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original of this

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the Cornell University Library.

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restrictions in
text.

the United States on the use of the

http://www.archive.org/details/cu31 924029201 007

Cornell University Library

BJ1533.C8

W13

1903

Courage by Charles Wagner.

1924 029 201 007

olin

COURAGE
BY

m;M:LL

CHARLES WAGNER\
AUTHOR OF
"

YOUTH

NEW YORK
DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY
1903

Copyright, 189^,

By Dodd, Mead and Company.

All Rights Reserved.

Kntonsitg ?3tes8:

John WitsoN and Son, Cambridge, U.S.A.

FOREWORD.
After having read my book called "Youth" my friends, chiefly young persons, requested me to write a shorter work on the same
some of
subject; one which could easily be carried about

and read, and which,

above

all,

should contain a

few
ble

necessary suggestions for a working ideal.

it

In the face of such a demand

for me
to offer as

was

not possi-

an excuse
to

the trouble it

would give me.

myself as

While trying

do what was

asked of me, however,

little

I have endeavoured to repeat

The present volume
Youth.^'

as possible.

is not, therefore,

a summary of"
its

It is

new work, which has

and aim.
come as
its

individual character

T trust

it

may

receive as

warm

a wel-

predecessor.
C.

W.

TO MY YOUNG READERS.

KNOW you

as

if

were yourself,

have only to close

at

my

eyes to see myself

your age,

living,

hoping, seeking, lov-

ing, erring.

Think, then, when you open,

this book, that

you are meeting a friend a

few years older than yourself.

a wider horizon.

He

is like

you, only somewhat more mature and with

He

is

so interested in

you that he would gladly become, at in' tervals, the table at which you write, the
anvil

on which you

strike, the

tree be-

neath which you rest to think or weep, in

order to penetrate more profoundly into

your mind.

These
ticular

lines are not written for

any
I

par-

class

of

young people.

have

sought to speak of those things which are

viii

TO MY YOUNG READERS.
to
all,

common
where

being day by day more

convinced that the nature of

identical.

man
I

is

every-

However,

have not

been able
especially

to avoid thinking rather

more

of

those whose morning was

gloomy and whose youth was hard. Goethe declares in his idealised history of his life that " what we desire in our
\j\j

youth we possess abundantly in our old

age."

An

astonishing saying, and one

;

which seems inconsistent with truth

if

but not

we look

at

it

more

closely,

such

is

the case.

Man, indeed, applies himself

and, whether his ambition be
it is

with ardour to the pursuit of that which

he desires

noble or the reverse,

seldom that he
it,

does not end by

least.

fulfilling

in part at

Our
ideal.

life

is

eventually stamped by our

No

one, therefore, can watch the

of

tendency

his

desires

too

carefully.
is

What we most
knowledge
of

often lack in youth

it

the

what

is

wisest to desire.
is

To

wish for vain things

to take a will-

TO MY YOUNG READERS,

ix

o'-the-wisp for our guide along the road.

How many
way

of us have wandered in this

after these uncertain lanthorns,

which

promised happiness and but led us into

the swamps!
I

should like to make you desire the

real,

things that are

that are worth being

toil
;

loved and acquired by stress and

and
a

among
virtue;

all

these things there

is

nothing to
is itself

be compared with force.

Force

and by

virtue

understand every
life,

power that excites joy, and hope.

in us intenser

and

The

history of ancient Greece tells us of

a young

man brought up among women,

of their timorous solici-

dressed in the garments of women, from

whom, by reason

tude, they sought to hide the fact that he

was a man. But one day the trumpet call At to war was sounded in his presence.
once
all

the

artificial
fell,

trappings

of

his

effeminate education

and

his true soul

stood revealed.

Our

every-day existence

often has the effect of

making us

forget

TO MY YOUNG READERS.
are.
It

who we
our
lot,

smothers

us,

according to

beneath sparkling gewgaws or sor-

did rags, either of which are unworthy of

us.

soul

But there are calls which awake the may this book accomplish this pur!

pose for you

I

should like to sound in your ears a

clarion call that

would

fire

your heart.

should like to reveal to you a vision of

force, of benevolence, of
liness, after

consecrated man-

which

it

would be impossible
with enervating

for

you to be

satisfied

pleasure, or to give yourself

up

to barren

discouragement.

Let us hope

that

my
own
love

wish

may be

fulfilled,

both for your

sake and for the sake of those

who

you

And now

pray for inspiration and

I

power from on high, that

life.

may be granted

the power to speak to you the word of

C.

WAGNER.

All-Saints Day,

1893.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

CHAPTER
HOW TO ACQUIRE
To
live
;

I.

FORCE.

that

is

the great thing.

In order to live well,

one must have above all a good store of energy. The vanity of other advantages in the absence of energy. The pre-eminence of moral force over all other force. Physical courage and soul courage. Moral power the object of both our admiration and regret it is the thing we are most lacking in 21-29
; .

CHAPTER
THE VALUE OF
In order to attain moral power
sources whence
is
it

II.

LIFE.

springs.

to point out

some

of

we must go to the The object of this book these sources. The ideal

one of the most important factors. A respect for life is a source of power. Man acquires greater resolution in proportion as he disone forms of
life is

covers his capacity and sees clearly his goal.

Each
;

one of us
tice.

is

a hope of humanity, a hope of

to
is to

God and
for jus;

our object

is

become a power that makes

believe in

The essential dogma

life
.

the
.

greatest heresy consists in a lack of hope

33-42

xii

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

CHAPTER

III.

OBEDIENCE.
Obedience
is

essential in order to appreliend the obIt is

ject of life.

a source of moral force.

MisunIt is

derstanding on the subject of obedience.

servitude:
it

not

is

the mother of liberty.

The

part

that tradition

and authority play

law, external at

in the beginning

of

life.

The

first,

and then found

is

to reside within one's self.

Liberty consists in as-

sociating one's will with the law

whjch

at the bot-

tom

of all things.

Blind obedience and respect for

the individual conscience.

science.

Impersonality of con-

Voluntary service.

This

is

the proclama-

tion of solidarity,

and

its

most powerful instrument.

43-SS

Resignation

CHAPTER

IV.

SIMPLICITY.

The aim

of a vulgar ambition is to separate one's self from the whole in order to conquer a privileged place for one's self. This ambition is the source of weakness and abasement. There is another ambition, and the only noble one, which results from the conviction that human progress consists in growing better. He who knows this remains simple. True grandeur is for him something within himself. Believing that our strength comes to us from our roots, he remains in contact with the robust life of the

people

59-66

TABLE OF CONTENTS,

xiii

CHAPTER
The

V.

THE INWARD WATCH.

r61e vigilance plays in the world.
it is

everything that weakens

life,

The enemy: and hinders us

from becoming what we ought to be. False security. The evil within us each one carries within himself a power that can destroy him. The strug:

gles of the soul;

their necessity. Vigilance increased by a sense of responsibility. are not alone to be considered. Each one is the guardian of his neighbour's interests.

We

The inward
battles.

judge.

Men of

conscience, and

men who

live for the gallery.

The

Retirement and prayer. Lost vanquished and the wounded. Clemis

ency and pardon. To have been conquered sometimes a source of strength

also

69-78

CHAPTER
Nihil mirari. and mocks.
scoffing
:

VI.

HEROIC EDUCATION.
Admiration, and the
spirit that

carps

We

live

by

respect,

and we

die

by

let

us drive out the scoffer

Heroes

their role of pioneers

and beginners.

It is

thanks to their enthusiasm that their influence

reaches
us.

The power

of example.

Obscure heroism. If the pessimists are right, society would have been shipwrecked long ago. The good of which we are not cognisant counterbalances the evil which we know only too well. Seek the 81-91 good!

xiv

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

CHAPTER
Youth which
teaches us. gled are the
to
suffers.

VII.

DIFFICULT BEGINNINGS.
Difficulties of the material

and

spiritual order.

The school of poverty; what it Those who have suffered and strugstrength of the world. The dangers
is

which a too easy youth

exposed.

Voluntary
95-108

poverty

CHAPTER
Man
fears effort as
if it

VIII.

EFFORT AND WORK.

were an enemy, when is not only a sign of
it is

his best friend.

Effort
life.

life,

but a source of

Work. Grave mistakes on the subject of work. It must not be considered only as a means of livelihood, or as marketable
of the
article.

Fatal consequences

on the subject of work. Work is the organ by means of which man assimilates life in the largest sense of the word. Those who do not work shut themselves off from life.
ideas prevalent

mean

Cherished work.

Fac

et spera

111-124

CHAPTER
Chaotic lives: lost
lives.

IX.

FAITHFULNESS.
lives.

Let us have unity in our

The

perpetual temptation offered

by

ciris

cumstances.
traveller

struggle for stability.

Man

who

yearns for his native land.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.
Steadfast characters and fickle characters.
ers of change.

xv
The
lov-

The

depreciation of a man's word.

morality.

Honesty.

Sunday morality and every-day

life

Duplicity of

127-137

CHAPTER
GAIETY.

X.

The

radiance of good.

aside all air of gloom.

Dismal morality. Throw Courageous gaiety and its

triumphs.

The

successless

work

of the sulky

141-148

CHAPTER

XI.

MANLY HONOUR.
Is

honour a
sists,

different thing for

are pleased to believe that honour for a

;

men and women ? man

We
con-

above all, of courage and for this reason I beseech him to remain pure. Respect for himself Despite the difficulty it is a school of energy.
presents, chastity
is

the only acceptable ideal.

Dif-

ference between monachal chastity and the chastity

I

would recommend.

We

must not despise

The Nature, but follow her and respect her. sources of life are confided to the guardianship of
man.
Noblesse
oblige.

Love
is

is

the brother of
is sullied

courage.

Any deed

contrary to true love

with cowardice. True love joy, and poetry

the source of strength,

151-161

xvi

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

CHAPTER

XII.

THE FEEBLE.
The
social function of the infirm
:

they are a perpet-

ual reminder of the brotherhood of man.

The

feeble stand as an eloquent protest against the

and refute this right. The power of the unarmed. The strong confounded by the weak. The feeble one masters in the knowledge of suffering. You who are strong go and take lessons of him. The feeble as comforters. In suffering lies the salright of the strongest,

vation of the world

165-173

CHAPTER
FEAR.

XIII.

Barbarism and refined civilisation are the chosen milieu of fear. Fear is the basest slavery. Those who take advantage of fear. A morality founded on fear. The fear of consequences is the beginning of immorality.

The fear of ridicule. The struggle against fear. Its kingdom is within us. Means to combat it. Small means. Great means.
Love
is

the secret of true courage.

He alone knows
ready at
all

how

to live

and enjoy

life

who

is

times

to sacrifice himself

through love

177-189

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

xvii

CHAPTER

XIV.

THE STRUGGLE.
Concerning the use of energy. To live is to act, and to act is to struggle. There are various kinds of struggles. The struggle for existence cannot be the law of humanity, because the object of humanity is
not existence, but
justice.

A man makes his great-

est struggle for his greatest good.

War.

Very different meanings of this word. We can neither entirely approve of it, nor entirely con-

demn
In the

it.

fullest

last as

meaning of the word, the struggle will long as the world endures. The beauty of
Its

the struggle for justice.

istic is loyalty.
!

dominant character-

Down

with the weapons of cunis

ning A loyal conflict forms of collaboration

one of the most striking

193-206

CHAPTER
THE
Defence
is

XV.

SPIRIT

OF DEFENCE.
Vengeance and
impersonal.

not a right, but a duty.

Just defence
is

defence.

Non-resistance.

Christ as interpreted

by

Tolstoi.

What we must
evil.

think of the word: do not resist

It indicates

the spirit of defence ; but Christ

it literally.

himself did not interpret

The arms of gentleness. Those who say: "Let us mind our own

business,"

"Do
you."

unto others as you would they should do unto

209-221

Defence of the weak, the absent, and the dead

xvili

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

CHAPTER

XVI.

THE HEALING POWER OF BENEFICENCE.

Those who wound, and those who on earth. We must learn this tradition when we are young. Youth and suffering. The consoling power of youth. Be
helpful energy.
heal.

The

tradition of pity

good,

my

child

225-231

CHAPTER
What
man

XVII.

SURSUM CORDA.
a
is

235-237

HOW TO ACQUIRE

FORCE.

are those live are those who struggle Whose high resolves fill soul and eyes who, urged By noble destiny, ascend the slopes, Or walk with pensive mien, absorbed in hopes

Those who

Of ends

sublime, having before their eyes

Some

holy task or some great love to serve.

Victor Hugo.

COURAGE.
CHAPTER
HOW TO
The
to live.
is
I.

ACQUIRE FORCE.
is

chief concern of every living creature

To

live

as well, as fully as possible,

instinct,

our primordial
is

the
it:

eternal spring

which
tions.

hidden beneath

all

our fleeting aspira-

It is

the motive power which drives the

the blade of wheat

world.

Everything obeys

piercing through the earth, and greeting the sun

for the first time; the
little

chicken just freed

its

from the

shell

the child opening

life

young
It is
is

soul

to the influences of

on every

side.
life

true
evil,

that

man sometimes
it

says that
if it

an

and that

would be better

were not.
life;

This
this

does not hinder the continuance of

does not stop the great invisible impulse which

makes

for existence

this

does not destroy the

22

COURAGE.
earth, nor the prodigious fecundity

germs of the
of the ocean.
the universe

Life

is

this is the chief fact

of

and the vast majority of beings

it,

not only accept

or despair.
It is

but cling to

it

with transport

not enough, however, to

it is

live.

From one
The
ques-

point of view

even a matter of indifference

is

the important thing

to live well.

tion of living well or badly does not exist for

those creatures
stincts,

who

are guided

by vague

in-

and who could not do otherwise than

they do.

On

the other hand, this question

is is

of paramount importance to man.

An
it

ant

an ant because
function, does
It
its

it

was born so;

fulfils
its

its

work, and occupies

place.
to

requires something

more than

to

be born
is

become a man.
ment;

For the man,

his birth

but

the beginning of a long and laborious develop-

and the development depends

in part
in view,

on himself, on the end which he has

on the enterprises which he undertakes.

In

consequence, there comes a time for each of us

when
the

it is

well for us to consider

what ends we

should pursue, and

life

we have

received.

how we should make use of Otherwise we run

HOW TO
the risk of losing

ACQUIRE FORCE.
or of dissipating
it

23
at ranindiffer-

it,

dom; and
his life

this

cannot be a matter of
In reality, each

ence to any one.

man

gives

and expends

his vitality for the thing

that seems to

him worth

the while.

He
:

should

be disposed, therefore,

to enlighten himself

on

a point so important to the thing which

is

him

as this

of greatest value

What is to man?"
I

"

In order to live well, what must one possess

before everything else?
hesitate to reply that the
to acquire
is

As

for

me

do not

most important thing

force

and that a

man

needs power

above

all

things in order to

live.

One may have bread

and of person
bread one

to eat,

amusements, joy,

one may possess every

:

advantage of fortune

without force one becomes the

plaything of circumstances, the slave of the

eats,

of the

woman one

loves, of the

wealth that one possesses.

One may have

intelligence

and penetration,
things: with-

profound knowledge of

men and

out force his learning renlains unprofitable, and

his best idea but an unproductive seed.

One may have

a conscience to
evil
:

distinguish

subtly between good and

without force

we

24

COURAGE.

leave the world to the wicked, government to

the unjust, and

to

all

our conscience only serves

make

us sigh over the evils

we

are powerless

to attack

and to overcome.

On
and
these

the other hand,

you may be poor, dedisinherited

prived of amusement,
fortune:
evils

by nature
transform
into

with force you will

into

good, these

hardships
allies.

advantages,

these

enemies

into

You
force
rudi-

may
you

have but a limited education and small

y/ith men and things: with know how to make use of this

acquaintance
will

mentary
practice

knowledge,

and

you

will

put into
will ap-

what

little

you know; you

life

ply the whole of your earnest

sation

to the reali-

of a few ideas which the curious and

subtle
ing,

would

have

pondered

for

morn-

and then abandoned only to dally with

others.

And, thanks
with

to

these few

principles
will

followed

perseverance,
like

you

make
pha-

your impression
lanx, which,

the
in

Macedonian

though small

number and simthe

ple

in

equipment,

conquered

immense

army of

the Persians,

who were gorgeous but

pusillanimous.

HOW
If

TO ACQUIRE FORCE.
is

25
dull,

you have a conscience which

but

on the whole upright, unpractised

analysis and showing

in

subtle

you every shade of good

evil,

and every refined distortion of

ing, unflinching conscience,

but a

liv-

if,

in a

word, you

have force and the indomitable persistence of

those

who

desire that

good should

prevail and

evil disappear,

you

will

become
for

a stronghold of

justice,

and a battering-ram

the fortresses

of

evil.

You

will

become

a steady and redoubtits

able power, which will fly towards

goal like
its

a bullet without stopping for anything on

way.

How

will

it

be

if

you combine
the

intelligence

and learning, conscience and material resources,

and place
energy?
all

these
is

at

service

of

your

Energy

the

queen of the world.

Even
is

benevolence, love, grace, everything that

is

charming or admirable,

of less value than

energy.

What

is

languid grace, love without

Brilliant vices;

courage, a feeble benevolence?

nothing more.

Energy
compare
it

is

the power of powers.

When
to

to that

which

is

by the consent of
be

many

called Force, and

which they claim

26

COURAGE.
I

a superior principle,

am

struck

by the absolute

pre-eminence of energy.^

What

can force alone do?

a bull check intelligence?

lion rend the truth?

Can the horns of Can the tooth of a

Can

prisons fetter liberty?

Does the mouth of

a cannon thunder louder

than public opinion and the voice of justice?

No;

and just so brute force

is

of no

avail

against moral force.

Where
is

the latter begins

the other ends.

fortress,

There
is

only one impregnable

and that

a courageous heart.
all

We

can never fully describe

the radiance that

shines forth from one solitary act of spiritual

freedom.

Every one who

he

is

man

trembles
in

at the sight, for

feels that

he has come

contact with the invisible world.

The
no

night

is

black on the ocean; there are

is

stars,

and the compass

wandering from

the pole.
high.

The storm

rages,

and the sea runs

There seems but chaos and a mighty

says, "

'

M. Comte

La

Force, proprement dite, c'est ce qui

If

regit les actes, sans regler les volontes."

this definition

be adopted, it would make a distinction between " force " and " power." Power extends to volitions as well as to operations, to mind as well as matter but in English we also speak of Force as physical, vital, and mental.
j

HOW TO

ACQUIRE FORCE.

2/

conflict of the elements.

Now

and then a flash

all

of lightning reveals for a

grandeur.

moment

this wild

What
you
:

can be greater?

