merely sensuous, it is enfeebling and demoralizing rather than + strengthening or elevating. Honest courage is of greater worth than any + amount of grace; purity is better than elegance; and cleanliness of body, + mind, and heart, than any amount of fine art. + </p> + <p> + In fine, while the cultivation of the graces is not to be neglected, it + should ever be held in mind that there is something far higher and nobler + to be aimed at—greater than pleasure, greater than art, greater than + wealth, greater than power, greater than intellect, greater than genius—and + that is, purity and excellence of character. Without a solid sterling + basis of individual goodness, all the grace, elegance, and art in the + world would fail to save or to elevate a people. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0010" id="link2HCH0010"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER X—COMPANIONSHIP OF BOOKS. + </h2> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Books, we know, + Are a substantial world, both pure and good, + Round which, with tendrils strong as flesh and blood, + Our pastime and our happiness can grow."—WORDSWORTH. + + "Not only in the common speech of men, but in all art too— + which is or should be the concentrated and conserved essence + of what men can speak and show—Biography is almost the one + thing needful" —CARLYLE. +</pre> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "I read all biographies with intense interest. Even a man + without a heart, like Cavendish, I think about, and read + about, and dream about, and picture to myself in all + possible ways, till he grows into a living being beside me, + and I put my feet into his shoes, and become for the time + Cavendish, and think as he thought, and do as he did." + —GEORGE WILSON. + + "My thoughts are with the dead; with them + I live in long-past years; + Their virtues love, their faults condemn; + Partake their hopes and fears; + And from their lessons seek and find + Instruction with a humble mind."—SOUTHEY. +</pre> + <p> + A man may usually be known by the books he reads, as well as by the + company he keeps; for there is a companionship of books as well as of men; + and one should always live in the best company, whether it be of books or + of men. + </p> + <p> + A good book may be among the best of friends. It is the same to-day that + it always was, and it will never change. It is the most patient and + cheerful of companions. It does not turn its back upon us in times of + adversity or distress. It always receives us with the same kindness; + amusing and instructing us in youth, and comforting and consoling us in + age. + </p> + <p> + Men often discover their affinity to each other by the mutual love they + have for a book—just as two persons sometimes discover a friend by + the admiration which both entertain for a third. There is an old proverb, + "Love me, love my dog." But there is more wisdom in this: "Love me, love + my book." The book is a truer and higher bond of union. Men can think, + feel, and sympathise with each other through their favourite author. They + live in him together, and he in them. + </p> + <p> + "Books," said Hazlitt, "wind into the heart; the poet's verse slides into + the current of our blood. We read them when young, we remember them when + old. We read there of what has happened to others; we feel that it has + happened to ourselves. They are to be had everywhere cheap and good. We + breathe but the air of books. We owe everything to their authors, on this + side barbarism." + </p> + <p> + A good book is often the best urn of a life, enshrining the best thoughts + of which that life was capable; for the world of a man's life is, for the + most part, but the world of his thoughts. Thus the best books are + treasuries of good words and golden thoughts, which, remembered and + cherished, become our abiding companions and comforters. "They are never + alone," said Sir Philip Sidney, "that are accompanied by noble thoughts." + The good and true thought may in time of temptation be as an angel of + mercy purifying and guarding the soul. It also enshrines the germs of + action, for good words almost invariably inspire to good works. + </p> + <p> + Thus Sir Henry Lawrence prized above all other compositions Wordsworth's + 'Character of the Happy Warrior,' which he endeavoured to embody in his + own life. It was ever before him as an exemplar. He thought of it + continually, and often quoted it to others. His biographer says: "He tried + to conform his own life and to assimilate his own character to it; and he + succeeded, as all men succeed who are truly in earnest." <a + href="#linknote-191" name="linknoteref-191" id="linknoteref-191"><small>191</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Books possess an essence of immortality. They are by far the most lasting + products of human effort. Temples crumble into ruin; pictures and statues + decay; but books survive. Time is of no account with great thoughts, which + are as fresh to-day as when they first passed through their authors' minds + ages ago. What was then said and thought still speaks to us as vividly as + ever from the printed page. The only effect of time has been to sift and + winnow out the bad products; for nothing in literature can long survive + but what is really good. <a href="#linknote-192" name="linknoteref-192" + id="linknoteref-192"><small>192</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Books introduce us into the best society; they bring us into the presence + of the greatest minds that have ever lived. We hear what they said and + did; we see them as if they were really alive; we are participators in + their thoughts; we sympathise with them, enjoy with them, grieve with + them; their experience becomes ours, and we feel as if we were in a + measure actors with them in the scenes which they describe. + </p> + <p> + The great and good do not die, even in this world. Embalmed in books their + spirits walk abroad. The book is a living voice. It is an intellect to + which one still listens. Hence we ever remain under the influence of the + great men of old: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "The dead but sceptred sovrans, who still rule + Our spirits from their urns." +</pre> + <p> + The imperial intellects of the world are as much alive now as they were + ages ago. Homer still lives; and though his personal history is hidden in + the mists of antiquity, his poems are as fresh to-day as if they had been + newly written. Plato still teaches his transcendent philosophy; Horace, + Virgil, and Dante still sing as when they lived; Shakspeare is not dead: + his body was buried in 1616, but his mind is as much alive in England now, + and his thought as far-reaching, as in the time of the Tudors. + </p> + <p> + The humblest and poorest may enter the society of these great spirits + without being thought intrusive. All who can read have got the ENTREE. + Would you laugh?—Cervantes or Rabelais will laugh with you. Do you + grieve?—there is Thomas a Kempis or Jeremy Taylor to grieve with and + console you. Always it is to books, and the spirits of great men embalmed + in them, that we turn, for entertainment, for instruction and solace—in + joy and in sorrow, as in prosperity and in adversity. + </p> + <p> + Man himself is, of all things in the world, the most interesting to man. + Whatever relates to human life—its experiences, its joys, its + sufferings, and its achievements—has usually attractions for him + beyond all else. Each man is more or less interested in all other men as + his fellow-creatures—as members of the great family of humankind; + and the larger a man's culture, the wider is the range of his sympathies + in all that affects the welfare of his race. + </p> + <p> + Men's interest in each other as individuals manifests itself in a thousand + ways—in the portraits which they paint, in the busts which they + carve, in the narratives which they relate of each other. "Man," says + Emerson, "can paint, or make, or think, nothing but Man." Most of all is + this interest shown in the fascination which personal history possesses + for him. "Man s sociality of nature," says Carlyle, "evinces itself, in + spite of all that can be said, with abundance of evidence, by this one + fact, were there no other: the unspeakable delight he takes in Biography." + </p> + <p> + Great, indeed, is the human interest felt in biography! What are all the + novels that find such multitudes of readers, but so many fictitious + biographies? What are the dramas that people crowd to see, but so much + acted biography? Strange that the highest genius should be employed on the + fictitious biography, and so much commonplace ability on the real! + </p> + <p> + Yet the authentic picture of any human being's life and experience ought + to possess an interest greatly beyond that which is fictitious, inasmuch + as it has the charm of reality. Every person may learn something from the + recorded life of another; and even comparatively trivial deeds and sayings + may be invested with interest, as being the outcome of the lives of such + beings as we ourselves are. + </p> + <p> + The records of the lives of good men are especially useful. They influence + our hearts, inspire us with hope, and set before us great examples. And + when men have done their duty through life in a great spirit, their + influence will never wholly pass away. "The good life," says George + Herbert, "is never out of season." + </p> + <p> + Goethe has said that there is no man so commonplace that a wise man may + not learn something from him. Sir Walter Scott could not travel in a coach + without gleaning some information or discovering some new trait of + character in his companions. <a href="#linknote-193" name="linknoteref-193" + id="linknoteref-193"><small>193</small></a> Dr. Johnson once observed that + there was not a person in the streets but he should like to know his + biography—his experiences of life, his trials, his difficulties, his + successes, and his failures. How much more truly might this be said of the + men who have made their mark in the world's history, and have created for + us that great inheritance of civilization of which we are the possessors! + Whatever relates to such men—to their habits, their manners, their + modes of living, their personal history, their conversation, their maxims, + their virtues, or their greatness—is always full of interest, of + instruction, of encouragement, and of example. + </p> + <p> + The great lesson of Biography is to show what man can be and do at his + best. A noble life put fairly on record acts like an inspiration to + others. It exhibits what life is capable of being made. It refreshes our + spirit, encourages our hopes, gives us new strength and courage and faith—faith + in others as well as in ourselves. It stimulates our aspirations, rouses + us to action, and incites us to become co-partners with them in their + work. To live with such men in their biographies, and to be inspired by + their example, is to live with the best of men, and to mix in the best of + company. + </p> + <p> + At the head of all biographies stands the Great Biography, the Book of + Books. And what is the Bible, the most sacred and impressive of all books—the + educator of youth, the guide of manhood, and the consoler of age—but + a series of biographies of great heroes and patriarchs, prophets, kings, + and judges, culminating in the greatest biography of all, the Life + embodied in the New Testament? How much have the great examples there set + forth done for mankind! How many have drawn from them their truest + strength, their highest wisdom, their best nurture and admonition! Truly + does a great Roman Catholic writer describe the Bible as a book whose + words "live in the ear like a music that can never be forgotten—like + the sound of church bells which the convert hardly knows how he can + forego. Its felicities often seem to be almost things rather than mere + words. It is part of the national mind, and the anchor of national + seriousness. The memory of the dead passes into it, The potent traditions + of childhood are stereotyped in its verses. The power of all the griefs + and trials of man is hidden beneath its words. It is the representative of + his best moments, and all that has been about him of soft, and gentle, and + pure, and penitent, and good, speaks to him for ever out of his English + Bible. It is his sacred thing, which doubt has never dimmed and + controversy never soiled. In the length and breadth of the land there is + not a Protestant with one spark of religiousness about him whose spiritual + biography is not in his Saxon Bible." <a href="#linknote-194" + name="linknoteref-194" id="linknoteref-194"><small>194</small></a> + </p> + <p> + It would, indeed, be difficult to overestimate the influence which the + lives of the great and good have exercised upon the elevation of human + character. "The best biography," says Isaac Disraeli, "is a reunion with + human existence in its most excellent state." Indeed, it is impossible for + one to read the lives of good men, much less inspired men, without being + unconsciously lighted and lifted up in them, and growing insensibly nearer + to what they thought and did. And even the lives of humbler persons, of + men of faithful and honest spirit, who have done their duty in life well, + are not without an elevating influence upon the character of those who + come after them. + </p> + <p> + History itself is best studied in biography. Indeed, history is biography—collective + humanity as influenced and governed by individual men. "What is all + history," says Emerson, "but the work of ideas, a record of the + incomparable energy which his infinite aspirations infuse into man?" In + its pages it is always persons we see more than principles. Historical + events are interesting to us mainly in connection with the feelings, the + sufferings, and interests of those by whom they are accomplished. In + history we are surrounded by men long dead, but whose speech and whose + deeds survive. We almost catch the sound of their voices; and what they + did constitutes the interest of history. We never feel personally + interested in masses of men; but we feel and sympathise with the + individual actors, whose biographies afford the finest and most real + touches in all great historical dramas. + </p> + <p> + Among the great writers of the past, probably the two that have been most + influential in forming the characters of great men of action and great men + of thought, have been Plutarch and Montaigne—the one by presenting + heroic models for imitation, the other by probing questions of constant + recurrence in which the human mind in all ages has taken the deepest + interest. And the works of both are for the most part cast in a biographic + form, their most striking illustrations consisting in the exhibitions of + character and experience which they contain. + </p> + <p> + Plutarch's 'Lives,' though written nearly eighteen hundred years ago, like + Homer's 'Iliad,' still holds its ground as the greatest work of its kind. + It was the favourite book of Montaigne; and to Englishmen it possesses the + special interest of having been Shakspeare's principal authority in his + great classical dramas. Montaigne pronounced Plutarch to be "the greatest + master in that kind of writing"—the biographic; and he declared that + he "could no sooner cast an eye upon him but he purloined either a leg or + a wing." + </p> + <p> + Alfieri was first drawn with passion to literature by reading Plutarch. "I + read," said he, "the lives of Timoleon, Caesar, Brutus, Pelopidas, more + than six times, with cries, with tears, and with such transports, that I + was almost furious.... Every time that I met with one of the grand traits + of these great men, I was seized with such vehement agitation as to be + unable to sit still." Plutarch was also a favourite with persons of such + various minds as Schiller and Benjamin Franklin, Napoleon and Madame + Roland. The latter was so fascinated by the book that she carried it to + church with her in the guise of a missal, and read it surreptitiously + during the service. + </p> + <p> + It has also been the nurture of heroic souls such as Henry IV. of France, + Turenne, and the Napiers. It was one of Sir William Napier's favourite + books when a boy. His mind was early imbued by it with a passionate + admiration for the great heroes of antiquity; and its influence had, + doubtless, much to do with the formation of his character, as well as the + direction of his career in life. It is related of him, that in his last + illness, when feeble and exhausted, his mind wandered back to Plutarch's + heroes; and he descanted for hours to his son-in-law on the mighty deeds + of Alexander, Hannibal, and Caesar. Indeed, if it were possible to poll + the great body of readers in all ages whose minds have been influenced and + directed by books, it is probable that—excepting always the Bible—the + immense majority of votes would be cast in favour of Plutarch. + </p> + <p> + And how is it that Plutarch has succeeded in exciting an interest which + continues to attract and rivet the attention of readers of all ages and + classes to this day? In the first place, because the subject of his work + is great men, who occupied a prominent place in the world's history, and + because he had an eye to see and a pen to describe the more prominent + events and circumstances in their lives. And not only so, but he possessed + the power of portraying the individual character of his heroes; for it is + the principle of individuality which gives the charm and interest to all + biography. The most engaging side of great men is not so much what they do + as what they are, and does not depend upon their power of intellect but on + their personal attractiveness. Thus, there are men whose lives are far + more eloquent than their speeches, and whose personal character is far + greater than their deeds. + </p> + <p> + It is also to be observed, that while the best and most carefully-drawn of + Plutarch's portraits are of life-size, many of them are little more than + busts. They are well-proportioned but compact, and within such reasonable + compass that the best of them—such as the lives of Caesar and + Alexander—may be read in half an hour. Reduced to this measure, they + are, however, greatly more imposing than a lifeless Colossus, or an + exaggerated giant. They are not overlaid by disquisition and description, + but the characters naturally unfold themselves. Montaigne, indeed, + complained of Plutarch's brevity. "No doubt," he added, "but his + reputation is the better for it, though in the meantime we are the worse. + Plutarch would rather we should applaud his judgment than commend his + knowledge, and had rather leave us with an appetite to read more than + glutted with what we have already read. He knew very well that a man may + say too much even on the best subjects.... Such as have lean and spare + bodies stuff themselves out with clothes; so they who are defective in + matter, endeavour to make amends with words." <a href="#linknote-195" + name="linknoteref-195" id="linknoteref-195"><small>195</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Plutarch possessed the art of delineating the more delicate features of + mind and minute peculiarities of conduct, as well as the foibles and + defects of his heroes, all of which is necessary to faithful and accurate + portraiture. "To see him," says Montaigne, "pick out a light action in a + man's life, or a word, that does not seem to be of any importance, is + itself a whole discourse." He even condescends to inform us of such homely + particulars as that Alexander carried his head affectedly on one side; + that Alcibiades was a dandy, and had a lisp, which became him, giving a + grace and persuasive turn to his discourse; that Cato had red hair and + gray eyes, and was a usurer and a screw, selling off his old slaves when + they became unfit for hard work; that Caesar was bald and fond of gay + dress; and that Cicero [19like Lord Brougham] had involuntary twitchings + of his nose. + </p> + <p> + Such minute particulars may by some be thought beneath the dignity of + biography, but Plutarch thought them requisite for the due finish of the + complete portrait which he set himself to draw; and it is by small details + of character—personal traits, features, habits, and characteristics—that + we are enabled to see before us the men as they really lived. Plutarch's + great merit consists in his attention to these little things, without + giving them undue preponderance, or neglecting those which are of greater + moment. Sometimes he hits off an individual trait by an anecdote, which + throws more light upon the character described than pages of rhetorical + description would do. In some cases, he gives us the favourite maxim of + his hero; and the maxims of men often reveal their hearts. + </p> + <p> + Then, as to foibles, the greatest of men are not visually symmetrical. + Each has his defect, his twist, his craze; and it is by his faults that + the great man reveals his common humanity. We may, at a distance, admire + him as a demigod; but as we come nearer to him, we find that he is but a + fallible man, and our brother. <a href="#linknote-196" + name="linknoteref-196" id="linknoteref-196"><small>196</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Nor are the illustrations of the defects of great men without their uses; + for, as Dr. Johnson observed, "If nothing but the bright side of + characters were shown, we should sit down in despondency, and think it + utterly impossible to imitate them in anything." + </p> + <p> + Plutarch, himself justifies his method of portraiture by averring that his + design was not to write histories, but lives. "The most glorious + exploits," he says, "do not always furnish us with the clearest + discoveries of virtue or of vice in men. Sometimes a matter of much less + moment, an expression or a jest, better informs us of their characters and + inclinations than battles with the slaughter of tens of thousands, and the + greatest arrays of armies or sieges of cities. Therefore, as + portrait-painters are more exact in their lines and features of the face + and the expression of the eyes, in which the character is seen, without + troubling themselves about the other parts of the body, so I must be + allowed to give my more particular attention to the signs and indications + of the souls of men; and while I endeavour by these means to portray their + lives, I leave important events and great battles to be described by + others." + </p> + <p> + Things apparently trifling may stand for much in biography as well as + history, and slight circumstances may influence great results. Pascal has + remarked, that if Cleopatra's nose had been shorter, the whole face of the + world would probably have been changed. But for the amours of Pepin the + Fat, the Saracens might have overrun Europe; as it was his illegitimate + son, Charles Martel, who overthrew them at Tours, and eventually drove + them out of France. + </p> + <p> + That Sir Walter Scott should have sprained his foot in running round the + room when a child, may seem unworthy of notice in his biography; yet + 'Ivanhoe,' 'Old Mortality,' and all the Waverley novels depended upon it. + When his son intimated a desire to enter the army, Scott wrote to Southey, + "I have no title to combat a choice which would have been my own, had not + my lameness prevented." So that, had not Scott been lame, he might have + fought all through the Peninsular War, and had his breast covered with + medals; but we should probably have had none of those works of his which + have made his name immortal, and shed so much glory upon his country. + Talleyrand also was kept out of the army, for which he had been destined, + by his lameness; but directing his attention to the study of books, and + eventually of men, he at length took rank amongst the greatest + diplomatists of his time. + </p> + <p> + Byron's clubfoot had probably not a little to do with determining his + destiny as a poet. Had not his mind been embittered and made morbid by his + deformity, he might never have written a line—he might have been the + noblest fop of his day. But his misshapen foot stimulated his mind, roused + his ardour, threw him upon his own resources—and we know with what + result. + </p> + <p> + So, too, of Scarron, to whose hunchback we probably owe his cynical verse; + and of Pope, whose satire was in a measure the outcome of his deformity—for + he was, as Johnson described him, "protuberant behind and before." What + Lord Bacon said of deformity is doubtless, to a great extent, true. + "Whoever," said he, "hath anything fixed in his person that doth induce + contempt, hath also a perpetual spur in himself to rescue and deliver + himself from scorn; therefore, all deformed persons are extremely bold." + </p> + <p> + As in portraiture, so in biography, there must be light and shade. The + portrait-painter does not pose his sitter so as to bring out his + deformities; nor does the biographer give undue prominence to the defects + of the character he portrays. Not many men are so outspoken as Cromwell + was when he sat to Cooper for his miniature: "Paint me as I am," said he, + "warts and all." Yet, if we would have a faithful likeness of faces and + characters, they must be painted as they are. "Biography," said Sir Walter + Scott, "the most interesting of every species of composition, loses all + its interest with me when the shades and lights of the principal + characters are not accurately and faithfully detailed. I can no more + sympathise with a mere eulogist, than I can with a ranting hero on the + stage." <a href="#linknote-197" name="linknoteref-197" id="linknoteref-197"><small>197</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Addison liked to know as much as possible about the person and character + of his authors, inasmuch as it increased the pleasure and satisfaction + which he derived from the perusal of their books. What was their history, + their experience, their temper and disposition? Did their lives resemble + their books? They thought nobly—did they act nobly? "Should we not + delight," says Sir Egerton Brydges, "to have the frank story of the lives + and feelings of Wordsworth, Southey, Coleridge, Campbell, Rogers, Moore, + and Wilson, related by themselves?—with whom they lived early; how + their bent took a decided course; their likes and dislikes; their + difficulties and obstacles; their tastes, their passions; the rocks they + were conscious of having split upon; their regrets, their complacencies, + and their self-justifications?" <a href="#linknote-198" + name="linknoteref-198" id="linknoteref-198"><small>198</small></a> + </p> + <p> + When Mason was reproached for publishing the private letters of Gray, he + answered, "Would you always have my friends appear in full-dress?" Johnson + was of opinion that to write a man's life truly, it is necessary that the + biographer should have personally known him. But this condition has been + wanting in some of the best writers of biographies extant. <a + href="#linknote-199" name="linknoteref-199" id="linknoteref-199"><small>199</small></a> + In the case of Lord Campbell, his personal intimacy with Lords Lyndhurst + and Brougham seems to have been a positive disadvantage, leading him to + dwarf the excellences and to magnify the blots in their characters. Again, + Johnson says: "If a man profess to write a life, he must write it really + as it was. A man's peculiarities, and even his vices, should be mentioned, + because they mark his character." But there is always this difficulty,—that + while minute details of conduct, favourable or otherwise, can best be + given from personal knowledge, they cannot always be published, out of + regard for the living; and when the time arrives when they may at length + be told, they are then no longer remembered. Johnson himself expressed + this reluctance to tell all he knew of those poets who had been his + contemporaries, saying that he felt as if "walking upon ashes under which + the fire was not extinguished." + </p> + <p> + For this reason, amongst others, we rarely obtain an unvarnished picture + of character from the near relatives of distinguished men; and, + interesting though all autobiography is, still less can we expect it from + the men themselves. In writing his own memoirs, a man will not tell all + that he knows about himself. Augustine was a rare exception, but few there + are who will, as he did in his 'Confessions,' lay bare their innate + viciousness, deceitfulness, and selfishness. There is a Highland proverb + which says, that if the best man's faults were written on his forehead he + would pull his bonnet over his brow. "There is no man," said Voltaire, + "who has not something hateful in him—no man who has not some of the + wild beast in him. But there are few who will honestly tell us how they + manage their wild beast." Rousseau pretended to unbosom himself in his + 'Confessions;' but it is manifest that he held back far more than he + revealed. Even Chamfort, one of the last men to fear what his + contemporaries might think or say of him, once observed:—"It seems + to me impossible, in the actual state of society, for any man to exhibit + his secret heart, the details of his character as known to himself, and, + above all, his weaknesses and his vices, to even his best friend." + </p> + <p> + An autobiography may be true so far as it goes; but in communicating only + part of the truth, it may convey an impression that is really false. It + may be a disguise—sometimes it is an apology—exhibiting not so + much what a man really was, as what he would have liked to be. A portrait + in profile may be correct, but who knows whether some scar on the + off-cheek, or some squint in the eye that is not seen, might not have + entirely altered the expression of the face if brought into sight? Scott, + Moore, Southey, all began autobiographies, but the task of continuing them + was doubtless felt to be too difficult as well as delicate, and they were + abandoned. + </p> + <p> + French literature is especially rich in a class of biographic memoirs, of + which we have few counterparts in English. We refer to their MEMOIRES POUR + SERVIR, such as those of Sully, De Comines, Lauzun, De Retz, De Thou, + Rochefoucalt, &c., in which we have recorded an immense mass of minute + and circumstantial information relative to many great personages of + history. They are full of anecdotes illustrative of life and character, + and of details which might be called frivolous, but that they throw a + flood of light on the social habits and general civilisation of the + periods to which they relate. The MEMOIRES of Saint-Simon are something + more: they are marvellous dissections of character, and constitute the + most extraordinary collection of anatomical biography that has ever been + brought together. + </p> + <p> + Saint-Simon might almost be regarded in the light of a posthumous + court-spy of Louis the Fourteenth. He was possessed by a passion for + reading character, and endeavouring to decipher motives and intentions in + the faces, expressions, conversation, and byplay of those about him. "I + examine all my personages closely," said he—"watch their mouth, + eyes, and ears constantly." And what he heard and saw he noted down with + extraordinary vividness and dash. Acute, keen, and observant, he pierced + the masks of the courtiers, and detected their secrets. The ardour with + which he prosecuted his favourite study of character seemed insatiable, + and even cruel. "The eager anatomist," says Sainte-Beuve, "was not more + ready to plunge the scalpel into the still-palpitating bosom in search of + the disease that had baffled him." + </p> + <p> + La Bruyere possessed the same gift of accurate and penetrating observation + of character. He watched and studied everybody about him. He sought to + read their secrets; and, retiring to his chamber, he deliberately painted + their portraits, returning to them from time to time to correct some + prominent feature—hanging over them as fondly as an artist over some + favourite study—adding trait to trait, and touch to touch, until at + length the picture was complete and the likeness perfect. + </p> + <p> + It may be said that much of the interest of biography, especially of the + more familiar sort, is of the nature of gossip; as that of the MEMOIRES + POUR SERVIR is of the nature of scandal, which is no doubt true. But both + gossip and scandal illustrate the strength of the interest which men and + women take in each other's personality; and which, exhibited in the form + of biography, is capable of communicating the highest pleasure, and + yielding the best instruction. Indeed biography, because it is instinct of + humanity, is the branch of literature which—whether in the form of + fiction, of anecdotal recollection, or of personal narrative—is the + one that invariably commends itself to by far the largest class of + readers. + </p> + <p> + There is no room for doubt that the surpassing interest which fiction, + whether in poetry or prose, possesses for most minds, arises mainly from + the biographic element which it contains. Homer's 'Iliad' owes its + marvellous popularity to the genius which its author displayed in the + portrayal of heroic character. Yet he does not so much describe his + personages in detail as make them develope themselves by their actions. + "There are in Homer," said Dr. Johnson, "such characters of heroes and + combination of qualities of heroes, that the united powers of mankind ever + since have not produced any but what are to be found there." + </p> + <p> + The genius of Shakspeare also was displayed in the powerful delineation of + character, and the dramatic evolution of human passions. His personages + seem to be real—living and breathing before us. So too with + Cervantes, whose Sancho Panza, though homely and vulgar, is intensely + human. The characters in Le Sage's 'Gil Blas,' in Goldsmith's 'Vicar of + Wakefield,' and in Scott's marvellous muster-roll, seem to us almost as + real as persons whom we have actually known; and De Foe's greatest works + are but so many biographies, painted in minute detail, with reality so + apparently stamped upon every page, that it is difficult to believe his + Robinson Crusoe and Colonel Jack to have been fictitious instead of real + persons. + </p> + <p> + Though the richest romance lies enclosed in actual human life, and though + biography, because it describes beings who have actually felt the joys and + sorrows, and experienced the difficulties and triumphs, of real life, is + capable of being made more attractive, than the most perfect fictions ever + woven, it is remarkable that so few men of genius have been attracted to + the composition of works of this kind. Great works of fiction abound, but + great biographies may be counted on the fingers. It may be for the same + reason that a great painter of portraits, the late John Philip, R.A., + explained his preference for subject-painting, because, said he, + "Portrait-painting does not pay." Biographic portraiture involves + laborious investigation and careful collection of facts, judicious + rejection and skilful condensation, as well as the art of presenting the + character portrayed in the most attractive and lifelike form; whereas, in + the work of fiction, the writer's imagination is free to create and to + portray character, without being trammelled by references, or held down by + the actual details of real life. + </p> + <p> + There is, indeed, no want among us of ponderous but lifeless memoirs, many + of them little better than inventories, put together with the help of the + scissors as much as of the pen. What Constable said of the portraits of an + inferior artist—"He takes all the bones and brains out of his heads"—applies + to a large class of portraiture, written as well as painted. They have no + more life in them than a piece of waxwork, or a clothes-dummy at a + tailor's door. What we want is a picture of a man as he lived, and lo! we + have an exhibition of the biographer himself. We expect an embalmed heart, + and we find only clothes. + </p> + <p> + There is doubtless as high art displayed in painting a portrait in words, + as there is in painting one in colours. To do either well requires the + seeing eye and the skilful pen or brush. A common artist sees only the + features of a face, and copies them; but the great artist sees the living + soul shining through the features, and places it on the canvas. Johnson + was once asked to assist the chaplain of a deceased bishop in writing a + memoir of his lordship; but when he proceeded to inquire for information, + the chaplain could scarcely tell him anything. Hence Johnson was led to + observe that "few people who have lived with a man know what to remark + about him." + </p> + <p> + In the case of Johnson's own life, it was the seeing eye of Boswell that + enabled him to note and treasure up those minute details of habit and + conversation in which so much of the interest of biography consists. + Boswell, because of his simple love and admiration of his hero, succeeded + where probably greater men would have failed. He descended to apparently + insignificant, but yet most characteristic, particulars. Thus he + apologizes for informing the reader that Johnson, when journeying, + "carried in his hand a large English oak-stick:" adding, "I remember Dr. + Adam Smith, in his rhetorical lectures at Glasgow, told us he was glad to + know that Milton wore latchets in his shoes instead of buckles." Boswell + lets us know how Johnson looked, what dress he wore, what was his talk, + what were his prejudices. He painted him with all his scars, and a + wonderful portrait it is—perhaps the most complete picture of a + great man ever limned in words. + </p> + <p> + But for the accident of the Scotch advocate's intimacy with Johnson, and + his devoted admiration of him, the latter would not probably have stood + nearly so high in literature as he now does. It is in the pages of Boswell + that Johnson really lives; and but for Boswell, he might have remained + little more than a name. Others there are who have bequeathed great works + to posterity, but of whose lives next to nothing is known. What would we + not give to have a Boswell's account of Shakspeare? We positively know + more of the personal history of Socrates, of Horace, of Cicero, of + Augustine, than we do of that of Shakspeare. We do not know what was his + religion, what were his politics, what were his experiences, what were his + relations to his contemporaries. The men of his own time do not seem to + have recognised his greatness; and Ben Jonson, the court poet, whose + blank-verse Shakspeare was content to commit to memory and recite as an + actor, stood higher in popular estimation. We only know that he was a + successful theatrical manager, and that in the prime of life he retired to + his native place, where he died, and had the honours of a village funeral. + The greater part of the biography which has been constructed respecting + him has been the result, not of contemporary observation or of record, but + of inference. The best inner biography of the man is to be found in his + sonnets. + </p> + <p> + Men do not always take an accurate measure of their contemporaries. The + statesman, the general, the monarch of to-day fills all eyes and ears, + though to the next generation he may be as if he had never been. "And who + is king to-day?" the painter Greuze would ask of his daughter, during the + throes of the first French Revolution, when men, great for the time, were + suddenly thrown to the surface, and as suddenly dropt out of sight again, + never to reappear. "And who is king to-day? After all," Greuze would add, + "Citizen Homer and Citizen Raphael will outlive those great citizens of + ours, whose names I have never before heard of." Yet of the personal + history of Homer nothing is known, and of Raphael comparatively little. + Even Plutarch, who wrote the lives of others: so well, has no biography, + none of the eminent Roman writers who were his contemporaries having so + much as mentioned his name. And so of Correggio, who delineated the + features of others so well, there is not known to exist an authentic + portrait. + </p> + <p> + There have been men who greatly influenced the life of their time, whose + reputation has been much greater with posterity than it was with their + contemporaries. Of Wickliffe, the patriarch of the Reformation, our + knowledge is extremely small. He was but as a voice crying in the + wilderness. We do not really know who was the author of 'The Imitation of + Christ'—a book that has had an immense circulation, and exercised a + vast religious influence in all Christian countries. It is usually + attributed to Thomas a Kempis but there is reason to believe that he was + merely its translator, and the book that is really known to be his, <a + href="#linknote-1910" name="linknoteref-1910" id="linknoteref-1910"><small>1910</small></a> + is in all respects so inferior, that it is difficult to believe that 'The + Imitation' proceeded from the same pen. It is considered more probable + that the real author was John Gerson, Chancellor of the University of + Paris, a most learned and devout man, who died in 1429. + </p> + <p> + Some of the greatest men of genius have had the shortest biographies. Of + Plato, one of the great fathers of moral philosophy, we have no personal + account. If he had wife and children, we hear nothing of them. About the + life of Aristotle there is the greatest diversity of opinion. One says he + was a Jew; another, that he only got his information from a Jew: one says + he kept an apothecary's shop; another, that he was only the son of a + physician: one alleges that he was an atheist; another, that he was a + Trinitarian, and so forth. But we know almost as little with respect to + many men of comparatively modern times. Thus, how little do we know of the + lives of Spenser, author of 'The Faerie Queen,' and of Butler, the author + of 'Hudibras,' beyond the fact that they lived in comparative obscurity, + and died in extreme poverty! How little, comparatively, do we know of the + life of Jeremy Taylor, the golden preacher, of whom we should like to have + known so much! + </p> + <p> + The author of 'Philip Van Artevelde' has said that "the world knows + nothing of its greatest men." And doubtless oblivion has enwrapt in its + folds many great men who have done great deeds, and been forgotten. + Augustine speaks of Romanianus as the greatest genius that ever lived, and + yet we know nothing of him but his name; he is as much forgotten as the + builders of the Pyramids. Gordiani's epitaph was written in five + languages, yet it sufficed not to rescue him from oblivion. + </p> + <p> + Many, indeed, are the lives worthy of record that have remained unwritten. + Men who have written books have been the most fortunate in this respect, + because they possess an attraction for literary men which those whose + lives have been embodied in deeds do not possess. Thus there have been + lives written of Poets Laureate who were mere men of their time, and of + their time only. Dr. Johnson includes some of them in his 'Lives of the + Poets,' such as Edmund Smith and others, whose poems are now no longer + known. The lives of some men of letters—such as Goldsmith, Swift, + Sterne, and Steele—have been written again and again, whilst great + men of action, men of science, and men of industry, are left without a + record. <a href="#linknote-1911" name="linknoteref-1911" + id="linknoteref-1911"><small>1911</small></a> + </p> + <p> + We have said that a man may be known by the company he keeps in his books. + Let us mention a few of the favourites of the best-known men. Plutarch's + admirers have already been referred to. Montaigne also has been the + companion of most meditative men. Although Shakspeare must have studied + Plutarch carefully, inasmuch as he copied from him freely, even to his + very words, it is remarkable that Montaigne is the only book which we + certainly know to have been in the poet's library; one of Shakspeare's + existing autographs having been found in a copy of Florio's translation of + 'The Essays,' which also contains, on the flyleaf, the autograph of Ben + Jonson. + </p> + <p> + Milton's favourite books were Homer, Ovid, and Euripides. The latter book + was also the favourite of Charles James Fox, who regarded the study of it + as especially useful to a public speaker. On the other hand, Pitt took + especial delight in Milton—whom Fox did not appreciate—taking + pleasure in reciting, from 'Paradise Lost,' the grand speech of Belial + before the assembled powers of Pandemonium. Another of Pitt's favourite + books was Newton's 'Principia.' Again, the Earl of Chatham's favourite + book was 'Barrow's Sermons,' which he read so often as to be able to + repeat them from memory; while Burke's companions were Demosthenes, + Milton, Bolingbroke, and Young's 'Night Thoughts.' + </p> + <p> + Curran's favourite was Homer, which he read through once a year. Virgil + was another of his favourites; his biographer, Phillips, saying that he + once saw him reading the 'Aeneid' in the cabin of a Holyhead packet, while + every one about him was prostrate by seasickness. + </p> + <p> + Of the poets, Dante's favourite was Virgil; Corneille's was Lucan; + Schiller's was Shakspeare; Gray's was Spenser; whilst Coleridge admired + Collins and Bowles. Dante himself was a favourite with most great poets, + from Chaucer to Byron and Tennyson. Lord Brougham, Macaulay, and Carlyle + have alike admired and eulogized the great Italian. The former advised the + students at Glasgow that, next to Demosthenes, the study of Dante was the + best preparative for the eloquence of the pulpit or the bar. Robert Hall + sought relief in Dante from the racking pains of spinal disease; and + Sydney Smith took to the same poet for comfort and solace in his old age. + It was characteristic of Goethe that his favourite book should have been + Spinoza's 'Ethics,' in which he said he had found a peace and consolation + such as he had been able to find in no other work. <a href="#linknote-1912" + name="linknoteref-1912" id="linknoteref-1912"><small>1912</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Barrow's favourite was St. Chrysostom; Bossuet's was Homer. Bunyan's was + the old legend of Sir Bevis of Southampton, which in all probability gave + him the first idea of his 'Pilgrim's Progress.' One of the best prelates + that ever sat on the English bench, Dr. John Sharp, said—"Shakspeare + and the Bible have made me Archbishop of York." The two books which most + impressed John Wesley when a young man, were 'The Imitation of Christ' and + Jeremy Taylor's 'Holy Living and Dying.' Yet Wesley was accustomed to + caution his young friends against overmuch reading. "Beware you be not + swallowed up in books," he would say to them; "an ounce of love is worth a + pound of knowledge." + </p> + <p> + Wesley's own Life has been a great favourite with many thoughtful readers. + Coleridge says, in his preface to Southey's 'Life of Wesley,' that it was + more often in his hands than any other in his ragged book-regiment. "To + this work, and to the Life of Richard Baxter," he says, "I was used to + resort whenever sickness and languor made me feel the want of an old + friend of whose company I could never be tired. How many and many an hour + of self-oblivion do I owe to this Life of Wesley; and how often have I + argued with it, questioned, remonstrated, been peevish, and asked pardon; + then again listened, and cried, 'Right! Excellent!' and in yet heavier + hours entreated it, as it were, to continue talking to me; for that I + heard and listened, and was soothed, though I could make no reply!" <a + href="#linknote-1913" name="linknoteref-1913" id="linknoteref-1913"><small>1913</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Soumet had only a very few hooks in his library, but they were of the best—Homer, + Virgil, Dante, Camoens, Tasso, and Milton. De Quincey's favourite few were + Donne, Chillingworth, Jeremy Taylor, Milton, South, Barrow, and Sir Thomas + Browne. He described these writers as "a pleiad or constellation of seven + golden stars, such as in their class no literature can match," and from + whose works he would undertake "to build up an entire body of philosophy." + </p> + <p> + Frederick the Great of Prussia manifested his strong French leanings in + his choice of books; his principal favourites being Bayle, Rousseau, + Voltaire, Rollin, Fleury, Malebranche, and one English author—Locke. + His especial favourite was Bayle's Dictionary, which was the first book + that laid hold of his mind; and he thought so highly of it, that he + himself made an abridgment and translation of it into German, which was + published. It was a saying of Frederick's, that "books make up no small + part of true happiness." In his old age he said, "My latest passion will + be for literature." + </p> + <p> + It seems odd that Marshal Blucher's favourite book should have been + Klopstock's 'Messiah,' and Napoleon Buonaparte's favourites, Ossian's + 'Poems' and the 'Sorrows of Werther.' But Napoleon's range of reading was + very extensive. It included Homer, Virgil, Tasso; novels of all countries; + histories of all times; mathematics, legislation, and theology. He + detested what he called "the bombast and tinsel" of Voltaire. The praises + of Homer and Ossian he was never wearied of sounding. "Read again," he + said to an officer on board the BELLEROPHO—"read again the poet of + Achilles; devour Ossian. Those are the poets who lift up the soul, and + give to man a colossal greatness." <a href="#linknote-1914" + name="linknoteref-1914" id="linknoteref-1914"><small>1914</small></a> + </p> + <p> + The Duke of Wellington was an extensive reader; his principal favourites + were Clarendon, Bishop Butler, Smith's 'Wealth of Nations,' Hume, the + Archduke Charles, Leslie, and the Bible. He was also particularly + interested by French and English memoirs—more especially the French + MEMOIRES POUR SERVIR of all kinds. When at Walmer, Mr. Gleig says, the + Bible, the Prayer Book, Taylor's 'Holy Living and Dying,' and Caesar's + 'Commentaries,' lay within the Duke's reach; and, judging by the marks of + use on them, they must have been much read and often consulted. + </p> + <p> + While books are among the best companions of old age, they are often the + best inspirers of youth. The first book that makes a deep impression on a + young man's mind, often constitutes an epoch in his life. It may fire the + heart, stimulate the enthusiasm, and by directing his efforts into + unexpected channels, permanently influence his character. The new book, in + which we form an intimacy with a new friend, whose mind is wiser and riper + than our own, may thus form an important starting-point in the history of + a life. It may sometimes almost be regarded in the light of a new birth. + </p> + <p> + From the day when James Edward Smith was presented with his first + botanical lesson-book, and Sir Joseph Banks fell in with Gerard's 'Herbal'—from + the time when Alfieri first read Plutarch, and Schiller made his first + acquaintance with Shakspeare, and Gibbon devoured the first volume of 'The + Universal History'—each dated an inspiration so exalted, that they + felt as if their real lives had only then begun. + </p> + <p> + In the earlier part of his youth, La Fontaine was distinguished for his + idleness, but hearing an ode by Malherbe read, he is said to have + exclaimed, "I too am a poet," and his genius was awakened. Charles + Bossuet's mind was first fired to study by reading, at an early age, + Fontenelle's 'Eloges' of men of science. Another work of Fontenelle's—'On + the Plurality of Worlds'—influenced the mind of Lalande in making + choice of a profession. "It is with pleasure," says Lalande himself in a + preface to the book, which he afterwards edited, "that I acknowledge my + obligation to it for that devouring activity which its perusal first + excited in me at the age of sixteen, and which I have since retained." + </p> + <p> + In like manner, Lacepede was directed to the study of natural history by + the perusal of Buffon's 'Histoire Naturelle,' which he found in his + father's library, and read over and over again until he almost knew it by + heart. Goethe was greatly influenced by the reading of Goldsmith's 'Vicar + of Wakefield,' just at the critical moment of his mental development; and + he attributed to it much of his best education. The reading of a prose + 'Life of Gotz vou Berlichingen' afterwards stimulated him to delineate his + character in a poetic form. "The figure of a rude, well-meaning + self-helper," he said, "in a wild anarchic time, excited my deepest + sympathy." + </p> + <p> + Keats was an insatiable reader when a boy; but it was the perusal of the + 'Faerie Queen,' at the age of seventeen, that first lit the fire of his + genius. The same poem is also said to have been the inspirer of Cowley, + who found a copy of it accidentally lying on the window of his mother's + apartment; and reading and admiring it, he became, as he relates, + irrecoverably a poet. + </p> + <p> + Coleridge speaks of the great influence which the poems of Bowles had in + forming his own mind. The works of a past age, says he, seem to a young + man to be things of another race; but the writings of a contemporary + "possess a reality for him, and inspire an actual friendship as of a man + for a man. His very admiration is the wind which fans and feeds his hope. + The poems themselves assume the properties of flesh and blood." <a + href="#linknote-1915" name="linknoteref-1915" id="linknoteref-1915"><small>1915</small></a> + </p> + <p> + But men have not merely been stimulated to undertake special literary + pursuits by the perusal of particular books; they have been also + stimulated by them to enter upon particular lines of action in the serious + business of life. Thus Henry Martyn was powerfully influenced to enter + upon his heroic career as a missionary by perusing the Lives of Henry + Brainerd and Dr. Carey, who had opened up the furrows in which he went + forth to sow the seed. + </p> + <p> + Bentham has described the extraordinary influence which the perusal of + 'Telemachus' exercised upon his mind in boyhood. "Another book," said he, + "and of far higher character [19than a collection of Fairy Tales, to which + he refers], was placed in my hands. It was 'Telemachus.' In my own + imagination, and at the age of six or seven, I identified my own + personality with that of the hero, who seemed to me a model of perfect + virtue; and in my walk of life, whatever it may come to be, why [19said I + to myself every now and then]—why should not I be a Telemachus?.... + That romance may be regarded as THE FOUNDATION-STONE OF MY WHOLE CHARACTER—the + starting-post from whence my career of life commenced. The first dawning + in my mind of the 'Principles of Utility' may, I think, be traced to it." + <a href="#linknote-1916" name="linknoteref-1916" id="linknoteref-1916"><small>1916</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Cobbett's first favourite, because his only book, which he bought for + threepence, was Swift's 'Tale of a Tub,' the repeated perusal of which + had, doubtless, much to do with the formation of his pithy, + straightforward, and hard-hitting style of writing. The delight with which + Pope, when a schoolboy, read Ogilvy's 'Homer' was, most probably, the + origin of the English 'Iliad;' as the 'Percy Reliques' fired the juvenile + mind of Scott, and stimulated him to enter upon the collection and + composition of his 'Border Ballads.' Keightley's first reading of + 'Paradise Lost,' when a boy, led to his afterwards undertaking his Life of + the poet. "The reading," he says, "of 'Paradise Lost' for the first time + forms, or should form, an era in the life of every one possessed of taste + and poetic feeling. To my mind, that time is ever present.... Ever since, + the poetry of Milton has formed my constant study—a source of + delight in prosperity, of strength and consolation in adversity." + </p> + <p> + Good books are thus among the best of companions; and, by elevating the + thoughts and aspirations, they act as preservatives against low + associations. "A natural turn for reading and intellectual pursuits," says + Thomas Hood, "probably preserved me from the moral shipwreck so apt to + befal those who are deprived in early life of their parental pilotage. My + books kept me from the ring, the dogpit, the tavern, the saloon. The + closet associate of Pope and Addison, the mind accustomed to the noble + though silent discourse of Shakspeare and Milton, will hardly seek or put + up with low company and slaves." + </p> + <p> + It has been truly said, that the best books are those which most resemble + good actions. They are purifying, elevating, and sustaining; they enlarge + and liberalize the mind; they preserve it against vulgar worldliness; they + tend to produce highminded cheerfulness and equanimity of character; they + fashion, and shape, and humanize the mind. In the Northern universities, + the schools in which the ancient classics are studied, are appropriately + styled "The Humanity Classes." <a href="#linknote-1917" + name="linknoteref-1917" id="linknoteref-1917"><small>1917</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Erasmus, the great scholar, was even of opinion that books were the + necessaries of life, and clothes the luxuries; and he frequently postponed + buying the latter until he had supplied himself with the former. His + greatest favourites were the works of Cicero, which he says he always felt + himself the better for reading. "I can never," he says, "read the works of + Cicero on 'Old Age,' or 'Friendship,' or his 'Tusculan Disputations,' + without fervently pressing them to my lips, without being penetrated with + veneration for a mind little short of inspired by God himself." It was the + accidental perusal of Cicero's 'Hortensius' which first detached St. + Augustine—until then a profligate and abandoned sensualist—from + his immoral life, and started him upon the course of inquiry and study + which led to his becoming the greatest among the Fathers of the Early + Church. Sir William Jones made it a practice to read through, once a year, + the writings of Cicero, "whose life indeed," says his biographer, "was the + great exemplar of his own." + </p> + <p> + When the good old Puritan Baxter came to enumerate the valuable and + delightful things of which death would deprive him, his mind reverted to + the pleasures he had derived from books and study. "When I die," he said, + "I must depart, not only from sensual delights, but from the more manly + pleasures of my studies, knowledge, and converse with many wise and godly + men, and from all my pleasure in reading, hearing, public and private + exercises of religion, and such like. I must leave my library, and turn + over those pleasant books no more. I must no more come among the living, + nor see the faces of my faithful friends, nor be seen of man; houses, and + cities, and fields, and countries, gardens, and walks, will be as nothing + to me. I shall no more hear of the affairs of the world, of man, or wars, + or other news; nor see what becomes of that beloved interest of wisdom, + piety, and peace, which I desire may prosper." + </p> + <p> + It is unnecessary to speak of the enormous moral influence which books + have exercised upon the general civilization of mankind, from the Bible + downwards. They contain the treasured knowledge of the human race. They + are the record of all labours, achievements, speculations, successes, and + failures, in science, philosophy, religion, and morals. They have been the + greatest motive powers in all times. "From the Gospel to the Contrat + Social," says De Bonald, "it is books that have made revolutions." Indeed, + a great book is often a greater thing than a great battle. Even works of + fiction have occasionally exercised immense power on society. Thus + Rabelais in France, and Cervantes in Spain, overturned at the same time + the dominion of monkery and chivalry, employing no other weapons but + ridicule, the natural contrast of human terror. The people laughed, and + felt reassured. So 'Telemachus' appeared, and recalled men back to the + harmonies of nature. + </p> + <p> + "Poets," says Hazlitt, "are a longer-lived race than heroes: they breathe + more of the air of immortality. They survive more entire in their thoughts + and acts. We have all that Virgil or Homer did, as much as if we had lived + at the same time with them. We can hold their works in our hands, or lay + them on our pillows, or put them to our lips. Scarcely a trace of what the + others did is left upon the earth, so as to be visible to common eyes. The + one, the dead authors, are living men, still breathing and moving in their + writings; the others, the conquerors of the world, are but the ashes in an + urn. The sympathy [19so to speak] between thought and thought is more + intimate and vital than that between thought and action. Thought is linked + to thought as flame kindles into flame; the tribute of admiration to the + MANES of departed heroism is like burning incense in a marble monument. + Words, ideas, feelings, with the progress of time harden into substances: + things, bodies, actions, moulder away, or melt into a sound—into + thin air.... Not only a man's actions are effaced and vanish with him; his + virtues and generous qualities die with him also. His intellect only is + immortal, and bequeathed unimpaired to posterity. Words are the only + things that last for ever." <a href="#linknote-1918" + name="linknoteref-1918" id="linknoteref-1918"><small>1918</small></a> + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0011" id="link2HCH0011"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XI.—COMPANIONSHIP IN MARRIAGE. + </h2> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Kindness in women, not their beauteous looks, + Shall win my love."—SHAKSPEARE. + + "In the husband Wisdom, In the wife Gentleness."—GEORGE + HERBERT. + + "If God had designed woman as man's master, He would have + taken her from his head; If as his slave, He would have + taken her from his feet; but as He designed her for his + companion and equal, He took her from his side."—SAINT + AUGUSTINE.—'DE CIVITATE DEI.' + + "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above + rubies.... Her husband is known in the gates, and he sitteth + among the elders of the land.... Strength and honour are her + clothing, and she shall rejoice in time to come. She openeth + her mouth with wisdom, and in her tongue is the law of + kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her husband, and + eateth not the bread of idleness. Her children arise up and + call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her."— + PROVERBS OF SOLOMON. +</pre> + <p> + THE character of men, as of women, is powerfully influenced by their + companionship in all the stages of life. We have already spoken of the + influence of the mother in forming the character of her children. She + makes the moral atmosphere in which they live, and by which their minds + and souls are nourished, as their bodies are by the physical atmosphere + they breathe. And while woman is the natural cherisher of infancy and the + instructor of childhood, she is also the guide and counsellor of youth, + and the confidant and companion of manhood, in her various relations of + mother, sister, lover, and wife. In short, the influence of woman more or + less affects, for good or for evil, the entire destinies of man. + </p> + <p> + The respective social functions and duties of men and women are clearly + defined by nature. God created man AND woman, each to do their proper + work, each to fill their proper sphere. Neither can occupy the position, + nor perform the functions, of the other. Their several vocations are + perfectly distinct. Woman exists on her own account, as man does on his, + at the same time that each has intimate relations with the other. Humanity + needs both for the purposes of the race, and in every consideration of + social progress both must necessarily be included. + </p> + <p> + Though companions and equals, yet, as regards the measure of their powers, + they are unequal. Man is stronger, more muscular, and of rougher fibre; + woman is more delicate, sensitive, and nervous. The one excels in power of + brain, the other in qualities of heart; and though the head may rule, it + is the heart that influences. Both are alike adapted for the respective + functions they have to perform in life; and to attempt to impose woman's + work upon man would be quite as absurd as to attempt to impose man's work + upon woman. Men are sometimes womanlike, and women are sometimes manlike; + but these are only exceptions which prove the rule. + </p> + <p> + Although man's qualities belong more to the head, and woman's more to the + heart—yet it is not less necessary that man's heart should be + cultivated as well as his head, and woman's head cultivated as well as her + heart. A heartless man is as much out-of-keeping in civilized society as a + stupid and unintelligent woman. The cultivation of all parts of the moral + and intellectual nature is requisite to form the man or woman of healthy + and well-balanced character. Without sympathy or consideration for others, + man were a poor, stunted, sordid, selfish being; and without cultivated + intelligence, the most beautiful woman were little better than a + well-dressed doll. + </p> + <p> + It used to be a favourite notion about woman, that her weakness and + dependency upon others constituted her principal claim to admiration. "If + we were to form an image of dignity in a man," said Sir Richard Steele, + "we should give him wisdom and valour, as being essential to the character + of manhood. In like manner, if you describe a right woman in a laudable + sense, she should have gentle softness, tender fear, and all those parts + of life which distinguish her from the other sex, with some subordination + to it, but an inferiority which makes her lovely." Thus, her weakness was + to be cultivated, rather than her strength; her folly, rather than her + wisdom. She was to be a weak, fearful, tearful, characterless, inferior + creature, with just sense enough to understand the soft nothings addressed + to her by the "superior" sex. She was to be educated as an ornamental + appanage of man, rather as an independent intelligence—or as a wife, + mother, companion, or friend. + </p> + <p> + Pope, in one of his 'Moral Essays,' asserts that "most women have no + characters at all;" and again he says:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Ladies, like variegated tulips, show: + 'Tis to their changes half their charms we owe, + Fine by defect and delicately weak." +</pre> + <p> + This satire characteristically occurs in the poet's 'Epistle to Martha + Blount,' the housekeeper who so tyrannically ruled him; and in the same + verses he spitefully girds at Lady Mary Wortley Montague, at whose feet he + had thrown himself as a lover, and been contemptuously rejected. But Pope + was no judge of women, nor was he even a very wise or tolerant judge of + men. + </p> + <p> + It is still too much the practice to cultivate the weakness of woman + rather than her strength, and to render her attractive rather than + self-reliant. Her sensibilities are developed at the expense of her health + of body as well as of mind. She lives, moves, and has her being in the + sympathy of others. She dresses that she may attract, and is burdened with + accomplishments that she may be chosen. Weak, trembling, and dependent, + she incurs the risk of becoming a living embodiment of the Italian proverb—"so + good that she is good for nothing." + </p> + <p> + On the other hand, the education of young men too often errs on the side + of selfishness. While the boy is incited to trust mainly to his own + efforts in pushing his way in the world, the girl is encouraged to rely + almost entirely upon others. He is educated with too exclusive reference + to himself and she is educated with too exclusive reference to him. He is + taught to be self-reliant and self-dependent, while she is taught to be + distrustful of herself, dependent, and self-sacrificing in all things. + Thus, the intellect of the one is cultivated at the expense of the + affections, and the affections of the other at the expense of the + intellect. + </p> + <p> + It is unquestionable that the highest qualities of woman are displayed in + her relationship to others, through the medium of her affections. She is + the nurse whom nature has given to all humankind. She takes charge of the + helpless, and nourishes and cherishes those we love. She is the presiding + genius of the fireside, where she creates an atmosphere of serenity and + contentment suitable for the nurture and growth of character in its best + forms. She is by her very constitution compassionate, gentle, patient, and + self-denying. Loving, hopeful, trustful, her eye sheds brightness + everywhere. It shines upon coldness and warms it, upon suffering and + relieves it, upon sorrow and cheers it:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Her silver flow + Of subtle-paced counsel in distress, + Right to the heart and brain, though undescried, + Winning its way with extreme gentleness + Through all the outworks of suspicion's pride." +</pre> + <p> + Woman has been styled "the angel of the unfortunate." She is ready to help + the weak, to raise the fallen, to comfort the suffering. It was + characteristic of woman, that she should have been the first to build and + endow an hospital. It has been said that wherever a human being is in + suffering, his sighs call a woman to his side. When Mungo Park, lonely, + friendless, and famished, after being driven forth from an African village + by the men, was preparing to spend the night under a tree, exposed to the + rain and the wild beasts which there abounded, a poor negro woman, + returning from the labours of the field, took compassion upon him, + conducted him into her hut, and there gave him food, succour, and shelter. + <a href="#linknote-201" name="linknoteref-201" id="linknoteref-201"><small>201</small></a> + </p> + <p> + But while the most characteristic qualities of woman are displayed through + her sympathies and affections, it is also necessary for her own happiness, + as a self-dependent being, to develope and strengthen her character, by + due self-culture, self-reliance, and self-control. It is not desirable, + even were it possible, to close the beautiful avenues of the heart. + Self-reliance of the best kind does not involve any limitation in the + range of human sympathy. But the happiness of woman, as of man, depends in + a great measure upon her individual completeness of character. And that + self-dependence which springs from the due cultivation of the intellectual + powers, conjoined with a proper discipline of the heart and conscience, + will enable her to be more useful in life as well as happy; to dispense + blessings intelligently as well as to enjoy them; and most of all those + which spring from mutual dependence and social sympathy. + </p> + <p> + To maintain a high standard of purity in society, the culture of both + sexes must be in harmony, and keep equal pace. A pure womanhood must be + accompanied by a pure manhood. The same moral law applies alike to both. + It would be loosening the foundations of virtue, to countenance the notion + that because of a difference in sex, man were at liberty to set morality + at defiance, and to do that with impunity, which, if done by a woman, + would stain her character for life. To maintain a pure and virtuous + condition of society, therefore, man as well as woman must be pure and + virtuous; both alike shunning all acts impinging on the heart, character, + and conscience—shunning them as poison, which, once imbibed, can + never be entirely thrown out again, but mentally embitters, to a greater + or less extent, the happiness of after-life. + </p> + <p> + And here we would venture to touch upon a delicate topic. Though it is one + of universal and engrossing human interest, the moralist avoids it, the + educator shuns it, and parents taboo it. It is almost considered + indelicate to refer to Love as between the sexes; and young persons are + left to gather their only notions of it from the impossible love-stories + that fill the shelves of circulating libraries. This strong and absorbing + feeling, this BESOIN D'AIMER—which nature has for wise purposes made + so strong in woman that it colours her whole life and history, though it + may form but an episode in the life of man—is usually left to follow + its own inclinations, and to grow up for the most part unchecked, without + any guidance or direction whatever. + </p> + <p> + Although nature spurns all formal rules and directions in affairs of love, + it might at all events be possible to implant in young minds such views of + Character as should enable them to discriminate between the true and the + false, and to accustom them to hold in esteem those qualities of moral + purity and integrity, without which life is but a scene of folly and + misery. It may not be possible to teach young people to love wisely, but + they may at least be guarded by parental advice against the frivolous and + despicable passions which so often usurp its name. "Love," it has been + said, "in the common acceptation of the term, is folly; but love, in its + purity, its loftiness, its unselfishness, is not only a consequence, but a + proof, of our moral excellence. The sensibility to moral beauty, the + forgetfulness of self in the admiration engendered by it, all prove its + claim to a high moral influence. It is the triumph of the unselfish over + the selfish part of our nature." + </p> + <p> + It is by means of this divine passion that the world is kept ever fresh + and young. It is the perpetual melody of humanity. It sheds an effulgence + upon youth, and throws a halo round age. It glorifies the present by the + light it casts backward, and it lightens the future by the beams it casts + forward. The love which is the outcome of esteem and admiration, has an + elevating and purifying effect on the character. It tends to emancipate + one from the slavery of self. It is altogether unsordid; itself is its + only price. It inspires gentleness, sympathy, mutual faith, and + confidence. True love also in a measure elevates the intellect. "All love + renders wise in a degree," says the poet Browning, and the most gifted + minds have been the sincerest lovers. Great souls make all affections + great; they elevate and consecrate all true delights. The sentiment even + brings to light qualities before lying dormant and unsuspected. It + elevates the aspirations, expands the soul, and stimulates the mental + powers. One of the finest compliments ever paid to a woman was that of + Steele, when he said of Lady Elizabeth Hastings, "that to have loved her + was a liberal education." Viewed in this light, woman is an educator in + the highest sense, because, above all other educators, she educates + humanly and lovingly. + </p> + <p> + It has been said that no man and no woman can be regarded as complete in + their experience of life, until they have been subdued into union with the + world through their affections. As woman is not woman until she has known + love, neither is man man. Both are requisite to each other's completeness. + Plato entertained the idea that lovers each sought a likeness in the + other, and that love was only the divorced half of the original human + being entering into union with its counterpart. But philosophy would here + seem to be at fault, for affection quite as often springs from unlikeness + as from likeness in its object. + </p> + <p> + The true union must needs be one of mind as well as of heart, and based on + mutual esteem as well as mutual affection. "No true and enduring love," + says Fichte, "can exist without esteem; every other draws regret after it, + and is unworthy of any noble human soul." One cannot really love the bad, + but always something that we esteem and respect as well as admire. In + short, true union must rest on qualities of character, which rule in + domestic as in public life. + </p> + <p> + But there is something far more than mere respect and esteem in the union + between man and wife. The feeling on which it rests is far deeper and + tenderer—such, indeed, as never exists between men or between women. + "In matters of affection," says Nathaniel Hawthorne, "there is always an + impassable gulf between man and man. They can never quite grasp each + other's hands, and therefore man never derives any intimate help, any + heart-sustenance, from his brother man, but from woman—his mother, + his sister, or his wife." <a href="#linknote-202" name="linknoteref-202" + id="linknoteref-202"><small>202</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Man enters a new world of joy, and sympathy, and human interest, through + the porch of love. He enters a new world in his home—the home of his + own making—altogether different from the home of his boyhood, where + each day brings with it a succession of new joys and experiences. He + enters also, it may be, a new world of trials and sorrows, in which he + often gathers his best culture and discipline. "Family life," says + Sainte-Beuve, "may be full of thorns and cares; but they are fruitful: all + others are dry thorns." And again: "If a man's home, at a certain period + of life, does not contain children, it will probably be found filled with + follies