What can
I will tell

be greater?
in the

midst of this darkness,

suspended over these black abysses, an intrepid

pilot holds the helm.

This

man

is

greater than

the ocean and the tempest.

Here
honour.

is

a poor old

woman, almost

infirm.

Her
she

youth was passed

in the

midst of ease, even of

;

She was surrounded and guarded

in

was happy

her family

life,

and had known

Life smiled at

the happiness of being loved.

her

but the Fates passed by her and stripped

all.
;

her of
solitary

Not only

is

she poor to-day but

more than
is

that,

she has been deserted,

embittered.

but

she

by no means

She

rarely speaks of herself

When you

ask her to

confide to you her griefs, she turns the conversation to inquire

after the fate

of others.

In

her eyes,

dimmed

with age, on her wrinkled

little

brow, in the clasp of her

is

thin hand, there

such an expression of benevolence that even

the most
fort.
I

unhappy derives some salutary comdo not know exactly what I experience,

28

COURAGE.
I

or why, neither do

know
its

the source from

which
certain

this

life

draws
this

strength;

but

feel

that

in

weakened
there

body, within
a power

these four bare walls,

dwells

before which

all

that

is

usually called great and

strong in this world fades into insignificance. In this instance the courage seems more exalted than in the sailor of a

moment

ago, for

the very reason that, looked at externally, the

man was

stronger than the

woman.

There

is

a moral courage which

shines forth from the

very absence of

all

resources of a material

nature; but no matter what the degree or conditions,

an exhibition of moral force brings us

into the presence of a

power which

is

not to be

compared
not dead

to

any other.
the sense of moral grandeur
is

Thank God,
sovereignties

among
this

us

Among
at

so

many

fallen

one

least

has remained

standing

in

universal

esteem.
it

Alas

Why

should our admiration for

bitter regrets?

be mingled with
it

We

yearn for

as a sick per-

son yearns for health, an exile for his country.

secret

sorrow,

poignant

homesickness,
is

creeps into our adoration.

What

most lack-

HOW TO
ing to our time
is

ACQUIRE FORCE.

29

the deep and serene calm

to the soul.

which brings strength

in so

Favoured

many

character.

ways, we Our moral

reason

are poor and

fibre

mean

in

seems weakened
our civilised

and

this is the

why

at times

society seems to

me

like
art,

one of those beautiful

ships which science,

and industry have

fitted

with marvellous machines and sumptuous ar-

rangements for comfort, but which

in the

mid-

dle of the ocean unexpectedly runs out of coal;

and then the magnificent ship

is

nothing more

than a waif, at the mercy of the winds and

waves.

Let

us, then,

before everything lay up a good

store of motive force.

II.

THE VALUE OF

LIFE.

For

in

Him we

live

certain also of your

his offspring.

Acts of the Apostles.

own

and move and have our being: as poets have said, For we are also

We walk by faith and not by sight. Saint Paul.

CHAPTER
THE VALUE OF

11.

LIFE.

Moral

force
;

is
it

not culled idly, like a flower

from a hedge

must be acquired laboriously,

like coal,

and sometimes must be mined,

the darkest depths.
I
it

from

shall indicate a few of

the sources whence

springs.
is

One
about

of these sources
life.

the elevated ideal one

forms of

We

are

all

somewhat

indifferent

life,

because we are so perpetually brought

it

in contact with it;

no longer surprises us:

just as certain mountaineers

become

insensible

to the beauty of their native place, as the result

of having

it

constantly before their eyes,^ and

their

must leave

country and return to

it

as

strangers in order to be struck

by

its

pictur-

esqueness and grandeur.

So
as

it

becomes necessary

for us to rediscover,

if it

were a novelty, the thing that we seem

to have

known

for so long.
3

This

is

not easy

34
to do.

COURAGE.
Although the majority of men look

without seeing, they are not eager that one

should point out to them what they should
see.

The
is

things about them, and near them,

leave
is

them cold;

and

this

disdain for

what

near

but the reflection of the poor idea

life.

they have of their own

Doubtless each

man

has

pride,

a foolish pride, in being but this

himself rather than some one else;

pride arises from and
is
is

nourished

by what

mediocre

in us.

The sense of

true dignity

is infinitely rare.

Proud as we are of our

ality,

superficial individu-

we

lack that pride which

comes from the

the source

respect one should feel for one's deeper nature

and yet

this

is

the sentiment which

is

The man who perceives what he is worth is in a much better condition morally than one who depreciates himself.
of strength.

Who
which

will give

us that freshness of impression

all

will

enable us to see
for the first
feel
I

things as

if

we

saw them

time?

Such a one would

bewilderment of

make
flowers
life.

us

in

contemplating the humblest

call tlie

what

might

THE VALUE OF

LIFE.

35

And
have

this

we must have known.

if

We
on

must
the

stood,

only for
infinite,

an

instant,

threshold of the
as
in

and have received,

of
all

a vision, the

revelation

that

is

precious, rich, and unfathomable in every soul,

and

in

all

human

life.

Then
life,

only can
love
it

we
and

perceive
cherish

the value of
it.

and

When

the

young man,

in a

moment which he
griefs

can never forget, receives the revelation of his

fatherland, with
its

history,

its

and gran-

deur,
is

some holy change takes place

life
;

in him.

He

born again to a new

the idea of patriotism

enters into his heart and ennobles him.

From

that

moment he
Steeped

is

capable of great deeds and

of great suffering for the country whose child he

is.

like steel in a

bath which increases

his strength tenfold,

and transformed so that he

flag,

respects

himself as he does his

he has

grown

to be

more than an

individual: he has

become

part of a whole.
in

An
the

analogous transformation takes place

man who has received the revelation of human dignity. He is baptised anew in
fountain of
life;

his

the

he returns to

his source;

he

36

COURAGE.
and
patient
efforts

measures
actions,
infinite

appreciates

how many

heroic

sorrows,

humble hopes, and

have gone into this human Hfe

which he

inherits.

passed into his

The soul of centuries has The great hope which soul.

all this

animated and sustained

painful develop-

ment of humanity during unmeasured time has

breathed upon him.

He

has met on his path

the Will which decreed that the world was, and

that

men

were, and he has

bowed
is

to this Will.

He comprehends,
of faith, that each a

and

this
is

the very essence

man

a hope of humanity,
will

hope of God.
on
his

Henceforth he

no longer

rely

own
all

resources alone; he will have

all

behind him

the impulse of the centuries,

the succour of eternity.

Oh, how culpable are those who depreciate

humanity and
rolling

vilify

man, who take pleasure

!

in

him

in the

mud

How their foolish pride

if

blinds those

who

talk as

they had counted

the stars, numbered the sands of the sea, penetrated the secret of
all
life,

reached the bottom of

nothingness
!

things,

only to

find

They

insult the

hope that shines on the brow of youth

fire

they extinguish the

of his regard, and ex-

THE VALUE OF
haust the force of his heart,
teach him to despise
life.

LIFE.
soil its purity,

37

and
the

They commit

crime of crimes; they disgust

destiny destiny

man

with his
for
this

when
is

profound sentiment

the only thing capable of sustaining

him, encouraging him and consoling him in

the midst of
ries,
its

inexplicable hardships, myste-

and temptations.
is

The man who

the dignity of
all

penetrated with a sense of

carries this

life

sentiment into

the

details details

of his action and experience.

indifferent or

These

do not seem to him

he
refers

insignificant;

them

to

the

whole.

When

one

feels

that

an apparently

insignifi-

cant action contributes towards the realization

or hindrance of a great work, one's entire con-

duct

is

influenced.
in

And

it

is

an unfailing
or
little,

comfort

every

difficulty, great

to

know
in

that the

humblest

effort

is

bound up

the complete work;

is

that

nothing and no

one

forgotten or lost; that there are always

a thousand

reasons

for

taking courage;

and

that those are the least deceived

who

are the

most hopeful.
I

quote here a few

lines

which were not

writ-

38
ten

COURAGE.

by a

believer, but

which have a greater

:

value as testimony on that account

"Physical
soul
ills

and moral

ills,

the sufferings of the

and of the

senses, the success of the wicked, the

humiliation of the just,

all

these things would

still

be supportable
of them,

if

one perceived the law and economy

and divined a providence behind them.

;

The

believer rejoices in his sores

he takes pleasure
enemies
;

in the injustice

and violence of

his

even

his

mistakes and crimes

do not deprive him of hope.

light of faith is extinguished,

But in a world where the

evil

and

suffering lose their significance,

and seem to
.

be only so many odious jokes and

sinister farces.
faith.

There
this is

is

no other key
!

to the

world but

And

but too true

"

If

one were to ask

me

to state briefly for

him

the object of

human
is

life, I

should answer:
itself.

The

end of everything
is

manifest in
it

This end

to

become
with
all

all

that

can become,

in

conform-

ing,

the power of love, to the eternal

fulfilled

design which seeks to be

through

it

Man

is

created to

become more and more of a

man, to sustain

his life and,

what comes to the

de-

same thing

to

help others to sustain theirs in

a normal growth.
'

Now, the normal growth

Anatole France, Le Temps, February 4, 1893.

THE VALUE OF
mands

LIFE.

39

the development of the whole being

physical, intellectual, and moral

in

a harmo-.

nious reciprocity.

Man, then,

is

created to live on the earth a

true and just existence, and to

combat everythis.

thing that stands in the

affairs

way of

Human

find their culminating point in justice,

is

which

the supreme harmony.

One might say

a power
life
is

that the end of that

makes

for justice.
it

man was to become To believe in

It is for us,
if

to

believe that
will

is

a struggle in which the victory

then, to

belong to

justice.

arm

ourselves, to fight, and to suffer,

need

be, but

never to lose courage.

And

afterwards?

The Afterwards,

like the
life

Before, belongs to

the Will which created

and man
and
it

it

alone

knows the

secret of the world

must

desire that that

which

is

near to us
is

should seem more important than that which

distant,

because our responsibility

is

is

greater.

The path of man

distinctly only

so
is

made

that he can see

feet,

what

beneath his

while

none the
leads

less

he must follow the direction that

him

to the

Beyond.

We

must not lose

ourselves in the contemplation of this Beyond,

40

COURAGE.
live;

under pain of forgetting to

entirely,

nor forget

it

under pain of forgetting

why we

live.

Man
"

has need
realise, in striving, that his
is
;

mortal toil borne that there it stands. While with the present hour eternity clasps hands."
Into the infinite

To

Conclusion.

Do what you

should, what your

higher interest and that of others requires that

you should
yourself to
revolve
life
;
!

do,

and then be content, and confide

the worlds
is

Him who knows why

is

The fundamental dogma

belief in

the supreme heresy

a lack of hope.

III.

OBEDIENCK

Travellers,

go say

to Sparta that

dience to her holy laws.

It is
.

Inscription at Thermopylce.
own

we died here

in obe-

dangerous to act contrary to your

conscience.

me

Here I am. I cannot do otherwise. Luther, at the Diet of Worms.

May God

help

democracy whose citizens possessed not manly charand robust bodies would be condemned to obscure decay and shameful eclipse but a democracy in which
acters
;

the license of unbridled wills threatened to disturb the

social

harmony and the

be exposed
tion

to fatal outbreaks of violence

by anarchy.

would and to disrupP. PoiNCARRfi, Minister of Public

established order of law,

Instruction.

CHAPTER

III.

OBEDIENCE.

The
word
is

first

requisite to the realisation of the ^

is

object of

life

obedience.

know

that this

understood by few: almost every one

it

regards

as the

name of an enemy,
young
ears;

It

is

especially repugnant to

and many

think that

it is

more hated

at the present time

It

than by preceding generations.

seems that

no one

will

obey nowadays,

either at

home, or

at school, or in the army, or in the atelier, or

anywhere.
indocility

It

may be

that

a certain flagrant
to

makes us appear more opposed

obedience than our ancestors.

ever, I believe that

At

bottom, how-

we
is

are brought face to face

with a permanent contrariety of

human

nature,

a contrariety which
legitimate
instinct,

but the caricature of a

instinct

the
to

of liberty.

There
be

is

innate in us an obstinate tendency to

ourselves,

and

guard

ourselves

from

44
exterior influences.

COURAGE.
Servitude seems to us the

lowest of ignominies, and

we confound obediobey,

ence with servitude.

to capitulate

To

we

think,
I

is

and degrade ourselves.

children

have

never been able to see

let their

who would

hard

little

heads be pulverised rather

than bend them beneath a yoke without an

emotion of secret pride.

serious, doubtless, but

Their case

is

very
it

when one examines

in

carefully

it

may appear
their

another

light.

Often

they are but misled, and are defending themselves

their

against
saviours.

friends,

and

resisting

They

think

that

they

must
it

guard their moral

integrity, and, in fact,

is

owing

to

this

noble sentiment that so

often

many
them.

resources

are

found
in

in

these

obstinate

heads

if

one succeeds

enlightening

One who,
to

while young, would

allow himself

be flayed rather than yield, can become a

for

power

good on reaching maturity.

am

not pleading here the cause of the obstinate

and presumptuous, who know better than their

masters or parents, and with
testable point of

whom

it

is

a de-

honour never to accept advice

I

from any one

but

wish to encourage a feeling

OBEDIENCE.

45

of hope on the score of certain misunderstood

young persons who

After which
I

excite great anxieties.

maintain as a principle that the

is

only
ence,

way

to escape servitude
tliat

through obedi-

and

there

is

no

purer source of

strength.

Obedience

is

the indispensable conin a certain

is

dition of a

good

life

and liberty;

sense one might say that obedience

I shall try to explain.

liberty.

In everything there
is

is

an eternal law which

it

important to discover, and to which we must

Outside of this law there are only
accidents, and destruction.

conform.
anomalies,

There

are laws according to which one drives a carriage, laws

for the

cultivation of plants, laws

for the revolution of the planets, laws for the

development of human

life.

He who

does not

know them, and

will

not

conform to them,
les-

renders himself liable to the most painful

sons and to the most fatal errors.

are as yet only

These laws

known

in
is

part.

One

of the

great labours of humanity

to discover

them
and

and the

one among
has

us who,

by

his activity
in

perseverance,

succeeded
is

discovering

some one of them

justly considered a bene-

46
factor.

COURAGE.
All the experiences of the past, often

hard ones, constitute for us a treasure which

we could not have gained by our own

alone.
if

exertions
life

It is

given to no
first

man

to live his

as

he were the

man; consequently

at the

beginning of hfe we receive from the hands of

others the rules of conduct to which

we must

conform.

This

is

an advantage for us rather

than

ill

treatment.

There

is

no danger to our

dignity in following the rule tested

by so many

generations, or in avowing openly that

less

we

are

wise than

all

of our ancestors combined.

Docility and obedience, then, are excellent conditions

under which

to

acquire

the

wisdom
allies

humanity has

to teach us,

and excellent

with which to reinforce our personal experience.

The man who misunderstands

in his

the part

which tradition plays

development makes

the most stupid mistake, and deprives himself

by

his

own

act of the

most valuable

aid.

This

need not prevent each individual and each new

generation from examining into the patrimony
left

him by

his

ancestors.

On
in

the contrary,

the only
to
it

way

to value this legacy justly,

is

and

make

use of what

good

it,

is

to receive

with deference.

OBEDIENCE.
Obedience
is

47

not only the means of augment-

ing our strength

it is

by

all

the aid of the past, but

in general

still

better

means of helping us

to

apprehend law,

law which
It is

governs indiall

vidual will and caprice.

order.

the source of

Between law and fantasy there can be

no compromise; we must choose one or the

other.
self

He who
to

does not obey law gives him-

up

Caprice.

To make my meaning
will,

plainer, I will

compare the individual

which

governs

itself

according to law, to the needle

will

which turns to the north, and the

governed

by

caprice

to
is

the

weather-cock.

The man

without law

the plaything of his impulses, his

desires, his passions.

The

pilot

would imperil

his vessel,

life,

and goods

in steering
all

by

the

weather-vane, while he will brave

the forces

of the winds and waves in order the better to

follow the route indicated

by

the compass.
to

Which

is

freer,

he who allows himself

be

tossed hither and thither

by the waves,
if

or he,

who

with them or against them,

need be,

holds his steadfast

There are

way towards the goal? many men, however, who mistake

the most obvious slavery for liberty, and whose

48

COURAGE.
in following their desires.
it

independence consists
This error
is

even so universal that

hinders

the majority of
their

men from

seeing clearly into

own conduct.
is is

There
and that

but one path of safety through

the one
life,

life,

marked out by
law
is

law.

the beginning of
are taught
revolt;
it.

exterior to us
it

Sometimes
can
help

hurts us,

At we and we
;

but

he who
the

endure these
of

first

shocks

through

obedience

has

served part

of his
first

apprenticeship to
to

Hberty.

He
law,

learns at

conform to the exterior

and

finally

through experience he learns

its

that this
self,

law has

foundation within him-

and that

when he thought he was submitwas but obeying the dictates

ting to others, he

of his inmost being.

Once

in possession of this

inward guidance,
all

he becomes emancipated from

external comtutelage.
free

mandment, and from

was a
child
;

all

human

He
man,

he has become a man, a

and master of himself

forming your
will to

Liberty consists in conthe law which

is

at the

foundation of everything.

All

who know

not an

inward law, august and inflexible, raised above

OBEDIENCE.
all

49
or of the

the caprices

of the individual

masses, are ripe for servitude.

is

Obedience, then,

liberty.

What

has just been said shows sufficiently

I

what kind of obedience

It is necessary,

would recommend.
an unworthy

however, to attack and destroy

is

one kind of obedience which

caricature of the other.
I

wish to speak of

that obedience which consists in placing one's

intelligence

and

conscience in the hands of

another, and

becoming a passive instrument.

ac-

No
it,

one has the right either to demand or

it

cord this obedience;

is

a crime.

We

know

moreover, by

its

fruits.

In the place of eninitiative

couraging and fortifying one's

it

powers,

stifles

them;
it

instead
it.

of forming the conIt

science,

deforms

destroys the indi-

viduality, ruins the character,

and renders the

himself.

man

incapable
is

of governing

This

obedience

not the mother of liberty, but of

servitude, the great purveyor of spiritual death.

It

takes the place of the inward law.

in the

It is this

obedience which has fostered

4

world the

50

COURAGE.

struggle against personal dignity and conscience

in requiring

men

to submit despite the protest

tations of their reason

volt of their heart

and the legitimate

re^

Whether
be

this authority

be shown

in the
it

gov-

ernment, or the church, or the home,

resisted.

must

Like disorder and anarchy, from

it

whichi however,
us,
tles
it

pretends that
of
all

it

can rescue

is

the

enemy

morality.