or with vices." <a href="#linknote-203" name="linknoteref-203" + id="linknoteref-203"><small>203</small></a> + </p> + <p> + A life exclusively occupied in affairs of business insensibly tends to + narrow and harden the character. It is mainly occupied with self-watching + for advantages, and guarding against sharp practice on the part of others. + Thus the character unconsciously tends to grow suspicious and ungenerous. + The best corrective of such influences is always the domestic; by + withdrawing the mind from thoughts that are wholly gainful, by taking it + out of its daily rut, and bringing it back to the sanctuary of home for + refreshment and rest: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "That truest, rarest light of social joy, + Which gleams upon the man of many cares." +</pre> + <p> + "Business," says Sir Henry Taylor, "does but lay waste the approaches to + the heart, whilst marriage garrisons the fortress." And however the head + may be occupied, by labours of ambition or of business—if the heart + be not occupied by affection for others and sympathy with them—life, + though it may appear to the outer world to be a success, will probably be + no success at all, but a failure. <a href="#linknote-204" + name="linknoteref-204" id="linknoteref-204"><small>204</small></a> + </p> + <p> + A man's real character will always be more visible in his household than + anywhere else; and his practical wisdom will be better exhibited by the + manner in which he bears rule there, than even in the larger affairs of + business or public life. His whole mind may be in his business; but, if he + would be happy, his whole heart must be in his home. It is there that his + genuine qualities most surely display themselves—there that he shows + his truthfulness, his love, his sympathy, his consideration for others, + his uprightness, his manliness—in a word, his character. If + affection be not the governing principle in a household, domestic life may + be the most intolerable of despotisms. Without justice, also, there can be + neither love, confidence, nor respect, on which all true domestic rule is + founded. + </p> + <p> + Erasmus speaks of Sir Thomas More's home as "a school and exercise of the + Christian religion." "No wrangling, no angry word was heard in it; no one + was idle; every one did his duty with alacrity, and not without a + temperate cheerfulness." Sir Thomas won all hearts to obedience by his + gentleness. He was a man clothed in household goodness; and he ruled so + gently and wisely, that his home was pervaded by an atmosphere of love and + duty. He himself spoke of the hourly interchange of the smaller acts of + kindness with the several members of his family, as having a claim upon + his time as strong as those other public occupations of his life which + seemed to others so much more serious and important. + </p> + <p> + But the man whose affections are quickened by home-life, does not confine + his sympathies within that comparatively narrow sphere. His love enlarges + in the family, and through the family it expands into the world. "Love," + says Emerson, "is a fire that, kindling its first embers in the narrow + nook of a private bosom, caught from a wandering spark out of another + private heart, glows and enlarges until it warms and beams upon multitudes + of men and women, upon the universal heart of all, and so lights up the + whole world and nature with its generous flames." + </p> + <p> + It is by the regimen of domestic affection that the heart of man is best + composed and regulated. The home is the woman's kingdom, her state, her + world—where she governs by affection, by kindness, by the power of + gentleness. There is nothing which so settles the turbulence of a man's + nature as his union in life with a highminded woman. There he finds rest, + contentment, and happiness—rest of brain and peace of spirit. He + will also often find in her his best counsellor, for her instinctive tact + will usually lead him right when his own unaided reason might be apt to go + wrong. The true wife is a staff to lean upon in times of trial and + difficulty; and she is never wanting in sympathy and solace when distress + occurs or fortune frowns. In the time of youth, she is a comfort and an + ornament of man's life; and she remains a faithful helpmate in maturer + years, when life has ceased to be an anticipation, and we live in its + realities. + </p> + <p> + What a happy man must Edmund Burke have been, when he could say of his + home, "Every care vanishes the moment I enter under my own roof!" And + Luther, a man full of human affection, speaking of his wife, said, "I + would not exchange my poverty with her for all the riches of Croesus + without her." Of marriage he observed: "The utmost blessing that God can + confer on a man is the possession of a good and pious wife, with whom he + may live in peace and tranquillity—to whom he may confide his whole + possessions, even his life and welfare." And again he said, "To rise + betimes, and to marry young, are what no man ever repents of doing." + </p> + <p> + For a man to enjoy true repose and happiness in marriage, he must have in + his wife a soul-mate as well as a helpmate. But it is not requisite that + she should be merely a pale copy of himself. A man no more desires in his + wife a manly woman, than the woman desires in her husband a feminine man. + A woman's best qualities do not reside in her intellect, but in her + affections. She gives refreshment by her sympathies, rather than by her + knowledge. "The brain-women," says Oliver Wendell Holmes, "never interest + us like the heart-women." <a href="#linknote-205" name="linknoteref-205" + id="linknoteref-205"><small>205</small></a> Men are often so wearied with + themselves, that they are rather predisposed to admire qualities and + tastes in others different from their own. "If I were suddenly asked," + says Mr. Helps, "to give a proof of the goodness of God to us, I think I + should say that it is most manifest in the exquisite difference He has + made between the souls of men and women, so as to create the possibility + of the most comforting and charming companionship that the mind of man can + imagine." <a href="#linknote-206" name="linknoteref-206" + id="linknoteref-206"><small>206</small></a> But though no man may love a + woman for her understanding, it is not the less necessary for her to + cultivate it on that account. <a href="#linknote-207" + name="linknoteref-207" id="linknoteref-207"><small>207</small></a> There + may be difference in character, but there must be harmony of mind and + sentiment—two intelligent souls as well as two loving hearts: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Two heads in council, two beside the hearth, + Two in the tangled business of the world, + Two in the liberal offices of life." +</pre> + <p> + There are few men who have written so wisely on the subject of marriage as + Sir Henry Taylor. What he says about the influence of a happy union in its + relation to successful statesmanship, applies to all conditions of life. + The true wife, he says, should possess such qualities as will tend to make + home as much as may be a place of repose. To this end, she should have + sense enough or worth enough to exempt her husband as much as possible + from the troubles of family management, and more especially from all + possibility of debt. "She should be pleasing to his eyes and to his taste: + the taste goes deep into the nature of all men—love is hardly apart + from it; and in a life of care and excitement, that home which is not the + seat of love cannot be a place of repose; rest for the brain, and peace + for the spirit, being only to be had through the softening of the + affections. He should look for a clear understanding, cheerfulness, and + alacrity of mind, rather than gaiety and brilliancy, and for a gentle + tenderness of disposition in preference to an impassioned nature. Lively + talents are too stimulating in a tired man's house—passion is too + disturbing.... + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Her love should be + A love that clings not, nor is exigent, + Encumbers not the active purposes, + Nor drains their source; but profers with free grace + Pleasure at pleasure touched, at pleasure waived, + A washing of the weary traveller's feet, + A quenching of his thirst, a sweet repose, + Alternate and preparative; in groves + Where, loving much the flower that loves the shade, + And loving much the shade that that flower loves, + He yet is unbewildered, unenslaved, + Thence starting light, and pleasantly let go + When serious service calls." <a href="#linknote-208" name="linknoteref-208" + id="linknoteref-208">208</a> +</pre> + <p> + Some persons are disappointed in marriage, because they expect too much + from it; but many more, because they do not bring into the co-partnership + their fair share of cheerfulness, kindliness, forbearance, and common + sense. Their imagination has perhaps pictured a condition never + experienced on this side Heaven; and when real life comes, with its + troubles and cares, there is a sudden waking-up as from a dream. Or they + look for something approaching perfection in their chosen companion, and + discover by experience that the fairest of characters have their + weaknesses. Yet it is often the very imperfection of human nature, rather + than its perfection, that makes the strongest claims on the forbearance + and sympathy of others, and, in affectionate and sensible natures, tends + to produce the closest unions. + </p> + <p> + The golden rule of married life is, "Bear and forbear." Marriage, like + government, is a series of compromises. One must give and take, refrain + and restrain, endure and be patient. One may not be blind to another's + failings, but they may be borne with good-natured forbearance. Of all + qualities, good temper is the one that wears and works the best in married + life. Conjoined with self-control, it gives patience—the patience to + bear and forbear, to listen without retort, to refrain until the angry + flash has passed. How true it is in marriage, that "the soft answer + turneth away wrath!" + </p> + <p> + Burns the poet, in speaking of the qualities of a good wife, divided them + into ten parts. Four of these he gave to good temper, two to good sense, + one to wit, one to beauty—such as a sweet face, eloquent eyes, a + fine person, a graceful carriage; and the other two parts he divided + amongst the other qualities belonging to or attending on a wife—such + as fortune, connections, education [20that is, of a higher standard than + ordinary], family blood, &c.; but he said: "Divide those two degrees + as you please, only remember that all these minor proportions must be + expressed by fractions, for there is not any one of them that is entitled + to the dignity of an integer." + </p> + <p> + It has been said that girls are very good at making nets, but that it + would be better still if they would learn to make cages. Men are often as + easily caught as birds, but as difficult to keep. If the wife cannot make + her home bright and happy, so that it shall be the cleanest, sweetest, + cheerfulest place that her husband can find refuge in—a retreat from + the toils and troubles of the outer world—then God help the poor + man, for he is virtually homeless! + </p> + <p> + No wise person will marry for beauty mainly. It may exercise a powerful + attraction in the first place, but it is found to be of comparatively + little consequence afterwards. Not that beauty of person is to be + underestimated, for, other things being equal, handsomeness of form and + beauty of features are the outward manifestations of health. But to marry + a handsome figure without character, fine features unbeautified by + sentiment or good-nature, is the most deplorable of mistakes. As even the + finest landscape, seen daily, becomes monotonous, so does the most + beautiful face, unless a beautiful nature shines through it. The beauty of + to-day becomes commonplace to-morrow; whereas goodness, displayed through + the most ordinary features, is perennially lovely. Moreover, this kind of + beauty improves with age, and time ripens rather than destroys it. After + the first year, married people rarely think of each other's features, and + whether they be classically beautiful or otherwise. But they never fail to + be cognisant of each other's temper. "When I see a man," says Addison, + "with a sour rivelled face, I cannot forbear pitying his wife; and when I + meet with an open ingenuous countenance, I think of the happiness of his + friends, his family, and his relations." + </p> + <p> + We have given the views of the poet Burns as to the qualities necessary in + a good wife. Let us add the advice given by Lord Burleigh to his son, + embodying the experience of a wise statesman and practised man of the + world. "When it shall please God," said he, "to bring thee to man's + estate, use great providence and circumspection in choosing thy wife; for + from thence will spring all thy future good or evil. And it is an action + of thy life, like unto a stratagem of war, wherein a man can err but + once.... Enquire diligently of her disposition, and how her parents have + been inclined in their youth. <a href="#linknote-209" + name="linknoteref-209" id="linknoteref-209"><small>209</small></a> Let her + not be poor, how generous [20well-born] soever; for a man can buy nothing + in the market with gentility. Nor choose a base and uncomely creature + altogether for wealth; for it will cause contempt in others, and loathing + in thee. Neither make choice of a dwarf, or a fool; for by the one thou + shalt beget a race of pigmies, while the other will be thy continual + disgrace, and it will yirke [20irk] thee to hear her talk. For thou shalt + find it to thy great grief, that there is nothing more fulsome + [20disgusting] than a she-fool." + </p> + <p> + A man's moral character is, necessarily, powerfully influenced by his + wife. A lower nature will drag him down, as a higher will lift him up. The + former will deaden his sympathies, dissipate his energies, and distort his + life; while the latter, by satisfying his affections, will strengthen his + moral nature, and by giving him repose, tend to energise his intellect. + Not only so, but a woman of high principles will insensibly elevate the + aims and purposes of her husband, as one of low principles will + unconsciously degrade them. De Tocqueville was profoundly impressed by + this truth. He entertained the opinion that man could have no such + mainstay in life as the companionship of a wife of good temper and high + principle. He says that in the course of his life, he had seen even weak + men display real public virtue, because they had by their side a woman of + noble character, who sustained them in their career, and exercised a + fortifying influence on their views of public duty; whilst, on the + contrary, he had still oftener seen men of great and generous instincts + transformed into vulgar self-seekers, by contact with women of narrow + natures, devoted to an imbecile love of pleasure, and from whose minds the + grand motive of Duty was altogether absent. + </p> + <p> + De Tocqueville himself had the good fortune to be blessed with an + admirable wife: <a href="#linknote-2010" name="linknoteref-2010" + id="linknoteref-2010"><small>2010</small></a> and in his letters to his + intimate friends, he spoke most gratefully of the comfort and support he + derived from her sustaining courage, her equanimity of temper, and her + nobility of character. The more, indeed, that De Tocqueville saw of the + world and of practical life, the more convinced he became of the necessity + of healthy domestic conditions for a man's growth in virtue and goodness. + <a href="#linknote-2011" name="linknoteref-2011" id="linknoteref-2011"><small>2011</small></a> + Especially did he regard marriage as of inestimable importance in regard + to a man's true happiness; and he was accustomed to speak of his own as + the wisest action of his life. "Many external circumstances of happiness," + he said, "have been granted to me. But more than all, I have to thank + Heaven for having bestowed on me true domestic happiness, the first of + human blessings. As I grow older, the portion of my life which in my youth + I used to look down upon, every day becomes more important in my eyes, and + would now easily console me for the loss of all the rest." And again, + writing to his bosom-friend, De Kergorlay, he said: "Of all the blessings + which God has given to me, the greatest of all in my eyes is to have + lighted on Marie. You cannot imagine what she is in great trials. Usually + so gentle, she then becomes strong and energetic. She watches me without + my knowing it; she softens, calms, and strengthens me in difficulties + which disturb ME, but leave her serene." <a href="#linknote-2012" + name="linknoteref-2012" id="linknoteref-2012"><small>2012</small></a> In + another letter he says: "I cannot describe to you the happiness yielded in + the long run by the habitual society of a woman in whose soul all that is + good in your own is reflected naturally, and even improved. When I say or + do a thing which seems to me to be perfectly right, I read immediately in + Marie's countenance an expression of proud satisfaction which elevates me. + And so, when my conscience reproaches me, her face instantly clouds over. + Although I have great power over her mind, I see with pleasure that she + awes me; and so long as I love her as I do now, I am sure that I shall + never allow myself to be drawn into anything that is wrong." + </p> + <p> + In the retired life which De Tocqueville led as a literary man—political + life being closed against him by the inflexible independence of his + character—his health failed, and he became ill, irritable, and + querulous. While proceeding with his last work, 'L'Ancien Regime et la + Revolution,' he wrote: "After sitting at my desk for five or six hours, I + can write no longer; the machine refuses to act. I am in great want of + rest, and of a long rest. If you add all the perplexities that besiege an + author towards the end of his work, you will be able to imagine a very + wretched life. I could not go on with my task if it were not for the + refreshing calm of Marie's companionship. It would be impossible to find a + disposition forming a happier contrast to my own. In my perpetual + irritability of body and mind, she is a providential resource that never + fails me." <a href="#linknote-2013" name="linknoteref-2013" + id="linknoteref-2013"><small>2013</small></a> + </p> + <p> + M. Guizot was, in like manner, sustained and encouraged, amidst his many + vicissitudes and disappointments, by his noble wife. If he was treated + with harshness by his political enemies, his consolation was in the tender + affection which filled his home with sunshine. Though his public life was + bracing and stimulating, he felt, nevertheless, that it was cold and + calculating, and neither filled the soul nor elevated the character. "Man + longs for a happiness," he says in his 'Memoires,' "more complete and more + tender than that which all the labours and triumphs of active exertion and + public importance can bestow. What I know to-day, at the end of my race, I + have felt when it began, and during its continuance. Even in the midst of + great undertakings, domestic affections form the basis of life; and the + most brilliant career has only superficial and incomplete enjoyments, if a + stranger to the happy ties of family and friendship." + </p> + <p> + The circumstances connected with M. Guizot's courtship and marriage are + curious and interesting. While a young man living by his pen in Paris, + writing books, reviews, and translations, he formed a casual acquaintance + with Mademoiselle Pauline de Meulan, a lady of great ability, then editor + of the PUBLICISTE. A severe domestic calamity having befallen her, she + fell ill, and was unable for a time to carry on the heavy literary work + connected with her journal. At this juncture a letter without any + signature reached her one day, offering a supply of articles, which the + writer hoped would be worthy of the reputation of the PUBLICISTE. The + articles duly arrived, were accepted, and published. They dealt with a + great variety of subjects—art, literature, theatricals, and general + criticism. When the editor at length recovered from her illness, the + writer of the articles disclosed himself: it was M. Guizot. An intimacy + sprang up between them, which ripened into mutual affection, and before + long Mademoiselle de Meulan became his wife. + </p> + <p> + From that time forward, she shared in all her husband's joys and sorrows, + as well as in many of his labours. Before they became united, he asked her + if she thought she should ever become dismayed at the vicissitudes of his + destiny, which he then saw looming before him. She replied that he might + assure himself that she would always passionately enjoy his triumphs, but + never heave a sigh over his defeats. When M. Guizot became first minister + of Louis Philippe, she wrote to a friend: "I now see my husband much less + than I desire, but still I see him.... If God spares us to each other, I + shall always be, in the midst of every trial and apprehension, the + happiest of beings." Little more than six months after these words were + written, the devoted wife was laid in her grave; and her sorrowing husband + was left thenceforth to tread the journey of life alone. + </p> + <p> + Burke was especially happy in his union with Miss Nugent, a beautiful, + affectionate, and highminded woman. The agitation and anxiety of his + public life was more than compensated by his domestic happiness, which + seems to have been complete. It was a saying of Burke, thoroughly + illustrative of his character, that "to love the little platoon we belong + to in society is the germ of all public affections." His description of + his wife, in her youth, is probably one of the finest word-portraits in + the language:— + </p> + <p> + "She is handsome; but it is a beauty not arising from features, from + complexion, or from shape. She has all three in a high degree, but it is + not by these she touches the heart; it is all that sweetness of temper, + benevolence, innocence, and sensibility, which a face can express, that + forms her beauty. She has a face that just raises your attention at first + sight; it grows on you every moment, and you wonder it did no more than + raise your attention at first. + </p> + <p> + "Her eyes have a mild light, but they awe when she pleases; they command, + like a good man out of office, not by authority, but by virtue. + </p> + <p> + "Her stature is not tall; she is not made to be the admiration of + everybody, but the happiness of one. + </p> + <p> + "She has all the firmness that does not exclude delicacy; she has all the + softness that does not imply weakness. + </p> + <p> + "Her voice is a soft low music—not formed to rule in public + assemblies, but to charm those who can distinguish a company from a crowd; + it has this advantage—YOU MUST COME CLOSE TO HER TO HEAR IT. + </p> + <p> + "To describe her body describes her mind—one is the transcript of + the other; her understanding is not shown in the variety of matters it + exerts itself on, but in the goodness of the choice she makes. + </p> + <p> + "She does not display it so much in saying or doing striking things, as in + avoiding such as she ought not to say or do. + </p> + <p> + "No person of so few years can know the world better; no person was ever + less corrupted by the knowledge of it. + </p> + <p> + "Her politeness flows rather from a natural disposition to oblige, than + from any rules on that subject, and therefore never fails to strike those + who understand good breeding and those who do not. + </p> + <p> + "She has a steady and firm mind, which takes no more from the solidity of + the female character than the solidity of marble does from its polish and + lustre. She has such virtues as make us value the truly great of our own + sex. She has all the winning graces that make us love even the faults we + see in the weak and beautiful, in hers." + </p> + <p> + Let us give, as a companion picture, the not less beautiful delineation of + a husband, that of Colonel Hutchinson, the Commonwealth man, by his widow. + Shortly before his death, he enjoined her "not to grieve at the common + rate of desolate women." And, faithful to his injunction, instead of + lamenting his loss, she indulged her noble sorrow in depicting her husband + as he had lived. + </p> + <p> + "They who dote on mortal excellences," she says, in her Introduction to + the 'Life,' "when, by the inevitable fate of all things frail, their + adored idols are taken from them, may let loose the winds of passion to + bring in a flood of sorrow, whose ebbing tides carry away the dear memory + of what they have lost; and when comfort is essayed to such mourners, + commonly all objects are removed out of their view which may with their + remembrance renew the grief; and in time these remedies succeed, and + oblivion's curtain is by degrees drawn over the dead face; and things less + lovely are liked, while they are not viewed together with that which was + most excellent. But I, that am under a command not to grieve at the common + rate of desolate women, <a href="#linknote-2014" name="linknoteref-2014" + id="linknoteref-2014"><small>2014</small></a> while I am studying which + way to moderate my woe, and if it were possible to augment my love, I can + for the present find out none more just to your dear father, nor + consolatory to myself, than the preservation of his memory, which I need + not gild with such flattering commendations as hired preachers do equally + give to the truly and titularly honourable. A naked undressed narrative, + speaking the simple truth of him, will deck him with more substantial + glory, than all the panegyrics the best pens could ever consecrate to the + virtues of the best men." + </p> + <p> + The following is the wife's portrait of Colonel Hutchinson as a husband:— + </p> + <p> + "For conjugal affection to his wife, it was such in him as whosoever would + draw out a rule of honour, kindness, and religion, to be practised in that + estate, need no more but exactly draw out his example. Never man had a + greater passion for a woman, nor a more honourable esteem of a wife: yet + he was not uxorious, nor remitted he that just rule which it was her + honour to obey, but managed the reins of government with such prudence and + affection, that she who could not delight in such an honourable and + advantageable subjection, must have wanted a reasonable soul. + </p> + <p> + "He governed by persuasion, which he never employed but to things + honourable and profitable to herself; he loved her soul and her honour + more than her outside, and yet he had ever for her person a constant + indulgence, exceeding the common temporary passion of the most uxorious + fools. If he esteemed her at a higher rate than she in herself could have + deserved, he was the author of that virtue he doated on, while she only + reflected his own glories upon him. All that she was, was HIM, while he + was here, and all that she is now, at best, is but his pale shade. + </p> + <p> + "So liberal was he to her, and of so generous a temper, that he hated the + mention of severed purses, his estate being so much at her disposal that + he never would receive an account of anything she expended. So constant + was he in his love, that when she ceased to be young and lovely he began + to show most fondness. He loved her at such a kind and generous rate as + words cannot express. Yet even this, which was the highest love he or any + man could have, was bounded by a superior: he loved her in the Lord as his + fellow-creature, not his idol; but in such a manner as showed that an + affection, founded on the just rules of duty, far exceeds every way all + the irregular passions in the world. He loved God above her, and all the + other dear pledges of his heart, and for his glory cheerfully resigned + them." <a href="#linknote-2015" name="linknoteref-2015" + id="linknoteref-2015"><small>2015</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Lady Rachel Russell is another of the women of history celebrated for her + devotion and faithfulness as a wife. She laboured and pleaded for her + husband's release so long as she could do so with honour; but when she saw + that all was in vain, she collected her courage, and strove by her example + to strengthen the resolution of her dear lord. And when his last hour had + nearly come, and his wife and children waited to receive his parting + embrace, she, brave to the end, that she might not add to his distress, + concealed the agony of her grief under a seeming composure; and they + parted, after a tender adieu, in silence. After she had gone, Lord William + said, "Now the bitterness of death is passed!" <a href="#linknote-2016" + name="linknoteref-2016" id="linknoteref-2016"><small>2016</small></a> + </p> + <p> + We have spoken of the influence of a wife upon a man's character. There + are few men strong enough to resist the influence of a lower character in + a wife. If she do not sustain and elevate what is highest in his nature, + she will speedily reduce him to her own level. Thus a wife may be the + making or the unmaking of the best of men. An illustration of this power + is furnished in the life of Bunyan. The profligate tinker had the good + fortune to marry, in early life, a worthy young woman of good parentage. + "My mercy," he himself says, "was to light upon a wife whose father and + mother were accounted godly. This woman and I, though we came together as + poor as poor might be [20not having so much household stuff as a dish or a + spoon betwixt us both], yet she had for her part, 'The Plain Man's Pathway + to Heaven,' and 'The Practice of Piety,' which her father had left her + when he died." And by reading these and other good books; helped by the + kindly influence of his wife, Bunyan was gradually reclaimed from his evil + ways, and led gently into the paths of peace. + </p> + <p> + Richard Baxter, the Nonconformist divine, was far advanced in life before + he met the excellent woman who eventually became his wife. He was too + laboriously occupied in his vocation of minister to have any time to spare + for courtship; and his marriage was, as in the case of Calvin, as much a + matter of convenience as of love. Miss Charlton, the lady of his choice, + was the owner of property in her own right; but lest it should be thought + that Baxter married her for "covetousness," he requested, first, that she + should give over to her relatives the principal part of her fortune, and + that "he should have nothing that before her marriage was hers;" secondly, + that she should so arrange her affairs "as that he might be entangled in + no lawsuits;" and, thirdly, "that she should expect none of the time that + his ministerial work might require." These several conditions the bride + having complied with, the marriage took place, and proved a happy one. "We + lived," said Baxter, "in inviolated love and mutual complacency, sensible + of the benefit of mutual help, nearly nineteen years." Yet the life of + Baxter was one of great trials and troubles, arising from the unsettled + state of the times in which he lived. He was hunted about from one part of + the country to another, and for several years he had no settled + dwelling-place. "The women," he gently remarks in his 'Life,' "have most + of that sort of trouble, but my wife easily bore it all." In the sixth + year of his marriage Baxter was brought before the magistrates at + Brentford, for holding a conventicle at Acton, and was sentenced by them + to be imprisoned in Clerkenwell Gaol. There he was joined by his wife, who + affectionately nursed him during his confinement. "She was never so + cheerful a companion to me," he says, "as in prison, and was very much + against me seeking to be released." At length he was set at liberty by the + judges of the Court of Common Pleas, to whom he had appealed against the + sentence of the magistrates. At the death of Mrs. Baxter, after a very + troubled yet happy and cheerful life, her husband left a touching portrait + of the graces, virtues, and Christian character of this excellent woman—one + of the most charming things to be found in his works. + </p> + <p> + The noble Count Zinzendorf was united to an equally noble woman, who bore + him up through life by her great spirit, and sustained him in all his + labours by her unfailing courage. "Twenty-four years' experience has shown + me," he said, "that just the helpmate whom I have is the only one that + could suit my vocation. Who else could have so carried through my family + affairs?—who lived so spotlessly before the world? Who so wisely + aided me in my rejection of a dry morality?.... Who would, like she, + without a murmur, have seen her husband encounter such dangers by land and + sea?—who undertaken with him, and sustained, such astonishing + pilgrimages? Who, amid such difficulties, could have held up her head and + supported me?.... And finally, who, of all human beings, could so well + understand and interpret to others my inner and outer being as this one, + of such nobleness in her way of thinking, such great intellectual + capacity, and free from the theological perplexities that so often + enveloped me?" + </p> + <p> + One of the brave Dr. Livingstone's greatest trials during his travels in + South Africa was the death of his affectionate wife, who had shared his + dangers, and accompanied him in so many of his wanderings. In + communicating the intelligence of her decease at Shupanga, on the River + Zambesi, to his friend Sir Roderick Murchison, Dr. Livingstone said: "I + must confess that this heavy stroke quite takes the heart out of me. + Everything else that has happened only made me more determined to overcome + all difficulties; but after this sad stroke I feel crushed and void of + strength. Only three short months of her society, after four years + separation! I married her for love, and the longer I lived with her I + loved her the more. A good wife, and a good, brave, kindhearted mother was + she, deserving all the praises you bestowed upon her at our parting + dinner, for teaching her own and the native children, too, at Kolobeng. I + try to bow to the blow as from our Heavenly Father, who orders all things + for us.... I shall do my duty still, but it is with a darkened horizon + that I again set about it." + </p> + <p> + Sir Samuel Romilly left behind him, in his Autobiography, a touching + picture of his wife, to whom he attributed no small measure of the success + and happiness that accompanied him through life. "For the last fifteen + years," he said, "my happiness has been the constant study of the most + excellent of wives: a woman in whom a strong understanding, the noblest + and most elevated sentiments, and the most courageous virtue, are united + to the warmest affection, and to the utmost delicacy of mind and heart; + and all these intellectual perfections are graced by the most splendid + beauty that human eyes ever beheld." <a href="#linknote-2017" + name="linknoteref-2017" id="linknoteref-2017"><small>2017</small></a> + Romilly's affection and admiration for this noble woman endured to the + end; and when she died, the shock proved greater than his sensitive nature + could bear. Sleep left his eyelids, his mind became unhinged, and three + days after her death the sad event occurred which brought his own valued + life to a close. <a href="#linknote-2018" name="linknoteref-2018" + id="linknoteref-2018"><small>2018</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Sir Francis Burdett, to whom Romilly had been often politically opposed, + fell into such a state of profound melancholy on the death of his wife, + that he persistently refused nourishment of any kind, and died before the + removal of her remains from the house; and husband and wife were laid side + by side in the same grave. + </p> + <p> + It was grief for the loss of his wife that sent Sir Thomas Graham into the + army at the age of forty-three. Every one knows the picture of the + newly-wedded pair by Gainsborough—one of the most exquisite of that + painter's works. They lived happily together for eighteen years, and then + she died, leaving him inconsolable. To forget his sorrow—and, as + some thought, to get rid of the weariness of his life without her—Graham + joined Lord Hood as a volunteer, and distinguished himself by the + recklessness of his bravery at the siege of Toulon. He served all through + the Peninsular War, first under Sir John Moore, and afterwards under + Wellington; rising through the various grades of the service, until he + rose to be second in command. He was commonly known as the "hero of + Barossa," because of his famous victory at that place; and he was + eventually raised to the peerage as Lord Lynedoch, ending his days + peacefully at a very advanced age. But to the last he tenderly cherished + the memory of his dead wife, to the love of whom he may be said to have + owed all his glory. "Never," said Sheridan of him, when pronouncing his + eulogy in the House of Commons—"never was there seated a loftier + spirit in a braver heart." + </p> + <p> + And so have noble wives cherished the memory of their husbands. There is a + celebrated monument in Vienna, erected to the memory of one of the best + generals of the Austrian army, on which there is an inscription, setting + forth his great services during the Seven Years' War, concluding with the + words, "NON PATRIA, NEC IMPERATOR, SED CONJUX POSUIT." When Sir Albert + Morton died, his wife's grief was such that she shortly followed him, and + was laid by his side. Wotton's two lines on the event have been celebrated + as containing a volume in seventeen words: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "He first deceased; she for a little tried + To live without him, liked it not, and died." +</pre> + <p> + So, when Washington's wife was informed that her dear lord had suffered + his last agony—had drawn his last breath, and departed—she + said: "'Tis well; all is now over. I shall soon follow him; I have no more + trials to pass through." + </p> + <p> + Not only have women been the best companions, friends, and consolers, but + they have in many cases been the most effective helpers of their husbands + in their special lines of work. Galvani was especially happy in his wife. + She was the daughter of Professor Galeazzi; and it is said to have been + through her quick observation of the circumstance of the leg of a frog, + placed near an electrical machine, becoming convulsed when touched by a + knife, that her husband was first led to investigate the science which has + since become identified with his name. Lavoisier's wife also was a woman + of