The apos-

of disorder,

and those of blind obedience,

despite their superficial differences, have

in

much

signs.

common, and can be recognised by the same They say, " We are the law " and
;

from

this fatal confusion

have arisen innumercan never say with

is

able evils for society,

We
"

too rpuch insistence,

person,"

No, the Jaw

no one

Law

is

not the caprice of an indi-

vidual, nor yet of a governmentj

whether

it

be
is

invested in one person or many.

as far above constituted

The law
it

bodies as above
alone,

iso-

lated individuals.

We

must obey

and

no one has the

the interpreter
if

right to

command
is

if

he be not

and

servitor of the law.

And

obedience to the law

it

identical with that

to the conscience,

is

because the conscience.

OBEDIENCE.
like

the law,

is

impersonal.

It

is

the most

intimate part of man, while, at the same time,

it is

the part most independent of him. a deplorable error, or else an interested

It is

deception, to pretend that respect for the individual conscience leads to social disruption, and
to the fanatic reign of personal desire.

A man
he
is

of conscience

is

not a force delivered over to

a

the hap-hazard sway of his caprices:

force under control, but not controlled

by the
has

hand

of

man nor
I

against his

will.

He

voluntarily submitted to the eternal law.

I

know

am

touching here on one of the

points of ceaseless contention, but

we must not
depends on

weary of returning
the

to

it.

Our

life

way

in

which we understand and practise

obedience.
fore, in
tles

Do

not

let

us be deterred, there-

our line of conduct, either by the apos-

of disorder

who

cry out against tyranny

is

whenever obedience
upholders
free

mentioned, or by the

of authority to
is

whom
To

the idea of

obedience

nonsense.
I

those

who

are

sincerely seeking the way,

should say

Take ten men of whom each one wishes to command and none to obey. Take ten who

52
will blindly

COURAGE.
obey a
chief.

Take ten who obey

through conviction.
or struggle, the
first

In no matter what action

ten will exhibit this infe-

riority, that their efforts will

not be concerted.

The second
will

ten will

act in concert,

but they

be

like so

many

inert forces held together

by an
force
;

exterior bond, and guided

by an outside

enthusiasm

will

be lacking.

The
;

last

ten will act together, and with enthusiasm

will

they

march

to their

end

like

one mass, but a

living mass, carried along not

by

the exercise

of any exterior of
all

will,

but by the innate action

their wills

combined, and by their united

determination.

Between these ten men and

comparison
its
is

the others no

possible.

Their

strength has not

equal in the world.

*

Having

said this,

no one can misinterpret

:

my
the

intentions in

what follows

Obedience

is

proclamation by the individual of the great fact

of solidarity.

To

refuse to

obey

is

to withdraw

from the whole, to proclaim oneself superior to

the organism, or to form within
element.
it

a foreign

There

is

no more serious schism than

OBEDIENCE.
this
;

53

in reality the effort

is

vain.

Absolute

dis-

obedience would be an entire disruption of the

bonds which unite humanity

it

would be

suicidal.

For him who places himself without the pale of

humanity, nothing remains but annihilation.
Obedience, on the contrary,
is

the voluntary

avowal of the dependence of the individual upon

society,"
it procures for him all the strength of The more absolute this obedience is, more admirable it is.

union.

the

There are times when, through reason and

conscience, a

man
is

should consent to become a

mere automatic subaltern and obey the com-

mand; but
machine.

this

not reducing oneself to a

it

It is practising solidarity;
is

is real-

ising that there

great,

something greater than the

which

is

worthy of every abnegation

There
is is

and

self-sacrifice.

humble and obdifficult

scure courage which

more

and of

more value than the most

effacing oneself

brilliant exhibitions

of personal valour, and this courage consists in

Among

all

kinds

of energy

this virtue succeeds in binding

it

men

together;

unites the

members

of a society as

cement

holds together the stones of a wall, and makes

it

one compact mass.

By means

of

it,

the in-

54
dividual

COURAGE.
becomes the
community;
not the

stupid crowd that follows a master like a flock of sheep, but a disciplined
soul,
resist

army which has one

and which can, according to the occasion,

like

a rock, or advance like a torrent

life

The

highest manifestation of

has always
rules,

consisted in association governed

by

and

grounded on voluntary obedience; the best of

those
also

who have lived on earth have been those who have understood to its full extent the
life

happiness of losing themselves in the

others,

of

and

in

mingling their souls with the

soul of the harmonious throng.

In the face of this demonstration of the

all-

powerful virtue of obedience, what becomes of

the spirit of insubordination wherein each one

disputes the password,

criticises

the law, and

attained

makes himself
incapacity to

chief
its

What

is

by

the exhibition of

impotence,
ten

its sterility, its

make
is

men walk

abreast, but

a reductio

ad absurdum,

furnishing us with the

in obedience,

proof that there

no safety but

however much
the
!

not
his

who hate I fear for a young man who does word obey his superiors, who cannot unite with equals for some common action, who will
it

may

displease those

OBEDIENCE.

55

not march in the ranks, conform to a rule, and

bear the yoke with that inward pride which

the sign of a courageous heart.
*

is

*
is

The school of obedience

from which
This
is

a good source

to

draw another kind of courage.

no longer the courage of combat, nor of

it is

individual or collective effort, but

difficult kind,
It is

that

more

of endurance and resignation.

necessary that

man

should accustom himIf

self early to

what

is

disagreeable.
little,

he does

not learn

this, little

by

in the

encounters of

his will with wills that are stronger,

and against
!

which
it

it

is

vain to strive,

life,

alas

will

teach
the

to

him and perhaps

so suddenly that

lesson

may

crush him.

Resignation

is

one of

the forces of suffering humanity. a supply of

it

Let us lay up
life,

in the

morning of

when we
In

have

least

need of

it.

We
fill

know

that stores

must be
winter
eral
it

laid
is

up before they

are needed.

too late to
to

the barn, and a gentill

must not wait

exercise his troops

the

moment when

the

enemy

appears.

IV.

SIMPLICITY.

By two wings
Christ.

man

is lifted

namely, by Simplicity and Purity.

up from things earthly Imitation of Jesui

Do
must

not despise your condition in

act, suffer,

life

for therein

and conquer.

H.

you

J.

Amiel.

CHAPTER

IV.

SIMPLICITY.

Have you
quire
all
it!

ambition?
let

No?
tell

Well, then, ackind, for

But

me

you what

kinds are not good.

First, I

am

going to

risk astonishing

and repelling you by describ-

ing a vulgar ambition.

told
trees.

Very
to

old

men have
young
their

me

that

it

was

good

shake

For the majority of men, the object of

ambition
is

to

rise;

to rise, to

become other

than they are, to get away from their surroundings, to

soil
;

uproot

themselves from their native

to rise, to be greater than those

who

sur-

round them, to overtop them by a head, by a

cubit or

more

if

possible

to be distinguished,
eat, dress,

not to be like everybody else; to

speak differently from others; to make themselves conspicuous, in fact,

if

only by a badge,

stripe, a bit

of ribbon.

This begins in the

6o

COURAGE.
is

class-room, where the object

to be

first,

and

continues through

life.
it

It is

absurd.

Of what good
richer, to

is

to rise, to

be

first,

to be

be more conspicuous by your dress,

if

or your badges,

the

human

individual envelis

oped

in these brilliant trappings

of no value
reality

in itself?

Ambitious persons

sacrifice

to appearance.

The more they

oblivious

are puffed
are.
I

up
see

the more hollow and

empty they
of
their

them generally
ashamed
of

beginning,

their

original

poverty,
first

of the

humble occupation which they

in.

engaged

Many

of them hide their origin, and do

not like to have their parents spoken of be-

cause they were simple people of obscure condition.

it

They have

the souls of deserters.

If

be their ambition which has bred these

is

senti-

ments, this

enough
inhuman.

to

condemn
vain,

it

Their

ambition

is

puerile,
all

foolish,

superficial,

and above
Is
it

humane

for one's

happiness to consist

in rising

above another

man and

humiliating
?

him, perhaps crushing him beneath one's feet

Is
it

humane

to attach

a value to what one

is

possesses only

when one

the sole possessor?

SIMPLICITY.

What

is

this

manner of man who so

In this

closely

resembles the wolf?

way one comes

quarry whence
after fight-

finally to regard life itself as a

to snatch the largest piece of

meat

ing tooth and

nail.
is

most courageous

The strongest and the he who can fight best and

his neigh-

get most for himself; and after he has worked

hard, that
is,

conquered and bled

proclaimed
chief,

bours, he

is

and the others

to

envy him.
place.

They would

like

be

in

his

Is this the strength

and greatness of man ? Fie,

then

In that case

do not wi^h to be

great.

The
and

competition, the prizes, the competitors,

their methods,

are

all

equally repugnant

to me.

If to kill and devour one another for

the sake of riches, power, and distinction, be

human

life,

would rather be the

first

to be

eaten than continue to gaze at such a spectacle.

But there
to

is

another

life.

would hold

it

up
its

you

as

the object of your ambition;

is

dominant quality

simplicity.

It

develops

generosity and courage to the same extent as the

first

begets cowardice and meanness.

This simplicity consists in the lack of show in

63

COURAGE.
It

one's external existence.

results

from the

conviction that true grandeur

lies

within the man.

stronger,

To become
is

better,

more

just,

this

the only progress to which he can aspire.

this

He who knows
of dominating

remains simple.
others

The
does

idea

or crushing

not
is

occur to him, because he knows that there

no surer

way

of debasing himself.
is

He

is

persuaded that the best science

the

knowledge of
difficult

how

to live well.

To

live well is

everywhere, and everywhere meritorious.

girl,

Just as a painting representing a goose

beggar, or a cripple,

may

have the same

artistic

value as one representing a Madonna, a hero, or

a beautiful

woman,

so the noble

life

of a wood-

cutter or a street-sweeper

may have an
life
is

equal

moral value with the noble

statesman.

of a sage or a
of
little
it

The
at

social

condition

importance:
is

every round of the ladder

possible to set before oneself

human
at

dignity

and moral grandeur as one's aim; round of the ladder

it

every

will

be found, on careful

investigation, that the distance to

is

be traversed

the same.

The value of

a piece of

money

depends on the metal

in it;

the value of a

SIMPLICITY.

63

man depends on

the worth of the substance

which rnakes up his moral being.

The man whose moral

will
tion,

fibre

is

firm and fine

his sta-

be what he ought to be, whatever

and he

will

think less of changing this

than of

fulfilling his duties,

iVccording to the
to

occasion he will

put pride, or
qualities

are

command withobey without seryiUty. The same requisite to make a good master
know how
everything else they are men,

and a good servant, a good chief and a good

soldier.
!|Before

and they know the significance of the word,

He who

does not

feel this is a

nonentity everyeveryvyhere the

where, and he

who
I

realises

it

is

equal of every one.

This

is

what

call

the simplicity of the heart

simplicity of
life,

whence springs the

of mannersdignity, the
force,

of taste,

This simplicity

is alscs

the highest

most genuin

nobility, the greatest

simple

man

does not wish to

rise

by

cutting himself off

from

his stock, to

isolate

himself by seeking to escj^pe from the

law.

common

He

knows too well that he draws his

from
his ropts^

streijgth

He

remains forever

64

COURAGE.
broad earth whence
that
is

in contact with the healthy,

we

all

are sprung, with

life

normal and

not complicated.

He
his

does not refine his table or his furniture,

If
it

language or his ideas.

has been given

glories rather

to

him

to rise a few degrees,

he

in his origin

than in what he has acquired.

In

heart he remains always with the lowly.

He
touch

does not forget

with them.

he

is

loyal,

and keeps

in

You may be
there
is

sure that somewhere in his house

a corner where he guards the cherished

souvenirs of his past, and that he preserves certain

patriarchal customs

which nothing could

his strength, his

make him renounce.

health, his

Hence

happiness,

the
is

secret of his as-

cendancy over others.

When
for

he commands he

sure to be obeyed,
if

he possesses the charm; and

he requires
difficult, his
is
it

the accomplishment of something

subordinates

know

that

it

is

not because he

ignorant of the difficulty and effort which

will cost,
self,

but because he has achieved

it

him-

and could do so again.

this in'

Nothing makes a man greater than

SIMPLICITY.
nate nobility under a simple aspect.
to the eternal
It will

6S

be

honour of great democracies that

and the truth which such

they have furnished numerous examples of such

admirable proclaim
lives
is
;

lives

so manifest that even in societies

founded on absolutism, where external appearance counts for

much more,

there has

never

been any lasting dominion, personal influence,

or power over men's souls, without the presence

of this simplicity.

All really great characters have remained simple in

some

direction.

Is

it

not better worth the

while to strive for these heights than to be carried along the beaten track

where the multitudes

swarm ?

The dangers which

same
for

are to

be encountered

along the path of ordinary ambition are the

for
all.

No

class of society

is

exempt;

it is

not enough to be of humble station to

love simplicity,

and one

may

belong to the

higher classes without rejoicing in luxury.

important thing

is

the

spirit.

The know some

very rich people

who

are exceedingly simple,

and by no means pleasure-loving or proud, and

I

know some poor people who dream

5

of noth-

66

COURAGE.
life

ing but grandeur, an easy

and amusements.
have
pas-

Great is their disdain of simplicity; they

a horror of
sionate,
their
it.

Their hatred of work

in
is

is

and what displeases them

fortunate

the

life

of

more
this
is

neighbours

that they

cannot change places with them.

plish

To accom-

they would do anything.

possessed by
the ideal of

Woe
is

to

him who

an effemito con-

nate and enervating existence which

sist

only in strange sights,

disturbing sensaset
all

tions
in,

and excitement
will

Moral gangrene has

and

devour him slowly, undermining

the living forces that are in him.

Before long

he

will

confound the good with well-being, and

to look

will

come

upon

all

privation and effort

as a disgrace.

From
is

this to selling

himself for

small riches
are these

but a step.
runners,

race of slaves

frantic

chasing after Forfall

tune's chariot to pick

up the crumbs which

what

from

it.

It

is

of

little

consequence whence
are,
is

they spring, what their names

ranks, opinions, beliefs.

theii

There
all:

one expresthey are the

sion

which describes them

dregs of humanity.

V.

THE INWARD WATCH.

Keep thy heart with

issues of
life.

all

Proverbs.

diligence

for out of

it

are the

CHAPTER

V.

THE INWARD WATCH.

Vigilance
is

one of the most interesting

It
is

functions of civilised society.

organised
for

wherever there

is

any property to guard;

its

everything that exists has

secure

enemies, and to

its safety we must be ever on the alert. Round the universe the sentinel watches, and we hear constantly warnings and cries of alarm. Those who sleep are disarmed, unprotected;

they

fall

a prey.
little

However

we may know

ourselves,

we

know our enemies. Every one of us The enemies of which I speak are
us from being what
fulfilling

has them.
all

those

causes of weakness and abasement which hinder

we ought
lives.

to be,

and from

the object of our

is

In time of war
in the

the gravest danger

or the forts
I

to

have men

ranks

who sympathise

with the enemy.

this critical situa-

do not hesitate to say that

tion exists for every

man, and that our constant

" ;

JO

COURAGE.
from the
fact that the

peril arises

enemy has
within

spies within the place.

Each man has

will

him a power

that can destroy him.

Without
I

the inward watch the best

be
"

lost.

am
!

not one of those

who

cry out in alarm at every

saying,

moment.
dence

By

dint

of

Take care

these perpetual alarmists destroy your confi;

but blindness and false assurance

differ

from confidence.
false assurance
rility
is

Confidence

is

a great good

one form of cowardice.

Vi-

exacts that a

man
it,

should take account

of danger, should face

against
it.

and take measures

Heredity, predisposition, and circumstances,

which are so many sources of weakness, engender different tendencies and defects, according
to

the

individual.

The
It is

friction

which these
through

defects cause in our

development

is felt

our whole system.

vicious habit to
in

only necessary for one

established and

become

expand

order to throw the whole mind out of balance.

efforts, qualities,

Then
lised.

even

virtues, are neutraevil.

There

is

a terrible fatality in
all

man

has no need to have

in

the vices combined,

and to be lacking

every virtue, to lose his

THE INWARD WATCH.

equilibrium," and founder.
tight

71

There are no waterlife.

compartments

in

the inward

It is

the great grief of every

man who

loves

the good to feel within himself the possibility of

in
evil.
life,

To
to

love

all

that

is

noblest and best

be ready to struggle and suffer for

that,

justice,

and yet to see

under certain

cir-

cumstances, one would be capable of actions

destructive of
it

all

one loved

to understand that

is

possible to demolish, and that often only

all

too quickly,

that one has spent years

in

and
;

much generous enthusiasm

condemn
acting,
sincerely,

building up

to

and without a shadow of

hypocrisy, certain ways of living, talking, and

and to be guilty of them oneself

;

at other

moments
tion of

to be the
it;

same man who

detests the

thing and does

to find oneself in the posi-

condemning and hating

oneself; to have
this
is

to struggle against oneself,

difficult

indeed a

situation

'

How
cries
:

well

we understand

Saint Paul
I

when he
do not
;

" For the good that

would,

but the evil which I would

not, that I do."

And

yet this

is

inevitable.

No

character was

ever formed except by this internal warfare and

72
in the

COURAGE.
midst of these battles of the soul.

The

best

are those

who
are

suffer the

most

their pure eyes

see with greater clearness the contrast between

what they
if

and what they ought to be.

But

the elect of mankind are thus tried, shaken,

cast amidst these to hold

gloomy

struggles,

and obliged

themselves armed in the breach, the

necessity of vigilance

becomes the more evident

I

for us ordinary mortals.

should say to every

young man entering

self,

life,

"

Keep watch on your-

know

yourself,

and

distrust yourself."

May
life

the step of the guardian

who wakes

resound,

night and day, about the citadel of your

And may
who

this

guardian not be like those dogs

neither bark nor bite, and

who

are silent
this

for certain privileged persons.

May
Little

guard

be incorruptible, and,
as the

if

need be, cry to you,

Corporal,

famous soldier to the

pass
"
!

"

You cannot

In order to increase our vigilance

sary to sharpen our sense of

it

is

neces-

responsibility.
all

Let us often try to picture to ourselves

suffering

the

and hope which

and
let

is

bound up

in

each
it

of our

lives,

us say to ourselves that

THE INWARD WATCH.

depends on us whether
this suffering

73

and hope
not
suffi-

be

lost or not.