real scientific ability, who not only shared in her husband's pursuits, + but even undertook the task of engraving the plates that accompanied his + 'Elements.' + </p> + <p> + The late Dr. Buckland had another true helper in his wife, who assisted + him with her pen, prepared and mended his fossils, and furnished many of + the drawings and illustrations of his published works. "Notwithstanding + her devotion to her husband's pursuits," says her son, Frank Buckland, in + the preface to one of his father's works, "she did not neglect the + education of her children, but occupied her mornings in superintending + their instruction in sound and useful knowledge. The sterling value of her + labours they now, in after-life, fully appreciate, and feel most thankful + that they were blessed with so good a mother." <a href="#linknote-2019" + name="linknoteref-2019" id="linknoteref-2019"><small>2019</small></a> + </p> + <p> + A still more remarkable instance of helpfulness in a wife is presented in + the case of Huber, the Geneva naturalist. Huber was blind from his + seventeenth year, and yet he found means to study and master a branch of + natural history demanding the closest observation and the keenest + eyesight. It was through the eyes of his wife that his mind worked as if + they had been his own. She encouraged her husband's studies as a means of + alleviating his privation, which at length he came to forget; and his life + was as prolonged and happy as is usual with most naturalists. He even went + so far as to declare that he should be miserable were he to regain his + eyesight. "I should not know," he said, "to what extent a person in my + situation could be beloved; besides, to me my wife is always young, fresh, + and pretty, which is no light matter." Huber's great work on 'Bees' is + still regarded as a masterpiece, embodying a vast amount of original + observation on their habits and natural history. Indeed, while reading his + descriptions, one would suppose that they were the work of a singularly + keensighted man, rather than of one who had been entirely blind for + twenty-five years at the time at which he wrote them. + </p> + <p> + Not less touching was the devotion of Lady Hamilton to the service of her + husband, the late Sir William Hamilton, Professor of Logic and Metaphysics + in the University of Edinburgh. After he had been stricken by paralysis + through overwork at the age of fifty-six, she became hands, eyes, mind, + and everything to him. She identified herself with his work, read and + consulted books for him, copied out and corrected his lectures, and + relieved him of all business which she felt herself competent to + undertake. Indeed, her conduct as a wife was nothing short of heroic; and + it is probable that but for her devoted and more than wifely help, and her + rare practical ability, the greatest of her husband's works would never + have seen the light. He was by nature unmethodical and disorderly, and she + supplied him with method and orderliness. His temperament was studious but + indolent, while she was active and energetic. She abounded in the + qualities which he most lacked. He had the genius, to which her vigorous + nature gave the force and impulse. + </p> + <p> + When Sir William Hamilton was elected to his Professorship, after a severe + and even bitter contest, his opponents, professing to regard him as a + visionary, predicted that he could never teach a class of students, and + that his appointment would prove a total failure. He determined, with the + help of his wife, to justify the choice of his supporters, and to prove + that his enemies were false prophets. Having no stock of lectures on hand, + each lecture of the first course was written out day by day, as it was to + be delivered on the following morning. His wife sat up with him night + after night, to write out a fair copy of the lectures from the rough + sheets, which he drafted in the adjoining room. "On some occasions," says + his biographer, "the subject of the lectures would prove less easily + managed than on others; and then Sir William would be found writing as + late as nine o'clock in the morning, while his faithful but wearied + amanuensis had fallen asleep on a sofa." <a href="#linknote-2020" + name="linknoteref-2020" id="linknoteref-2020"><small>2020</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Sometimes the finishing touches to the lecture were left to be given just + before the class-hour. Thus helped, Sir William completed his course; his + reputation as a lecturer was established; and he eventually became + recognised throughout Europe as one of the leading intellects of his time. + <a href="#linknote-2021" name="linknoteref-2021" id="linknoteref-2021"><small>2021</small></a> + </p> + <p> + The woman who soothes anxiety by her presence, who charms and allays + irritability by her sweetness of temper, is a consoler as well as a true + helper. Niebuhr always spoke of his wife as a fellow-worker with him in + this sense. Without the peace and consolation which be found in her + society, his nature would have fretted in comparative uselessness. "Her + sweetness of temper and her love," said he, "raise me above the earth, and + in a manner separate me from this life." But she was a helper in another + and more direct way. Niebuhr was accustomed to discuss with his wife every + historical discovery, every political event, every novelty in literature; + and it was mainly for her pleasure and approbation, in the first instance, + that he laboured while preparing himself for the instruction of the world + at large. + </p> + <p> + The wife of John Stuart Mill was another worthy helper of her husband, + though in a more abstruse department of study, as we learn from his + touching dedication of the treatise 'On Liberty':—"To the beloved + and deplored memory of her who was the inspirer, and in part the author, + of all that is best in my writings—the friend and wife, whose + exalted sense of truth and right was my strongest incitement, and whose + approbation was my chief reward, I dedicate this volume." Not less + touching is the testimony borne by another great living writer to the + character of his wife, in the inscription upon the tombstone of Mrs. + Carlyle in Haddington Churchyard, where are inscribed these words:—"In + her bright existence, she had more sorrows than are common, but also a + soft amiability, a capacity of discernment, and a noble loyalty of heart, + which are rare. For forty years she was the true and loving helpmate of + her husband, and by act and word unweariedly forwarded him as none else + could, in all of worthy that he did or attempted." + </p> + <p> + The married life of Faraday was eminently happy. In his wife he found, at + the same time, a true helpmate and soul-mate. She supported, cheered, and + strengthened him on his way through life, giving him "the clear + contentment of a heart at ease." In his diary he speaks of his marriage as + "a source of honour and happiness far exceeding all the rest." After + twentyeight years' experience, he spoke of it as "an event which, more + than any other, had contributed to his earthly happiness and healthy state + of mind.... The union [20said he] has in nowise changed, except only in + the depth and strength of its character." And for six-and-forty years did + the union continue unbroken; the love of the old man remaining as fresh, + as earnest, as heart-whole, as in the days of his impetuous youth. In this + case, marriage was as— + </p> + <p> + "A golden chain let down from heaven, Whose links are bright and even; + That falls like sleep on lovers, and combines The soft and sweetest minds + In equal knots." + </p> + <p> + Besides being a helper, woman is emphatically a consoler. Her sympathy is + unfailing. She soothes, cheers, and comforts. Never was this more true + than in the case of the wife of Tom Hood, whose tender devotion to him, + during a life that was a prolonged illness, is one of the most affecting + things in biography. A woman of excellent good sense, she appreciated her + husband's genius, and, by encouragement and sympathy, cheered and + heartened him to renewed effort in many a weary struggle for life. She + created about him an atmosphere of hope and cheerfulness, and nowhere did + the sunshine of her love seem so bright as when lighting up the couch of + her invalid husband. + </p> + <p> + Nor was he unconscious of her worth. In one of his letters to her, when + absent from his side, Hood said: "I never was anything, Dearest, till I + knew you; and I have been a better, happier, and more prosperous man ever + since. Lay by that truth in lavender, Sweetest, and remind me of it when I + fail. I am writing warmly and fondly, but not without good cause. First, + your own affectionate letter, lately received; next, the remembrance of + our dear children, pledges—what darling ones!—of our old + familiar love; then, a delicious impulse to pour out the overflowings of + my heart into yours; and last, not least, the knowledge that your dear + eyes will read what my hand is now writing. Perhaps there is an + afterthought that, whatever may befall me, the wife of my bosom will have + the acknowledgment of her tenderness, worth, excellence—all that is + wifely or womanly, from my pen." In another letter, also written to his + wife during a brief absence, there is a natural touch, showing his deep + affection for her: "I went and retraced our walk in the park, and sat down + on the same seat, and felt happier and better." + </p> + <p> + But not only was Mrs. Hood a consoler, she was also a helper of her + husband in his special work. He had such confidence in her judgment, that + he read, and re-read, and corrected with her assistance all that he wrote. + Many of his pieces were first dedicated to her; and her ready memory often + supplied him with the necessary references and quotations. Thus, in the + roll of noble wives of men of genius, Mrs. Hood will always be entitled to + take a foremost place. + </p> + <p> + Not less effective as a literary helper was Lady Napier, the wife of Sir + William Napier, historian of the Peninsular War. She encouraged him to + undertake the work, and without her help he would have experienced great + difficulty in completing it. She translated and epitomized the immense + mass of original documents, many of them in cipher, on which it was in a + great measure founded. When the Duke of Wellington was told of the art and + industry she had displayed in deciphering King Joseph's portfolio, and the + immense mass of correspondence taken at Vittoria, he at first would hardly + believe it, adding—"I would have given 20,000L. to any person who + could have done this for me in the Peninsula." Sir William Napier's + handwriting being almost illegible, Lady Napier made out his rough + interlined manuscript, which he himself could scarcely read, and wrote out + a full fair copy for the printer; and all this vast labour she undertook + and accomplished, according to the testimony of her husband, without + having for a moment neglected the care and education of a large family. + When Sir William lay on his deathbed, Lady Napier was at the same time + dangerously ill; but she was wheeled into his room on a sofa, and the two + took their silent farewell of each other. The husband died first; in a few + weeks the wife followed him, and they sleep side by side in the same + grave. + </p> + <p> + Many other similar truehearted wives rise up in the memory, to recite + whose praises would more than fill up our remaining space—such as + Flaxman's wife, Ann Denham, who cheered and encouraged her husband through + life in the prosecution of his art, accompanying him to Rome, sharing in + his labours and anxieties, and finally in his triumphs, and to whom + Flaxman, in the fortieth year of their married life, dedicated his + beautiful designs illustrative of Faith, Hope, and Charity, in token of + his deep and undimmed affection;—such as Katherine Boutcher, + "dark-eyed Kate," the wife of William Blake, who believed her husband to + be the first genius on earth, worked off the impressions of his plates and + coloured them beautifully with her own hand, bore with him in all his + erratic ways, sympathised with him in his sorrows and joys for forty-five + years, and comforted him until his dying hour—his last sketch, made + in his seventy-first year, being a likeness of himself, before making + which, seeing his wife crying by his side, he said, "Stay, Kate! just keep + as you are; I will draw your portrait, for you have ever been an angel to + me;"—such again as Lady Franklin, the true and noble woman, who + never rested in her endeavours to penetrate the secret of the Polar Sea + and prosecute the search for her long-lost husband—undaunted by + failure, and persevering in her determination with a devotion and + singleness of purpose altogether unparalleled;—or such again as the + wife of Zimmermann, whose intense melancholy she strove in vain to + assuage, sympathizing with him, listening to him, and endeavouring to + understand him—and to whom, when on her deathbed, about to leave him + for ever, she addressed the touching words, "My poor Zimmermann! who will + now understand thee?" + </p> + <p> + Wives have actively helped their husbands in other ways. Before Weinsberg + surrendered to its besiegers, the women of the place asked permission of + the captors to remove their valuables. The permission was granted, and + shortly after, the women were seen issuing from the gates carrying their + husbands on their shoulders. Lord Nithsdale owed his escape from prison to + the address of his wife, who changed garments with him, sending him forth + in her stead, and herself remaining prisoner,—an example which was + successfully repeated by Madame de Lavalette. + </p> + <p> + But the most remarkable instance of the release of a husband through the + devotion of a wife, was that of the celebrated Grotius. He had lain for + nearly twenty months in the strong fortress of Loevestein, near Gorcum, + having been condemned by the government of the United Provinces to + perpetual imprisonment. His wife, having been allowed to share his cell, + greatly relieved his solitude. She was permitted to go into the town twice + a week, and bring her husband books, of which he required a large number + to enable him to prosecute his studies. At length a large chest was + required to hold them. This the sentries at first examined with great + strictness, but, finding that it only contained books [20amongst others + Arminian books] and linen, they at length gave up the search, and it was + allowed to pass out and in as a matter of course. This led Grotius' wife + to conceive the idea of releasing him; and she persuaded him one day to + deposit himself in the chest instead of the outgoing books. When the two + soldiers appointed to remove it took it up, they felt it to be + considerably heavier than usual, and one of them asked, jestingly, "Have + we got the Arminian himself here?" to which the ready-witted wife replied, + "Yes, perhaps some Arminian books." The chest reached Gorcum in safety; + the captive was released; and Grotius escaped across the frontier into + Brabant, and afterwards into France, where he was rejoined by his wife. + </p> + <p> + Trial and suffering are the tests of married life. They bring out the real + character, and often tend to produce the closest union. They may even be + the spring of the purest happiness. Uninterrupted joy, like uninterrupted + success, is not good for either man or woman. When Heine's wife died, he + began to reflect upon the loss he had sustained. They had both known + poverty, and struggled through it hand-in-hand; and it was his greatest + sorrow that she was taken from him at the moment when fortune was + beginning to smile upon him, but too late for her to share in his + prosperity. "Alas I" said he, "amongst my griefs must I reckon even her + love—the strongest, truest, that ever inspired the heart of woman—which + made me the happiest of mortals, and yet was to me a fountain of a + thousand distresses, inquietudes, and cares? To entire cheerfulness, + perhaps, she never attained; but for what unspeakable sweetness, what + exalted, enrapturing joys, is not love indebted to sorrow! Amidst growing + anxieties, with the torture of anguish in my heart, I have been made, even + by the loss which caused me this anguish and these anxieties, + inexpressibly happy! When tears flowed over our cheeks, did not a + nameless, seldom-felt delight stream through my breast, oppressed equally + by joy and sorrow!" + </p> + <p> + There is a degree of sentiment in German love which seems strange to + English readers,—such as we find depicted in the lives of Novalis, + Jung Stilling, Fichte, Jean Paul, and others that might be named. The + German betrothal is a ceremony of almost equal importance to the marriage + itself; and in that state the sentiments are allowed free play, whilst + English lovers are restrained, shy, and as if ashamed of their feelings. + Take, for instance, the case of Herder, whom his future wife first saw in + the pulpit. "I heard," she says, "the voice of an angel, and soul's words + such as I had never heard before. In the afternoon I saw him, and + stammered out my thanks to him; from this time forth our souls were one." + They were betrothed long before their means would permit them to marry; + but at length they were united. "We were married," says Caroline, the + wife, "by the rose-light of a beautiful evening. We were one heart, one + soul." Herder was equally ecstatic in his language. "I have a wife," he + wrote to Jacobi, "that is the tree, the consolation, and the happiness of + my life. Even in flying transient thoughts [20which often surprise us], we + are one!" + </p> + <p> + Take, again, the case of Fichte, in whose history his courtship and + marriage form a beautiful episode. He was a poor German student, living + with a family at Zurich in the capacity of tutor, when he first made the + acquaintance of Johanna Maria Hahn, a niece of Klopstock. Her position in + life was higher than that of Fichte; nevertheless, she regarded him with + sincere admiration. When Fichte was about to leave Zurich, his troth + plighted to her, she, knowing him to be very poor, offered him a gift of + money before setting out. He was inexpressibly hurt by the offer, and, at + first, even doubted whether she could really love him; but, on second + thoughts, he wrote to her, expressing his deep thanks, but, at the same + time, the impossibility of his accepting such a gift from her. He + succeeded in reaching his destination, though entirely destitute of means. + After a long and hard struggle with the world, extending over many years, + Fichte was at length earning money enough to enable him to marry. In one + of his charming letters to his betrothed he said:—"And so, dearest, + I solemnly devote myself to thee, and thank thee that thou hast thought me + not unworthy to be thy companion on the journey of life.... There is no + land of happiness here below—I know it now—but a land of toil, + where every joy but strengthens us for greater labour. Hand-in-hand we + shall traverse it, and encourage and strengthen each other, until our + spirits—oh, may it be together!—shall rise to the eternal + fountain of all peace." + </p> + <p> + The married life of Fichte was very happy. His wife proved a true and + highminded helpmate. During the War of Liberation she was assiduous in her + attention to the wounded in the hospitals, where she caught a malignant + fever, which nearly carried her off. Fichte himself caught the same + disease, and was for a time completely prostrated; but he lived for a few + more years and died at the early age of fifty-two, consumed by his own + fire. + </p> + <p> + What a contrast does the courtship and married life of the blunt and + practical William Cobbett present to the aesthetical and sentimental love + of these highly refined Germans! Not less honest, not less true, but, as + some would think, comparatively coarse and vulgar. When he first set eyes + upon the girl that was afterwards to become his wife, she was only + thirteen years old, and he was twenty-one—a sergeant-major in a foot + regiment stationed at St. John's in New Brunswick. He was passing the door + of her father's house one day in winter, and saw the girl out in the snow, + scrubbing a washing-tub. He said at once to himself, "That's the girl for + me." He made her acquaintance, and resolved that she should be his wife so + soon as he could get discharged from the army. + </p> + <p> + On the eve of the girl's return to Woolwich with her father, who was a + sergeant-major in the artillery, Cobbett sent her a hundred and fifty + guineas which he had saved, in order that she might be able to live + without hard work until his return to England. The girl departed, taking + with her the money; and five years later Cobbett obtained his discharge. + On reaching London, he made haste to call upon the sergeant-major's + daughter. "I found," he says, "my little girl a servant-of-all-work [20and + hard work it was], at five pounds a year, in the house of a Captain + Brisac; and, without hardly saying a word about the matter, she put into + my hands the whole of my hundred and fifty guineas, unbroken." Admiration + of her conduct was now added to love of her person, and Cobbett shortly + after married the girl, who proved an excellent wife. He was, indeed, + never tired of speaking her praises, and it was his pride to attribute to + her all the comfort and much of the success of his after-life. + </p> + <p> + Though Cobbett was regarded by many in his lifetime as a coarse, hard, + practical man, full of prejudices, there was yet a strong undercurrent of + poetry in his nature; and, while he declaimed against sentiment, there + were few men more thoroughly imbued with sentiment of the best kind. He + had the tenderest regard for the character of woman. He respected her + purity and her virtue, and in his 'Advice to Young Men,' he has painted + the true womanly woman—the helpful, cheerful, affectionate wife—with + a vividness and brightness, and, at the same time, a force of good sense, + that has never been surpassed by any English writer. Cobbett was anything + but refined, in the conventional sense of the word; but he was pure, + temperate, self-denying, industrious, vigorous, and energetic, in an + eminent degree. Many of his views were, no doubt, wrong, but they were his + own, for he insisted on thinking for himself in everything. Though few men + took a firmer grasp of the real than he did, perhaps still fewer were more + swayed by the ideal. In word-pictures of his own emotions, he is + unsurpassed. Indeed, Cobbett might almost be regarded as one of the + greatest prose poets of English real life. + </p> + <p> + <a name="link2HCH0012" id="link2HCH0012"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + CHAPTER XII—THE DISCIPLINE OF EXPERIENCE. + </h2> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "I would the great would grow like thee. + Who grewest not alone in power + And knowledge, but by year and hour + In reverence and in charity."—TENNYSON. + + "Not to be unhappy is unhappynesse, + And misery not t'have known miserie; + For the best way unto discretion is + The way that leades us by adversitie; + And men are better shew'd what is amisse, + By th'expert finger of calamitie, + Than they can be with all that fortune brings, + Who never shewes them the true face of things."—DANIEL. + + "A lump of wo affliction is, + Yet thence I borrow lumps of bliss; + Though few can see a blessing in't, + It is my furnace and my mint." + —ERSKINE'S GOSPEL SONNETS. + + "Crosses grow anchors, bear as thou shouldst so + Thy cross, and that cross grows an anchor too."—DONNE. + + "Be the day weary, or be the day long, + At length it ringeth to Evensong."—ANCIENT COUPLET. +</pre> + <p> + Practical wisdom is only to be learnt in the school of experience. + Precepts and instructions are useful so far as they go, but, without the + discipline of real life, they remain of the nature of theory only. The + hard facts of existence have to be faced, to give that touch of truth to + character which can never be imparted by reading or tuition, but only by + contact with the broad instincts of common men and women. + </p> + <p> + To be worth anything, character must be capable of standing firm upon its + feet in the world of daily work, temptation, and trial; and able to bear + the wear-and-tear of actual life. Cloistered virtues do not count for + much. The life that rejoices in solitude may be only rejoicing in + selfishness. Seclusion may indicate contempt for others; though more + usually it means indolence, cowardice, or self-indulgence. To every human + being belongs his fair share of manful toil and human duty; and it cannot + be shirked without loss to the individual himself, as well as to the + community to which he belongs. It is only by mixing in the daily life of + the world, and taking part in its affairs, that practical knowledge can be + acquired, and wisdom learnt. It is there that we find our chief sphere of + duty, that we learn the discipline of work, and that we educate ourselves + in that patience, diligence, and endurance which shape and consolidate the + character. There we encounter the difficulties, trials, and temptations + which, according as we deal with them, give a colour to our entire + after-life; and there, too, we become subject to the great discipline of + suffering, from which we learn far more than from the safe seclusion of + the study or the cloister. + </p> + <p> + Contact with others is also requisite to enable a man to know himself. It + is only by mixing freely in the world that one can form a proper estimate + of his own capacity. Without such experience, one is apt to become + conceited, puffed-up, and arrogant; at all events, he will remain ignorant + of himself, though he may heretofore have enjoyed no other company. + </p> + <p> + Swift once said: "It is an uncontroverted truth, that no man ever made an + ill-figure who understood his own talents, nor a good one who mistook + them." Many persons, however, are readier to take measure of the capacity + of others than of themselves. "Bring him to me," said a certain Dr. + Tronchin, of Geneva, speaking of Rousseau—"Bring him to me, that I + may see whether he has got anything in him!"—the probability being + that Rousseau, who knew himself better, was much more likely to take + measure of Tronchin than Tronchin was to take measure of him. + </p> + <p> + A due amount of self-knowledge is, therefore, necessary for those who + would BE anything or DO anything in the world. It is also one of the first + essentials to the formation of distinct personal convictions. Frederic + Perthes once said to a young friend: "You know only too well what you CAN + do; but till you have learned what you CANNOT do, you will neither + accomplish anything of moment, nor know inward peace." + </p> + <p> + Any one who would profit by experience will never be above asking for + help. He who thinks himself already too wise to learn of others, will + never succeed in doing anything either good or great. We have to keep our + minds and hearts open, and never be ashamed to learn, with the assistance + of those who are wiser and more experienced than ourselves. + </p> + <p> + The man made wise by experience endeavours to judge correctly of the thugs + which come under his observation, and form the subject of his daily life. + What we call common sense is, for the most part, but the result of common + experience wisely improved. Nor is great ability necessary to acquire it, + so much as patience, accuracy, and watchfulness. Hazlitt thought the most + sensible people to be met with are intelligent men of business and of the + world, who argue from what they see and know, instead of spinning cobweb + distinctions of what things ought to be. + </p> + <p> + For the same reason, women often display more good sense than men, having + fewer pretensions, and judging of things naturally, by the involuntary + impression they make on the mind. Their intuitive powers are quicker, + their perceptions more acute, their sympathies more lively, and their + manners more adaptive to particular ends. Hence their greater tact as + displayed in the management of others, women of apparently slender + intellectual powers often contriving to control and regulate the conduct + of men of even the most impracticable nature. Pope paid a high compliment + to the tact and good sense of Mary, Queen of William III., when he + described her as possessing, not a science, but [21what was worth all + else] prudence. + </p> + <p> + The whole of life may be regarded as a great school of experience, in + which men and women are the pupils. As in a school, many of the lessons + learnt there must needs be taken on trust. We may not understand them, and + may possibly think it hard that we have to learn them, especially where + the teachers are trials, sorrows, temptations, and difficulties; and yet + we must not only accept their lessons, but recognise them as being + divinely appointed. + </p> + <p> + To what extent have the pupils profited by their experience in the school + of life? What advantage have they taken of their opportunities for + learning? What have they gained in discipline of heart and mind?—how + much in growth of wisdom, courage, self-control? Have they preserved their + integrity amidst prosperity, and enjoyed life in temperance and + moderation? Or, has life been with them a mere feast of selfishness, + without care or thought for others? What have they learnt from trial and + adversity? Have they learnt patience, submission, and trust in God?—or + have they learnt nothing but impatience, querulousness, and discontent? + </p> + <p> + The results of experience are, of course, only to be achieved by living; + and living is a question of time. The man of experience learns to rely + upon Time as his helper. "Time and I against any two," was a maxim of + Cardinal Mazarin. Time has been described as a beautifier and as a + consoler; but it is also a teacher. It is the food of experience, the soil + of wisdom. It may be the friend or the enemy of youth; and Time will sit + beside the old as a consoler or as a tormentor, according as it has been + used or misused, and the past life has been well or ill spent. + </p> + <p> + "Time," says George Herbert, "is the rider that breaks youth." To the + young, how bright the new world looks!—how full of novelty, of + enjoyment, of pleasure! But as years pass, we find the world to be a place + of sorrow as well as of joy. As we proceed through life, many dark vistas + open upon us—of toil, suffering, difficulty, perhaps misfortune and + failure. Happy they who can pass through and amidst such trials with a + firm mind and pure heart, encountering trials with cheerfulness, and + standing erect beneath even the heaviest burden! + </p> + <p> + A little youthful ardour is a great help in life, and is useful as an + energetic motive power. It is gradually cooled down by Time, no matter how + glowing it has been, while it is trained and subdued by experience. But it + is a healthy and hopeful indication of character,—to be encouraged + in a right direction, and not to be sneered down and repressed. It is a + sign of a vigorous unselfish nature, as egotism is of a narrow and selfish + one; and to begin life with egotism and self-sufficiency is fatal to all + breadth and vigour of character. Life, in such a case, would be like a + year in which there was no spring. Without a generous seedtime, there will + be an unflowering summer and an unproductive harvest. And youth is the + springtime of life, in which, if there be not a fair share of enthusiasm, + little will be attempted, and still less done. It also considerably helps + the working quality, inspiring confidence and hope, and carrying one + through the dry details of business and duty with cheerfulness and joy. + </p> + <p> + "It is the due admixture of romance and reality," said Sir Henry Lawrence, + "that best carries a man through life... The quality of romance or + enthusiasm is to be valued as an energy imparted to the human mind to + prompt and sustain its noblest efforts." Sir Henry always urged upon young + men, not that they should repress enthusiasm, but sedulously cultivate and + direct the feeling, as one implanted for wise and noble purposes. "When + the two faculties of romance and reality," he said, "are duly blended, + reality pursues a straight rough path to a desirable and practicable + result; while romance beguiles the road by pointing out its beauties—by + bestowing a deep and practical conviction that, even in this dark and + material existence, there may be found a joy with which a stranger + intermeddleth not—a light that shineth more and more unto the + perfect day." <a href="#linknote-211" name="linknoteref-211" + id="linknoteref-211"><small>211</small></a> + </p> + <p> + It was characteristic of Joseph Lancaster, when a boy of only fourteen + years of age, after reading 'Clarkson on the Slave Trade,' to form the + resolution of leaving his home and going out to the West Indies to teach + the poor blacks to read the Bible. And he actually set out with a Bible + and 'Pilgrim's Progress' in his bundle, and only a few shillings in his + purse. He even succeeded in reaching the West Indies, doubtless very much + at a loss how to set about his proposed work; but in the meantime his + distressed parents, having discovered whither he had gone, had him + speedily brought back, yet with his enthusiasm unabated; and from that + time forward he unceasingly devoted himself to the truly philanthropic + work of educating the destitute poor. <a href="#linknote-212" + name="linknoteref-212" id="linknoteref-212"><small>212</small></a> + </p> + <p> + There needs all the force that enthusiasm can give to enable a man to + succeed in any great enterprise of life. Without it, the obstruction and + difficulty he has to encounter on every side might compel him to succumb; + but with courage and perseverance, inspired by enthusiasm, a man feels + strong enough to face any danger, to grapple with any difficulty. What an + enthusiasm was that of Columbus, who, believing in the existence of a new + world, braved the dangers of unknown seas; and when those about him + despaired and rose up against him, threatening to cast him into the sea, + still stood firm upon his hope and courage until the great new world at + length rose upon the horizon! + </p> + <p> + The brave man will not be baffled, but tries and tries again until he + succeeds. The tree does not fall at the first stroke, but only by repeated + strokes and after great labour. We may see the visible success at which a + man has arrived, but forget the toil and suffering and peril through which + it has been achieved. When a friend of Marshal Lefevre was complimenting + him on his possessions and good fortune, the Marshal said: "You envy me, + do you? Well, you shall have these things at a better bargain than I had. + Come into the court: I'll fire at you with a gun twenty times at thirty + paces, and if I don't kill you, all shall be your own. What! you won't! + Very well; recollect, then, that I have been shot at more than a thousand + times, and much nearer, before I arrived at the state in which you now + find me!" + </p> + <p> + The apprenticeship of difficulty is one which the greatest of men have had + to serve. It is usually the best stimulus and discipline of character. It + often evokes powers of action that, but for it, would have remained + dormant. As comets are sometimes revealed by eclipses, so heroes are + brought to light by sudden calamity. It seems as if, in certain cases, + genius, like iron struck by the flint, needed the sharp and sudden blow of + adversity to bring out the divine spark. There are natures which blossom + and ripen amidst trials, which would only wither and decay in an + atmosphere of ease and comfort. + </p> + <p> + Thus it is good for men to be roused into action and stiffened into + self-reliance by difficulty, rather than to slumber away their lives in + useless apathy and indolence. <a href="#linknote-213" + name="linknoteref-213" id="linknoteref-213"><small>213</small></a> It is + the struggle that is the condition of victory. If there were no + difficulties, there would be no need of efforts; if there were no + temptations, there would be no training in self-control, and but little + merit in virtue; if there were no trial and suffering, there would be no + education in patience and resignation. Thus difficulty, adversity, and + suffering are not all evil, but often the best source of strength, + discipline, and virtue. + </p> + <p> + For the same reason, it is often of advantage for a man to be under the + necessity of having to struggle with poverty and conquer it. "He who has + battled," says Carlyle, "were it only with poverty and hard toil, will be + found stronger and more expert than he who could stay at home from the + battle, concealed among the provision waggons, or even rest unwatchfully + 'abiding by the stuff.'" + </p> + <p> + Scholars have found poverty tolerable compared with the privation of + intellectual food. Riches weigh much more heavily upon the mind. "I cannot + but choose say to Poverty," said Richter, "Be welcome! so that thou come + not too late in life." Poverty, Horace tells us, drove him to poetry, and + poetry introduced him to Varus and Virgil and Maecenas. "Obstacles," says + Michelet, "are great incentives. I lived for whole years upon a Virgil, + and found myself well off. An odd volume of Racine, purchased by chance at + a stall on the quay, created the poet of Toulon." + </p> + <p> + The Spaniards are even said to have meanly rejoiced the poverty of + Cervantes, but for which they supposed the production of his great works + might have been prevented. When the Archbishop of Toledo visited the + French ambassador at Madrid, the gentlemen in the suite of the latter + expressed their high admiration of the writings of the author of 'Don + Quixote,' and intimated their desire of becoming acquainted with one who + had given them so much pleasure. The answer they received was, that + Cervantes had borne arms in the service of his country, and was now old + and poor. "What!" exclaimed one of the Frenchmen, "is not Senor Cervantes + in good circumstances? Why is he not maintained, then, out of the public + treasury?" "Heaven forbid!" was the reply, "that his necessities should be + ever relieved, if it is those which make him write; since it is his + poverty that makes the world rich!" <a href="#linknote-214" + name="linknoteref-214" id="linknoteref-214"><small>214</small></a> + </p> + <p> + It is not prosperity so much as adversity, not wealth so much as poverty, + that stimulates the perseverance of strong and healthy natures, rouses + their energy and developes their character. Burke said of himself: "I was + not rocked, and swaddled, and dandled into a legislator. 