If our

own

interest

is

cient to

make

us careful, let us think of the

If

interest of others.

we can say
in

to ourselves

that in

remaining at our post,

being true,
evil, in

just, honest, pure, in

returning good for

drying tears, in arousing the discouraged,

we

do good, and that

the contrary,

in neglecting

our duties, on

we work

for the ruin, the anguish,

the perdition of others,

what

reasons
is

have

we

to watch
is

Everything that
!

confided to

our hands

at stake

These are considerations

us,

which ought

to

be capable of taking hold of

in that attentive

and of keeping us

and resolute
alert.

condition of mind which

we

call

We
of

tremble and
time.
It

we we

feel

courageous at the same

that indelible sign
is

gives

to

us

dignity which

see in the soldier

who

on

guard.

Why

shrink from

responsibility?

Can we

buy this great honour at too dear a price? Let him who is afraid listen to this Do you know what degradation means to a soldier? It is to
:

see his

rank,

his
;

decorations, his

epaulettes,

torn from

him

to see these signs of his former

! ;

74

COURAGE.

value thrown at his feet!

What

is

death in

comparison with
in the future this

this

dishonour?

It is true that

unfortunate soldier can sleep

"
!

he

will

never again mount guard; he will no

longer cry, "

he

will

To arms here never again make an

;

is

the

enemy

assault nor hear

the bullets whistling round him; he will have

no more
that a

responsibility.
is

Very well
is

to declare

man

irresponsible

to degrade

him

Death were

better.

The

practice of vigilance creates in a

life,

man

the habit of a conscious

and the need of

reviewing his deeds before his conscience.

To
;

be able to respect himself and remain in accord

with this inner judge
greatest fear
this
all
is

is his

supreme desire

his

to be chastised

and branded by
lies

same judge.
morality.

In this fact

the secret of

The

difference between a
:

good

man and one who is not, is simple a man of conscience, the second is
lives for

the

first is

man who
it

the gallery.

For the second,

acquits

is

of

little

consequence whether the judge within

him condemns him or

public;

him

it

has been
is
it

long since he consulted him.

His judge

the
is

he watches himself only when

THE INWARD WATCH.

looking at him.

75
alone, he
is

As soon

as

he

is

conscious of no restraint, no law.

a

What

disdain
for

man who

lives for the gallery

must have

himself!

This perpetual actor attaches a greater

value to the judgment of the least of his spectators than to his

own judgment, and

least

the

man
is

whom
is

he esteems the

in

the world

himself.

When
it

he

is

alone,

he thinks that there

see,

no one there; and he does not

is

poor

man, that
is

as

if

he said, " I or no one,

Alas
;
!

it

all

the same thing."

is is

from a certain

point of view he
the moral world

right

for of

what value
is

in

a creature

who

capable of

ever5^hing, provided that no one sees

him

We
tions

cannot be reminded too often of the

life.

necessity of an inward

Two

of the condi-

of

its

development are meditation and

the
noise

solitude.
stilled,

When

of the world
conflict

is
is

and the dust of the human

dissipated,

the inward voice awakes, and the

all

eyes of the soul discern

things

more

clearly.

We
for

must often

retire

into solitude, the

in

more

so as we are only alone there

it is

appearance;

there that

we encounter
allies;

those

whom

shall call

our invisible

our comforting

^6

COURAGE.

memories, and those loved figures

age and sustain us.

who

encour-

Above all, we shall there indulge in prayer if we have the good fortune to know the value of it. When a man prays, he communes with
his source
;

he

rests

from the flux of the world

;

in the beneficent

calm of the eternal

he restores
will

and

purifies himself;

and perhaps he
is

never

realise
this

more

clearly that he

not alone than in

sanctified retreat

solitude.

Prayer

is

the

of the soul, the peaceful and elevated fortress

which nothing can

hind him dangers;
security.
all

attack,

where he leaves be-

his sufferings, all his struggles, all

where he

takes refuge in absolute

Prayer, what source

of strength
sol-

can be compared to thee, and how can a

dier

mount guard with

feels

greater courage

than

when he

himself guarded

by Him who

watches always

I

cannot

stop

here without adding a few

words

for the vanquished.

Who

has never been

conquered?

Who

has never stumbled?

Who
the

has never fallen?

Oh, the

lost

battles,

morrows of

defeats,

the frightful awakenings

THE INWARD WATCH.

after a

1"]

mistaken sense of security

Never

scoff

at a

dead man, even though

!

his death

was due

to a lack of vigilance

How

do you know how

fall,

you

will die ?

Never despair of those who

beaten and wounded, but

is

who

still

live

This

the time to run to their succour, to raise

them, to bind them, to care for them.

Every

moral

fall

is

frequently as

much

the result of
if

accident as of mistake;

and even

there has

been

error, this error

points out the path of

duty to those who remain standing, just as the

weakness of the feeble creates duties

strong.

for the

The

best

men have
in their

felt

and propa-

gated a sentiment of tenderness for those

who

have been vanquished

perhaps the

moral struggles

memory

of their

own

defeats have

made them more

In the
periods,
life

indulgent for those of others.

critical

of each person there come

sometimes veritable moral

not
the

maladies.

One
above
is

is

same person

as

in

days of

health;

weakened, wounded, they have need,

of intelligent care.

all,

Youth, especially,

subject to these perilous crises

when

every-

thing depends on the treatment.

He who now
that at cer-

walks with a firm step can tell

tain

you

moments on the way

little

was needed to

78

COURAGE.
This
is,

send him astray forever.

then, the

place to recognise that pardon and clemencyare powers of the

first

order.

In this world,
vicissitudes,

so

full

of

suflfering, struggles,

and

man
life.

aspires after goodness as after a source of

He who

does not

know how

to pardon,

and who does not recognise that he himself

often has need of
it,

is

either a hypocrite or
It

possesses a hard heart.

the Just

was not

in vain that

among
so

the just, the Great Captain

against
iniquity,

who
and

struggled

valiantly

dealt such formidable blows to the wicked, insisted so strongly

on pardon, and showed so

"

much

pity to the fallen.

:

Let us conclude, then

Vigilant
!

the pass-word
all,

is,

Be

"

If,

in spite of

an accident over-

takes you, or even

some

serious disaster, let

regrets.

there be no panic,

no aseless

Pick

yourself up, reorganise your resources, cover

your

retreat, in

order that the lost battle

may

not be turned into a rout.

are those that do not
defeat.

The

best

armies

become demoralised by
to profit
is oft-

For the man who knows how

by

the lesson, to have been vanquished

times a source of strength.

HEROIC EDUCATION.

I die in the perI am not to be pitied, Monseigneur formance of my duty. It is you who are to be pitied, you who are in arms against your prince, your country, your vows. Bayard's dying response to the ConnHable de Bourbon.
;

Happy

are the nations whose sacred sources of enthu-

siasm are not exhausted.

L. Enault.

CHAPTER

VI.

HEROIC EDUCATION.

The
selves,

old stoics had this saying

among thembe
aston-

Nihil

mirari,

" Do

not

ished at anything."
it

means

that

The sense of it is plain; we must not allow ourselves to be

overawed by men or things, to be frightened or

disconcerted.

man

should retain his

selfall

possession, and be master of himself,

amid
is

the impressions that he receives.

tainly

This

cer-

a good

rule.

It

is

in

happy

contrast

with the fickleness of our

tendencies of the times.

moods and

the neurotic
is

Such a maxim
it,

like

a soothing and refreshing bath; after

one's

eyes are clearer, one's arms stronger, one's step

more
this

alert.

Let us often repeat to ourselves

old saying which has reassured and susful-

tained the courage of so many, and which

filled,

for those

whose device
6

it

was, the office

of a sure and steadfast friend,

who took them

82

COURAGE.
in the

by the hand

hour of trouble, and

said,

"Be

calm, have courage, be wise, and

right
"
!

all will

come out
There
is

another

way

of translating the adage

against which I wish to protest, precisely be-

cause

it

is

so

common.

Our contemporaries
it,

adopt the Nihil mirari, but they translate

" Let us admire nothing."
If those

who

con-

form to the rule thus modified were old men,

I

should not permit myself to attack them.

should say to myself, "

They

are tired of

life

to their old organs everything

seems old

they

have

lost the faculty of admiring, as

they have

lost their sense of hearing, or the capacity to

sleep, or the appetite of twenty."

Such

is

not
to

the case, however.

Those who undertake

admire nothing are young men.

To admire
It is all

anything seems to them humiliating.

very well for children to open their eyes wide

and stare

at

men and
air,

things with that serious

and surprised
lieve

which shows that they be-

what they

see.

One must
all

leave that kind

of emotion in the nursery, with one's petticoats,

one's last doll, and one's tender years.

the forgotten toys of

man must

not admire

HEROIC EDUCATION.
anything.

83

Nothing should surprise or excite

is

him.
self

To admire
in.

to

be a dupe, to

let

one-

be taken

A serious

young man should

able to
I

not put himself in the ridiculous position of

" swallowing "

anything.

To be
:

say

solemnly, in every situation

that
's
;

"

Oh,

know

that

an old story " to be tired of everything

anything,

before having experienced the pose of your rades he

this is

young man.

Among

his

com-

who admires
for if

the least passes for the

is
it

strongest-minded, and

almost sure to be the

most admired

be a servile attitude of

mind

to feel admiration, to be
life.

admired

is

one
has

of the noblest delights of

'Thus a

spirit

spread
ateliers,

among
whose

youth, and in the schools and

ideal
is

to

have no

ideal.

From
is

this to

respecting nothing and no one

but

a step.

This

spirit

of belittling and scoffing

is

the

order of the day;

and one of the manifestatendency

is

tions of this unfortunate

meet together more willingly

or to do

to cry

thing than to honour an illustrious

we down a memory,
that

homage

to a great

citizen.

To my

mind, one of the worst misfortunes that can

84

COURAGE.
to

happen

you when you are young is to be inoculated with this spirit of which I speak. If there be anything which is not young, it is this
spirit.

To

feel respect

shows the quality of a

young man, as the bouquet of the wine shows

from which province
I
it

came.

Thus, wherever
I

discover an absence of respect,

say to my-

self,

"That

smells of vinegar."
It is
It is

We

must get

rid of this tendency.

a source of weak-

ness, of decrepitude.

an enemy, and one

of the most dangerous.

We
from
that

live

through

respect,

and

we

perish

through

scoffing.

Plato

banished

musicians

his republic

because he wrongly believed

music enervated man's courage.

I

As

for

me,
I

declare war against this spirit of

it

mockery

wish that

might be hunted down, and exter-

minated, like those parasites which are nourished in our

marrow and blood.

and,

Let us chase
let

the scoffer;

on the other hand,

us

cherish admiration, respect, and enthusiasm in

all

their forms, as

among
and
the

the elements of a

healthy morality,
wills.

source of strong

All that I have to say on this subject

I shall try to

say under the heading of Heroic

Education.

HEROIC EDUCATION.

85
stature

What
wider

is

a hero ?

He is

man of larger

than his fellows,

who

has lived an intenser and

human

life

than the majority; a being

who

concentrates in his

mind and heart the

aspirations of a

whole epoch, and gives them

;

powerful expression

or

it

may be

that he

is

man who
plish

appears above the crowd to accomfine, that

it

one deed, but one so great, so

immortalises him.

When we

study the history of humanity,

we

see heroes appearing at the beginning of every

great movement.

Their example

is

contagious

some

virtue

emanates from
It
is

them and takes

their

possession of others.

privilege to

arouse enthusiasm, hope, and

light.

They

are

the saviours of hopeless times, the guides in

dark days, the pioneers of the future, the pure

and noble victims who die

in

for justice for

and

truth,

order to pave the

way

them.

But what
respect,

influence

would they have without the

admiration, and enthusiasm which they excite

in

us?

It is

by

dint of admiring

them

that

we

become capable of

profiting
is

by

their virtues.

What
that
is

is

true of the hero,

true of everything

heroic, to

no matter what degree. Every-

"

86
thing that
is

COURAGE.
great, everything that
is is

beautiful,

everything that
to

pure and sacred, penetrates

our hearts through our respect and admira-

tion.

These are the senses by which we perunderstands an example better than a

in action

ceive the high realities of the soul.

Man

maxim, and apprehends the good

easily than in theory.

more

He

needs to be taught
reason that,

how

to walk.

It is for this

when

young, he naturally seeks some one to imitate.

We
wish

always follow a leader, and, whether

it

chief.

or not, we are always disciples The proof of this is to be found

we of some
in the

fact that those

who

exalt a lack of respect to

the height of a principle, form a school, and run

the risk themselves of saying, " Dear master
to

him who

is

leader of

it.

Another proof

is

that a drawing or a newspaper article, describing

and recounting a crime, and the circumstances

surrounding
it,
it,

becomes,

in

minds prepared

for

a suggestion for similar crimes.

Shameful

actions,

above

all,

when they have been compersons, act on the public

mitted

by prominent

mind

like evil forces;

they become for thou-

sands of creatures an influence for depravity.

HEROIC EDUCATION.
Does
it

87

not seem as

if,

at certain times, a breath

of hate and disorder disturbed the masses and

spread confusion?

Does
as

it

not often seem, in

the midst of venaHty, impurity, and the debase-

ment

of

conscience,

if

the moral air bein breath-

came
ing
it,

vitiated,

and one were poisoned

as

if

the contamination spread as in the

time of an epidemic?
is

Happily, the contrary

also true.

There are examples which purify

public opinion,

acts of energy, benevolence,

for the

disinterestedness,

which are contagious

good.
I

am

not speaking here of our illustrious

heroes, but of those obscure, unknown,

unnamed
It
is

heroes of

whom
I

the world

is

full.

for

them
ceive,

that

ask of youth eyes and ears to perIt is

and a heart to admire.

time to put a

stop

-to this

superstition of evil, to this invidious

pessimism, propagated by conversation, by the

press,
is

by our

novels, according to

which there

nothing good anywhere in the world.

The

fanatic apostles of this superstition are so con-

vinced of their

belief,

that

when they meet a

impute to

man

of heart and generous action along their

road, or in history, they prefer to

88

COURAGE.
to accept

him low motives rather than

for

them

such as they

majority are

The result is that the more and more disposed to find

are.
in

only thieves and rogues

the world, and to

seem

to wait with resignation the occasion to

become such themselves.

Out upon
prove

this school

of degradation, this conspiracy for ignominy

The good

exists;

shall

it

to you.

Suppose that you found yourself

of a large assembly, in a big
hall,

in the

midst
all

and that

of

a sudden your neighbour said to you, "

Do you

know

that everything here, the floor beneath

galleries, the

you, the
rotten?"

columns, the walls, are

Do you

think that you would believe

what he

said to you,

and that

this objection
itself

would not immediately present

to your

mind

"

How

is

it

possible for this rotten edi-

fice to

stand beneath the great weight of this

assembly?
to hold,

There must

still

be some beams

some

parts of the wall that are solid,

that are strong."
society.
still

some columns
case in

Such

is

the

human

The proof
is

that certain

good elements

exist

that this society has

If

not yet gone to pieces.

there were only

untrustworthy cashiers, venal writers, hypocrit-

HEROIC EDUCATION.
ical priests,

89

bribed

officers,

dishonest employees,

men
esty,

without conscience,

women

without mod-

homes
have

that are disunited, ungrateful chil-

dren, depraved
since
ruins.

young people,
buried

we should long
our

been

beneath

own

Where
found ?
for
it

is

this

good, of which I speak, to be

for
it.

We

must seek

Those who seek

it,

and are capable of seeing

will find

it.

I urge

many young people

region.

to investigate this

unknown

They

will discover

many

salu-

tary herbs which will serve

them

as elixirs.

The

truth

is,

that no one has

live

any idea of the

about
us.

number of good people who

amount of
efforts, are
full

The

suffering patiently borne, the injuries

pardoned, the sacrifices made, the disinterested

impossible to count.
It is a

world

of

unknown

splendours, like the profound

grottoes lighted

by the marvellous lamp of

Aladdin.

These are the reserves of the future

these are the silent streams that run beneath the

earth,

and without which the sources of good

would long since have become exhausted, and

the world have returned to barbarism.
is

Happy
!

he who can explore the sacred depths

At

go
first,

COURAGE.
one
feels

profane,

small,

out of place.

There are people of such a simple benevolence,

of such natural disinterestedness, that one feels

poor and unworthy beside them

grief

but this

is

which
us.

is

salutaiy,

a humiliation which
better for a

exalts

What can be
feel

young

man

than to

himself small and inferior in

the presence of truth, of abnegation, and of pure

goodness? If he

is

troubled, moved, bewildered,

;

downcast

if

he weeps

if

his

life,

when com-

pared with those which he sees about him, seems

to

him

like a childish sketch

by

the side of a

canvas of a great master, so

for him.

much

the better

This humility
at

is

a proof in his favour,

and places him

once

in the

path of progress.

They say

that

young

nightingales,

whose voices

are not yet formed,

are very

unhappy when
their

they come into the presence of those older

birds

who

fill

the nights of

summer with
long time.
ill

music.
sing,
is

When

they hear them, they cease to

silent for a

and remain

This

neither from a spirit of envy nor

temper;

but the ideal presented to them bewilders and

disturbs them.

They

listen,

they are intoxicated

"

HEROIC EDUCATION.
by the melody, and while
their
little

91

bird brains,

thinking, perhaps, in

" I can never hope to equal thee 1

they become so inspired

singing in their turn.

that

they end

by

Hail to the good listener!

VII.

DIFFICULT BEGINNINGS.

Paris.

was born like a weed between two paving-stones of MiCHELET.

Per angusta ad augusta.

CHAPTER

VII.

DIFFICULT BEGINNINGS,

Among

the

many

paths which lead to couris

age, one of the steepest to climb

this

wish

to speak of the hard Hfe which

falls to

the lot

of so
little

many young

people.

We

like to see a
life.

brightness shed on the beginning of

It

seems so natural that one should have time

be a
child,

to

to

know pure

joy, to lay

up

sunshine in one's heart, as a gage of hope for

darker days.

How many

are there, however,

who have

happy youth?
aspect,
says,

Very few indeed.

An
its

old proverb, of a salutary

" It
;

wisdom despite
better to eat
it is

homely

is

our black bread

at the start

" and

not for
" It
is

me
But

to gainsay the
for

word of the prophet,

yoke

good

man

to bear the

in his youth."

this

does not authorise us to forget those

life
is

whose early
ning
is

hard

for,

alas,

the begin-

often so long that one exhausts one's

96
forces,

COURAGE.
and succumbs
this
;

and

their

name

is
!

legion
If the

for

whom

beginning

lasts

forever

poet Lenau says somewhere,

"

My heart is

given to the dear dead,"

can say that mine belongs to

all

these suffer-

ing

young

lives.

Their anxieties, their struggles,

their servitude, the injustice

suffer,

under which they

them,
is

the blows that strike

inflict

on

me

a permanent wound.

There

not one of

their causes

which

do not espouse, not one

I I

of their

miseries which

do not

feel,

not

one of their hopes which

transport;

do not greet with

reason

and

it

is

precisely for this

if

that I would be to them,

only in a feeble

way, a messenger of comfort.

Everything

is

not to be regretted in the mis-

fortunes which
is

we endure
to derive
life. if

the essential thing

profit

that

we seek
and

from them some

for

our inward
;

In this case, they

may
it

fortify us
ties

we say

that certain contrarieliving,

is

and privations hinder us from

but only in part.

true,

the best

men?

Whence They come from

are sprung

the land of

great sorrows and great tribulations.

The paths

DIFFICULT BEGINNINGS.

97

which lead to great heights are almost always

obscure
in the beginning.
;

The easy grades

are

for those

steeps for those

acquired

who descend the stony paths and who mount. The past, by its inertia, runs easily. It is a man arriv^,

who
tery.
foot,

has his carriage and horses; but he drives

towards the end as a funeral towards the ceme-

The

future,

on the contrary, advances on

itself

and sometimes drags

along on

its

knees.

Force,

light. Justice,

benevolence,

progress,

all

these things

come

to us from those

who

have suffered.

There are few good workmen

who have
tory,

not passed through long years of

apprenticeship.

When

they

tell

you

their his-

you

find that they

have had to submit to

hard words, blows, accidents, poverty; but you

will also find that all

these things, instead of

discouraging them, stimulated them, enlightened

them, formed them.

hard blows of the

It

is

only by means of
chisel
is

hammer and

that a

block of marble, whence a statue

is

to spring,

reduced.
;

Man
if
is

cannot perfect himself otherstuff in

wise

and

he has

him,

if

the seed be

good, there

no need to
7

fear the

blows

re-

98
ceived,
evil

COURAGE.
or the
corners

chipped

away.

Even

may be turned into good. I know eminent men who have great tenderness for young people and show much indulgence for them.

Why?

Because they have been

ill-treated

them-

selves, because they have divined in weeping

the value of gentle words.

themselves, "
I

Gladly they say to

have suffered too much from

try to

injustice not to

spare others."
the

Such

lessons
cost!

are

well

worth

pain

they have

The
tives,

difficulties

which

many encounter

in

their families

from the character of their

rela-

from the defects or vices with which they

first

are surrounded, often darken their

in
life.

steps

In every class of society are found

children and

young people neglected by those

who

should guide them, abandoned to them-

selves or to hired guardians, deprived of ten-

derness at the age

of
it,

when they have most need

lacking amusements, and incessantly re-

buffed

by

cross words.

Many

have their

lives

complicated

by the scandalous
it

examples

of

those whose mission

should be to lead them

DIFFICULT BEGINNINGS.
aright

99
respect
feel, to

They have

neither that
it

filial

nor tenderness, which

is

so sweet to

guard them from the errors of youth.

fathers

Their

and mothers teach them precisely the

and their un-

thing which they should avoid,

fortunate ideal consists in not resembling their

parents.
I

think of those

who have

Buffered

early
excites
finds
this

losses,

of the orphans whose very

in

name

sympathy

the world.

For one who

are crushed

moral support, how

many
life

by

abandonment!

Far from the warmth of the

nest, they go through

accompanied always

by a shadow. the unknown

Who
people?

can count the struggles,

secret
will

tears, the

anguish of so
seek them out

many young
in

Who

their loneliness?

There

is

a large class of young people for

whom

the greatest danger springs from their

temperament.

While others follow the right

great
difficulty,

way without

they

have

to

struggle against evil

inclinations, uncontrolled

impulses, and humiliating penalties.

Their con-

duct often resembles the gait of a furious pair

of horses,

who make

their driver sweat

blood.

lOO

COURAGE.
;

Their reasons for discouragement increase

good-will,
to

their

though often

great,

is

not sufficient

keep them

in the right

path.

days when they

believe themselves lost,

all

They have when

they despair, despite

their efforts, of ever

becoming men. Those who

suffer in the

domain of thought

form, on their side, a group

severest
trials.

who endure

the

Inch by inch they dispute the

difficul-

ground with their practical doubts and

ties.

These know the hunger and

thirst

of the

spirit,

the bitter torment of the unknown.

They
someof

buy
light

truth at the price of their peace,

life.

times of their health and

is

Each ray
bitter

conquest

after

struggle.

They know what

when

conviction
it

costs

when one
and

takes the trouble to acquire

for oneself,

the tempter approaches

them under the

truths,

form of ready-made systems of

is

which

it

sufficient to admit en

bloc,

with closed eyes,

!

" they say to him, " Get thee behind me, Satan
It
is,

however,

in

these different worlds, in

these

glowing furnaces, that manly characters,

loving hearts, and great souls are formed.

The

DIFFICULT BEGINNINGS.
leaders of
all

loi

human thought
of

have, almost with-

out exception, passed through them.

What
these

would

become

humanity

without

schools of suffering?

What makes
all else is

these beginnings difficult above

I

poverty.

do not mean pauperism,

is

nor that dark want which

without hope or

help, wherein certain portions of society drag

out a miserable existence, and of which only say this:

it

can

is

a public shame, a disease

which we must
It

attack, relieve, seek to root out.

this

would be criminal to imagine that from

milieu,

depraved

where

moral

and

material

degradation are confounded, any force of character could spring.

We

must admit, however,

is

that this hideous poverty

is

the exception.

It

the sink wherein the social refuse, engenvices, falls.

I refer

dered by our carelessness and

There

is

another poverty.
is

to that to

which one

reduced by

illness,

idleness, or

perhaps the early death of parents, and which

often creates such terrible situations.
I

Or, again,
consists

mean

that

poverty which

simply

in

being reduced to the barest necessities of

I02
life,

COURAGE.
and wherein one does not know to-day
will

what one
and

have to-morrow.

It is

an honest
is

interesting kind of poverty,

is
it.

which

often

concealed, and which

only

known

to those

who have experienced

eat until one
is is

It is

indeed a hard

condition for the development of youth.

satisfied
is

To
a

rare.

One has
one

lodging, but

it

narrow and sombre.

the
air, if

Everylives in

thing

is

limited,

even

the city.
slavery,

This poverty seems to be a sort of

restrictions
;

judged from the thousand

which
one
is

it

imposes on our movements

and no

so sensitive to this restraint as youth.

is

Want
erty,

not the hardest thing to bear in pov-

but rather the offences against the moral

it

order to which

subjects us, and the indignities

I appeal to all those to which we must submit. who have had to suffer for their daily bread early in life, and who have taken their degree in

bitterness

and contumely.

Poverty

is

not what
it

certain idyllic conceptions

to be.
to
It is

have represented
;

a crown of thorns

but

hasten

add that everything depends on the brow

it.

which wears

Those who wear

it

as a

burden and disgrace

DIFFICULT BEGINNINGS.
hate
it,

103

and only

find in

it

a lesson of degradaI

tion, bitterness,

and envy.

do not condemn

them

and

if I

plead extenuating circumstances,

my

plea can easily be turned into an accusation

against those

who

are

seated comfortably in
I

the tribunal to judge them.

like

better to

think of those
fully,

and

finally

who come

bear their poverty cheerto love

it,

as

one loves
soil,

the dreary beauty of one's native

herited

disin-

by

nature.

These men are the strength

of the world.
I

have walked through the country of poverty

I

as through a land of marvels.

have travelled
ini-

through

it,

not as a tourist, but as a native,

tiated into the secrets of the place,

of the highways, a guest of

an enemy unknown corners

flowers of these

and

have found the

fields

little

woods and
Such
ous

more

beautiful than all

the

dehcate flora of
is

rich gardens

and hot-houses.

the poverty of

humble people who

proud
sail-

are sober
;

and laborious, economic and gener-

the poverty of the

;

workman who

is

of his state

the poverty of peasants and

;

ors who envy no one who have only a bed,

the poverty of students

a table, and a few loved

104
books, but

COURAGE.

who

live

on the heights, and

the

feel

themselves

richer

than

masters

of the

world

the poverty of

artists,

not of those

who
the
in-

know no
those
ideal

other ambition but

money, but of

who
is

love beauty, and with

;

whom

a passion

the poverty of scientific

vestigators,

who

forget the hour that passes,

calls,

and the pleasure that

and, like hunters,

follow the steep paths and precipices after the

fascinating trail of the

unknown; the poverty

of the thinkers tormented

by the

infinite, solv-

ing the problems of the world and those of the

soul,

which are greater than of the world

the

poverty of those

who

are persecuted for truth

and

justice,

but

whom

nothing can

move be-

cause they fear nothing but cowardice

I

can never
I

tire

of admiring this kind of povin thinking of these difficult

erty.

remember

beginnings that Christ was poor, that

Homer

was poor, that Spinoza was poor, that Luther was poor, that Franklin was poor, that the most
exalted experiences of Claude Bernard

came

to

him

in a

damp

cellar of the College

de France,

and that the paternal house of Pasteur was a

little

farm

in the Jura.

DIFFICULT BEGINNINGS.

lOJ

After seeing these instances accumulate beneath

my
life

eyes,
is

almost
I

tremble for those

whose

easy.

fear for their

energy

in

the absence of effort; for their liberty, because

of the hard servitude which the conventionalities

and prejudices of the world lay upon them.

which
for

I fear for their heart,

want of

suffer-

may never know pity; for their judgment which may be warped and deceived by outward
ing appearances.
in the
It is better to

bring up children

workshops than before the shop winfor in the

dows
the

workshops they see the labour

of man, while in the windows they only see

result,
is

and the temptation to forget the

great.
It
is

labourer

a pity to forget the

peasant while eating our bread, the wood-cutter

while warming ourselves before the logs.
is

This

a temptation which

I fear for

those

who have

been brought up
way, have their
struck

in luxury.

These, too, in their

I

difificult

beginnings.

am

often

by this, and would give them this advice: Seek suffering; submit to labour.

Go and do your work

ble,

in the

world of the humprivileges,

and renounce for a while your

perils.

which are but so many

Become poor

I06

COURAGE.
It is

from choice.

not the same thing as to be

it is

poor from necessity, but

thing.
If life
calls

nevertheless some-

you

to

command, woe

to
if

you, and to them

who

are confided to you,

you have not

another under
self!

first

obeyed, sweated, groaned

!

beneath the burden

fire,

No man

should send

not having been there himI

And

from the young people

turn to

the fathers of the rich classes and say to them.

There are a number of excellent young people

in

your houses who are

full

of generous intenstuff necessary

tions, possessing within

them the
is

to
is

become men.
a
little

All that

lacking to
refuse
little

them

poverty.
it

this.

Although

You cannot may cost you a

them

anxiety

and uneasy
submit to
it.

solicitude,

you should make them

In the desert, or in the forest, the deer at

liberty lead a
life

full

of hazard and struggle.

the bullets of

The tempests break over them,

the hunters
threaten them,

hunger torments

them.
rule.

The

uncertainty of the
of

morrow
inured

is

the

Many
are

them

perish;

but those
to

who
all

survive
fatigue.

vigorous, warlike,

Take these

same deer and

assure

DIFFICULT BEGINNINGS.

107

them

against the

changes of the season, the

life;

dangers of their adventurous

comfortable stables
tion.
;

give

them

nourish them with discrewith plenteous

There they

are, at ease,

repasts and tranquil slumber, like the heirs of

rich families.

What becomes
soft, their

of them?

Their

tendons become
clear, their

eyes are no longer

courage disappears.
cowardly,

They become
vicious

flabby,
habits,
life.

awkward,

contract

the
and

result of ennui

and a too tranquil

their species,

If,

by chance, they reproduce

their offspring will

be only the shadow of their

parents,

in

the third or fourth generation,

from decadence to decadence, they will no longer be able to propagate their species.
have exterminated them.

Luxury

will

Human
mena.
for

life

presents exactly the

same phenobad

Too much

security and luxury are

man; he

requires certain privations, danarrive at his

gers,

and struggles to

normal

de--

velopment.
increases,
as

Under these conditions

well
as
his

his force

capacity for enjoy-

ment.
lies,

Open your

eyes and look at the fami-

the generations, the peoples of the world.

find
vitality,

Wherever you

enthusiasm, pro-

I08

COURAGE.
and mateit

gress, resources, moral, intellectual,

rial,

you

will

also find

effort;

but

often

happens that

families, like nations, forget this.

After a generation of hard workers, their successors come, find 'comfort too near them,
set about enjoying
is
it.

and

They

forget that there

difficulties to
is

no

life

except where there are

overcome, and that the only bread which

sweet
is

that

which we have earned.

in their ease,

Then
signs of

they slumber

and the

first

death are not long in making their appearance.

Do
will

not

let

us complain, then, too bitterly of

these difficult beginnings.

The day when they

have ceased

will

be the beginning of the

end.

VIII.

EFFORT AND WORK.

Soon rounded grows the back

of

him

Who
But

'neath no burden's

heavy

load,

o'er the spade, is forced to bend.

And
If

yet ere long the world

lift

would end,

he should seek to

his head.

Jean Aicard.

CHAPTER

VIII.

EFFORT AND WORK.

"

Work, and take

'T
is

great pains,

capital

which is least lacking."

The
is

fabulist forgot to

add that

this is exactly

the thing which costs us most.

Taking trouble

what each one seeks

to avoid, even

when

in

order to do so, he must add to that of others.

Along the sunny road where

little

am

walking, a

ass

is

dragging a
!

cart.

How

he applies

himself to his task

His short, quick steps, and

his strained muscles,

show the

effort that

he
is

is

making.

In the cart a large, robust

man
is

re-

clining on the vegetables

sell

which he
is

going to

in the city.

The man
little

heavier than the

ass,

and probably stronger.

How
;

he can sleep

there while the poor

is

beast struggles on
but, there
!

beyond

my
sits

comprehension
up.

he

wakes and

Now

all will

be right

He

has perceived, undoubtedly, that the road ascends, and that he would do well
to

get out

112

COURAGE.
takes his whip, gives several blows to

No; he
the ass,

and then
I feel

lies

down

again.

What

brute

a great desire to salute the poor,

animal.

courageous
way,

little

While

continue

my

this revolting

scene pursues me, aggravated

incidents

by many touching
recalls
;

which

my memory

for

such sights are not uncommon.

people recline and doze while the
!

How many

carriage ascends

and

it is

not always beasts of

beings,

burden, but sometimes

it.

human

who drag
where we

will explain.

In this world

live, I

effort,

many people who hate to make an and who are always ready to cast their
see

burdens on their neighbours' shoulders.

A great
for

number of cowardly deeds

mere sake of escaping
might almost believe that

are

done

the

trouble.

Indeed, one

effort is

one of the

greatest enemies of mankind, and the fear in-

spired

by

it

is

often so great
effort

that

when men

have to choose between

prefer

and shame, they

shame.

This

is

a grave mistake;
effort
life

we

have no better friends than

and work.

He who
does not

seeks to ameliorate his

by dimin-

ishing his share of activity as

much
is

as possible,

know what harm he

doing himself.

EFFORT AND WORK.

13

man

is

of value only in proportion to the

trouble

he takes.

He who
ass

does nothing
is

is

worth nothing.

An

who works

a king
fine

by the
ladies

side of an idle

man, despite those

and gentlemen who, when they speak of

"
!

the toilers, say with disdain, " Those persons

A certain
to neutralise

inertia,

one might almost say an

in-

fluence emanating from death, tends incessantly

and exhaust our

and every
it

vital force.

Iron

and
it

steel rust;

force,

no matter what

may

be, has beside

it,

a principle of destrucwill

tion

which attacks
itself

and
is

ruin

it

unless

it

defends
law.

Man

not exempt from this

against
rust

He must

struggle

by the
are con-

regular exercise of his faculties.

We

demned by an

inevitable

law to advance un-

ceasingly under penalty of falling into decay.

Movement
source of

is

not only a sign of

life;

it

is

life.

To

strengthen his muscles, to

carry his body, to learn to use his hands, his

eyes, to

become accustomed
his

to fatigue, to the

rigours of the seasons, to the struggle against

obstacles, to increase
intelligence

by

diffi-

cult exercise, to familiarise his will with

sition, to

oppo-

conquer

his desires, his emotions, his

14

COURAGE.
tame and
discipline his

passions, in a word, to

whole
tion of

being,

such
is

is

the noble preoccupa-

any one who aspires to become a man.

as

As soon
which,
ceives
as
I

he applies himself to

this task,

admit,

not without difficulty, he perit is.

how

fortifying

Man

fears exertion

he

fears contact with cold water;

but

if

he

will

conquer his repugnance,

profit

how much good

at first

and
tact!

he derives from the alarming confrightened

What

him

comes to

be

his delight.

He
who

is

only at ease in the use

of his forces, and in their free play.

stands
that

He

underin-

he

increases

his

power,

creases his capacity for enjoyment, augments

his

physical and

moral health;

and nothing
feel

seems more delightful to him than to

self
alert,

himthat

enthusiastic,

in

possession of

vivacity which

makes him ready

at all times to
is

give

of himself

What he

hates most

the

somnolence, the weakness, the stupid and heavy

ease of inaction.
nation,

This ease seems to him stag-

reminds him of the tomb, and nothing

frightens
tive

him so much
to

as that fine and destruc-

dust which settles over everything which

act,

has ceased

and
it.

slowly tarnishes

it,

smothers

it,

buries

EFFORT AND WORK. The

work
of
perfected form of effort
is

115
I

work.

would

compare the man who

to the fish

aspires to live without

who dreams
is,

of the draining

of the sea.
life;

Work
it

par

excellence, the

element

and

is

precisely for this reason that

we must

protest against the ordinary and low

conception which the majority of

men have
is

of

it.

Some

look upon work as a means of livelihood,

others as a marketable article, which

less the

more or
somevery
think

same thing; but work

is

really

thing different, and something more.

It is

easy to describe the attitude of those

it

who

a marketable article, or a
If

means of

livelihood.
it

work

is

only the means of livelihood,

is

evident that he
living can

who

has no need to earn his

it;

do without

and

that,

on the other

hand, he
living
sity

who is obliged to work to earn his will come to consider it a grievous necesin

and burden;

which

case,

his

work

is

hated or despised, and eventually he seeks to

escape from
it.

In this

way we succeed

in

creating in society two classes of incompetent

persons

the

first

are

those

who do

without

work because, through

inheritance, speculation,

happy chance,

or through the exploitation of

Il6
vice or theft, they

COURAGE.
have enough to
it

live

on

the

second
It is

class works,

is

true,

but reluctantly.

evident that between these two classes of

there
is

men

a wide difference:

the
its

first

are

parasites

on society, the others are

produc-

tive elements.