'NITOR IN + ADVERSUM' is the motto for a man like you." Some men only require a great + difficulty set in their way to exhibit the force of their character and + genius; and that difficulty once conquered becomes one of the greatest + incentives to their further progress. + </p> + <p> + It is a mistake to suppose that men succeed through success; they much + oftener succeed through failure. By far the best experience of men is made + up of their remembered failures in dealing with others in the affairs of + life. Such failures, in sensible men, incite to better self-management, + and greater tact and self-control, as a means of avoiding them in the + future. Ask the diplomatist, and he will tell you that he has learned his + art through being baffled, defeated, thwarted, and circumvented, far more + than from having succeeded. Precept, study, advice, and example could + never have taught them so well as failure has done. It has disciplined + them experimentally, and taught them what to do as well as what NOT to do—which + is often still more important in diplomacy. + </p> + <p> + Many have to make up their minds to encounter failure again and again + before they succeed; but if they have pluck, the failure will only serve + to rouse their courage, and stimulate them to renewed efforts. Talma, the + greatest of actors, was hissed off the stage when he first appeared on it. + Lacordaire, one of the greatest preachers of modern times, only acquired + celebrity after repeated failures. Montalembert said of his first public + appearance in the Church of St. Roch: "He failed completely, and on coming + out every one said, 'Though he may be a man of talent, he will never be a + preacher.'" Again and again he tried until he succeeded; and only two + years after his DEBUT, Lacordaire was preaching in Notre Dame to audiences + such as few French orators have addressed since the time of Bossuet and + Massillon. + </p> + <p> + When Mr. Cobden first appeared as a speaker, at a public meeting in + Manchester, he completely broke down, and the chairman apologized for his + failure. Sir James Graham and Mr. Disraeli failed and were derided at + first, and only succeeded by dint of great labour and application. At one + time Sir James Graham had almost given up public speaking in despair. He + said to his friend Sir Francis Baring: "I have tried it every way—extempore, + from notes, and committing all to memory—and I can't do it. I don't + know why it is, but I am afraid I shall never succeed." Yet, by dint of + perseverance, Graham, like Disraeli, lived to become one of the most + effective and impressive of parliamentary speakers. + </p> + <p> + Failures in one direction have sometimes had the effect of forcing the + farseeing student to apply himself in another. Thus Prideaux's failure as + a candidate for the post of parish-clerk of Ugboro, in Devon, led to his + applying himself to learning, and to his eventual elevation to the + bishopric of Worcester. When Boileau, educated for the bar, pleaded his + first cause, he broke down amidst shouts of laughter. He next tried the + pulpit, and failed there too. And then he tried poetry, and succeeded. + Fontenelle and Voltaire both failed at the bar. So Cowper, through his + diffidence and shyness, broke down when pleading his first cause, though + he lived to revive the poetic art in England. Montesquieu and Bentham both + failed as lawyers, and forsook the bar for more congenial pursuits—the + latter leaving behind him a treasury of legislative procedure for all + time. Goldsmith failed in passing as a surgeon; but he wrote the 'Deserted + Village' and the 'Vicar of Wakefield;' whilst Addison failed as a speaker, + but succeeded in writing 'Sir Roger de Coverley,' and his many famous + papers in the 'Spectator.' + </p> + <p> + Even the privation of some important bodily sense, such as sight or + hearing, has not been sufficient to deter courageous men from zealously + pursuing the struggle of life. Milton, when struck by blindness, "still + bore up and steered right onward." His greatest works were produced during + that period of his life in which he suffered most—when he was poor, + sick, old, blind, slandered, and persecuted. + </p> + <p> + The lives of some of the greatest men have been a continuous struggle with + difficulty and apparent defeat. Dante produced his greatest work in penury + and exile. Banished from his native city by the local faction to which he + was opposed, his house was given up to plunder, and he was sentenced in + his absence to be burnt alive. When informed by a friend that he might + return to Florence, if he would consent to ask for pardon and absolution, + he replied: "No! This is not the way that shall lead me back to my + country. I will return with hasty steps if you, or any other, can open to + me a way that shall not derogate from the fame or the honour of Dante; but + if by no such way Florence can be entered, then to Florence I shall never + return." His enemies remaining implacable, Dante, after a banishment of + twenty years, died in exile. They even pursued him after death, when his + book, 'De Monarchia,' was publicly burnt at Bologna by order of the Papal + Legate. + </p> + <p> + Camoens also wrote his great poems mostly in banishment. Tired of solitude + at Santarem, he joined an expedition against the Moors, in which he + distinguished himself by his bravery. He lost an eye when boarding an + enemy's ship in a sea-fight. At Goa, in the East Indies, he witnessed with + indignation the cruelty practised by the Portuguese on the natives, and + expostulated with the governor against it. He was in consequence banished + from the settlement, and sent to China. In the course of his subsequent + adventures and misfortunes, Camoens suffered shipwreck, escaping only with + his life and the manuscript of his 'Lusiad.' Persecution and hardship + seemed everywhere to pursue him. At Macao he was thrown into prison. + Escaping from it, he set sail for Lisbon, where he arrived, after sixteen + years' absence, poor and friendless. His 'Lusiad,' which was shortly after + published, brought him much fame, but no money. But for his old Indian + slave Antonio, who begged for his master in the streets, Camoens must have + perished. <a href="#linknote-215" name="linknoteref-215" + id="linknoteref-215"><small>215</small></a> As it was, he died in a public + almshouse, worn out by disease and hardship. An inscription was placed + over his grave:—"Here lies Luis de Camoens: he excelled all the + poets of his time: he lived poor and miserable; and he died so, MDLXXIX." + This record, disgraceful but truthful, has since been removed; and a lying + and pompous epitaph, in honour of the great national poet of Portugal, has + been substituted in its stead. + </p> + <p> + Even Michael Angelo was exposed, during the greater part of his life, to + the persecutions of the envious—vulgar nobles, vulgar priests, and + sordid men of every degree, who could neither sympathise with him, nor + comprehend his genius. When Paul IV. condemned some of his work in 'The + Last Judgment,' the artist observed that "The Pope would do better to + occupy himself with correcting the disorders and indecencies which + disgrace the world, than with any such hypercriticisms upon his art." + </p> + <p> + Tasso also was the victim of almost continual persecution and calumny. + After lying in a madhouse for seven years, he became a wanderer over + Italy; and when on his deathbed, he wrote: "I will not complain of the + malignity of fortune, because I do not choose to speak of the ingratitude + of men who have succeeded in dragging me to the tomb of a mendicant." + </p> + <p> + But Time brings about strange revenges. The persecutors and the persecuted + often change places; it is the latter who are great—the former who + are infamous. Even the names of the persecutors would probably long ago + have been forgotten, but for their connection with the history of the men + whom they have persecuted. Thus, who would now have known of Duke Alfonso + of Ferrara, but for his imprisonment of Tasso? Or, who would have heard of + the existence of the Grand Duke of Wurtemburg of some ninety years back, + but for his petty persecution of Schiller? + </p> + <p> + Science also has had its martyrs, who have fought their way to light + through difficulty, persecution, and suffering. We need not refer again to + the cases of Bruno, Galileo, and others, <a href="#linknote-216" + name="linknoteref-216" id="linknoteref-216"><small>216</small></a> + persecuted because of the supposed heterodoxy of their views. But there + have been other unfortunates amongst men of science, whose genius has been + unable to save them from the fury of their enemies. Thus Bailly, the + celebrated French astronomer [21who had been mayor of Paris], and + Lavoisier, the great chemist, were both guillotined in the first French + Revolution. When the latter, after being sentenced to death by the + Commune, asked for a few days' respite, to enable him to ascertain the + result of some experiments he had made during his confinement, the + tribunal refused his appeal, and ordered him for immediate execution—one + of the judges saying, that "the Republic had no need of philosophers." In + England also, about the same time, Dr. Priestley, the father of modern + chemistry, had his house burnt over his head, and his library destroyed, + amidst shouts of "No philosophers!" and he fled from his native country to + lay his bones in a foreign land. + </p> + <p> + The work of some of the greatest discoverers has been done in the midst of + persecution, difficulty, and suffering. Columbus, who discovered the New + World and gave it as a heritage to the Old, was in his lifetime + persecuted, maligned, and plundered by those whom he had enriched. Mungo + Park's drowning agony in the African river he had discovered, but which he + was not to live to describe; Clapperton's perishing of fever on the banks + of the great lake, in the heart of the same continent, which was + afterwards to be rediscovered and described by other explorers; Franklin's + perishing in the snow—it might be after he had solved the + long-sought problem of the North-west Passage—are among the most + melancholy events in the history of enterprise and genius. + </p> + <p> + The case of Flinders the navigator, who suffered a six years' imprisonment + in the Isle of France, was one of peculiar hardship. In 1801, he set sail + from England in the INVESTIGATOR, on a voyage of discovery and survey, + provided with a French pass, requiring all French governors + [21notwithstanding that England and France were at war] to give him + protection and succour in the sacred name of science. In the course of his + voyage he surveyed great part of Australia, Van Diemen's Land, and the + neighbouring islands. The INVESTIGATOR, being found leaky and rotten, was + condemned, and the navigator embarked as passenger in the PORPOISE for + England, to lay the results of his three years' labours before the + Admiralty. On the voyage home the PORPOISE was wrecked on a reef in the + South Seas, and Flinders, with part of the crew, in an open boat, made for + Port Jackson, which they safely reached, though distant from the scene of + the wreck not less than 750 miles. There he procured a small schooner, the + CUMBERLAND, no larger than a Gravesend sailing-boat, and returned for the + remainder of the crew, who had been left on the reef. Having rescued them, + he set sail for England, making for the Isle of France, which the + CUMBERLAND reached in a sinking condition, being a wretched little craft + badly found. To his surprise, he was made a prisoner with all his crew, + and thrown into prison, where he was treated with brutal harshness, his + French pass proving no protection to him. What aggravated the horrors of + Flinders' confinement was, that he knew that Baudin, the French navigator, + whom he had encountered while making his survey of the Australian coasts, + would reach Europe first, and claim the merit of all the discoveries he + had made. It turned out as he had expected; and while Flinders was still + imprisoned in the Isle of France, the French Atlas of the new discoveries + was published, all the points named by Flinders and his precursors being + named afresh. Flinders was at length liberated, after six years' + imprisonment, his health completely broken; but he continued correcting + his maps, and writing out his descriptions to the last. He only lived long + enough to correct his final sheet for the press, and died on the very day + that his work was published! + </p> + <p> + Courageous men have often turned enforced solitude to account in executing + works of great pith and moment. It is in solitude that the passion for + spiritual perfection best nurses itself. The soul communes with itself in + loneliness until its energy often becomes intense. But whether a man + profits by solitude or not will mainly depend upon his own temperament, + training, and character. While, in a large-natured man, solitude will make + the pure heart purer, in the small-natured man it will only serve to make + the hard heart still harder: for though solitude may be the nurse of great + spirits, it is the torment of small ones. + </p> + <p> + It was in prison that Boetius wrote his 'Consolations of Philosophy,' and + Grotius his 'Commentary on St. Matthew,' regarded as his masterwork in + Biblical Criticism. Buchanan composed his beautiful 'Paraphrases on the + Psalms' while imprisoned in the cell of a Portuguese monastery. + Campanella, the Italian patriot monk, suspected of treason, was immured + for twenty-seven years in a Neapolitan dungeon, during which, deprived of + the sun's light, he sought higher light, and there created his 'Civitas + Solis,' which has been so often reprinted and reproduced in translations + in most European languages. During his thirteen years' imprisonment in the + Tower, Raleigh wrote his 'History of the World,' a project of vast extent, + of which he was only able to finish the first five books. Luther occupied + his prison hours in the Castle of Wartburg in translating the Bible, and + in writing the famous tracts and treatises with which he inundated all + Germany. + </p> + <p> + It was to the circumstance of John Bunyan having been cast into gaol that + we probably owe the 'Pilgrim's Progress.' He was thus driven in upon + himself; having no opportunity for action, his active mind found vent in + earnest thinking and meditation; and indeed, after his enlargement, his + life as an author virtually ceased. His 'Grace Abounding' and the 'Holy + War' were also written in prison. Bunyan lay in Bedford Gaol, with a few + intervals of precarious liberty, during not less than twelve years; <a + href="#linknote-217" name="linknoteref-217" id="linknoteref-217"><small>217</small></a> + and it was most probably to his prolonged imprisonment that we owe what + Macaulay has characterised as the finest allegory in the world. + </p> + <p> + All the political parties of the times in which Bunyan lived, imprisoned + their opponents when they had the opportunity and the power. Bunyan's + prison experiences were principally in the time of Charles II. But in the + preceding reign of Charles I., as well as during the Commonwealth, + illustrious prisoners were very numerous. The prisoners of the former + included Sir John Eliot, Hampden, Selden, Prynne <a href="#linknote-218" + name="linknoteref-218" id="linknoteref-218"><small>218</small></a> [21a + most voluminous prison-writer], and many more. It was while under strict + confinement in the Tower, that Eliot composed his noble treatise, 'The + Monarchy of Man.' George Wither, the poet, was another prisoner of Charles + the First, and it was while confined in the Marshalsea that he wrote his + famous 'Satire to the King.' At the Restoration he was again imprisoned in + Newgate, from which he was transferred to the Tower, and he is supposed by + some to have died there. + </p> + <p> + The Commonwealth also had its prisoners. Sir William Davenant, because of + his loyalty, was for some time confined a prisoner in Cowes Castle, where + he wrote the greater part of his poem of 'Gondibert': and it is said that + his life was saved principally through the generous intercession of + Milton. He lived to repay the debt, and to save Milton's life when + "Charles enjoyed his own again." Lovelace, the poet and cavalier, was also + imprisoned by the Roundheads, and was only liberated from the Gatehouse on + giving an enormous bail. Though he suffered and lost all for the Stuarts, + he was forgotten by them at the Restoration, and died in extreme poverty. + </p> + <p> + Besides Wither and Bunyan, Charles II. imprisoned Baxter, Harrington + [21the author of 'Oceana'], Penn, and many more. All these men solaced + their prison hours with writing. Baxter wrote some of the most remarkable + passages of his 'Life and Times' while lying in the King's Bench Prison; + and Penn wrote his 'No Cross no Crown' while imprisoned in the Tower. In + the reign of Queen Anne, Matthew Prior was in confinement on a vamped-up + charge of treason for two years, during which he wrote his 'Alma, or + Progress of the Soul.' + </p> + <p> + Since then, political prisoners of eminence in England have been + comparatively few in number. Among the most illustrious were De Foe, who, + besides standing three times in the pillory, spent much of his time in + prison, writing 'Robinson Crusoe' there, and many of his best political + pamphlets. There also he wrote his 'Hymn to the Pillory,' and corrected + for the press a collection of his voluminous writings. <a + href="#linknote-219" name="linknoteref-219" id="linknoteref-219"><small>219</small></a> + Smollett wrote his 'Sir Lancelot Greaves' in prison, while undergoing + confinement for libel. Of recent prison-writers in England, the best known + are James Montgomery, who wrote his first volume of poems while a prisoner + in York Castle; and Thomas Cooper, the Chartist, who wrote his 'Purgatory + of Suicide' in Stafford Gaol. + </p> + <p> + Silvio Pellico was one of the latest and most illustrious of the prison + writers of Italy. He lay confined in Austrian gaols for ten years, eight + of which he passed in the Castle of Spielberg in Moravia. It was there + that he composed his charming 'Memoirs,' the only materials for which were + furnished by his fresh living habit of observation; and out of even the + transient visits of his gaoler's daughter, and the colourless events of + his monotonous daily life, he contrived to make for himself a little world + of thought and healthy human interest. + </p> + <p> + Kazinsky, the great reviver of Hungarian literature, spent seven years of + his life in the dungeons of Buda, Brunne, Kufstein, and Munkacs, during + which he wrote a 'Diary of his Imprisonment,' and amongst other things + translated Sterno's 'Sentimental Journey;' whilst Kossuth beguiled his two + years' imprisonment at Buda in studying English, so as to be able to read + Shakspeare in the original. + </p> + <p> + Men who, like these, suffer the penalty of law, and seem to fail, at least + for a time, do not really fail. Many, who have seemed to fail utterly, + have often exercised a more potent and enduring influence upon their race, + than those whose career has been a course of uninterupted success. The + character of a man does not depend on whether his efforts are immediately + followed by failure or by success. The martyr is not a failure if the + truth for which he suffered acquires a fresh lustre through his sacrifice. + <a href="#linknote-2110" name="linknoteref-2110" id="linknoteref-2110"><small>2110</small></a> + The patriot who lays down his life for his cause, may thereby hasten its + triumph; and those who seem to throw their lives away in the van of a + great movement, often open a way for those who follow them, and pass over + their dead bodies to victory. The triumph of a just cause may come late; + but when it does come, it is due as much to those who failed in their + first efforts, as to those who succeeded in their last. + </p> + <p> + The example of a great death may be an inspiration to others, as well as + the example of a good life. A great act does not perish with the life of + him who performs it, but lives and grows up into like acts in those who + survive the doer thereof and cherish his memory. Of some great men, it + might almost be said that they have not begun to live until they have + died. + </p> + <p> + The names of the men who have suffered in the cause of religion, of + science, and of truth, are the men of all others whose memories are held + in the greatest esteem and reverence by mankind. They perished, but their + truth survived. They seemed to fail, and yet they eventually succeeded. <a + href="#linknote-2111" name="linknoteref-2111" id="linknoteref-2111"><small>2111</small></a> + Prisons may have held them, but their thoughts were not to be confined by + prison-walls. They have burst through, and defied the power of their + persecutors. It was Lovelace, a prisoner, who wrote: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Stone walls do not a prison make, + Nor iron bars a cage; + Minds innocent and quiet take + That for a hermitage." +</pre> + <p> + It was a saying of Milton that, "who best can suffer best can do." The + work of many of the greatest men, inspired by duty, has been done amidst + suffering and trial and difficulty. They have struggled against the tide, + and reached the shore exhausted, only to grasp the sand and expire. They + have done their duty, and been content to die. But death hath no power + over such men; their hallowed memories still survive, to soothe and purify + and bless us. "Life," said Goethe, "to us all is suffering. Who save God + alone shall call us to our reckoning? Let not reproaches fall on the + departed. Not what they have failed in, nor what they have suffered, but + what they have done, ought to occupy the survivors." + </p> + <p> + Thus, it is not ease and facility that tries men, and brings out the good + that is in them, so much as trial and difficulty. Adversity is the + touchstone of character. As some herbs need to be crushed to give forth + their sweetest odour, so some natures need to be tried by suffering to + evoke the excellence that is in them. Hence trials often unmask virtues, + and bring to light hidden graces. Men apparently useless and purposeless, + when placed in positions of difficulty and responsibility, have exhibited + powers of character before unsuspected; and where we before saw only + pliancy and self-indulgence, we now see strength, valour, and self-denial. + </p> + <p> + As there are no blessings which may not be perverted into evils, so there + are no trials which may not be converted into blessings. All depends on + the manner in which we profit by them or otherwise. Perfect happiness is + not to be looked for in this world. If it could be secured, it would be + found profitless. The hollowest of all gospels is the gospel of ease and + comfort. Difficulty, and even failure, are far better teachers. Sir + Humphry Davy said: "Even in private life, too much prosperity either + injures the moral man, and occasions conduct which ends in suffering; or + it is accompanied by the workings of envy, calumny, and malevolence of + others." + </p> + <p> + Failure improves tempers and strengthens the nature. Even sorrow is in + some mysterious way linked with joy and associated with tenderness. John + Bunyan once said how, "if it were lawful, he could even pray for greater + trouble, for the greater comfort's sake." When surprise was expressed at + the patience of a poor Arabian woman under heavy affliction, she said, + "When we look on God's face we do not feel His hand." + </p> + <p> + Suffering is doubtless as divinely appointed as joy, while it is much more + influential as a discipline of character. It chastens and sweetens the + nature, teaches patience and resignation, and promotes the deepest as well + as the most exalted thought. <a href="#linknote-2112" + name="linknoteref-2112" id="linknoteref-2112"><small>2112</small></a> + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "The best of men + That e'er wore earth about Him was a sufferer; + A soft, meek, patient, humble, tranquil spirit + The first true gentleman that ever breathed." <a href="#linknote-2113" + name="linknoteref-2113" id="linknoteref-2113">2113</a> +</pre> + <p> + Suffering may be the appointed means by which the highest nature of man is + to be disciplined and developed. Assuming happiness to be the end of + being, sorrow may be the indispensable condition through which it is to be + reached. Hence St. Paul's noble paradox descriptive of the Christian life,—"as + chastened, and not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, + yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things." + </p> + <p> + Even pain is not all painful. On one side it is related to suffering, and + on the other to happiness. For pain is remedial as well as sorrowful. + Suffering is a misfortune as viewed from the one side, and a discipline as + viewed from the other. But for suffering, the best part of many men's + nature would sleep a deep sleep. Indeed, it might almost be said that pain + and sorrow were the indispensable conditions of some men's success, and + the necessary means to evoke the highest development of their genius. + Shelley has said of poets: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Most wretched men are cradled into poetry by wrong, + They learn in suffering what they teach in song." +</pre> + <p> + Does any one suppose that Burns would have sung as he did, had he been + rich, respectable, and "kept a gig;" or Byron, if he had been a + prosperous, happily-married Lord Privy Seal or Postmaster-General? + </p> + <p> + Sometimes a heartbreak rouses an impassive nature to life. "What does he + know," said a sage, "who has not suffered?" When Dumas asked Reboul, "What + made you a poet?" his answer was, "Suffering!" It was the death, first of + his wife, and then of his child, that drove him into solitude for the + indulgence of his grief, and eventually led him to seek and find relief in + verse. <a href="#linknote-2114" name="linknoteref-2114" + id="linknoteref-2114"><small>2114</small></a> It was also to a domestic + affliction that we owe the beautiful writings of Mrs. Gaskell. "It was as + a recreation, in the highest sense of the word," says a recent writer, + speaking from personal knowledge, "as an escape from the great void of a + life from which a cherished presence had been taken, that she began that + series of exquisite creations which has served to multiply the number of + our acquaintances, and to enlarge even the circle of our friendships." <a + href="#linknote-2115" name="linknoteref-2115" id="linknoteref-2115"><small>2115</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Much of the best and most useful work done by men and women has been done + amidst affliction—sometimes as a relief from it, sometimes from a + sense of duty overpowering personal sorrow. "If I had not been so great an + invalid," said Dr. Darwin to a friend, "I should not have done nearly so + much work as I have been able to accomplish." So Dr. Donne, speaking of + his illnesses, once said: "This advantage you and my other friends have by + my frequent fevers is, that I am so much the oftener at the gates of + Heaven; and by the solitude and close imprisonment they reduce me to, I am + so much the oftener at my prayers, in which you and my other dear friends + are not forgotten." + </p> + <p> + Schiller produced his greatest tragedies in the midst of physical + suffering almost amounting to torture. Handel was never greater than when, + warned by palsy of the approach of death, and struggling with distress and + suffering, he sat down to compose the great works which have made his name + immortal in music. Mozart composed his great operas, and last of all his + 'Requiem,' when oppressed by debt, and struggling with a fatal disease. + Beethoven produced his greatest works amidst gloomy sorrow, when oppressed + by almost total deafness. And poor Schubert, after his short but brilliant + life, laid it down at the early age of thirty-two; his sole property at + his death consisting of his manuscripts, the clothes he wore, and + sixty-three florins in money. Some of Lamb's finest writings were produced + amidst deep sorrow, and Hood's apparent gaiety often sprang from a + suffering heart. As he himself wrote, + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "There's not a string attuned to mirth, + But has its chord in melancholy." +</pre> + <p> + Again, in science, we have the noble instance of the suffering Wollaston, + even in the last stages of the mortal disease which afflicted him, + devoting his numbered hours to putting on record, by dictation, the + various discoveries and improvements he had made, so that any knowledge he + had acquired, calculated to benefit his fellow-creatures, might not be + lost. + </p> + <p> + Afflictions often prove but blessings in disguise. "Fear not the + darkness," said the Persian sage; it "conceals perhaps the springs of the + waters of life." Experience is often bitter, but wholesome; only by its + teaching can we learn to suffer and be strong. Character, in its highest + forms, is disciplined by trial, and "made perfect through suffering." Even + from the deepest sorrow, the patient and thoughtful mind will gather + richer wisdom than pleasure ever yielded. + </p> + <p> + "The soul's dark cottage, batter'd and decayed, Lets in new light through + chinks that Time has made." + </p> + <p> + "Consider," said Jeremy Taylor, "that sad accidents, and a state of + afflictions, is a school of virtue. It reduces our spirits to soberness, + and our counsels to moderation; it corrects levity, and interrupts the + confidence of sinning.... God, who in mercy and wisdom governs the world, + would never have suffered so many sadnesses, and have sent them, + especially, to the most virtuous and the wisest men, but that He intends + they should be the seminary of comfort, the nursery of virtue, the + exercise of wisdom, the trial of patience, the venturing for a crown, and + the gate of glory." <a href="#linknote-2116" name="linknoteref-2116" + id="linknoteref-2116"><small>2116</small></a> + </p> + <p> + And again:—"No man is more miserable than he that hath no adversity. + That man is not tried, whether he be good or bad; and God never crowns + those virtues which are only FACULTIES and DISPOSITIONS; but every act of + virtue is an ingredient unto reward." <a href="#linknote-2117" + name="linknoteref-2117" id="linknoteref-2117"><small>2117</small></a> + </p> + <p> + Prosperity and success of themselves do not confer happiness; indeed, it + not unfrequently happens that the least successful in life have the + greatest share of true joy in it. No man could have been more successful + than Goethe—possessed of splendid health, honour, power, and + sufficiency of this world's goods—and yet he confessed that he had + not, in the course of his life, enjoyed five weeks of genuine pleasure. So + the Caliph Abdalrahman, in surveying his successful reign of fifty years, + found that he had enjoyed only fourteen days of pure and genuine + happiness. <a href="#linknote-2118" name="linknoteref-2118" + id="linknoteref-2118"><small>2118</small></a> After this, might it not be + said that the pursuit of mere happiness is an illusion? + </p> + <p> + Life, all sunshine without shade, all happiness without sorrow, all + pleasure without pain, were not life at all—at least not human life. + Take the lot of the happiest—it is a tangled yarn. It is made up of + sorrows and joys; and the joys are all the sweeter because of the sorrows; + bereavements and blessings, one following another, making us sad and + blessed by turns. Even death itself makes life more loving; it binds us + more closely together while here. Dr. Thomas Browne has argued that death + is one of the necessary conditions of human happiness; and he supports his + argument with great force and eloquence. But when death comes into a + household, we do not philosophise—we only feel. The eyes that are + full of tears do not see; though in course of time they come to see more + clearly and brightly than those that have never known sorrow. + </p> + <p> + The wise person gradually learns not to expect too much from life. While + he strives for success by worthy methods, he will be prepared for + failures, he will keep his mind open to enjoyment, but submit patiently to + suffering. Wailings and complainings of life are never of any use; only + cheerful and continuous working in right paths are of real avail. + </p> + <p> + Nor will the wise man expect too much from those about him. If he would + live at peace with others, he will bear and forbear. And even the best + have often foibles of character which have to be endured, sympathised + with, and perhaps pitied. Who is perfect? Who does not suffer from some + thorn in the flesh? Who does not stand in need of toleration, of + forbearance, of forgiveness? What the poor imprisoned Queen Caroline + Matilda of Denmark wrote on her chapel-window ought to be the prayer of + all,—"Oh! keep me innocent! make others great." + </p> + <p> + Then, how much does the disposition of every human being depend upon their + innate constitution and their early surroundings; the comfort or + discomfort of the homes in which they have been brought up; their + inherited characteristics; and the examples, good or bad, to which they + have been exposed through life! Regard for such considerations should + teach charity and forbearance to all men. + </p> + <p> + At the same time, life will always be to a large extent what we ourselves + make it. Each mind makes its own little world. The cheerful mind makes it + pleasant, and the discontented mind makes it miserable. "My mind to me a + kingdom is," applies alike to the peasant as to the monarch. The one may + be in his heart a king, as the other may be a slave. Life is for the most + part but the mirror of our own individual selves. Our mind gives to all + situations, to all fortunes, high or low, their real characters. To the + good, the world is good; to the bad, it is bad. If our views of life be + elevated—if we regard it as a sphere of useful effort, of high + living and high thinking, of working for others' good as well as our own—it + will be joyful, hopeful, and blessed. If, on the contrary, we regard it + merely as affording opportunities for self-seeking, pleasure, and + aggrandisement, it will be full of toil, anxiety, and disappointment. + </p> + <p> + There is much in life that, while in this state, we can never comprehend. + There is, indeed, a great deal of mystery in life—much that we see + "as in a glass darkly." But though we may not apprehend the full meaning + of the discipline of trial through which the best have to pass, we must + have faith in the completeness of the design of which our little + individual lives form a part. + </p> + <p> + We have each to do our duty in that sphere of life in which we have been + placed. Duty alone is true; there is no true action but in its + accomplishment. Duty is the end and aim of the highest life; the truest + pleasure of all is that derived from the consciousness of its fulfilment. + Of all others, it is the one that is most thoroughly satisfying, and the + least accompanied by regret and disappointment. In the words of George + Herbert, the consciousness of duty performed "gives us music at midnight." + </p> + <p> + And when we have done our work on earth—of necessity, of labour, of + love, or of duty,—like the silkworm that spins its little cocoon and + dies, we too depart. But, short though our stay in life may be, it is the + appointed sphere in which each has to work out the great aim and end of + his being to the best of his power; and when that is done, the accidents + of the flesh will affect but little the immortality we shall at last put + on: + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Therefore we can go die as sleep, and trust + Half that we have + Unto an honest faithful grave; + Making our pillows either down or dust!" +</pre> + <p> + <a name="link2H_FOOT" id="link2H_FOOT"> + <!-- H2 anchor --> </a> + </p> + <div style="height: 4em;"> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </div> + <h2> + FOOTNOTES: + </h2> + <p> + <a name="linknote-101" id="linknote-101"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 101 (<a href="#linknoteref-101">return</a>)<br /> [ Sackville, Lord + Buckhurst, Lord High Treasurer under Elizabeth and James I.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-102" id="linknote-102"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 102 (<a href="#linknoteref-102">return</a>)<br /> [ 'Life of Perthes,' ii. + 217.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-103" id="linknote-103"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 103 (<a href="#linknoteref-103">return</a>)<br /> [ Lockhart's 'Life of + Scott.'] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-104" id="linknote-104"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 104 (<a href="#linknoteref-104">return</a>)<br /> [ Debate on the Petition + of Right, A.D. 1628.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-105" id="linknote-105"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 105 (<a href="#linknoteref-105">return</a>)<br /> [ The Rev. F. W. Farrer's + 'Seekers after God,' p. 241.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-106" id="linknote-106"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 106 (<a href="#linknoteref-106">return</a>)<br /> [ 'The Statesman,' p. + 30.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-107" id="linknote-107"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 107 (<a href="#linknoteref-107">return</a>)<br /> [ 'Queen of the Air,' p. + 127] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-108" id="linknote-108"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 108 (<a href="#linknoteref-108">return</a>)<br /> [ "Instead of saying that + man is the creature of Circumstance, it would be nearer the mark to say + that man is the architect of Circumstance. It is Character which builds an + existence out of Circumstance. Our strength is measured by our plastic + power. From the same materials one man builds palaces, another hovels: one + warehouses, another villas. Bricks and mortar are mortar and bricks, until + the architect can make them something else. Thus it is that in the same + family, in the same circumstances, one man rears a stately edifice, while + his brother, vacillating and incompetent, lives for ever amid ruins: the + block of granite, which was an obstacle on the pathway of the weak, + becomes a stepping-stone on the pathway of the strong."