But what

sort of a slave is the

I

man who works

can understand

without loving his work!

how

man

should refuse to

perform certain tasks which are inhuman and

degrading, and which undermine his physical
health,

and lower
all

his

intelligence.

It

is

the

duty of

honest

men

to struggle constantly

against working oneself, or

in a

making others work,

and human dignity

way

detrimental to

life

but do we not arrive at this slavish labour precisely

by means of
work

the low conception

we have
on

of work in general?
the idea that
all
is

Any
life

society founded

would soon abolish

work that

killed.

What
article.

have said of work as a means of

livelihood, I shall say of

work
is

as a marketable

A marketable article
sold.

something that

can be bought and sold, and that can always

be bought and

When
for
it,

it

has been sold,

is

and the price paid

the transaction

EFFORT AND WORK.

ended.
I

117
con-

protest absolutely against this

arise

ception of work, whence can

only hate

and ingratitude.

It is

a disgrace to say to the

workman, "You

are paid for that,

;

and

owe
paid
its

you nothing more

"
I

and

it is

a disgrace to the

workman
to

to say,

^'

do

this because I
all

am

do

it."

Without doubt,

work deserves

compensation, and each .man should be able

to live

by

his labour;
all
is

but to pretehd that after

at

these dealings

an end,

is

to reduce

man
What

to the condition of a mercenary,

and to

deprive him of his character of a free citizen.

shall I

say?

It is

to degrade

him lower

than the nobler animals, and to put him on a

par with moll usks and oysters, which possess few

organs besides their stomachs.

Work

gives a

man

not only the right to

eat,

but the right to

be respected, an equal consideration with whoever works, his share of

all

that

is

human.

Let

no one talk to
might
lies

me

of the law of might.

in the

The

much more

hardness of our

hearts than in
to

any economic necessity according

is

which he who works most

If

always paid
merits
is

least.

we remember

that

buman labour

something more than

this cold pay,

which

Il8
often

COURAGE.
thrown
at a

man

rather than given, the

condition

of those whose

labour

is

crushing

would soon be changed.

As
I

for

him who

says,

"I

am

paid, therefore
for
that,

work,"

and who only works

sells

he

acknowledges that he
that his
interests

himself

He
If

avows

motive

is

money, and that what he does

no other reason.
he were

him

for

paid, he would do exactly the contrary.

in truth,
it is

And,
all,

thus that he reasons

!

" After

one must

live

"

This

is

what many people

say when they are criticised for the sort of work

they do, for their shameful commerce, for their

venality.

A
I

sneak thief said to

me
if I

one day^
paid you

"

You know

must

live."

"

Then

more than you can earn

" Certainly, Monsieur."

in this

way, would you

turn round and denounce other sneak thieves?"

He was

logical,

and he

who would
logical.

serve two hostile powers at the

still

same

time, taking pay from both, would be

more

This

is

the end to which the conception of

work

as a

means of livelihood and

as a saleable
to

article leads us.

Such ideas are a disgrace

like

mankind

They must be attacked

wild

EFFORT AND WORK.

beasts
;

19

and we must

disinfect ourselves against

them, as against the plague and cholera.

But

why

all

these considerations?
I
;

Why should

we
is

make them here ?

the mainstay of
life

wish to show that work

and, in order to do so,
all

we

must
just

first

get rid of

the unhealthy and unit,

notions which
its

deform

and hinder us

from recognising
After this
I

real character.

will

appropriate the

formula
I

which has been so badly applied, and

affirm that nothing
is

will

truer, as

has been said,

than that
for his

man must
lives

live,

and that

man works

life.

that a

man

The mistake consists in believing when he has sold himself for

little

a piece of bread, or for a

truth,
is

money;

for, in

he who does

this

is

twice dead.

To

live

equivalent to saying that one increases and

in

grows
in

every part of one's being, in one's heart,

intelligence,
in

one's

one's

conscience,
better
is

in

one's affections,

in all that

makes us

and
ac-

stronger; and in every domain, nothing

quired except
to us
grejit

by hard work, and nothing belongs

except by right of conquest.

Work

is

the

organ through which

man

assimilates his

nourishment; and the more elevated, compli-

120
cated,
tant

COURAGE.
and precious
his life
is,

the more impor-

becomes the kind of work he does.

life

And
is

the

with which we are concerned here

individual

not that of the

is

alone:

all

labour

done by the individual

for the benefit of the

world.

Whoever
fulfil
it

fulfils

any

useful

function

should

with his whole soul, feeling that

all.

he

is

working

for

Human

labour

is

a large

co-operation wherein everything, from the simplest

and most obscure manual labour to the most

complicated, and from the most elementary intellectual

efibrt

work

to the highest,

is

united in one

and converges towards one end.

for life
;

Hu-

manity works
for

that

is

to say, not only

existence,

but for truth, justice, benevoits

lence,
this

which are
is

flowers.

Whoever joins

in

work

by

this

work ennobled.
a beautiful

In this
to

immense labour which

the construction
of

we may compare
building,

he

should apply himself to his task with the same

pride, whether

he be mason, sculptor,

architect,

or plasterer.

Work man his

is

a great revelation.

It discovers to

dignity and the value of everything

EFFORT AND WORK.

that costs

I2I
is

him

pain.

The

idle

man

consumed

by

ennui.

He

despises others because he can-

not respect himself.

However sumptuous may

his useless

be the outside with which he covers

existence, a secret voice whispers to

him

that

he

is

at

bottom good

for nothing, or only

good

who works, the bee who gathers honey, the smith who strikes his anvil, the pupil who spells, every one who
to be

thrown away.

The

ant

works and

suffers,

pronounces on him as they

pass the sentence of death: "

He who

does not

work
sit

shall

not eat."

And though he
he

should

down

at laden tables,

dies of mental star-

The source of life is closed for him. On the other hand, he who works feels himself The at home in the immense living organism. movement of the whole encourages him and
vation.

sustains him, provided that he

effort is useful to the whole.

feels that

his

If

any one thinks

occupation
into

that

artistic

work

is

the

only
his

which permits.a man to put

his work,

whole soul

he deceives himself.
it

All work, pro-

vided that

be

intelligent, honest,

and

useful,

can be done with one's whole heart.

is

And

it

only under

this

condition that

it

becomes

122

COURAGE.
and to the labourer himif it is

profitable to society
self.

I
I

do not know

easy to understand
;

what
it is

am

trying to say here

but

know

that
it.

indispensable that one should understand

As for me, I know of nothing finer man who loves his work, who feels the
of
it,

than a
poetry

its

peculiar charm, and gives us the imthat

pression

he believes
this

in

it

while

achiev-

ing

it.

We

call

working with conviction.

idlers

The
a
is

sceptics

and

the

pronounce

this

word with a malicious

accent.

They confound

man who works

deceived.

with conviction with one

is

who

In reality, nothing

more inaccuis

rate than their opinion,

and nothing

greater

than the things they despise.

thing in
life is

The

essential

to arrive, despite fatigue,

little

annoy-

ance, and the thousand

contrarieties inher-

ent in each state, to a comprehension of the

inward meaning of the whole.

piness and consolation of
so
life.

This
I

is

the hapthis idea

have

much

at heart,

and

it

seems to

me
to

so impor-

tant,

that

you must

permit

me

repeat

it

once more, while making use of a

simile.

To

those

who look

at their

work only from

the outside, on the material and often

common-

EFFORT AND WORK.

place side,
ourless.
it

123

appears to them gloomy and colIt

It

seems to have no meaning.

value.
It is like

has

neither

charm nor

looking at

the windows of a church from the outside, at

the windows of old cathedrals that have grown

dark and dusty with time.

beneath
cross
terior.

Everything

is

lost

monotonous, formless grey.

But
in-

the threshold, and penetrate to the

Immediately the colours stand

forth,

the lines are seen, the tracery becomes evident

There

is

the marvellous play of the sun through

tri-

the sparkling stones, a feast for the eyes, a

umph

of

art.

This

is

the case with

at
it

human
inside.

activity.

We

must look

from the

We

must try

to penetrate sufficiently far into

our career, our vocation, to perceive through

the forms which,

from without, seemed dim,

falls

the effects of a light which

heights.

from the eternal

Through

all

human

effort,

through the long

and patient ingenuity of man and the obstacles of all kinds

which he has encountered,

to divine in part the secret

the labourer

comes

meaning of

history.

The

great

work of the

centuries can only interest

him who takes part

124
in
it.

COXJKAGK

And
effort

further, the soul

of creation only
perceives every-

reveals itself to the toiler.

He

where

and hope, and comes to under-

stand the meaning of one of the most beautiful

mottoes which the wisdom of the centuries has

found
I

Fac

et spera !

" Work and hope 1 "

would be easier to count

stop here without having said all that I

It

should like to say.

the stars than to enumerate the splendours of

work.

It is sufficient for

me

to have indicated

them.
stand

Experience alone can make one underthe profound

peace, the courage, the
is filled,

exuberant joy with which the heart

wben one

drinks from this animating and gen-

erous source.

IX.

FAITHFULNESS.

die

where

my heart is. Old Device.

who
forget!

Woe

to those

They not only

are, nor

lose

the

value of their experience, but the sentiment of their individuality.

are worth.

Edgar

They know not who they

Quinet.

what they

CHAPTER

IX.

FAITHFULNESS.

Some one

has thus summarised the line of

life
:

conduct of a noble human

through darkness to the

light,

we must walk of which we

the major:

have caught but a momentary glimpse.

This
ity,
is

scarcely the

programme of

which might thus be formulated

to

con-

ceive a
first

mass of

ideas, to

approve and exalt

one and then the other according to the

of the moment,
to

caprice or interest

make
all

schemes and plans, only to abandon them

and pass to others.

The
painters

great majority of

men resemble
finished

those

who have never

portfolios

picture.

They have
sketches.

and studios

filled

with

If these sketches even revealed

!

any

unity of purpose

But
artist

this

is

exactly what
successive
of

they lack.

The

has

made

essays in most opposite styles.

these beginnings

And none

show any advance over

their

128
predecessors.

COURAGE.
There
is

nothing but chaos and

life,

incoherence.
fortunate

At

the end of such a

the un-

man

looks back and generally com-

plains of his

bad luck or of an unappreciative

sees

world.

He

with

bitterness

that

others,

with less talent than himself, have succeeded, while he, with
all

his ideas
it,

and genius,

for

he

always thinks he has

has arrived at nothing.

There are a few who perceive that the enemy

of which they complain resides in their

own

bosom

but

it is

too late to take advantage of

life

this discovery:

they cannot begin

a sufficient

anew.

And
wisdom.

yet

men have
their

number of
teach

examples

before

eyes

to

them
Na-

The

patient and unswerving efforts which

ture gives to her

work are so many lessons.

Her

evolution

is

accomplished with

irresistible slow-

ness and logic.

Everywhere we perceive tenacity

;

and sequence
I

never any interruption or haste.

am

seated on the shore of the ocean.

left

The
piles

sand

by the waves
it

dries in the sun

and then and

the wind sweeps

it

up, grain

by

grain,

slowly into immense dunes until they

become
work

veritable mountain chains.

What

careful

FAITHFULNESS.
It is

29

coarse, however,

compared with Nature's

formation of crystals, vegetables, and animals.

Nothing

is

accomplished without
forces,

this rigorous

economy of
able calm.

each one
its

fulfilling its office

and converging towards

end with imperturbseek to dissipate

it

Why

should a
it,

man

his energy, to divide

to destroy

by lack of
Let us do
foolish
it

continuity?

Let us have unity

in

our

lives.

few things and do them well.

How
will

seems to say
I

this

People
to

wonder why
long

dip
n't

pen

in

ink

write

such platitudes.
this for a

Has

the whole world

known

time?
it.

This

is

exactly the unfortunate part of

it,

All the world knows

to
it.

and nobody

lives

up

We

continue to dissipate our

until

intelli-

gence and good-will

we no
so
I

longer perceive
ehall not allow

any

eff"ect

from them.

And

myself to be cried down by those

the terrifying

who invoke

a fixed idea, and I wish to

name of M. de La Palisse. I have make others underfixed idea

is

stand
is

it.

My

that steadfastness

the indispensable quality of every

man who
I

one day does not wish to be obliged to say: "

have wasted

my

life."

I30

COURAGE.

man

should not incessantly change with

every impression of the moment, but should

remain steadfast when he has once determined

upon what
if

is

right.

Of what
fruits,

use are the flowers

they do not produce

and of good ideas

if

they are not transmuted into deeds?

stability,

We

must encourage

habituate

ourselves

to remain constant, and

when we

are sure that

we

are right,

must

fortify ourselves against in-

vasion.

Do

not

let criticisms

or attacks disturb

you.

Nothing

is

so difficult as to remain faithful.

At each

step of the

way

outside influences are

brought to bear upon us to

retrograde.

make

us deviate or

And
it

if

there were only difficulties

;

from without,

would not matter so much

but

there are those from within.

vacillate.

Our

dispositions

We

promise one thing with the best

;

intentions in the world

to

but

when the time comes

keep

it,

everything

is
;

changed,

the circumwe had

forewill fulfil

stances,

men, ourselves

and what duty demands

of us seems so different from what

seen, that

we

hesitate.

Those who

on

a rainy

day a promise which they have made

far

on a sunny one, are few and

between.

And

FAITHFULNESS.
SO

131

we go on
it

casting our hearts to the four winds,

it

giving

and taking

back again, breaking with

look behind, we no

our past, separating ourselves from ourselves, so

to

speak.

And when we

longer recognise ourselves.

in the

We
is

see ourselves

days that are past as a stranger, or rather This

the

as several strangers.

more

heart-

breaking as
for stability.

man

has at bottom a great desire

is

This traveller

ever seeking a

home

he covets a fatherland.

From

the perlife

petual mutability of the conditions of

derives an impression of melancholy.

he

To have
is

a corner where he can lay his head, some place

where he can

settle

down and

take root,
his

the

dream which he brings back from

grinations.

pere-

But

to gain this,
his

he must build his

house and

cultivate

garden; he must have

his love, his faith, his work, to justify his pas-

sage here below and enable him to lead a useful

life

and die

in peace.

There

is

nothing like a steadfast man, one in

whom you
who can be

can have confidence, one

found at his post,

trusted

who is who arrives punctually, and when you rely on him. He

133
is

COURAGE.
in gold.

worth his weight

You

can take your

is

bearings from him, because he

sure to be
else.

where he ought to be, and nowhere

niajority of individuals,

The

on the contrary, are sure

to

be anywhere but where they ought to be.

to take

You have only

tions to

them

into

your calculaare change-

be deceived.

Some

of

them

able from wealjness of character;

resist attacks, insinuations,

they cannot
all,

and, above

can-

not remain faithful to a lost cause.

in_jt^heir

A defeat
fact

eyes^

is

a demonstration of the

that their

adversary was right and that they

were wrong.

When

they see their side

fail,

instead of closing
to the

up the ranks, they go over

the winning side,

enemy.

These are the men who are

and not

always

found on

in their hearts

would be found the courageous

causa diis placuit, sed victa

device

Victrix

Catoni.

But there are others who are

ity.

fickle

from van-

It

seems to them poor

it is

taste not to change.

;

First,

because

monotonous
it is

and

in the secintelli-

ond

place, because

a sign of limited

gence.

man

of intelligence,

who

has

many

resources, cannot be content with one idea, one

FAITHFULNESS.
work;
to

133

be the champion of one cause.

He

must make the world believe that he has more

than one string to his bow.

There
tacked
:

is

one kind of

fidelity that is daily at-

this is veracity.

To

break one'sjKord

is

rather a sign of aiLopen minii_than of a low

and dishonest

soul.

talented musician

who

respects himself would not be willing to play

only one tune.

the manner.
one's word,

He
in

changes both the tune and

I_regret that an ability to break

fail
is

one's engagements, betray

one's friends,

often described as clever, in a

time when

cleverness

passes
,

for

one of the
is

greatest qualities_ of man.

sult of a

All this
I

the resuffi-

profound cause which

:

cannot

ciently stigmatise

this cause

is

the debasement

of man's promise.
ple

What

is

a promise for peo-

who

pass their days in making promises?

When

a thing has

been abused to

this point,

it

loses all value.

How
put
his

can you expect that a

gossip should

whole soul

into

each

word he speaks?
does
its

He

drops his words as a tree

dead leaves, and forgets them as soon

as they are fallen.

We

are so accustomed to
that a thing once

the emptiness of promises

134
said
is

COURAGE.
no longer sacred.

Our word

is

no longer

respected as a part of^ ourselves.

is

That a word
it

a deed, and that after having given

its

we

should become

slave, is

an idea that

is

going

more and more out of

of things
is

fashion.

And

this state

a source of weakness.

am

humiliated to be obliged to speak of

another virtue, the sister of veracity; namely,

honesty.
It

becomes

as difficult to

speak of

either as to talk of the rope in the

house of a
in fact,

man who
pay
I

has been hanged.

Honesty,

has been limited to the sonorous

to
it

homage we
Honesty
and
for

in

words only.

am

not a pessimist

by

nature.

exists, I
it

know.
I

We
I

have a thousand proofs of

it,

daily.

am

delighted to recognise

the good which

do not see consoles

see too

me

the

many

infamies which I
is

clearly.

But what frightens me

that honesty

seems

to be out of fashion with us,

and that many

think that to be honest has an air of imbecility,

and no longer believe

others
is

in

it

because they judge

also frightens

by themselves.

What

me

the co-existence, in the minds of

many men

FAITHFULNESS.

135

who

pass for honest, and are so in part, of two

different standards of morality.

We

have a morality

for

Sunday, which

is

upright, has clean hands, and would disdain to

keep a penny that belonged to others, or to

commit one

indelicate

act

And

this

is

the

morality Which
it

we teach
up

to our children.

But
daily

seenis rather tdo exalted for our

own

use.
like

We

shut

it

in

our chests and closets,

our precious plate Which

we use only on

feast-days,
spect.

and surround

it

with prbfound re-

For ordinary use we have an every-day

morality, accommodating, flexible, elastic, which

allows us to profit

by sharp bargains and get

out of scrapes.

have seen astonishing things,

and what distressed me most was that no one

else

thought them astonishing.

Here

is

one

instance

among

a thousand.

An

honest

man

finds himself, after a series of misfortunes, in a

compromised

situation.

If

he pays

all

that he

Owes, he can liquidate his debts and emerge

with a lost fortune, but with a clear conscience;

He

can

also,

by means of

certain

easy and
his affairs

customary combinationsj so arrange

as not to

pay

everything, and so keep a pretty

136
slice for

COURAGE.
himself and his family.
;

His character
he chooses the

does not allow him to hesitate

first

method.

Very

well;

this

man

is

called

before the tribunal of his friends, of his neighbours, of his children, of his wife, and treated

by them

as a fool, "

bad economist, a father

You wish to bring us to the And what will your daughters do workhouse And who will receive if they have no dowry? us when they know that we have lost everywithout pity.
!

thing?

Do you

believe that your creditors will

etc.

be grateful?"
is

etc.,

Here
is

is

man who

despised,

and who, because he wished to

remain upright, loses what

his

more precious than

and consideration But the very perso

fortune,

the

affection

of those belonging to him.

sons who now
praises
treat

him

badly sang the

interests

of honesty

when

their

were

not in jeopardy.

That was the time

for their

Sunday

morality.

To-day they make use of the

cats,

other kind.

to the occasion,

They are like show you

who, according

their velvet

paws or
between
real-

their sharp claws.

A profound

duplicity, a discrepancy

words and deeds, between appearance and


FAITHFULNESS.
ity,

137

a sort of moral dilettantism which

makes

us according to the hour sincere or hypocritical,

brave or cowardly, honest or unscrupulous,

this
is

the disease which consumes us.

What

moral force can germinate and grow under these

conditions?

We

must again become men who

have only one principle, one word, one work,

one lovej
This
there
is

in a

word,

men

with a sense of duty.

the source of power.

And

without this

is

only the phantom of a man, the unstable

sand,

and hollow reed which bends beneath

;

every breath. Be faithful

this

is

the changeless

northern star which will guide you through the

vicissitudes of
life,

through doubts and discour-

agements, and even mistakes.

X.

GAIETY.

Vous

irez

devant vous,

non sans buter aux pierres,

vos pleurs sous vos paupiferes,

Non
Mais
Et,

sans raeurtrir vos pieds aux ronces du chemin,

vaillants, refoulant

la

plume, ou

I'outil,

ou

le

glaive k la main,

Le cerveau toujours clair, le coeur toujours huraain, Ayant contre la vie k certains jours m^chants L'id^al qui sourit et la muse qui chante
!

Francois Fabi^.

You pursue your way,

stones,

not without stumbling against

feet

Not without hurting your

road.

from the roughness of the

tears that spring to

But courageously, pressing back the

your eyes, With your pen, your instrument, or your sword in hand, Your mind clear and your heart kind,

An

Having with you, as a charm against evil days, ideal that smiles at you, and a muse tliat sings.

CHAPTER
GAIETY.
I

X.

WOULD

not hurt the feelings of those

I

who

weep

for anything in the world.

I

would rather

weep with them.

ity

know

too well what

human-

owes

to grief to experience

any sentiments

in its

presence but those which are expressed This

on bended knees and with joined hands.

being understood,
I

shall

be able to speak

my

opinion freely and to break a lance with the

enemies of gaiety.

picture Beneficence to myself with a smiling

countenance, animated by an inward serenity

which triumphs over

and even over
its

all

the difficulties of
trials.

life,

severest
to

And
brilliant

evil

appears

me

morose, with a

dismal countenance that darkens even the

joys.
It
is

most

repugnant to

me

to see

righteousness wearing the livery of night,

and

143

COURAGE.
in

going about attired

black.

Black

is

the

symbol of pessimism, the sign of nothingness.

Consequently
I distrust

those

gloomy

moralists

who preach righteousness with a sinister mien. They seem to me like brooms covered with dust,
which
spoil

what they were meant to cleanse.

I

And what
a righteous
it

say of these moralists applies

all

equally well to
life.

those

who

are trying to lead

air
!

Discard your sombre

Is

not fitting that the gay

humour of brave men

should bear perpetual witness to the splendour

of righteousness?
It is

a singular

way of honouring
it it

duty,

that

of seeming to drag
instead of wearing

through

life

as a burden,

as a crown.

A
in

long and

mournful countenance would lead one to suppose that you lacked confidence
victory of good, or that
evil distractions

the final

you

still

regretted the

and forbidden pleasures which

you have renounced.

There are a thousand good reasons why you
should allow the ideal which you serve to pierce

through even the most serious cares.

Above

all, I

love a courageous gaiety,

one
and

that can accomplish great deeds with smiles

GAIETY.
song, that gaiety of the soldier
best of everything, seasons

143

who makes

the

his

thin porridge

with a joke, laughs over his primitive bed, the

inclemency of the seasons,

?ind

hums

the tunes

of his native country while firing his gun.

gaiety
is

This

attractive,

is

inspiring.

Indeed,
this

when

you see people

carried

aw^y by
a,nd

enthusiasm,

you can but envy them,

their

long to follow in
I

footsteps

and imitate them.

do not
touches
it

know why

this disposition of the soul

me

as well as inspires me.

I

Perhaps
it

is

be-

cause

have often witnessed

in

most trying

moments.

Here

is

a family

who

is

suffering the greatest

anxiety on account of an operation which one

of
its

members

is

to undergo.

arrived.

The

physicians are

The hour has They apthere.

if

proach the patient.

Will you think them frivoif

lous and hard-hearted

they are cheerful;

they conquer the heavy atmosphere of anxiety

that rests over the house, and their

own

fears,

and the numerous preoccupations which possess

them;

if

they go to the invalid with smiles,

with comforting words, with a gay humour?

Would you say

that these physicians were hard-

144
hearted,

COURAGE.
and had no sympathy for the poor

creature
tear?
well,

whose

flesh

they are about to cut and

Will you not rather think that they do

and be grateful to them

for their gaiety

as for a

good deed?
relations in a

When the
the
is

household are strained,

members of

different opinions,

and a storm

about to break, would you be angry with any

one who was calm, and discussed the burning

questions at issue with delicate tact, and thus

avoided an explosion?

One day after a httle matinde given by some young people, two old women, who were very
poor,

came

to

me

with tears

in their

eyes to
It

thank
is

me

"

We

have laughed so
so.

heartily.
is
!

years since

we laughed
existence
is

It

difficult

to live

when

so hard

"

Then

understood that we must place Moli^re and

Labiche among the benefactors of mankind,

and
to

all

those who, like them, have

smile,

make poor mortals

In reality, gaiety

known how who weep so

the triumph
It is

often.
is

a triumph:

of mind over material obstacles.

a ray of

sunshine on a stormy day; a happy messenger

GAIETY.

145
all
is

who comes
of
all

to

tell

us that
will

not

lost,

that

hope remains, and

things.

remain always

in spite

Let us here consider

for a

moment
to

all

those

timid and querulous persons and that large of the crabbed

army

who pretend

have the mo-

nopoly of seriousness, and who only caricature

it.

What do
disputes,

these people

do ?

They

embitter

all

and make every situation worse.

They augment discord by their murmurs and complaints. They drown themselves on dry land. They throw sand into the machinery,
where gaiety drops
oil.

When men
any painful

of this

stamp meet together

in

situation,

instead of co-operating with one another they

accuse every one, cry out against

men and God, What and finish by censuring one another. ridiculous creatures they are, and how imporThere are days
were created
nature had
it

tant they think themselves!

when
for

would seem

as if the world

their annoyance,

and that

all

entered into a conspiracy against their serenity.

" Such things only happen to us
!

These things
of

happen on purpose
life,

"

In

every situation

they think themselves misplaced.

To how

146

COURAGE.
better

much
ions

advantage they would have apelse,

peared somewhere

with chosen compan-

who were more worthy of them! They do not know how to be rich or poor, well or Coming in contact with them ill, sad or gay.
is

like

coming

in

contact with

a porcupine,

while they regard themselves as so

fortunate victims, so

many

un-

many

pariahs

whom
!

every

one avoids.

Young
a
spirit is
is
it

people, do not imitate

them

Such

the worst sort of impediment.

Not

only

unproductive
it.

itself,

but

it

sterilises

everything about

Let

me recommend

gaiety to you.

It

knows

how

to be at ease everywhere.
It is

It is cheering,

enterprising, pliant.

not blind to obstacles.

with a continual flow

iLhas nothing

in

common

of pleasantry, nor with that stupid optimism or

naifve

contentment of material people

:

to say
filled,

"

My

friends, I
I
!

have eaten
satisfied,

drunk

till

am
"

who seem till I am may the uniIt

verse

make merry
it

But

if

gaiety perceives

obstacles,

knows how
at
it

to conquer them.

has
spare

many means
its

its is

command, does not

not

fatigue;

discouraged

by

GAIETY.
wasted
efforts,

147
the
rare
art

and

knows

of

beginning over.
It
is

the duty of every

state

man

to cultivate

a
to

moral

which

will
life.

render him equal

the emergencies of

To devote

ourselves

to both our corporal and spiritual re-creation,

is

not only our privilege, but our duty.

oil

We
light.

must renew the

the glass, or
Recreation,
all
it

in

our lamp and polish

will

soon cease to give

innocent

pleasure,

distractions

of

kinds,

must not be relegated

to the cateutilitarians

gory of the superfluous, where the

would so gladly banish them, but

classed with the necessary.
It is

must be
for

bad
all

man

to pursue his labour until he loses

pleasure

and joy

in

it,
it.

and renders himself incapable of

continuing

Learn to husband your forces;

stop sometimes, in order to start again with a

firmer step; learn the art of amusing yourself

and amusing others

it

is

one of the sweetest

privileges of humanity.

And do
whose

not imbibe any scruples from persons

is

virtue

gloomy, who know not how to

chil-

laugh heartily, or sing gayly, or become

dren again for an hour by laying aside the

148

COURAGE.
of

garments

worldly conventions.
fear:
it

Cultivate

joy without

is

a source of strength

which God has created

wise

for brave hearts.

Other-

we would be obliged
life,

to admit that all the

smiles,

good things of
were made

its

and whatever

relaxes our nerves, cures our spleen, clears our

ideas,

for the wicked, the idle, the

men

of

evil lives,
all

who abuse

life's

enjoyments

and degrade

that they touch.

Would
is

it

not be absurd to believe this?

secret

Gaiety

the

of the courageous, and

one of

their
it,

recompenses.

They alone

really
it.

know

as

they alone are worthy to

know

XI.

MANLY HONOUR,

A UN JEUNE HOMME.
Lorsque
la chair

gouverne

et

que

I'instinct rebelle

Donne

k la volupt^ le sceptre de I'amour, L'dme, vers les bas-fonds entratn^e k son tour, roule avec la chair et s'y fl^trit comme elle.

est maitresse, et d'un coup de son aile Loin des brouillards dpais monte jusqu'au grand jour, Elle ennoblit tout I'etre, en son royal s^jour, Et prete au corps lui-meme une beautd nouvelle.
fort, sois fier, sois homme, et, sans la devancer, Attends I'heure sacr^e ou tu pourras presser Sur ton sein restd vierge une chaste compagne

Mais quand Tame

Sois

Et I'dtoile du soir, blanche au bord du ciel bleu, Vous renverra I'dcho de la sainte montagne " Heureux sent les coeurs purs, parce qu'ils verront Dieu." Annde des Poites, 1892. (Sans nom d'auteur.)

When

the flesh governs, and our rebellious instincts

love.

Hand over to voluptuousness the sceptre of The soul in its turn is dragged down And wallows, and with the flesh is defiled.
But when the soul

is mistress, and with the stroke of her wings Flies far above the dense clouds into the clear air. She exalts the whole creature by her regal presence, And lends even to the body a new beauty.

Be strong, be proud, be a man, and do not The holy hour when you shall press

anticipate

To

your virgin heart a chaste companion

evening
star,

And the

pale on the edge of the blue heavens, Will repeat to you the echoes of the holy hills " Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."

CHAPTER

XI.

MANLY HONOUR.
Is
for
lie
it

true that

honour has a

different

meaning

men and women?

principally in her
It

Does woman's honour

in his

modesty and man's

courage?

does not displease

me

to

make
this

this distinction,

and to acknowledge that

I

may be
Is
it

true.

But then

beseech

men

to

keep

themselves pure for the sake of their courage.

not more manly to be able to resist one's

desires

and govern them than to be

Is
it

at

their

mercy?
gles

good preparation

for the strug-

and

perils of life to

begin by capitulating

to sensuality, and holding out our vanquished

arms to

it,

and bearing

its

yoke forever

after

with the docility of slaves?

Is not

sensuality,

on the contrary, rather a

favourable soil for the growth of every vice ?

One
in

of the most respected teachers of youth

our time, and one

who

certainly could not

152

COURAGE.

be suspected of monastic ideas, used to say to

his

young
in

disciples:

"If the opportunities of

exercising your wills

rare

seem

to

you

to be too
is

your ordinary existence, here

an

excellent occasion for practice:

try to govern

yourselves honourably
to
love.

in

all

things

relating
will

Seek

to remain chaste.

You
effort,

strengthen your wills

by constant

and

your

vital

power

will

be increased by your
dissipation."
all

restraint instead of

weakened by
I

This
heart.

is

counsel which

echo with

my
not

do not underrate the number of strug-

gles, the

amount of heroism,

the word
I

is

too strong,

which

will

be required
it.

by the

youth who seeks to follow from myself the

difficulties,

do not hide
only after
over

even the disadvanit

tages, of such an effort.

And
I

is

turning the delicate problem over and

again in

my

mind, that

resolved to advocate

this austere line of conduct.

will feel

More than one

it.

he has not the courage to adopt

Others

will

be conquered
Others again

after
will

hard and vain

struggles.

deride the idea

as Utopian, and cite the physicians, not to

tion the cynics

men-

and

scoffers.

But when there

MANLY HONOUR.
is

53

only one road possible,

cannot point out

this

a second.
possible
!

And God
Chastity

be praised that
possible for a
it;

one

is

is

young man

who has

the courage to elect

and from the

physical point of view, the

great majority of

physicians will

tell

you

that the disadvantages

of

it

are not

nearly so great as those of the

opposite policy.

Moreover, we have only to

look at the youth about us.

dition of our

The physical conleaves

young men

much

to be

desired in
is

all

classes of society,

and exuberance
characteristic.

certainly

not

the dominant
it

Under what regime could

the conservation of

be cultivated to

better purpose than under one

all

which looked to

one's vital forces ?

From
is

the point of view of morality, the answer

vious.

ob-

For the sake of

gratifying the desires

of an hour a

man

should not lower his dignity

will

and enter upon a path where he posed

to

be ex-

such

degrading

compromises
matter

and
legiti-

shameful

possibilities.

No
in

how
be,
it

mate

this

need of our nature

may
its

must

be restrained

and

kept

proper place.

Woe

to the

man whose

appetite governs him,

and whose

intelligence, conscience,

and dignity

54

COURAGE.

give

way

before

it

Under

all

circumstances

it

is better to suffer

than to degrade oneself.

have always thought that to have a low

opinion of masculine honour was a curious

way
go
not

of proving oneself a man.

a
little

would

like to
is

further.

What

recommend

monastic chastity.

Those

who

practise that,
I,

seek to correct Nature,

whom

they despise.

on the contrary, would follow her while respecting her.

Of

all

the mysteries which the Su-

preme Will

has

placed

in

us,

none

is

more

inscrutable than
life
is

life itself.

The

transmission of
It
is

confided to our care.

I

from

this

point of view that

would
is

like to

make every

youth

realise that

he

a man, and feel a noble

pride in the fact and a profound sense of the

responsibility resting
life
is

on him.

The source
If each

of

not ours alone.

it,

We

have no right to
it.

disturb

defile

it,

or confiscate

one

of

-us

owes himself to

his country,

and to huhe who

manity, from
if

whom

he has received everything

himself most
is

the

man who honours

consecrates his intelligence, his labours, his fortune, his influence, to his country and to the
salvation of his fellows,

he must not lose sight

MANLY HONOUR.
of the fact that
all

155

this activity

has for

its

aim

and principle,

life.
if,

What purpose would your

by profaning
the sources of
indis-

best deeds serve

life,

you sinned against a good that was

pensable to the very existence of others?

forget too easily the sanctity of
life.

We
helps

It

man

to feel respect

for himself, to feel that

it

life

proceeds from God, and that

gathers

up
he
in

in itself all the pain of the past

and hope of
this,

the future.
willingly

When
it

a a

man

understands

sacrifices

fleeting

gratification

order to keep
to transmit
it

pure, strong, invincible, and

it.

undefiled as he received

Hitherto we have only considered the subject

from the man's point of view.

But the problem

it

grows more complicated when we study

from

the point of view of the man's conduct towards

the

woman.

And

as

we

are considering

it

as

a question of courage, no one will

contradict

me when
love.

I affirm that

courage

is

the sister of
is

AH

that

is

opposed
that

to love

opposed

to courage.

Each time

you commit a deed

but towards
true love
is

contrary to true love, you are guilty of cowardice,

not only towards

yourself,

the

woman.

In

proportion as

156

COURAGE.
mere passion
is

generous, kind, and devoted,

cunning, cruel, calculating, and egotistical.

is

It

not generous to contribute to the degradation

of a

woman even

if

she be

respectable of her kind in

is

among the least common eyes. She

it

always a

to kick a

woman and dead man who

;

just as

is

cowardly
feel
it,

can no longer

so

it is

cowardly to add a jot to the shame of

if

any
she

creature, even
is

she be fallen so low that

no longer conscious of it.

not generous to accept and take advan-

It is

tage of the love of a pure

young

girl

and play
her,
his

with her sentiments,

if

one does not love

and has no intention of making her share

life.

am neither
But

partial

nor pessimistic, and

have

no reason to exalt the

the man.
I

woman
avow

at the

expense of
life.

cannot avoid observing

that there
is

And

am

forced to

one

chapter wherein

woman shows

herself to be

man's superior in the matter of generosity and

sacrifice: this
is

the sad chapter of forgotten

and betrayed
see

love.

There, on the one side,

much

naYve confidence, forgetfulness of

self,

and true tenderness; on the other, many

fair

MANLY HONOUR.

57

promises, odious betrayals, cold and despicable

calculations.

A man does
by going
shots.

not clear himself of such shame

into the field

and giving sad proof of

his manliness with a few sword-thrusts or pistol-

The

best measure of a

man
I

is

his con-

duct towards woman.

These are a few points which

consideration of

submit to the
are not indif-

young men who

ferent to these questions, and

that they can

remain honourable
all

who do not men

think while

trampling under foot

that
is

honour holds
very sure of
its

most

dear.
It

Vulgar morality
proclaims
its

opinion.
tity,

cynical ideas

on chasask

woman, and
I

love with admirable assurance.

fruits

But

judge by the

of

its

doctrines

an explanation of the world of degradation,

suffering, violence,
It

and despair which

itself.

it

creates.

cannot find a word to justify

Let us turn
I

to

more

cheerful considerations.

am

going to speak of the compensations

reserved for those

who
if

respect themselves and

women.
for

Though,

there were no recompense

the privations

accepted for

the sake of

158

COURAGE.
I

honour,

should

still

see

no way to avoid

them.