—G. H. Lewes, + LIFE OF GOETHE.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-109" id="linknote-109"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 109 (<a href="#linknoteref-109">return</a>)<br /> [ Introduction to 'The + Principal Speeches and Addresses of H.R.H. the Prince Consort' (1862, pp. + 39-40.)] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1010" id="linknote-1010"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1010 (<a href="#linknoteref-1010">return</a>)<br /> [ Among the latest of + these was Napoleon "the Great," a man of abounding energy, but destitute + of principle. He had the lowest opinion of his fellowmen. "Men are hogs, + who feed on gold," he once said: "Well, I throw them gold, and lead them + whithersoever I will." When the Abbe de Pradt, Archbishop of Malines, was + setting out on his embassy to Poland in 1812, Napoleon's parting + instruction to him was, "Tenez bonne table et soignez les femmes,"—of + which Benjamin Constant said that such an observation, addressed to a + feeble priest of sixty, shows Buonaparte's profound contempt for the human + race, without distinction of nation or sex.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1011" id="linknote-1011"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1011 (<a href="#linknoteref-1011">return</a>)<br /> [ Condensed from Sir + Thomas Overbury's 'Characters' [101614].] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1012" id="linknote-1012"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1012 (<a href="#linknoteref-1012">return</a>)<br /> [ 'History of the + Peninsular War,' v. 319.—Napier mentions another striking + illustration of the influence of personal qualities in young Edward Freer, + of the same regiment [10the 43rd], who, when he fell at the age of + nineteen, at the Battle of the Nivelle, had already seen more combats and + sieges than he could count years. "So slight in person, and of such + surpassing beauty, that the Spaniards often thought him a girl disguised + in man's clothing, he was yet so vigorous, so active, so brave, that the + most daring and experienced veterans watched his looks on the field of + battle, and, implicitly following where he led, would, like children, obey + his slightest sign in the most difficult situations."] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1013" id="linknote-1013"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1013 (<a href="#linknoteref-1013">return</a>)<br /> [ When the dissolution + of the Union at one time seemed imminent, and Washington wished to retire + into private life, Jefferson wrote to him, urging his continuance in + office. "The confidence of the whole Union," he said, "centres in you. + Your being at the helm will be more than an answer to every argument which + can be used to alarm and lead the people in any quarter into violence and + secession.... There is sometimes an eminence of character on which society + has such peculiar claims as to control the predilection of the individual + for a particular walk of happiness, and restrain him to that alone arising + from the present and future benedictions of mankind. This seems to be your + condition, and the law imposed on you by Providence in forming your + character and fashioning the events on which it was to operate; and it is + to motives like these, and not to personal anxieties of mine or others, + who have no right to call on you for sacrifices, that I appeal from your + former determination, and urge a revisal of it, on the ground of change in + the aspect of things."—Sparks' Life of Washington, i. 480.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1014" id="linknote-1014"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1014 (<a href="#linknoteref-1014">return</a>)<br /> [ Napier's 'History of + the Peninsular War,' v. 226.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1015" id="linknote-1015"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1015 (<a href="#linknoteref-1015">return</a>)<br /> [ Sir W. Scott's + 'History of Scotland,' vol. i. chap. xvi.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1016" id="linknote-1016"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1016 (<a href="#linknoteref-1016">return</a>)<br /> [ Michelet's 'History + of Rome,' p. 374.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1017" id="linknote-1017"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1017 (<a href="#linknoteref-1017">return</a>)<br /> [ Erasmus so reverenced + the character of Socrates that he said, when he considered his life and + doctrines, he was inclined to put him in the calendar of saints, and to + exclaim, "SANCTE SOCRATES, ORA PRO NOBIS." (Holy Socrates, pray for us!)] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1018" id="linknote-1018"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1018 (<a href="#linknoteref-1018">return</a>)<br /> [ "Honour to all the + brave and true; everlasting honour to John Knox one of the truest of the + true! That, in the moment while he and his cause, amid civil broils, in + convulsion and confusion, were still but struggling for life, he sent the + schoolmaster forth to all corners, and said, 'Let the people be taught:' + this is but one, and, and indeed, an inevitable and comparatively + inconsiderable item in his great message to men. This message, in its true + compass, was, 'Let men know that they are men created by God, responsible + to God who work in any meanest moment of time what will last through + eternity...' This great message Knox did deliver, with a man's voice and + strength; and found a people to believe him. Of such an achievement, were + it to be made once only, the results are immense. Thought, in such a + country, may change its form, but cannot go out; the country has attained + MAJORITY thought, and a certain manhood, ready for all work that man can + do, endures there.... The Scotch national character originated in many + circumstances: first of all, in the Saxon stuff there was to work on; but + next, and beyond all else except that, is the Presbyterian Gospel of John + Knox."—(Carlyle's MISCELLANIES, iv. 118.)] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1019" id="linknote-1019"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1019 (<a href="#linknoteref-1019">return</a>)<br /> [ Moore's 'Life of + Byron,' 8vo. ed. p.484.—Dante was a religious as well as a political + reformer. He was a reformer three hundred years before the Reformation, + advocating the separation of the spiritual from the civil power, and + declaring the temporal government of the Pope to be a usurpation. The + following memorable words were written over five hundred and sixty years + ago, while Dante was still a member of the Roman Catholic Church:—"Every + Divine law is found in one or other of the two Testaments; but in neither + can I find that the care of temporal matters was given to the priesthood. + On the contrary, I find that the first priests were removed from them by + law, and the later priests, by command of Christ, to His disciples."—DE + MONARCHIA, lib. iii. cap. xi. + </p> + <p class="foot"> + Dante also, still clinging to 'the Church he wished to reform,' thus + anticipated the fundamental doctrine of the Reformation:-"Before the + Church are the Old and New Testament; after the Church are traditions. It + follows, then, that the authority of the Church depends, not on + traditions, but traditions on the Church."] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1020" id="linknote-1020"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1020 (<a href="#linknoteref-1020">return</a>)<br /> [ 'Blackwood's + Magazine,' June, 1863, art. 'Girolamo Savonarola.'] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1021" id="linknote-1021"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1021 (<a href="#linknoteref-1021">return</a>)<br /> [ One of the last + passages in the Diary of Dr. Arnold, written the year before his death, + was as follows:—"It is the misfortune of France that her 'past' + cannot be loved or respected—her future and her present cannot be + wedded to it; yet how can the present yield fruit, or the future have + promise, except their roots be fixed in the past? The evil is infinite, + but the blame rests with those who made the past a dead thing, out of + which no healthful life could be produced."—LIFE, ii. 387-8, Ed. + 1858.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1022" id="linknote-1022"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1022 (<a href="#linknoteref-1022">return</a>)<br /> [ A public orator + lately spoke with contempt of the Battle of Marathon, because only 192 + perished on the side of the Athenians, whereas by improved mechanism and + destructive chemicals, some 50,000 men or more may now be destroyed within + a few hours. Yet the Battle of Marathon, and the heroism displayed in it, + will probably continue to be remembered when the gigantic butcheries of + modern times have been forgotten.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-111" id="linknote-111"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 111 (<a href="#linknoteref-111">return</a>)<br /> [ Civic virtues, unless + they have their origin and consecration in private and domestic virtues, + are but the virtues of the theatre. He who has not a loving heart for his + child, cannot pretend to have any true love for humanity.—Jules + Simon's LE DEVOIR.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-112" id="linknote-112"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 112 (<a href="#linknoteref-112">return</a>)<br /> [ 'Levana; or, The + Doctrine of Education.'] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-113" id="linknote-113"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 113 (<a href="#linknoteref-113">return</a>)<br /> [ Speaking of the force + of habit, St. Augustine says in his 'Confessions' "My will the enemy held, + and thence had made a chain for me, and bound me. For of a froward will + was a lust made; and a lust served became custom; and custom not resisted + became necessity. By which links, as it were, joined together [11whence I + called it a chain] a hard bondage held me enthralled."] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-114" id="linknote-114"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 114 (<a href="#linknoteref-114">return</a>)<br /> [ Mr. Tufnell, in + 'Reports of Inspectors of Parochial School Unions in England and Wales,' + 1850.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-115" id="linknote-115"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 115 (<a href="#linknoteref-115">return</a>)<br /> [ See the letters + [11January 13th, 16th, 18th, 20th, and 23rd, 1759], written by Johnson to + his mother when she was ninety, and he himself was in his fiftieth year.—Crokers + BOSWELL, 8vo. Ed. pp. 113, 114.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-116" id="linknote-116"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 116 (<a href="#linknoteref-116">return</a>)<br /> [ Jared Sparks' 'Life of + Washington.'] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-117" id="linknote-117"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 117 (<a href="#linknoteref-117">return</a>)<br /> [ Forster's 'Eminent + British Statesmen' [11Cabinet Cyclop.] vi. 8.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-118" id="linknote-118"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 118 (<a href="#linknoteref-118">return</a>)<br /> [ The Earl of Mornington, + composer of 'Here in cool grot,' &c.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-119" id="linknote-119"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 119 (<a href="#linknoteref-119">return</a>)<br /> [ Robert Bell's 'Life of + Canning,' p. 37.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1110" id="linknote-1110"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1110 (<a href="#linknoteref-1110">return</a>)<br /> [ 'Life of Curran,' by + his son, p. 4.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1111" id="linknote-1111"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1111 (<a href="#linknoteref-1111">return</a>)<br /> [ The father of the + Wesleys had even determined at one time to abandon his wife because her + conscience forbade her to assent to his prayers for the then reigning + monarch, and he was only saved from the consequences of his rash resolve + by the accidental death of William III. He displayed the same overbearing + disposition in dealing with his children; forcing his daughter Mehetabel + to marry, against her will, a man whom she did not love, and who proved + entirely unworthy of her.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1112" id="linknote-1112"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1112 (<a href="#linknoteref-1112">return</a>)<br /> [ Goethe himself says—"Vom + Vater hab' ich die Statur, Des Lebens ernstes Fuhren; Von Mutterchen die + Frohnatur Und Lust zu fabuliren."] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1113" id="linknote-1113"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1113 (<a href="#linknoteref-1113">return</a>)<br /> [ Mrs. Grote's 'Life of + Ary Scheffer,' p. 154.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1114" id="linknote-1114"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1114 (<a href="#linknoteref-1114">return</a>)<br /> [ Michelet, 'On + Priests, Women, and Families.'] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1115" id="linknote-1115"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1115 (<a href="#linknoteref-1115">return</a>)<br /> [ Mrs. Byron is said to + have died in a fit of passion, brought on by reading her upholsterer's + bills.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1116" id="linknote-1116"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1116 (<a href="#linknoteref-1116">return</a>)<br /> [ Sainte-Beuve, + 'Causeries du Lundi,' i. 23.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1117" id="linknote-1117"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1117 (<a href="#linknoteref-1117">return</a>)<br /> [ Ibid. i. 22.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1118" id="linknote-1118"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1118 (<a href="#linknoteref-1118">return</a>)<br /> [ Ibid. 1. 23.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1119" id="linknote-1119"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1119 (<a href="#linknoteref-1119">return</a>)<br /> [ That about one-third + of all the children born in this country die under five years of age, can + only he attributable to ignorance of the natural laws, ignorance of the + human constitution, and ignorance of the uses of pure air, pure water, and + of the art of preparing and administering wholesome food. There is no such + mortality amongst the lower animals.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1120" id="linknote-1120"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1120 (<a href="#linknoteref-1120">return</a>)<br /> [ Beaumarchais' + 'Figaro,' which was received with such enthusiasm in France shortly before + the outbreak of the Revolution, may be regarded as a typical play; it + represented the average morality of the upper as well as the lower classes + with respect to the relations between the sexes. "Label men how you + please," says Herbert Spencer, "with titles of 'upper' and 'middle' and + 'lower,' you cannot prevent them from being units of the same society, + acted upon by the same spirit of the age, moulded after the same type of + character. The mechanical law, that action and reaction are equal, has its + moral analogue. The deed of one man to another tends ultimately to produce + a like effect upon both, be the deed good or bad. Do but put them in + relationship, and no division into castes, no differences of wealth, can + prevent men from assimilating.... The same influences which rapidly adapt + the individual to his society, ensure, though by a slower process, the + general uniformity of a national character.... And so long as the + assimilating influences productive of it continue at work, it is folly to + suppose any one grade of a community can be morally different from the + rest. In whichever rank you see corruption, be assured it equally pervades + all ranks—be assured it is the symptom of a bad social diathesis. + Whilst the virus of depravity exists in one part of the body-politic, no + other part can remain healthy."—SOCIAL STATICS, chap. xx. 7.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1121" id="linknote-1121"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1121 (<a href="#linknoteref-1121">return</a>)<br /> [ Some twenty-eight + years since, the author wrote and published the following passage, not + without practical knowledge of the subject; and notwithstanding the great + amelioration in the lot of factory-workers, effected mainly through the + noble efforts of Lord Shaftesbury, the description is still to a large + extent true:—"The factory system, however much it may have added to + the wealth of the country, has had a most deleterious effect on the + domestic condition of the people. It has invaded the sanctuary of home, + and broken up family and social ties. It has taken the wife from the + husband, and the children from their parents. Especially has its tendency + been to lower the character of woman. The performance of domestic duties + is her proper office,—the management of her household, the rearing + of her family, the economizing of the family means, the supplying of the + family wants. But the factory takes her from all these duties. Homes + become no longer homes. Children grow up uneducated and neglected. The + finer affections become blunted. Woman is no more the gentle wife, + companion, and friend of man, but his fellow-labourer and fellow-drudge. + She is exposed to influences which too often efface that modesty of + thought and conduct which is one of the best safeguards of virtue. Without + judgment or sound principles to guide them, factory-girls early acquire + the feeling of independence. Ready to throw off the constraint imposed on + them by their parents, they leave their homes, and speedily become + initiated in the vices of their associates. The atmosphere, physical as + well as moral, in which they live, stimulates their animal appetites; the + influence of bad example becomes contagious among them and mischief is + propagated far and wide."—THE UNION, January, 1843.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1122" id="linknote-1122"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1122 (<a href="#linknoteref-1122">return</a>)<br /> [ A French satirist, + pointing to the repeated PLEBISCITES and perpetual voting of late years, + and to the growing want of faith in anything but votes, said, in 1870, + that we seemed to be rapidly approaching the period when the only prayer + of man and woman would be, "Give us this day our daily vote!"] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1123" id="linknote-1123"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1123 (<a href="#linknoteref-1123">return</a>)<br /> [ "Of primeval and + necessary and absolute superiority, the relation of the mother to the + child is far more complete, though less seldom quoted as an example, than + that of father and son.... By Sir Robert Filmer, the supposed necessary as + well as absolute power of the father over his children, was taken as the + foundation and origin, and thence justifying cause, of the power of the + monarch in every political state. With more propriety he might have stated + the absolute dominion of a woman as the only legitimate form of + government."—DEONTOLOGY, ii. 181.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-121" id="linknote-121"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 121 (<a href="#linknoteref-121">return</a>)<br /> [ 'Letters of Sir Charles + Bell,' p. 10. [122: 'Autobiography of Mary Anne Schimmelpenninck,' p. + 179.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-123" id="linknote-123"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 123 (<a href="#linknoteref-123">return</a>)<br /> [ Dean Stanley's 'Life of + Dr. Arnold,' i. 151 [12Ed. 1858].] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-124" id="linknote-124"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 124 (<a href="#linknoteref-124">return</a>)<br /> [ Lord Cockburn's + 'Memorials,' pp. 25-6.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-125" id="linknote-125"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 125 (<a href="#linknoteref-125">return</a>)<br /> [ From a letter of Canon + Moseley, read at a Memorial Meeting held shortly after the death of the + late Lord Herbert of Lea.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-126" id="linknote-126"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 126 (<a href="#linknoteref-126">return</a>)<br /> [ Izaak Walton's 'Life of + George Herbert.'] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-127" id="linknote-127"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 127 (<a href="#linknoteref-127">return</a>)<br /> [ Stanley's 'Life and + Letters of Dr. Arnold,' i. 33.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-128" id="linknote-128"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 128 (<a href="#linknoteref-128">return</a>)<br /> [ Philip de Comines gives + a curious illustration of the subservient, though enforced, imitation of + Philip, Duke of Burgundy, by his courtiers. When that prince fell ill, and + had his head shaved, he ordered that all his nobles, five hundred in + number, should in like manner shave their heads; and one of them, Pierre + de Hagenbach, to prove his devotion, no sooner caught sight of an unshaven + nobleman, than he forthwith had him seized and carried off to the barber!—Philip + de Comines [12Bohn's Ed.], p. 243.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-129" id="linknote-129"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 129 (<a href="#linknoteref-129">return</a>)<br /> [ 'Life,' i. 344.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1210" id="linknote-1210"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1210 (<a href="#linknoteref-1210">return</a>)<br /> [ Introduction to 'The + Principal Speeches and Addresses of H.R.H. the Prince Consort,' p. 33.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1211" id="linknote-1211"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1211 (<a href="#linknoteref-1211">return</a>)<br /> [ Speech at Liverpool, + 1812.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-131" id="linknote-131"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 131 (<a href="#linknoteref-131">return</a>)<br /> [In the third chapter of + his Natural History, Pliny relates in what high honour agriculture was + held in the earlier days of Rome; how the divisions of land were measured + by the quantity which could be ploughed by a yoke of oxen in a certain + time [13JUGERUM, in one day; ACTUS, at one spell]; how the greatest + recompence to a general or valiant citizen was a JUGERUM; how the earliest + surnames were derived from agriculture (Pilumnus, from PILUM, the pestle + for pounding corn; Piso, from PISO, to grind coin; Fabius, from FABA, a + bean; Lentulus, from LENS, a lentil; Cicero, from CICER, a chickpea; + Babulcus, from BOS, &c.); how the highest compliment was to call a man + a good agriculturist, or a good husbandman (LOCUPLES, rich, LOCI PLENUS, + PECUNIA, from PECUS, &c.); how the pasturing of cattle secretly by + night upon unripe crops was a capital offence, punishable by hanging; how + the rural tribes held the foremost rank, while those of the city had + discredit thrown upon them as being an indolent race; and how "GLORIAM + DENIQUE IPSAM, A FARRIS HONORE, 'ADOREAM' APPELLABANT;" ADOREA, or Glory, + the reward of valour, being derived from Ador, or spelt, a kind of grain.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-132" id="linknote-132"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 132 (<a href="#linknoteref-132">return</a>)<br /> [ 'Essay on Government,' + in 'Encyclopaedia Britannica.'] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-133" id="linknote-133"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 133 (<a href="#linknoteref-133">return</a>)<br /> [ Burton's 'Anatomy of + Melancholy,' Part i., Mem. 2, Sub. 6.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-134" id="linknote-134"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 134 (<a href="#linknoteref-134">return</a>)<br /> [ Ibid. End of concluding + chapter.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-135" id="linknote-135"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 135 (<a href="#linknoteref-135">return</a>)<br /> [ It is characteristic of + the Hindoos to regard entire inaction as the most perfect state, and to + describe the Supreme Being as "The Unmoveable."] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-136" id="linknote-136"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 136 (<a href="#linknoteref-136">return</a>)<br /> [ Lessing was so + impressed with the conviction that stagnant satisfaction was fatal to man, + that he went so far as to say: "If the All-powerful Being, holding in one + hand Truth, and in the other the search for Truth, said to me, 'Choose,' I + would answer Him, 'O All-powerful, keep for Thyself the Truth; but leave + to me the search for it, which is the better for me.'" On the other hand, + Bossuet said: "Si je concevais une nature purement intelligente, il me + semble que je n'y mettrais qu'entendre et aimer la verite, et que cela + seul la rendrait heureux."] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-137" id="linknote-137"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 137 (<a href="#linknoteref-137">return</a>)<br /> [ The late Sir John + Patteson, when in his seventieth year, attended an annual ploughing-match + dinner at Feniton, Devon, at which he thought it worth his while to combat + the notion, still too prevalent, that because a man does not work merely + with his bones and muscles, he is therefore not entitled to the + appellation of a workingman. "In recollecting similar meetings to the + present," he said, "I remember my friend, John Pyle, rather throwing it in + my teeth that I had not worked for nothing; but I told him, 'Mr. Pyle, you + do not know what you are talking about. We are all workers. The man who + ploughs the field and who digs the hedge is a worker; but there are other + workers in other stations of life as well. For myself, I can say that I + have been a worker ever since I have been a boy.'... Then I told him that + the office of judge was by no means a sinecure, for that a judge worked as + hard as any man in the country. He has to work at very difficult questions + of law, which are brought before him continually, giving him great + anxiety; and sometimes the lives of his fellow-creatures are placed in his + hands, and are dependent very much upon the manner in which he places the + facts before the jury. That is a matter of no little anxiety, I can assure + you. Let any man think as he will, there is no man who has been through + the ordeal for the length of time that I have, but must feel conscious of + the importance and gravity of the duty which is cast upon a judge."] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-138" id="linknote-138"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 138 (<a href="#linknoteref-138">return</a>)<br /> [ Lord Stanley's Address + to the Students of Glasgow University, on his installation as Lord Rector, + 1869.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-139" id="linknote-139"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 139 (<a href="#linknoteref-139">return</a>)<br /> [ Writing to an abbot at + Nuremberg, who had sent him a store of turning-tools, Luther said: "I have + made considerable progress in clockmaking, and I am very much delighted at + it, for these drunken Saxons need to be constantly reminded of what the + real time is; not that they themselves care much about it, for as long as + their glasses are kept filled, they trouble themselves very little as to + whether clocks, or clockmakers, or the time itself, go right."—Michelet's + LUTHER [13Bogue Ed.], p. 200.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1310" id="linknote-1310"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1310 (<a href="#linknoteref-1310">return</a>)<br /> [ "Life of Perthes," + ii. 20.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1311" id="linknote-1311"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1311 (<a href="#linknoteref-1311">return</a>)<br /> [ Lockhart's 'Life of + Scott' [138vo. Ed.], p. 442.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1312" id="linknote-1312"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1312 (<a href="#linknoteref-1312">return</a>)<br /> [ Southey expresses the + opinion in 'The Doctor', that the character of a person may be better + known by the letters which other persons write to him than by what he + himself writes.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1313" id="linknote-1313"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1313 (<a href="#linknoteref-1313">return</a>)<br /> [ 'Dissertation on the + Science of Method.'] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1314" id="linknote-1314"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1314 (<a href="#linknoteref-1314">return</a>)<br /> [ The following + passage, from a recent article in the PALL MALL GAZETTE, will commend + itself to general aproval:—"There can be no question nowadays, that + application to work, absorption in affairs, contact with men, and all the + stress which business imposes on us, gives a noble training to the + intellect, and splendid opportunity for discipline of character. It is an + utterly low view of business which regards it as only a means of getting a + living. A man's business is his part of the world's work, his share of the + great activities which render society possible. He may like it or dislike + it, but it is work, and as such requires application, self-denial, + discipline. It is his drill, and he cannot be thorough in his occupation + without putting himself into it, checking his fancies, restraining his + impulses, and holding himself to the perpetual round of small details—without, + in fact, submitting to his drill. But the perpetual call on a man's + readiness, sell-control, and vigour which business makes, the constant + appeal to the intellect, the stress upon the will, the necessity for rapid + and responsible exercise of judgment—all these things constitute a + high culture, though not the highest. It is a culture which strengthens + and invigorates if it does not refine, which gives force if not polish—the + FORTITER IN RE, if not the SUAVITER IN MODO. It makes strong men and ready + men, and men of vast capacity for affairs, though it does not necessarily + make refined men or gentlemen."] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1315" id="linknote-1315"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1315 (<a href="#linknoteref-1315">return</a>)<br /> [ On the first + publication of his 'Despatches,' one of his friends said to him, on + reading the records of his Indian campaigns: "It seems to me, Duke, that + your chief business in India was to procure rice and bullocks." "And so it + was," replied Wellington: "for if I had rice and bullocks, I had men; and + if I had men, I knew I could beat the enemy."] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1316" id="linknote-1316"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1316 (<a href="#linknoteref-1316">return</a>)<br /> [ Maria Edgeworth, + 'Memoirs of R. L. Edgeworth,' ii. 94.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1317" id="linknote-1317"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1317 (<a href="#linknoteref-1317">return</a>)<br /> [ A friend of Lord + Palmerston has communicated to us the following anecdote. Asking him one + day when he considered a man to be in the prime of life, his immediate + reply was, "Seventy-nine!" "But," he added, with a twinkle in his eye, "as + I have just entered my eightieth year, perhaps I am myself a little past + it."] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1318" id="linknote-1318"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1318 (<a href="#linknoteref-1318">return</a>)<br /> [ 'Reasons of Church + Government,' Book II.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1319" id="linknote-1319"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1319 (<a href="#linknoteref-1319">return</a>)<br /> [ Coleridge's advice to + his young friends was much to the same effect. "With the exception of one + extraordinary man," he says, "I have never known an individual, least of + all an individual of genius, healthy or happy without a profession: i.e., + some regular employment which does not depend on the will of the moment, + and which can be carried on so far mechanically, that an average quantum + only of health, spirits, and intellectual exertion are requisite to its + faithful discharge. Three hours of leisure, unalloyed by any alien + anxiety, and looked forward to with delight as a change and recreation, + will suffice to realise in literature a larger product of what is truly + genial, than weeks of compulsion.... If facts are required to prove the + possibility of combining weighty performances in literature with full and + independent employment, the works of Cicero and Xenophon, among the + ancients—of Sir Thomas More, Bacon, Baxter, or [13to refer at once + to later and contemporary instances] Darwin and Roscoe, are at once + decisive of the question."—BIOGRAPHIA LITERARIA, Chap. xi.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1320" id="linknote-1320"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1320 (<a href="#linknoteref-1320">return</a>)<br /> [ Mr. Ricardo published + his celebrated 'Theory of Rent,' at the urgent recommendation of James + Mill [13like his son, a chief clerk in the India House], author of the + 'History of British India.' When the 'Theory of Rent' was written, Ricardo + was so dissatisfied with it that he wished to burn it; but Mr. Mill urged + him to publish it, and the book was a great success.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1321" id="linknote-1321"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1321 (<a href="#linknoteref-1321">return</a>)<br /> [ The late Sir John + Lubbock, his father, was also eminent as a mathematician and astronomer.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1322" id="linknote-1322"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1322 (<a href="#linknoteref-1322">return</a>)<br /> [ Thales, once + inveighing in discourse against the pains and care men put themselves to, + to become rich, was answered by one in the company that he did like the + fox, who found fault with what he could not obtain. Thereupon Thales had a + mind, for the jest's sake, to show them the contrary; and having upon this + occasion for once made a muster of all his wits, wholly to employ them in + the service of profit, he set a traffic on foot, which in one year brought + him in so great riches, that the most experienced in that trade could + hardly in their whole lives, with all their industry, have raked so much + together. —Montaignes ESSAYS, Book I., chap. 24.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1323" id="linknote-1323"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1323 (<a href="#linknoteref-1323">return</a>)<br /> [ "The understanding," + says Mr. Bailey, "that is accustomed to pursue a regular and connected + train of ideas, becomes in some measure incapacitated for those quick and + versatile movements which are learnt in the commerce of the world, and are + indispensable to those who act a part in it. Deep thinking and practical + talents require indeed habits of mind so essentially dissimilar, that + while a man is striving after the one, he will be unavoidably in danger of + losing the other." "Thence," he adds, "do we so often find men, who are + 'giants in the closet,' prove but 'children in the world.'"—'Essays + on the Formation and Publication of Opinions,' pp.251-3.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1324" id="linknote-1324"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1324 (<a href="#linknoteref-1324">return</a>)<br /> [ Mr. Gladstone is as + great an enthusiast in literature as Canning was. It is related of him + that, while he was waiting in his committee-room at Liverpool for the + returns coming in on the day of the South Lancashire polling, he occupied + himself in proceeding with the translation of a work which he was then + preparing for the press.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-141" id="linknote-141"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 141 (<a href="#linknoteref-141">return</a>)<br /> [ James Russell Lowell.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-142" id="linknote-142"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 142 (<a href="#linknoteref-142">return</a>)<br /> [ Yet Bacon himself had + written, "I would rather believe all the faiths in the Legend, and the + Talmud, and the Alcoran, than that this universal frame is without a + mind."] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-143" id="linknote-143"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 143 (<a href="#linknoteref-143">return</a>)<br /> [ Aubrey, in his 'Natural + History of Wiltshire,' alluding to Harvey, says: "He told me himself that + upon publishing that book he fell in his practice extremely."] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-144" id="linknote-144"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 144 (<a href="#linknoteref-144">return</a>)<br /> [ Sir Thomas More's first + wife, Jane Colt, was originally a young country girl, whom he himself + instructed in letters, and moulded to his own tastes and manners. She died + young, leaving a son and three daughters, of whom the noble Margaret Roper + most resembled More himself. His second wife was Alice Middleton, a widow, + some seven years older than More, not beautiful—for he characterized + her as "NEC BELLA, NEC PUELLA"—but a shrewd worldly woman, not by + any means disposed to sacrifice comfort and good cheer for considerations + such as those which so powerfully influenced the mind of her husband.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-145" id="linknote-145"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 145 (<a href="#linknoteref-145">return</a>)<br /> [ Before being beheaded, + Eliot said, "Death is but a little word; but ''tis a great work to die.'" + In his 'Prison Thoughts' before his execution, he wrote: "He that fears + not to die, fears nothing.... There is a time to live, and a time to die. + A good death is far better and more eligible than an ill life. A wise man + lives but so long as his life is worth more than his death. The longer + life is not always the better."] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-146" id="linknote-146"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 146 (<a href="#linknoteref-146">return</a>)<br /> [ Mr. J. S. Mill, in his + book 'On Liberty,' describes "the masses," as "collective mediocrity." + "The initiation of all wise or noble things," he says, "comes, and must + come, from individuals—generally at first from some one individual. + The honour and glory of the average man is that he is capable of following + that imitation; that he can respond internally to wise and noble things, + and be led to them with his eyes open.... In this age, the mere example of + nonconformity, the mere refusal to bend the knee to custom, is itself a + service. Precisely because the tyranny of opinion is such as to make + eccentricity a reproach, it is desirable, in order to break through that + tyranny, that people should be eccentric. Eccentricity has always abounded + when and where strength of character has abounded; and the amount of + eccentricity in a society has generally been proportional to the amount of + genius, mental vigour, and moral courage which it contained. That so few + now dare to be eccentric, marks the chief danger of the time."—Pp. + 120-1.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-147" id="linknote-147"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 147 (<a href="#linknoteref-147">return</a>)<br /> [ Mr. Arthur Helps, in + one of his thoughtful books, published in 1845, made some observations on + this point, which are not less applicable now. He there said: "it is a + grievous thing to see literature made a vehicle for encouraging the enmity + of class to class. Yet this, unhappily, is not unfrequent now. Some great + man summed up the nature of French novels by calling them the Literature + of Despair; the kind of writing that I deprecate may be called the + Literature of Envy.... Such writers like to throw their influence, as they + might say, into the weaker scale. But that is not the proper way of + looking at the matter. I think, if they saw the ungenerous nature of their + proceedings, that alone would stop them. They should recollect that + literature may fawn upon the masses as well as the aristocracy; and in + these days the temptation is in the former direction. But what is most + grievous in this kind of writing is the mischief it may do to the + working-people themselves. If you have their true welfare at heart, you + will not only care for their being fed and clothed, but you will be + anxious not to encourage unreasonable expectations in them—not to + make them ungrateful or greedy-minded. Above all, you will be solicitous + to preserve some self-reliance in them. You will be careful not to let + them think that their condition can be wholly changed without exertion of + their own. You would not desire to have it so changed. Once elevate your + ideal of what you wish to happen amongst the labouring population, and you + will not easily admit anything in your writings that may injure their + moral or their mental character, even if you thought it might hasten some + physical benefit for them. That is the way to make your genius most + serviceable to mankind. Depend upon it, honest and bold things require to + be said to the lower as well as the higher classes; and the former are in + these times much less likely to have, such things addressed to + them."-Claims of Labour, pp. 253-4.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-148" id="linknote-148"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 148 (<a href="#linknoteref-148">return</a>)<br /> [ 'Memoirs of Colonel + Hutchinson' [14Bohn's Ed.], p. 32.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-149" id="linknote-149"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 149 (<a href="#linknoteref-149">return</a>)<br /> [ At a public meeting + held at Worcester, in 1867, in recognition of Sir J. Pakington's services + as Chairman of Quarter Sessions for a period of twenty-four years, the + following remarks, made by Sir John on the occasion, are just and valuable + as they are modest:-"I am indebted for whatever measure of success I have + attained in my public life, to a combination of moderate abilities, with + honesty of intention, firmness of purpose, and steadiness of conduct. If I + were to offer advice to any young man anxious to make himself useful in + public life, I would sum up the results of my experience in three short + rules—rules so simple that any man may understand them, and so easy + that any man may act upon them. My first rule would be—leave it to + others to judge of what duties you are capable, and for what position you + are fitted; but never refuse to give your services in whatever capacity it + may be the opinion of others who are competent to judge that you may + benefit your neighbours or your country. My second rule is—when you + agree to undertake public duties, concentrate every energy and faculty in + your possession with the determination to discharge those duties to the + best of your ability. Lastly, I would counsel you that, in deciding on the + line which you will take in public affairs, you should be guided in your + decision by that which, after mature deliberation, you believe to be + right, and not by that which, in the passing hour, may happen to be + fashionable or popular."] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1410" id="linknote-1410"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1410 (<a href="#linknoteref-1410">return</a>)<br /> [ The following + illustration of one of his minute acts of kindness is given in his + biography:—"He was one day taking a long country walk near + Freshford, when he met a little girl, about five years old, sobbing over a + broken bowl; she had dropped and broken it in bringing it back from the + field to which she had taken her father's dinner in it, and she said she + would be beaten on her return home for having broken it; when, with a + sudden gleam of hope, she innocently looked up into his face, and said, + 'But yee can mend it, can't ee?' + </p> + <p class="foot"> + "My father explained that he could not mend the bowl, but the trouble he + could, by the gift of a sixpence to buy another. However, on opening his + purse it was empty of silver, and he had to make amends by promising to + meet his little friend in the same spot at the same hour next day, and to + bring the sixpence with him, bidding her, meanwhile, tell her mother she + had seen a gentleman who would bring her the money for the bowl next day. + The child, entirely trusting him, went on her way comforted. On his return + home he found an invitation awaiting him to dine in Bath the following + evening, to meet some one whom he specially wished to see. He hesitated + for some little time, trying to calculate the possibility of giving the + meeting to his little friend of the broken bowl and of still being in time + for the dinner-party in Bath; but finding this could not be, he wrote to + decline accepting the invitation on the plea of 'a pre-engagement,' saying + to us, 'I cannot disappoint her, she trusted me so implicitly.'"] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1411" id="linknote-1411"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1411 (<a href="#linknoteref-1411">return</a>)<br /> [ Miss Florence + Nightingale has related the following incident as having occurred before + Sebastopol:—"I remember a sergeant who, on picket, the rest of the + picket killed and himself battered about the head, stumbled back to camp, + and on his way picked up a wounded man and brought him in on his shoulders + to the lines, where he fell down insensible. When, after many hours, he + recovered his senses, I believe after trepanning, his first words were to + ask after his comrade, 'Is he alive?' 'Comrade, indeed; yes, he's alive—it + is the general.' At that moment the general, though badly wounded, + appeared at the bedside. 'Oh, general, it's you, is it, I brought in? I'm + so glad; I didn't know your honour. But, ——, if I'd known it + was you, I'd have saved you all the same.' This is the true soldier's + spirit." + </p> + <p class="foot"> + In the same letter, Miss Nightingale says: "England, from her grand + mercantile and commercial successes, has been called sordid; God knows she + is not. The simple courage, the enduring patience, the good sense, the + strength to suffer in silence—what nation shows more of this in war + than is shown by her commonest soldier? I have seen men dying of + dysentery, but scorning to report themselves sick lest they should thereby + throw more labour on their comrades, go down to the trenches and make the + trenches their deathbed. There is nothing in history to compare with + it...."] + </p> + <p class="foot"> + "Say what men will, there is something more truly Christian in the man who + gives his time, his strength, his life, if need be, for something not + himself—whether he call it his Queen, his country, or his colours—than + in all the asceticism, the fasts, the humiliations, and confessions which + have ever been made: and this spirit of giving one's life, without calling + it a sacrifice, is found nowhere so truly as in England."] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1412" id="linknote-1412"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1412 (<a href="#linknoteref-1412">return</a>)<br /> [ Mrs. Grote's 'Life of + Ary Scheffer,' pp. 154-5.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1413" id="linknote-1413"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1413 (<a href="#linknoteref-1413">return</a>)<br /> [ The sufferings of + this noble woman, together with those of her unfortunate husband, were + touchingly described in a letter afterwards addressed by her to a female + friend, which was published some years ago at Haarlem, entitled, 'Gertrude + von der Wart; or, Fidelity unto Death.' Mrs. Hemans wrote a poem of great + pathos and beauty, commemorating the sad story in her 'Records of Woman.'] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-151" id="linknote-151"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 151 (<a href="#linknoteref-151">return</a>)<br /> [ 'Social Statics,' p. + 185.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-152" id="linknote-152"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 152 (<a href="#linknoteref-152">return</a>)<br /> [ "In all cases," says + Jeremy Bentham, "when the power of the will can be exercised over the + thoughts, let those thoughts be directed towards happiness. Look out for + the bright, for the brightest side of things, and keep your face + constantly turned to it.... A large part of existence is necessarily + passed in inaction. By day [15to take an instance from the thousand in + constant recurrence], when in attendance on others, and time is lost by + being kept waiting; by night when sleep is unwilling to close the eyelids, + the economy of happiness recommends the occupation of pleasurable thought. + In walking abroad, or in resting at home, the mind cannot be vacant; its + thoughts may be useful, useless, or pernicious to happiness. Direct them + aright; the habit of happy thought will spring up like any other habit." + DEONTOLOGY, ii. 105-6.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-153" id="linknote-153"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 153 (<a href="#linknoteref-153">return</a>)<br /> [ The following extract + from a letter of M. Boyd, Esq., is given by Earl Stanhope in his + 'Miscellanies':—"There was a circumstance told me by the late Mr. + Christmas, who for many years held an important official situation in the + Bank of England. He was, I believe, in early life a clerk in the Treasury, + or one of the government offices, and for some time acted for Mr. Pitt as + his confidential clerk, or temporary private secretary. Christmas was one + of the most obliging men I ever knew; and, from the, position he occupied, + was constantly exposed to interruptions, yet I never saw his temper in the + least ruffled. One day I found him more than usually engaged, having a + mass of accounts to prepare for one of the law-courts—still the same + equanimity, and I could not resist the opportunity of asking the old + gentleman the secret. 'Well, Mr. Boyd, you shall know it. Mr. Pitt gave it + to me:—NOT TO LOSE MY TEMPER, IF POSSIBLE, AT ANY TIME, AND NEVER + DURING THE HOURS OF BUSINESS. My labours here [15Bank of England] commence + at nine and end at three; and, acting on the advice of the illustrious + statesman, I NEVER LOSE MY TEMPER DURING THOSE HOURS.'"] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-154" id="linknote-154"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 154 (<a href="#linknoteref-154">return</a>)<br /> [ 'Strafford Papers,' i. + 87.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-155" id="linknote-155"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 155 (<a href="#linknoteref-155">return</a>)<br /> [ Jared Sparks' 'Life of + Washington,' pp. 7, 534.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-156" id="linknote-156"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 156 (<a href="#linknoteref-156">return</a>)<br /> [ Brialmont's 'Life of + Wellington.'] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-157" id="linknote-157"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 157 (<a href="#linknoteref-157">return</a>)<br /> [ Professor Tyndall, on + 'Faraday as a Discoverer,' p. 156.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-158" id="linknote-158"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 158 (<a href="#linknoteref-158">return</a>)<br /> [ 'Life of Perthes,' ii. + 216.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-159" id="linknote-159"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 159 (<a href="#linknoteref-159">return</a>)<br /> [ Lady Elizabeth Carew.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1510" id="linknote-1510"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1510 (<a href="#linknoteref-1510">return</a>)<br /> [ Francis Horner, in + one of his letters, says: "It is among the very sincere and zealous + friends of liberty that you will find the most perfect specimens of + wrongheadedness; men of a dissenting, provincial cast of virtue—who + [15according to one of Sharpe's favourite phrases] WILL drive a wedge the + broad end foremost—utter strangers to all moderation in political + business."—Francis Horner's LIFE AND CORRESPONDENCE (1843, ii. + 133.)] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1511" id="linknote-1511"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1511 (<a href="#linknoteref-1511">return</a>)<br /> [ Professor Tyndall on + 'Faraday as a Discoverer,' pp. 40-1.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1512" id="linknote-1512"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1512 (<a href="#linknoteref-1512">return</a>)<br /> [ Yet Burke himself; + though capable of giving Barry such excellent advice, was by no means + immaculate as regarded his own temper. When he lay ill at Beaconsfield, + Fox, from whom he had become separated by political differences arising + out of the French Revolution, went down to see his old friend. But Burke + would not grant him an interview; he positively refused to see him. On his + return to town, Fox told his friend Coke the result of his journey; and + when Coke lamented Burke's obstinacy, Fox only replied, goodnaturedly: + "Ah! never mind, Tom; I always find every Irishman has got a piece of + potato in his head." Yet Fox, with his usual generosity, when he heard of + Burke's impending death, wrote a most kind and cordial letter to Mrs. + Burke, expressive of his grief and sympathy; and when Burke was no more, + Fox was the first to propose that he should be interred with public + honours in Westminster Abbey—which only Burke's own express wish, + that he should be buried at Beaconsfield, prevented being carried out.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1513" id="linknote-1513"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1513 (<a href="#linknoteref-1513">return</a>)<br /> [ When Curran, the + Irish barrister, visited Burns's cabin in 1810, he found it converted into + a public house, and the landlord who showed it was drunk. "There," said + he, pointing to a corner on one side of the fire, with a most MALAPROPOS + laugh-"there is the very spot where Robert Burns was born." "The genius + and the fate of the man," says Curran, "were already heavy on my heart; + but the drunken laugh of the landlord gave me such a view of the rock on + which he had foundered, that I could not stand it, but burst into tears."] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1514" id="linknote-1514"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1514 (<a href="#linknoteref-1514">return</a>)<br /> [ The chaplain of + Horsemongerlane Gaol, in his annual report to the Surrey justices, thus + states the result of his careful study of the causes of dishonesty: "From + my experience of predatory crime, founded upon careful study of the + character of a great variety of prisoners, I conclude that habitual + dishonesty is to be referred neither to ignorance, nor to drunkenness, nor + to poverty, nor to overcrowding in towns, nor to temptation from + surrounding wealth—nor, indeed, to any one of the many indirect + causes to which it is sometimes referred—but mainly TO A DISPOSITION + TO ACQUIRE PROPERTY WITH A LESS DEGREE OF LABOUR THAN ORDINARY INDUSTRY." + The italics are the author's.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1515" id="linknote-1515"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1515 (<a href="#linknoteref-1515">return</a>)<br /> [ S. C. Hall's + 'Memories.'] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1516" id="linknote-1516"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1516 (<a href="#linknoteref-1516">return</a>)<br /> [ Moore's 'Life of + Byron,' 8vo. Ed., p. 182.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1517" id="linknote-1517"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1517 (<a href="#linknoteref-1517">return</a>)<br /> [ Captain Basil Hall + records the following conversation with Scott:-"It occurs to me," I + observed, "that people are apt to make too much fuss about the loss of + fortune, which is one of the smallest of the great evils of life, and + ought to be among the most tolerable."—"Do you call it a small + misfortune to be ruined in money-matters?" he asked. "It is not so + painful, at all events, as the loss of friends."—"I grant that," he + said. "As the loss of character?"—"True again." "As the loss of + health?"—"Ay, there you have me," he muttered to himself, in a tone + so melancholy that I wished I had not spoken. "What is the loss of fortune + to the loss of peace of mind?" I continued. "In short," said he, + playfully, "you will make it out that there is no harm in a man's being + plunged over-head-and-ears in a debt he cannot remove." "Much depends, I + think, on how it was incurred, and what efforts are made to redeem it—at + least, if the sufferer be a rightminded man." "I hope it does," he said, + cheerfully and firmly.—FRAGMENTS OF VOYAGES AND TRAVELS, 3rd series, + pp. 308-9.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1518" id="linknote-1518"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1518 (<a href="#linknoteref-1518">return</a>)<br /> [ "These battles," he + wrote in his Diary, "have been the death of many a man, I think they will + be mine."] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1519" id="linknote-1519"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1519 (<a href="#linknoteref-1519">return</a>)<br /> [ Scott's Diary, + December 17th, 1827.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-161" id="linknote-161"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 161 (<a href="#linknoteref-161">return</a>)<br /> [ From Lovelace's lines + to Lucusta [16Lucy Sacheverell], 'Going to the Wars.'] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-162" id="linknote-162"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 162 (<a href="#linknoteref-162">return</a>)<br /> [ Amongst other great men + of genius, Ariosto and Michael Angelo devoted to her their service and + their muse.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-163" id="linknote-163"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 163 (<a href="#linknoteref-163">return</a>)<br /> [ See the Rev. F. W. + Farrar's admirable book, entitled 'Seekers after God' [16Sunday Library]. + The author there says: "Epictetus was not a Christian. He has only once + alluded to the Christians in his works, and then it is under the + opprobrious title of 'Galileans,' who practised a kind of insensibility in + painful circumstances, and an indifference to worldly interests, which + Epictetus unjustly sets down to 'mere habit.' Unhappily, it was not + granted to these heathen philosophers in any true sense to know what + Christianity was. They thought that it was an attempt to imitate the + results of philosophy, without having passed through the necessary + discipline. They viewed it with suspicion, they treated it with injustice. + And yet in Christianity, and in Christianity alone, they would have found + an ideal which would have surpassed their loftiest anticipations."] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-164" id="linknote-164"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 164 (<a href="#linknoteref-164">return</a>)<br /> [ Sparks' 'Life of + Washington,' pp. 141-2.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-165" id="linknote-165"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 165 (<a href="#linknoteref-165">return</a>)<br /> [ Wellington, like + Washington, had to pay the penalty of his adherence to the cause he + thought right, in his loss of "popularity." He was mobbed in the streets + of London, and had his windows smashed by the mob, while his wife lay dead + in the house. Sir Walter Scott also was hooted and pelted at Hawick by + "the people," amidst cries of "Burke Sir Walter!"] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-166" id="linknote-166"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 166 (<a href="#linknoteref-166">return</a>)<br /> [ Robertson's 'Life and + Letters,' ii. 157.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-167" id="linknote-167"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 167 (<a href="#linknoteref-167">return</a>)<br /> [ We select the following + passages from this remarkable report of Baron Stoffel, as being of more + than merely temporary interest:—Who that has lived here [16Berlin] + will deny that the Prussians are energetic, patriotic, and teeming with + youthful vigour; that they are not corrupted by sensual pleasures, but are + manly, have earnest convictions, do not think it beneath them to reverence + sincerely what is noble and lofty? What a melancholy contrast does France + offer in all this? Having sneered at everything, she has lost the faculty + of respecting anything. Virtue, family life, patriotism, honour, religion, + are represented to a frivolous generation as fitting subjects of ridicule. + The theatres have become schools of shamelessness and obscenity. Drop by + drop, poison is instilled into the very core of an ignorant and enervated + society, which has neither the insight nor the energy left to amend its + institutions, nor—which would be the most necessary step to take—become + better informed or more moral. One after the other the fine qualities of + the nation are dying out. Where is the generosity, the loyalty, the charm + of our ESPRIT, and our former elevation of soul? If this goes on, the time + will come when this noble race of France will be known only by its faults. + And France has no idea that while she is sinking, more earnest nations are + stealing the march upon her, are distancing her on the road to progress, + and are preparing for her a secondary position in the world. + </p> + <p class="foot"> + "I am afraid that these opinions will not be relished in France. However + correct, they differ too much from what is usually said and asserted at + home. I should wish some enlightened and unprejudiced Frenchmen to come to + Prussia and make this country their study. They would soon discover that + they were living in the midst of a strong, earnest, and intelligent + nation, entirely destitute, it is true, of noble and delicate feelings, of + all fascinating charms, but endowed with every solid virtue, and alike + distinguished for untiring industry, order, and economy, as well as for + patriotism, a strong sense of duty, and that consciousness of personal + dignity which in their case is so happily blended with respect for + authority and obedience to the law. They would see a country with firm, + sound, and moral institutions, whose upper classes are worthy of their + rank, and, by possessing the highest degree of culture, devoting + themselves to the service of the State, setting an example of patriotism, + and knowing how to preserve the influence legitimately their own. They + would find a State with an excellent administration where everything is in + its right place, and where the most admirable order prevails in every + branch of the social and political system. Prussia may be well compared to + a massive structure of lofty proportions and astounding solidity, which, + though it has nothing to delight the eye or speak to the heart, cannot but + impress us with its grand symmetry, equally observable in its broad + foundations as in its strong and sheltering roof. + </p> + <p class="foot"> + "And what is France? What is French society in these latter days? A + hurly-burly of disorderly elements, all mixed and jumbled together; a + country in which everybody claims the right to occupy the highest posts, + yet few remember that a man to be employed in a responsible position ought + to have a well-balanced mind, ought to be strictly moral, to know + something of the world, and possess certain intellectual powers; a country + in which the highest offices are frequently held by ignorant and + uneducated persons, who either boast some special talent, or whose only + claim is social position and some versatility and address. What a baneful + and degrading state of things! And how natural that, while it lasts, + France should be full of a people without a position, without a calling, + who do not know what to do with themselves, but are none the less eager to + envy and malign every one who does.... + </p> + <p class="foot"> + "The French do not possess in any very marked degree the qualities + required to render general conscription acceptable, or to turn it to + account. Conceited and egotistic as they are, the people would object to + an innovation whose invigorating force they are unable to comprehend, and + which cannot be carried out without virtues which they do not possess—self-abnegation, + conscientious recognition of duty, and a willingness to sacrifice personal + interests to the loftier demands of the country. As the character of + individuals is only improved by experience, most nations require a + chastisement before they set about reorganising their political + institutions. So Prussia wanted a Jena to make her the strong and healthy + country she is."] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-168" id="linknote-168"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 168 (<a href="#linknoteref-168">return</a>)<br /> [ Yet even in De + Tocqueville's benevolent nature, there was a pervading element of + impatience. In the very letter in which the above passage occurs, he says: + "Some persons try to be of use to men while they despise them, and others + because they love them. In the services rendered by the first, there is + always something incomplete, rough, and contemptuous, that inspires + neither confidence nor gratitude. I should like to belong to the second + class, but often I cannot. I love mankind in general, but I constantly + meet with individuals whose baseness revolts me. I struggle daily against + a universal contempt for my fellow, creatures."—MEMOIRS AND REMAINS + OF DE TOCQUEVILLE, vol. i. p. 813. [Footnote 16Letter to Kergorlay, Nov. + 13th, 1833].] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-169" id="linknote-169"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 169 (<a href="#linknoteref-169">return</a>)<br /> [ Gleig's 'Life of + Wellington,' pp. 314, 315.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1610" id="linknote-1610"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1610 (<a href="#linknoteref-1610">return</a>)<br /> [ 'Life of Arnold,' i. + 94.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1611" id="linknote-1611"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1611 (<a href="#linknoteref-1611">return</a>)<br /> [ See the 'Memoir of + George Wilson, M.D., F.R.S.E.' By his sister [Footnote 16Edinburgh, + 1860].] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1612" id="linknote-1612"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1612 (<a href="#linknoteref-1612">return</a>)<br /> [ Such cases are not + unusual. We personally knew a young lady, a countrywoman of Professor + Wilson, afflicted by cancer in the breast, who concealed the disease from + her parents lest it should occasion them distress. An operation became + necessary; and when the surgeons called for the purpose of performing it, + she herself answered the door, received them with a cheerful countenance, + led them upstairs to her room, and submitted to the knife; and her parents + knew nothing of the operation until it was all over. But the disease had + become too deeply seated for recovery, and the noble self-denying girl + died, cheerful and uncomplaining to the end. + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1613" id="linknote-1613"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1613 (<a href="#linknoteref-1613">return</a>)<br /> [ "One night, about + eleven o'clock, Keats returned home in a state of strange physical + excitement—it might have appeared, to those who did not know him, + one of fierce intoxication. He told his friend he had been outside the + stage-coach, had received a severe chill, was a little fevered, but added, + 'I don't feel it now.' He was easily persuaded to go to bed, and as he + leapt into the cold sheets, before his head was on the pillow, he slightly + coughed and said, 'That is blood from my mouth; bring me the candle; let + me see this blood' He gazed steadfastly for some moments at the ruddy + stain, and then, looking in his friend's face with an expression of sudden + calmness never to be forgotten, said, 'I know the colour of that blood—it + is arterial blood. I cannot be deceived in that colour; that drop is my + death-warrant. I must die!'"—Houghton's LIFE OF KEATS, Ed. 1867, p. + 289. + </p> + <p class="foot"> + In the case of George Wilson, the bleeding was in the first instance from + the stomach, though he afterwards suffered from lung haemorrhage like + Keats. Wilson afterwards, speaking of the Lives of Lamb and Keats, which + had just appeared, said he had been reading them with great sadness. + "There is," said he, "something in the noble brotherly love of Charles to + brighten, and hallow, and relieve that sadness; but Keats's deathbed is + the blackness of midnight, unmitigated by one ray of light!"] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1614" id="linknote-1614"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1614 (<a href="#linknoteref-1614">return</a>)<br /> [ On the doctors, who + attended him in his first attack, mistaking the haemorrhage from the + stomach for haemorrhage from the lungs, he wrote: "It would have been but + poor consolation to have had as an epitaph:— + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Here lies George Wilson, + Overtaken by Nemesis; + He died not of Haemoptysis, + But of Haematemesis."] +</pre> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1615" id="linknote-1615"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1615 (<a href="#linknoteref-1615">return</a>)<br /> [ 'Memoir,' p. 427.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-171" id="linknote-171"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 171 (<a href="#linknoteref-171">return</a>)<br /> [ Jeremy Taylor's 'Holy + Living.'] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-172" id="linknote-172"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 172 (<a href="#linknoteref-172">return</a>)<br /> [ 'Michelet's 'Life of + Luther,' pp. 411-12.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-173" id="linknote-173"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 173 (<a href="#linknoteref-173">return</a>)<br /> [ Sir John Kaye's 'Lives + of Indian Officers.'] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-174" id="linknote-174"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 174 (<a href="#linknoteref-174">return</a>)<br /> [ 'Deontology,' pp. + 130-1, 144.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-175" id="linknote-175"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 175 (<a href="#linknoteref-175">return</a>)<br /> [ 'Letters and Essays,' + p. 67.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-176" id="linknote-176"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 176 (<a href="#linknoteref-176">return</a>)<br /> [ 'Beauties of St. + Francis de Sales.'] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-177" id="linknote-177"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 177 (<a href="#linknoteref-177">return</a>)<br /> [ Ibid.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-178" id="linknote-178"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 178 (<a href="#linknoteref-178">return</a>)<br /> [ 'Life of Perthes,' ii. + 449.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-179" id="linknote-179"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 179 (<a href="#linknoteref-179">return</a>)<br /> [ Moore's 'Life of + Byron,' 8vo. Ed., p. 483.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-181" id="linknote-181"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 181 (<a href="#linknoteref-181">return</a>)<br /> [ Locke thought it of + greater importance that an educator of youth should be well-bred and + well-tempered, than that he should be either a thorough classicist or man + of science. Writing to Lord Peterborough on his son's education, Locke + said: "Your Lordship would have your son's tutor a thorough scholar, and I + think it not much matter whether he be any scholar or no: if he but + understand Latin well, and have a general scheme of the sciences, I think + that enough. But I would have him WELL-BRED and WELL-TEMPERED."] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-182" id="linknote-182"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 182 (<a href="#linknoteref-182">return</a>)<br /> [ Mrs. Hutchinson's + 'Memoir of the Life of Lieut.-Colonel Hutchinson,' p. 32.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-183" id="linknote-183"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 183 (<a href="#linknoteref-183">return</a>)<br /> [ 'Letters and Essays,' + p. 59.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-184" id="linknote-184"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 184 (<a href="#linknoteref-184">return</a>)<br /> [ 'Lettres d'un + Voyageur.'] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-185" id="linknote-185"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 185 (<a href="#linknoteref-185">return</a>)<br /> [ Sir Henry Taylor's + 'Statesman,' p. 59.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-186" id="linknote-186"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 186 (<a href="#linknoteref-186">return</a>)<br /> [ Introduction to the + 'Principal Speeches and Addresses of His Royal Highness the Prince + Consort,' 1862.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-187" id="linknote-187"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 187 (<a href="#linknoteref-187">return</a>)<br /> [ + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes, + I all alone beween my outcast state, + And troubled deaf heaven with my bootless cries, + And look upon myself and curse my fate; + WISHING ME LIKE TO ONE MORE RICH IN HOPE, + Featured like him, like him with friends possessed, + Desiring this man's art, and that man's scope, + With what I most enjoy, contented least; + Yet in these thoughts, MYSELF ALMOST DESPISING, + Haply I think on thee," &c.—SONNET XXIX. + + "So I, MADE LAME by sorrow's dearest spite," &c.—SONNET XXXVI] +</pre> + <p> + <a name="linknote-188" id="linknote-188"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 188 (<a href="#linknoteref-188">return</a>)<br /> [ "And strength, by + LIMPING sway disabled," &c.—SONNET LXVI. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Speak of MY LAMENESS, and I straight will halt."—SONNET LXXXIX.] +</pre> + <p> + <a name="linknote-189" id="linknote-189"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 189 (<a href="#linknoteref-189">return</a>)<br /> [ + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Alas! 'tis true, I have gone here and there, + And MADE MYSELF A MOTLEY TO THE VIEW, + Gored mine own thoughts, sold cheap what is most dear, + Made old offences of affections new," &c.—SONNET CX. + + "Oh, for my sake do you with fortune chide! + The guilty goddess of my harmful deeds, + That did not better for my life provide, + THAN PUBLIC MEANS, WHICH PUBLIC MANNERS BREED; + Thence comes it that my name receives a brand, + And almost thence my nature is subdued, + To what it works in like the dyer's hand," &c.—SONNET CXI.] +</pre> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1810" id="linknote-1810"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1810 (<a href="#linknoteref-1810">return</a>)<br /> [ + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "In our two loves there is but one respect, + Though in our loves a separable spite, + Which though it alter not loves sole effect; + Yet doth it steal sweet hours from love's delight, + I may not evermore acknowledge thee, + Lest MY BEWAILED GUILT SHOULD DO THEE SHAME."—SONNET XXXVI.] +</pre> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1811" id="linknote-1811"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1811 (<a href="#linknoteref-1811">return</a>)<br /> [ It is related of + Garrick, that when subpoenaed on Baretti's trial, and required to give his + evidence before the court—though he had been accustomed for thirty + years to act with the greatest self-possession in the presence of + thousands—he became so perplexed and confused, that he was actually + sent from the witness-box by the judge, as a man from whom no evidence + could be obtained.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1812" id="linknote-1812"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1812 (<a href="#linknoteref-1812">return</a>)<br /> [ Mrs. Mathews' 'Life + and Correspondence of Charles Mathews,' [18Ed. 1860: p. 232.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1813" id="linknote-1813"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1813 (<a href="#linknoteref-1813">return</a>)<br /> [ Archbishop Whately's + 'Commonplace Book.'] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1814" id="linknote-1814"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1814 (<a href="#linknoteref-1814">return</a>)<br /> [ Emerson is said to + have had Nathaniel Hawthorne in his mind when writing the following + passage in his 'Society and Solitude:'—"The most agreeable + compliment you could pay him was, to imply that you had not observed him + in a house or a street where you had met him. Whilst he suffered at being + seen where he was, he consoled himself with the delicious thought of the + inconceivable number of places where he was not. All he wished of his + tailor was to provide that sober mean of colour and cut which would never + detain the eye for a moment.... He had a remorse, running to despair, of + his social GAUCHERIES, and walked miles and miles to get the twitchings + out of his face, and the starts and shrugs out of his arms and shoulders. + 'God may forgive sins,' he said, 'but awkwardness has no forgiveness in + heaven or earth.'"] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1815" id="linknote-1815"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1815 (<a href="#linknoteref-1815">return</a>)<br /> [ In a series of clever + articles in the REVUE DES DEUX MONDES, entitled, 'Six mille Lieues a toute + Vapeur,' giving a description of his travels in North America, Maurice + Sand keenly observed the comparatively anti-social proclivities of the + American compared with the Frenchman. The one, he says, is inspired by the + spirit of individuality, the other by the spirit of society. In America he + sees the individual absorbing society; as in France he sees society + absorbing the individual. "Ce peuple Anglo-Saxon," he says, "qui trouvait + devant lui la terre, l'instrument de travail, sinon inepuisable, du mons + inepuise, s'est mis a l'exploiter sous l'inspiration de l'egoisme; et nous + autres Francais, nous n'avons rien su en faire, parceque NOUS NE POUVONS + RIEN DANS L'ISOLEMENT.... L'Americain supporte la solitude avec un + stoicisme admirable, mais effrayant; il ne l'aime pas, il ne songe qu'a la + detruire.... Le Francais est tout autre. Il aime son parent, son ami, son + compagnon, et jusqu'a son voisin d'omnibus ou de theatre, si sa figure lui + est sympathetique. Pourquoi? Parce qu'il le regarde et cherche son ame, + parce qu'il vit dans son semblable autant qu'en lui-meme. Quand il est + longtemps seul, il deperit, et quand il est toujours seul, it meurt."] + </p> + <p class="foot"> + All this is perfectly true, and it explains why the comparatively + unsociable Germans, English, and Americans, are spreading over the earth, + while the intensely sociable Frenchmen, unable to enjoy life without each + other's society, prefer to stay at home, and France fails to extend itself + beyond France.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1816" id="linknote-1816"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1816 (<a href="#linknoteref-1816">return</a>)<br /> [ The Irish have, in + many respects, the same strong social instincts as the French. In the + United States they cluster naturally in the towns, where they have their + "Irish Quarters," as in England. They are even more Irish there than at + home, and can no more forget that they are Irishmen than the French can + that they are Frenchmen. "I deliberately assert," says Mr. Maguire, in his + recent work on 'The Irish in America,' "that it is not within the power of + language to describe adequately, much less to exaggerate, the evils + consequent on the unhappy tendency of the Irish to congregate in the large + towns of America." It is this intense socialism of the Irish that keeps + them in a comparatively hand-to-mouth condition in all the States of the + Union.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1817" id="linknote-1817"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1817 (<a href="#linknoteref-1817">return</a>)<br /> [ 'The Statesman,' p. + 35.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1818" id="linknote-1818"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1818 (<a href="#linknoteref-1818">return</a>)<br /> [ Nathaniel Hawthorne, + in his 'First Impressions of France and Italy,' says his opinion of the + uncleanly character of the modern Romans is so unfavourable that he hardly + knows how to express it "But the fact is that through the Forum, and + everywhere out of the commonest foot-track and roadway, you must look well + to your steps.... Perhaps there is something in the minds of the people of + these countries that enables them to dissever small ugliness from great + sublimity and beauty. They spit upon the glorious pavement of St. Peter's, + and wherever else they like; they place paltry-looking wooden + confessionals beneath its sublime arches, and ornament them with cheap + little coloured prints of the Crucifixion; they hang tin hearts, and other + tinsel and trumpery, at the gorgeous shrines of the saints, in chapels + that are encrusted with gems, or marbles almost as precious; they put + pasteboard statues of saints beneath the dome of the Pantheon;—in + short, they let the sublime and the ridiculous come close together, and + are not in the least troubled by the proximity."] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1819" id="linknote-1819"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1819 (<a href="#linknoteref-1819">return</a>)<br /> [ Edwin Chadwick's + 'Address to the Economic Science and Statistic Section,' British + Association [18Meeting, 1862].] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-191" id="linknote-191"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 191 (<a href="#linknoteref-191">return</a>)<br /> [ 'Kaye's 'Lives of + Indian Officers.'] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-192" id="linknote-192"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 192 (<a href="#linknoteref-192">return</a>)<br /> [ Emerson, in his + 'Society and Solitude,' says "In contemporaries, it is not so easy to + distinguish between notoriety and fame. Be sure, then, to read no mean + books. Shun the spawn of the press or the gossip of the hour.... The three + practical rules I have to offer are these:—1. Never read a book that + is not a year old; 2. Never read any but famed books; 3. Never read any + but what you like." Lord Lytton's maxim is: "In science, read by + preference the newest books; in literature, the oldest."] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-193" id="linknote-193"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 193 (<a href="#linknoteref-193">return</a>)<br /> [ A friend of Sir Walter + Scott, who had the same habit, and prided himself on his powers of + conversation, one day tried to "draw out" a fellow-passenger who sat + beside him on the outside of a coach, but with indifferent success. At + length the conversationalist descended to expostulation. "I have talked to + you, my friend," said he, "on all the ordinary subjects—literature, + farming, merchandise, gaming, game-laws, horse-races, suits at law, + politics, and swindling, and blasphemy, and philosophy: is there any one + subject that you will favour me by opening upon?" The wight writhed his + countenance into a grin: "Sir," said he, "can you say anything clever + about BEND-LEATHER?" As might be expected, the conversationalist was + completely nonplussed.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-194" id="linknote-194"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 194 (<a href="#linknoteref-194">return</a>)<br /> [ Coleridge, in his 'Lay + Sermon,' points out, as a fact of history, how large a part of our present + knowledge and civilization is owing, directly or indirectly, to the Bible; + that the Bible has been the main lever by which the moral and intellectual + character of Europe has been raised to its present comparative height; and + he specifies the marked and prominent difference of this book from the + works which it is the fashion to quote as guides and authorities in + morals, politics, and history. "In the Bible," he says, "every agent + appears and acts as a self-substituting individual: each has a life of its + own, and yet all are in life. The elements of necessity and freewill are + reconciled in the higher power of an omnipresent Providence, that + predestinates the whole in the moral freedom of the integral parts. Of + this the Bible never suffers us to lose sight. The root is never detached + from the ground, it is God everywhere; and all creatures conform to His + decrees—the righteous by performance of the law, the disobedient by + the sufferance of the penalty."] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-195" id="linknote-195"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 195 (<a href="#linknoteref-195">return</a>)<br /> [ Montaigne's Essay + [19Book I. chap. xxv.]—'Of the Education of Children.'] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-196" id="linknote-196"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 196 (<a href="#linknoteref-196">return</a>)<br /> [ "Tant il est vrai," + says Voltaire, "que les hommes, qui sont audessus des autres par les + talents, s'en RAPPROCHENT PRESQUE TOUJOURS PAR LES FAIBLESSES; car + pourquoi les talents nous mettraient-ils audessous de l'humanite."—VIE + DE MOLIERE.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-197" id="linknote-197"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 197 (<a href="#linknoteref-197">return</a>)<br /> [ 'Life,' 8vo Ed., p. + 102.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-198" id="linknote-198"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 198 (<a href="#linknoteref-198">return</a>)<br /> [ 'Autobiography of Sir + Egerton Brydges, Bart.,' vol. i. p. 91.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-199" id="linknote-199"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 199 (<a href="#linknoteref-199">return</a>)<br /> [ It was wanting in + Plutarch, in Southey [19'Life of Nelson'], and in Forster [19'Life of + Goldsmith']; yet it must be acknowledged that personal knowledge gives the + principal charm to Tacitus's 'Agricola,' Roper's 'Life of More,' Johnson's + 'Lives of Savage and Pope,' Boswell's 'Johnson,' Lockhart's 'Scott,' + Carlyle's 'Sterling,' and Moore's 'Byron,'] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1910" id="linknote-1910"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1910 (<a href="#linknoteref-1910">return</a>)<br /> [ The 'Dialogus + Novitiorum de Contemptu Mundi.'] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1911" id="linknote-1911"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1911 (<a href="#linknoteref-1911">return</a>)<br /> [ The Life of Sir + Charles Bell, one of our greatest physiologists, was left to be written by + Amedee Pichot, a Frenchman; and though Sir Charles Bell's letters to his + brother have since been published, his Life still remains to be written. + It may also be added that the best Life of Goethe has been written by an + Englishman, and the best Life of Frederick the Great by a Scotchman.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1912" id="linknote-1912"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1912 (<a href="#linknoteref-1912">return</a>)<br /> [ It is not a little + remarkable that the pious Schleiermacher should have concurred in opinion + with Goethe as to the merits of Spinoza, though he was a man + excommunicated by the Jews, to whom he belonged, and denounced by the + Christians as a man little better than an atheist. "The Great Spirit of + the world," says Schleiermacher, in his REDE UBER DIE RELIGION, + "penetrated the holy but repudiated Spinoza; the Infinite was his + beginning and his end; the universe his only and eternal love. He was + filled with religion and religious feeling: and therefore is it that he + stands alone unapproachable, the master in his art, but elevated above the + profane world, without adherents, and without even citizenship."] + </p> + <p class="foot"> + Cousin also says of Spinoza:—"The author whom this pretended atheist + most resembles is the unknown author of 'The Imitation of Jesus Christ.'"] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1913" id="linknote-1913"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1913 (<a href="#linknoteref-1913">return</a>)<br /> [ Preface to Southeys + 'Life of Wesley' [191864].] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1914" id="linknote-1914"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1914 (<a href="#linknoteref-1914">return</a>)<br /> [ Napoleon also read + Milton carefully, and it has been related of him by Sir Colin Campbell, + who resided with Napoleon at Elba, that when speaking of the Battle of + Austerlitz, he said that a particular disposition of his artillery, which, + in its results, had a decisive effect in winning the battle, was suggested + to his mind by the recollection of four lines in Milton. The lines occur + in the sixth book, and are descriptive of Satan's artifice during the war + with Heaven. + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "In hollow cube + Training his devilish engin'ry, impal'd + On every side WITH SHADOWING SQUADRONS DEEP + TO HIDE THE FRAUD." +</pre> + <p class="foot"> + "The indubitable fact," says Mr. Edwards, in his book 'On Libraries,' + "that these lines have a certain appositeness to an important manoeuvre at + Austerlitz, gives an independent interest to the story; but it is highly + imaginative to ascribe the victory to that manoeuvre. And for the other + preliminaries of the tale, it is unfortunate that Napoleon had learned a + good deal about war long before he had learned anything about Milton."] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1915" id="linknote-1915"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1915 (<a href="#linknoteref-1915">return</a>)<br /> [ 'Biographia + Literaria,' chap. i.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1916" id="linknote-1916"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1916 (<a href="#linknoteref-1916">return</a>)<br /> [ Sir John Bowring's + 'Memoirs of Bentham,' p. 10.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1917" id="linknote-1917"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1917 (<a href="#linknoteref-1917">return</a>)<br /> [ Notwithstanding + recent censures of classical studies as a useless waste of time, there can + be no doubt that they give the highest finish to intellectual culture. The + ancient classics contain the most consummate models of literary art; and + the greatest writers have been their most diligent students. Classical + culture was the instrument with which Erasmus and the Reformers purified + Europe. It distinguished the great patriots of the seventeenth century; + and it has ever since characterised our greatest statesmen. "I know not + how it is," says an English writer, "but their commerce with the ancients + appears to me to produce, in those who constantly practise it, a steadying + and composing effect upon their judgment, not of literary works only, but + of men and events in general. They are like persons who have had a weighty + and impressive experience; they are more truly than others under the + empire of facts, and more independent of the language current among those + with whom they live."] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-1918" id="linknote-1918"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 1918 (<a href="#linknoteref-1918">return</a>)<br /> [ Hazlitt's TABLE TALK: + 'On Thought and Action.'] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-201" id="linknote-201"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 201 (<a href="#linknoteref-201">return</a>)<br /> [ Mungo Park declared + that he was more affected by this incident than by any other that befel + him in the course of his travels. As he lay down to sleep on the mat + spread for him on the floor of the hut, his benefactress called to the + female part of the family to resume their task of spinning cotton, in + which they continued employed far into the night. "They lightened their + labour with songs," says the traveller, "one of which was composed + extempore, for I was myself the subject of it; it was sung by one of the + young women, the rest joining in a chorus. The air was sweet and + plaintive, and the words, literally translated, were these: 'The winds + roared, and the rains fell. The poor white man, faint and weary, came and + sat under our tree. He has no mother to bring him milk, no wife to grind + his corn.' Chorus—'Let us pity the white man, no mother has he!' + Trifling as this recital may appear, to a person in my situation the + circumstance was affecting in the highest degree. I was so oppressed by + such unexpected kindness, that sleep fled before my eyes."] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-202" id="linknote-202"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 202 (<a href="#linknoteref-202">return</a>)<br /> [ 'Transformation, or + Monte Beni.'] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-203" id="linknote-203"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 203 (<a href="#linknoteref-203">return</a>)<br /> [ 'Portraits + Contemporains,' iii. 519.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-204" id="linknote-204"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 204 (<a href="#linknoteref-204">return</a>)<br /> [ Mr. Arthur Helps, in + one of his Essays, has wisely said: "You observe a man becoming day by day + richer, or advancing in station, or increasing in professional reputation, + and you set him down as a successful man in life. But if his home is an + ill-regulated one, where no links of affection extend throughout the + family—whose former domestics [20and he has had more of them than he + can well remember] look back upon their sojourn with him as one unblessed + by kind words or deeds—I contend that that man has not been + successful. Whatever good fortune he may have in the world, it is to be + remembered that he has always left one important fortress untaken behind + him. That man's life does not surely read well whose benevolence has found + no central home. It may have sent forth rays in various directions, but + there should have been a warm focus of love—that home-nest which is + formed round a good mans heart."—CLAIMS OF LABOUR.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-205" id="linknote-205"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 205 (<a href="#linknoteref-205">return</a>)<br /> [ "The red heart sends + all its instincts up to the white brain, to be analysed, chilled, + blanched, and so become pure reason—which is just exactly what we do + NOT want of women as women. The current should run the other way. The + nice, calm, cold thought, which, in women, shapes itself so rapidly that + they hardly know it as thought, should always travel to the lips VIA the + heart. It does so in those women whom all love and admire.... The + brain-women never interest us like the heart-women; white roses please + less than red."—THE PROFESSOR AT THE BREAKFAST TABLE, by Oliver + Wendell Holmes.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-206" id="linknote-206"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 206 (<a href="#linknoteref-206">return</a>)<br /> [ 'The War and General + Culture,' 1871.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-207" id="linknote-207"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 207 (<a href="#linknoteref-207">return</a>)<br /> [ "Depend upon it, men + set more value on the cultivated minds than on the accomplishments of + women, which they are rarely able to appreciate. It is a common error, but + it is an error, that literature unfits women for the everyday business of + life. It is not so with men. You see those of the most cultivated minds + constantly devoting their time and attention to the most homely objects. + Literature gives women a real and proper weight in society, but then they + must use it with discretion."—THE REV. SYDNEY SMITH.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-208" id="linknote-208"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 208 (<a href="#linknoteref-208">return</a>)<br /> [ 'The Statesman,' pp. + 73-75.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-209" id="linknote-209"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 209 (<a href="#linknoteref-209">return</a>)<br /> [ Fuller, the Church + historian, with his usual homely mother-wit, speaking of the choice of a + wife, said briefly, "Take the daughter of a good mother."] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-2010" id="linknote-2010"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 2010 (<a href="#linknoteref-2010">return</a>)<br /> [ She was an + Englishwoman—a Miss Motley. It maybe mentioned that amongst other + distinguished Frenchmen who have married English wives, were Sismondi, + Alfred de Vigny, and Lamartine.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-2011" id="linknote-2011"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 2011 (<a href="#linknoteref-2011">return</a>)<br /> [ "Plus je roule dans + ce monde, et plus je suis amene a penser qu'il n'y a que le bonheur + domestique qui signifie quelque chose."—OEUVRES ET CORRESPONDENCE.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-2012" id="linknote-2012"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 2012 (<a href="#linknoteref-2012">return</a>)<br /> [ De Tocqueville's + 'Memoir and Remains,' vol. i. p. 408.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-2013" id="linknote-2013"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 2013 (<a href="#linknoteref-2013">return</a>)<br /> [ De Tocqueville's + 'Memoir and Remains,' vol. ii. p. 48.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-2014" id="linknote-2014"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 2014 (<a href="#linknoteref-2014">return</a>)<br /> [ Colonel Hutchinson + was an uncompromising republican, thoroughly brave, highminded, and pious. + At the Restoration, he was discharged from Parliament, and from all + offices of state for ever. He retired to his estate at Owthorp, near + Nottingham, but was shortly after arrested and imprisoned in the Tower. + From thence he was removed to Sandown Castle, near Deal, where he lay for + eleven months, and died on September 11th, 1664. The wife petitioned for + leave to share his prison, but was refused. When he felt himself dying, + knowing the deep sorrow which his death would occasion to his wife, he + left this message, which was conveyed to her: "Let her, as she is above + other women, show herself on this occasion a good Christian, and above the + pitch of ordinary women." Hence the wife's allusion to her husband's + "command" in the above passage.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-2015" id="linknote-2015"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 2015 (<a href="#linknoteref-2015">return</a>)<br /> [ Mrs. Lucy Hutchinson + to her children concerning their father: 'Memoirs of the Life of Col. + Hutchinson' [20Bohn's Ed.], pp. 29-30.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-2016" id="linknote-2016"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 2016 (<a href="#linknoteref-2016">return</a>)<br /> [ On the Declaration of + American Independence, the first John Adams, afterwards President of the + United States, bought a copy of the 'Life and Letters of Lady Russell,' + and presented it to his wife, "with an express intent and desire" [20as + stated by himself], "that she should consider it a mirror in which to + contemplate herself; for, at that time, I thought it extremely probable, + from the daring and dangerous career I was determined to run, that she + would one day find herself in the situation of Lady Russell, her husband + without a head:" Speaking of his wife in connection with the fact, Mr. + Adams added: "Like Lady Russell, she never, by word or look, discouraged + me from running all hazards for the salvation of my country's liberties. + She was willing to share with me, and that her children should share with + us both, in all the dangerous consequences we had to hazard."] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-2017" id="linknote-2017"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 2017 (<a href="#linknoteref-2017">return</a>)<br /> [ 'Memoirs of the Life + of Sir Samuel Romily,' vol. i. p. 41.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-2018" id="linknote-2018"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 2018 (<a href="#linknoteref-2018">return</a>)<br /> [ It is a singular + circumstance that in the parish church of St. Bride, Fleet Street, there + is a tablet on the wall with an inscription to the memory of Isaac + Romilly, F.R.S., who died in 1759, of a broken heart, seven days after the + decease of a beloved wife—CHAMBERS' BOOK OF DAYS, vol. ii. p. 539.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-2019" id="linknote-2019"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 2019 (<a href="#linknoteref-2019">return</a>)<br /> [ Mr. Frank Buckland + says "During the long period that Dr. Buckland was engaged in writing the + book which I now have the honour of editing, my mother sat up night after + night, for weeks and months consecutively, writing to my father's + dictation; and this often till the sun's rays, shining through the + shutters at early morn, warned the husband to cease from thinking, and the + wife to rest her weary hand. Not only with her pen did she render material + assistance, but her natural talent in the use of her pencil enabled her to + give accurate illustrations and finished drawings, many of which are + perpetuated in Dr. Buckland's works. She was also particularly clever and + neat in mending broken fossils; and there are many specimens in the Oxford + Museum, now exhibiting their natural forms and beauty, which were restored + by her perseverance to shape from a mass of broken and almost comminuted + fragments."] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-2020" id="linknote-2020"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 2020 (<a href="#linknoteref-2020">return</a>)<br /> [ Veitch's 'Memoirs of + Sir William Hamilton.'] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-2021" id="linknote-2021"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 2021 (<a href="#linknoteref-2021">return</a>)<br /> [ The following extract + from Mr. Veitch's biography will give one an idea of the extraordinary + labours of Lady Hamilton, to whose unfailing devotion to the service of + her husband the world of intellect has been so much indebted: "The number + of pages in her handwriting," says Mr. Veitch,—"filled with abstruse + metaphysical matter, original and quoted, bristling with proportional and + syllogistic formulae—that are still preserved, is perfectly + marvellous. Everything that was sent to the press, and all the courses of + lectures, were written by her, either to dictation, or from a copy. This + work she did in the truest spirit of love and devotion. She had a power, + moreover, of keeping her husband up to what he had to do. She contended + wisely against a sort of energetic indolence which characterised him, and + which, while he was always labouring, made him apt to put aside the task + actually before him—sometimes diverted by subjects of inquiry + suggested in the course of study on the matter in hand, sometimes + discouraged by the difficulty of reducing to order the immense mass of + materials he had accumulated in connection with it. Then her resolution + and cheerful disposition sustained and refreshed him, and never more so + than when, during the last twelve years of his life, his bodily strength + was broken, and his spirit, though languid, yet ceased not from mental + toil. The truth is, that Sir William's marriage, his comparatively limited + circumstances, and the character of his wife, supplied to a nature that + would have been contented to spend its mighty energies in work that + brought no reward but in the doing of it, and that might never have been + made publicly known or available, the practical force and impulse which + enabled him to accomplish what he actually did in literature and + philosophy. It was this influence, without doubt, which saved him from + utter absorption in his world of rare, noble, and elevated, but + ever-increasingly unattainable ideas. But for it, the serene sea of + abstract thought might have held him becalmed for life; and in the absence + of all utterance of definite knowledge of his conclusions, the world might + have been left to an ignorant and mysterious wonder about the unprofitable + scholar."] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-211" id="linknote-211"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 211 (<a href="#linknoteref-211">return</a>)<br /> [ 'Calcutta Review,' + article on 'Romance and Reality of Indian Life.'] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-212" id="linknote-212"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 212 (<a href="#linknoteref-212">return</a>)<br /> [ Joseph Lancaster was + only twenty years of age when [21in 1798: he opened his first school in a + spare room in his father's house, which was soon filled with the destitute + children of the neighbourhood. The room was shortly found too small for + the numbers seeking admission, and one place after another was hired, + until at length Lancaster had a special building erected, capable of + accommodating a thousand pupils; outside of which was placed the following + notice:—"All that will, may send their children here, and have them + educated freely; and those that do not wish to have education for nothing, + may pay for it if they please." Thus Joseph Lancaster was the precursor of + our present system of National Education.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-213" id="linknote-213"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 213 (<a href="#linknoteref-213">return</a>)<br /> [ A great musician once + said of a promising but passionless cantatrice—"She sings well, but + she wants something, and in that something everything. If I were single, I + would court her; I would marry her; I would maltreat her; I would break + her heart; and in six months she would be the greatest singer in Europe!"—BLACKWOOD'S + MAGAZINE.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-214" id="linknote-214"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 214 (<a href="#linknoteref-214">return</a>)<br /> [ Prescot's 'Essays,' + art. Cervantes.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-215" id="linknote-215"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 215 (<a href="#linknoteref-215">return</a>)<br /> [ A cavalier, named Ruy + de Camera, having called upon Camoens to furnish a poetical version of the + seven penitential psalms, the poet, raising his head from his miserable + pallet, and pointing to his faithful slave, exclaimed: "Alas! when I was a + poet, I was young, and happy, and blest with the love of ladies; but now, + I am a forlorn deserted wretch! See—there stands my poor Antonio, + vainly supplicating FOURPENCE to purchase a little coals. I have not them + to give him!" The cavalier, Sousa quaintly relates, in his 'Life of + Camoens,' closed his heart and his purse, and quitted the room. Such were + the grandees of Portugal!—Lord Strangford's REMARKS ON THE LIFE AND + WRITINGS OF CAMOENS, 1824.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-216" id="linknote-216"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 216 (<a href="#linknoteref-216">return</a>)<br /> [ See chapter v. p. 125.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-217" id="linknote-217"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 217 (<a href="#linknoteref-217">return</a>)<br /> [ A Quaker called on + Bunyan one day with "a message from the Lord," saying he had been to half + the gaols of England, and was glad at last to have found him. To which + Bunyan replied: "If the Lord sent thee, you would not have needed to take + so much trouble to find me out, for He knew that I have been in Bedford + Gaol these seven years past."] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-218" id="linknote-218"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 218 (<a href="#linknoteref-218">return</a>)<br /> [ Prynne, besides + standing in the pillory and having his ears cut off, was imprisoned by + turns in the Tower, Mont Orgueil [21Jersey], Dunster Castle, Taunton + Castle, and Pendennis Castle. He after-wards pleaded zealously for the + Restoration, and was made Keeper of the Records by Charles II. It has been + computed that Prynne wrote, compiled, and printed about eight quarto pages + for every working-day of his life, from his reaching man's estate to the + day of his death. Though his books were for the most part appropriated by + the trunkmakers, they now command almost fabulous prices, chiefly because + of their rarity.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-219" id="linknote-219"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 219 (<a href="#linknoteref-219">return</a>)<br /> [ He also projected his + 'Review' in prison—the first periodical of the kind, which pointed + the way to the host of 'Tatlers,' 'Guardians,' and 'Spectators,' which + followed it. The 'Review' consisted of 102 numbers, forming nine quarto + volumes, all of which were written by De Foe himself, while engaged in + other and various labours.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-2110" id="linknote-2110"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 2110 (<a href="#linknoteref-2110">return</a>)<br /> [ A passage in the Earl + of Carlisles Lecture on Pope—'Heaven was made for those who have + failed in this world'—struck me very forcibly several years ago when + I read it in a newspaper, and became a rich vein of thought, in which I + often quarried, especially when the sentence was interpreted by the Cross, + which was failure apparently."—LIFE AND LETTERS OF ROBERTSON [21of + Brighton], ii. 94.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-2111" id="linknote-2111"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 2111 (<a href="#linknoteref-2111">return</a>)<br /> [ + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + "Not all who seem to fail, have failed indeed; + Not all who fail have therefore worked in vain: + For all our acts to many issues lead; + And out of earnest purpose, pure and plain, + Enforced by honest toil of hand or brain, + The Lord will fashion, in His own good time, + [21Be this the labourer's proudly-humble creed,] + Such ends as, to His wisdom, fitliest chime + With His vast love's eternal harmonies. + There is no failure for the good and wise: + What though thy seed should fall by the wayside + And the birds snatch it;—yet the birds are fed; + Or they may bear it far across the tide, + To give rich harvests after thou art dead." + POLITICS FOR THE PEOPLE, 1848.] +</pre> + <p> + <a name="linknote-2112" id="linknote-2112"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 2112 (<a href="#linknoteref-2112">return</a>)<br /> [ "What is it," says + Mr. Helps, "that promotes the most and the deepest thought in the human + race? It is not learning; it is not the conduct of business; it is not + even the impulse of the affections. It is suffering; and that, perhaps, is + the reason why there is so much suffering in the world. The angel who went + down to trouble the waters and to make them healing, was not, perhaps, + entrusted with so great a boon as the angel who benevolently inflicted + upon the sufferers the disease from which they suffered."—BREVIA.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-2113" id="linknote-2113"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 2113 (<a href="#linknoteref-2113">return</a>)<br /> [ These lines were + written by Deckar, in a spirit of boldness equal to its piety. Hazlitt has + or said of them, that they "ought to embalm his memory to every one who + has a sense either of religion, or philosophy, or humanity, or true + genius."] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-2114" id="linknote-2114"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 2114 (<a href="#linknoteref-2114">return</a>)<br /> [ Reboul, originally a + baker of Nismes, was the author of many beautiful poems—amongst + others, of the exquisite piece known in this country by its English + translation, entitled 'The Angel and the Child.'] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-2115" id="linknote-2115"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 2115 (<a href="#linknoteref-2115">return</a>)<br /> [ 'Cornhill Magazine,' + vol. xvi. p. 322.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-2116" id="linknote-2116"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 2116 (<a href="#linknoteref-2116">return</a>)<br /> [ 'Holy Living and + Dying,' ch. ii. sect. 6.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-2117" id="linknote-2117"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 2117 (<a href="#linknoteref-2117">return</a>)<br /> [ Ibid., ch. iii. sect. + 6.] + </p> + <p> + <a name="linknote-2118" id="linknote-2118"> + <!-- Note --></a> + </p> + <p class="foot"> + 2118 (<a href="#linknoteref-2118">return</a>)<br /> [ Gibbon's 'Decline and + Fall of the Roman Empire,' vol. x. p. 40.] + </p> + <p> + <br /><br /><br /><br /> + </p> +<pre xml:space="preserve"> + + + + + +End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Character, by Samuel Smiles + +*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CHARACTER *** + +***** This file should be named 2541-h.htm or 2541-h.zip ***** +This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: + http://www.gutenberg.org/2/5/4/2541/ + +Produced by Sean Hackett, and David Widger + +Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions +will be renamed. + +Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no +one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation +(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without +permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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