But these recompenses

and the greatest of
that
is
all,

exist.

There

is

one,

which never

fails,

and

the consciousness of having done right:

is

a lasting pleasure which

well worth a man's

passing gratification.

But there are

others.

In the

first

place, all

desires conquered transmute themselves into joy

in living, the faculty of

being happy.

"

Pure

love

is

a fountain of poetry, joy, enthusiasm, as

well as of practise

power and courage.

chastity belongs

To

those

who

manly

pre-eminently

the secret of virtue.

Virtue

is

but the epitome

of

all

the qualities that flourish in this high and

'T
is

holy atmosphere.

here

we

find steadfast,

unconquerable hearts, far-seeing eyes, arms that

are capable of dealing mighty blows.

To my

mind, this concentrated vigour, this proud consciousness of dignity and strength,
is

the greatest

recompense of
I

all."

go

still

further,

and affirm that no love

exists

except for the chaste, not only because

they alone

know how

to love

who

can, if

need

be, sacrifice pleasure to love, but because chas-

MANLY HONOUR.
tity is the

159

condition of love.
this

Much
is

that

is

called

by

beautiful

name

but a vain

shadow.

People say, venal

love, as if the

two

words did not cry out

to find themselves side

is
is

by

side

Where
exists.

there

venality, there

is

no
it

love.

As soon

as love

bought and

sold,

no longer

So one says, sensual

love,

ignorant that one might as well say, stale wine

or dead

fire.

We
is

can never affirm too explicitly that youth

the dupe of this sensuality which promises

it

what

cannot give.

This

is

one of the most

incontrovertible
tivism.
is

refutations

of so-called posi-

Love exacts the

is

entire
its

man, and what

noblest in us

most to

liking.

To

try to

limit

the
is

innate

luxuriance of this sentiment,

itself,

which
fines

a world in
is

to the

narrow con-

of sensation,
in

like

trying to place the

ocean

the hollow of a child's hand.

And

yet what
erable

man

is

seeking through
is

all

these mis-

makeshifts
all

true

love.

One might

almost say that

his

the errors of man, and even

corruptions, are

only distorted manifestalies

tions

of a profound need which

at

the

bottom of every human heart:

the need of

l60

COURAGE.

loving and of being loved.

The poet

has said,

and he never spoke more truly:

those

" If you wish to be loved, respect your love.'' I

wish

might persuade

all

young
is

persons

who

read these pages, that love

that

the
first

conquest of the valiant; be worthy of

it,

one must

and that one becomes so only

by remaining pure.
and respects
ness
is

For the man who loves

world of intimate happiprofane

love, a

opened where the

may

not

enter:
fills

a look, a clasp of the hand, a flower,

equal.

him with a joy which has no

Love

reveals

itself to him as the great mainspring

of

life,

as the inexhaustible source of beauty,

benevolence, poetry.

More than

this,

when

man

is

capable of

love and worthy to be loved, there remains at

the bottom of his heart, even during times of

misfortune, neglect, absence, and

the

greatest

sorrow,
like

divine

ray,

a penetrating perfume,

a breath of the

spring

breeze

playing

among
life

the flowers and trees.

The
is

spring of

flows within

him, and he

not at the
:

mercy of things without.

"

He

can say

My

heart hangs no

more on the rays

of the sun."

MANLY HONOUR.
Compared
by
use,

l6l

to these treasures
is

which increase
merely sensual

of what value

the

gratification of those

who

respect neither

women
its

nor their

own persons?

We

can appraise

value by studying their countenances, their discourse, their lives,

ness,

made up of vulgarity,
Love,

weari-

and indifference.
it;

they
said

do not
it.

believe in
that

they have never known

Like

great philosopher

who

is

to

have

scoured the heavens with his telescope without

finding God, they affirm that love
is

a chimera.

For them the fountain of

cistern or a foul sewer.

life is

only an empty

II

XII.

THE FEEBLE.

CHAPTER

XII.

THE FEEBLE.

While
those

writing these pages for the benefit of

are trying to

who
it,

become men; while

urging them to cultivate their strength, to hus-

band

to discipline their nature, to respect in

life,

themselves the sources of

stantly

-I

have con-

made one

sad reservation.

An

inward

voice whispered to

me

This

is all
is

very well for

the attribute

those

who

are healthy.

Power

of people

who

are well.

But what can you do

with the sick, the infirm, with those

whom
that

an

obscure and sad destiny has condemned to languish?

I

might have

said,

after

all,

if I

succeeded in persuading a few strong youths

to

arm themselves

for

the

combat,

would have been accomplished, and

pense complete.

my end my recomso,
it

But

have refrained from

have done
is

using this argument.

If I

not from a sentiment of commiseration

for those

whose existence

is

one long pain.

This senti-

66

COURAGE.
it

ment possesses me,

us

is

true

and

know no

more agonising problem than by

it

that presented to

mutilated, broken, and deformed youth.

is

But

precisely because I
I

have sought to
have discerned
If these
frail

penetrate this darkness that

therein certain glimmers of light.

pages
hands,

should ever

fall

between certain

under certain eyes that have often wept,

should

be very happy
brought a
It
is

if

they were understood and

little

light
it

my

conviction, and I have brought

back from the land of misery, as one picks the

flower of hope on the edge of a precipice,
is

it

my

conviction, then, that the feeble have a

spring of moral force.

sources
fail,

And when
I

all

other

this

one, like the source of tears,

does not cease to flow.

creatures

would say to certain

who seem

to

be crushed beneath their

helplessness, that they exercise a function of the

highest importance, and that their weakness

a

is

power of which the strong have need.

This

might be some comfort to them.

Let us notice,
in

the

first

place, that the

man

who

is

excluded from ordinary social

inter-

course by

some grave

infirmity

is

not necessa-

THE FEEBLE.
rily

167

excluded from humanity.

On

the contrary,

he turns with greater energy towards man's

common

origin.
it.

His suffering

is

a perpetual

reminder of

Active

life classifies

men

accord-

ing to their interests, their parties, their social

positions.

Their sentiment of solidarity some-

times becomes weakened.

pations

Secondary preoccuthing.

become

the

principal

Before

feeling themselves

men, they

feel that

they are

rich or poor, labourers or employers, politicians

or clergymen, materialists or
great
trial,

spiritualists.

Some
all

such as sickness, sweeps away

levels
all

accidents of the surface and

tions.

condi-

Nothing makes us

feel

more strongly that

we

are brothers than misfortune.

in

The

invalid

who,

the mid.st of his daily pains, comes to

perceive that his moral sense has grown refined,

and that he discriminates more delicately than

others the thousand details unnoticed

by them,
not be

soon discovers that although he

may

workman

or physician or lawyer or notary, he

:

has none the less his task to accomplish

to cultivate in those

it

is

around him the sentiment of

is

humanity.

He

soon perceives that he

being
this

delivered from

much

servitude,

and that

l68
chain,

COURAGE.
though
it

holds him in a way, brings him

I

also a certain liberty.

have seen grief bridge

abysses which no industry, no good-will, could

ever have
crossed.

Unhappy men,

suffering

under the same conditions of weakness and dependence, are drawn towards one another by an
invincible impulse
;

and whatever

may

be their

worldly situation

in

other respects,

the

one

the one

may be born of rich parents, the other of poor, may be cultivated, the other illiterate; or there may be a difference of religion and
nationality,

that

which unites them, namely,

is

their

common

misfortune,

stronger than

all

that separates them.

When

two children of the

at

same country meet one another

podes,
attracts

the anti-

the

fact

that

they

are

compatriots

them.

In their mother-country per-

haps they would never have known one another,

though they might have rubbed elbows

every day.

The
arates
in

great thing to be
is

remembered
by what

is,

that

what unites men

stronger than what sepis

them

we

are united

innate

us,

separated by superficial
this

circumstances.

He who makes

discovery enters into pes-

THE FEEBLE.
session of a power, and
force for others.

169
of

becomes an element

No

man, whatever

his social

position, can find a

more

useful task to

accom-

plish than that of recalling to others the fact

that

we belong
do

to a

common
a living

humanity.

The

invalid can

this better

than others, because,

in the first place,

he

is

example of what
because every
as feeble

he preaches, and
truth gains

in the second,

by being proclaimed by

instruments as possible.

We

pass to another region where the power

of those

who

suffer appears

even more clearly.

In the mind of humanity, the

man who

is

ill

is

an eternal and touching protest against the right

of the strongest, because for any one

who

has

a spark of nobility in him, no manifestation of

victorious force
Utilitarian
is

comparable to

this feeble cry.

morality,

the scientific doctrine of

the struggle for existence, of the extermination

of the weak,

may

at certain times

seem proved

to coldly logical minds.

But the presence of

all,

a
is

weak and

feeble creature, above

is

when he
all

dear to us,
so-called

alone sufficient to confute

positive
theories.

these
is

Everything
to

then changed.

Force can be opposed

lyo
force, a

COURAGE.
person

who defends himself vigorously

it

may

be attacked; but

is

difficult to attack

the feeble, to pursue those

who

are unarmed.

Their weakness

is

their

protection,

and
it

this

weakness

is

at times so

eloquent that

often

wins the greatest victories.

Weakness, then,

is

one of the channels through

exist-

which the revelation comes to man of the

any physical
feebleness,
it

ence of something mysterious, something more

puissant than
force.

Rendered

sacred

by

his

was the helpless

stranger

who

inspired

these words which

:

we

cannot too often repeat to ourselves

" Inas-

much
these,

as

ye have done

it

unto the least of

it

my

brethren, ye have done

unto me."

The
towards

sick

man has a special office to fulfil those who are well, for they also have
Health indeed constitutes an
nature,

their infirmities.

infirmity of a distinct

inasmuch as
for

it

eventually incapacitates
suffering.

man

enduring

The impatient and

instant discourageill

ment of vigorous men when they are

known.
novices.

is

well

Can one blame them?

They

are but

They

are only learning to spell the

THE FEEBLE.
alphabet of the language familiar to those

71

who
the

weep.
blind

There
tell

is

an old anecdote which

to one another in their hours of re-

creation,

and which recounts how,

in a certain

year, the fogs in Paris were so thick that the inhabitants

had to get the pensioners of the

Quinze Vingts, who were used to finding their

way about
lesson

in the dark, to act as guides.

;

do

not guarantee the truth of this story

it

but what a

contains

The

strongest

man may

sometime have need of the cripple to guide

him through the

he
is

labyrinth of misery to which

unaccustomed, and wherein he would lose

himself.

Are you vanquished and disturbed by

trials?

momentary
will learn

Go and
lot
it

sit
is

down by some
to suffer.

one whose continual

You

many

things

by the simple comparidepressed when you

son,

and you

will

be

less

depart.

And how will

suffer,

it

be

if

these martyrs not only

but have come to accept their infirmities

in

and

have learned pity

will

that hard

school?

They

commiserate and console you, and

speak such words to you as they alone know

how

to

speak.

They

will

forget their

great

172

COURAGE.

misfortune in order to think only of your small

one.

Nothing

in the

world

is

so comforting.

When we come
not forget those

to consider courage,

we

can-

who have given

us examples of

an almost superhuman courage, and whose long

and patient endurance has almost exhausted

suffering
itself,

as the anvil ends

It is

by wearing out
study this

the hammer.
side of
life.

good

for us to

We

then discover realities which

in

have hitherto found no place

our calculations
fortifies,

and plans.
this

This weakness which

and

poverty which enriches, make a

little

man pause
opens
is

and consider, and

to the old

by

little

his soul

and holy truth of which the cross

:

the eternal symbol

tion of the world.

in suffering lies the salvaI

summon

the utilitarians,

the apostles of might, the prophets of nothingness, the pleasure-seekers,

before the tribunal

as nothing;

of the feeble.

For you they are

exist.

they do not

The

survival of the fittest

would demand that they should be put out of

the

way

at their birth as useless

and cumberbeasts,

some.

And

if

humanity were

like the

such might be the method of procedure.

is
it

How

that

we have never been

able to

make up

(D

O)
CO

CL

(Ji

CQ
Tl

(Q
CD

XIII.

FEAR.

The Lord is the strength of be afraid ? Psalm xxvii.

my

life

of

whom

shall I

CHAPTER
FEAR.

XIIL

The
that
its

opposite of courage

is

fear,

a strange

and redoubtable power.

We

must not imagine

in the

sombre reign existed only

times

of ignorance and barbarism.

held

Fear undoubtedly
in

preponderating

sway

the

primitive

human world
trust

as in the animal world.

To
;

dis-

everything and to fear everything

its

to

have

eyes open to every form, and

is

its

ears

pricked up at every noise,

the lot of the poor

hunted beast.

It

was

also the lot of

man

in the

days when he found himself unarmed against

animals more powerful than himself, and in the

presence of the untamed forces of Nature.

The
in

amount of
its

fright

experienced by humanity

humble beginnings must have been enorIndeed, fear

is

mous.

is

our most ancient enemy,

and
I

it

not yet conquered.

On

the contrary,
fa-

consider epochs of great refinement very

its

vourable to

growth.

Barbarism and extreme

J78
civilisation

COURAGE.
meet
at this point, as at
is

many

others.

In

all

nations there

a period of fine vigour

and confidence which

corresponds to sturdy

youth and strong maturity.

intrepidity

sort of natural

and

healthy

security

characterise

them

at these epochs.

But

later

they become

superstitious, like certain old people,

and every-

thing frightens them.

The complications of

life,

factitious

creeds,

effeminate habits, extreme restlessness, the de-

basement of conscience, the

realism which sets

ideal of an inferior

enjoyment before man as

the aim of his existence, delivers

fear.

him over
up

to

He
is

is

afraid to suffer, to give

his ease,

to be constrained to
all,

make an
This

effort,

and, above

he

afraid to die.

is

the fear of fears.

The
he
"

elder Cato
cried
to

knew what he was saying when

his

effeminate

contemporaries,

We

are too

much

afraid of death, of exile,

and of poverty."

Woe

to

him who

is

afraid, for

he

will

imme-

diately find a master to take advantage of

him

This, our

weak

side,
is

being known,

we

are led

by

it

as the bear

led

by the ring

in his nose.

Fear m,akes slaves of

us.

Those who take ad-

FEAR.
vantage of man's fear are innumerable.

179

Among
frighten
in order

them the most

cunning are those

who

men

for the sake of reassuring

them,

that they

may be

regarded as benefactors.

There are systems of government founded on

fear, religions

founded on

fear.

of education have no other foundation

to crown
fear.
all,

Many methods And

:

there

is

a morality founded on
itself to this

This morality reduces

is

the

good
be

to

be found where there are no

to

risks to

be run, no blows
lost.

be received, no money

to

duct.
vices,

Many men have no other rule of conThey may thus escape certain common
certainly

but they

escape being

good
your

men.

To remain

honest, to

do good

to

neighbours, to speak the truth, to have the

courage of your opinions,

in

a word, to do

your duty,

cannot
ones.
is

always be accomplished
risk.

without running a certain

entail their

Good

actions

consequences, and sometimes by no

It is well to

means pleasant
especially

know

this,

when one

young.

If a fear of conevil,
it

sequences

sometimes prevents

much
not a
It is

more

often prevents good.

No;

fear

is

sentiment on which to found morality.

l8o

COURAGE.
I sub-

pre-eminently a demoralising agency.

mit this reflection to those

who
is

are to-day,

and very legitimately, concerned with teaching

hygiene to the young.

There

nothing better,

provided they do not exaggerate.

By

exciting

an

excessive fear of disease in the individual,

they run the risk of not only making him die

by slow
mous.

torture,

but of rendering him pusillani-

An

excessive fear of microbes, of conis

tagion, of destructive agencies,

the beginning

of cowardice.

Take care

that the

man who

is

so exclusively occupied in running

away from

unhealthy influences does not end by fleeing

from himself

Duty

is

very often unhealthy.

cold,

The

fear

of catching

or even

a more

serious illness, must not hinder

you from being

men
I

wish to speak

now of

a form of fear against

;

which no one can be too well armed

is

and that
is

the fear of ridicule.

proverb, which

essentially French, declares that

ridicule kills.

The creed of a

great

number of our compatri-

ots does not extend further.

We

must get

rid

of this national belief as of a disgraceful weak-

FEAR.
ness.

l8l

Ridicule only

kills
is

those

who

fear

it.

To be

called ridiculous

not a sufficient reason

is

for beating a retreat.

tion, institution,

Where
"

the idea, inven-

man, or

act, that

has not been

ridiculous,"
is

called

ridiculous?

You

are

the last argument of those

who have no

other,

and

is

the equivalent in another form of a blow

with the sword, or an insult, both of which prove

nothing and never can prove anything.

that
is

All
pos-

best and most sacred

among our
at.

sessions, the purest glory, a.nd the

most inconRidicule
kill

testable merit, have

is

been scoffed

so

little

fatal that it

has tried in vain to

the things that are most ridiculous.

intelligence

Men
at

of

and

heart

have laughed
:

stu-

pidity, vice, grotesque

ishes,
itself

customs
the

stupidity flour-

vice

prospers,
sceptics,

grotesque parades

And
railed

cynics,

and

impostors
is

have

at faith, virtue, truth:

is

faith

not

.dead, virtue remains, and truth

immortal.

We
is

must be

rational, therefore,

where

ridicule

concerned, and must say to ourselves that

each person always seems ridiculous to some

one.

At bottom,

if

anything

is

ridiculous,

it

is

this foolish

fear of ridicule.

For he who

as-

82

COURAGE.
be ridiculous
is

pires never to

like a

man who
together.

wishes not to walk either with his right foot or

his
It
left,
is

or to

jump with both of them

impossible to escape ridicule;

it

we must
hollow-

contrive to be able to brave

with a tranquil

conscience.

Then we

shall perceive the

ness of this manikin that frightened us.

He

has

no power against a person who

him.

is

not afraid of
him.
If
it

Alas

we
its

think

too

much about

Youth
But

sacrifices to this terrible divinity.

only sacriiiced
it

defects, I should

not mind.

sacrifices its
its

good

intentions, its treasures

its

of confidence,

enthusiasm,

piety!

To
hand
it

throw the gold which one holds

into the
pit

in one's

because the passer-by finds

ridiculous object,
rise

seems to
allies

me

too sad.

Let us

and

recruit

our

against this spreading

plague
I

conjure every

young man
and death.

to question

himIt is

self very earnestly on the subject of fear.

a question of
is

life

Just as alcohol
it is

much

stronger than the wine from which

is

derived, so

fear infinitely

more

fatal

and

init

jurious than the circumstances which evoke

It is better to fall

a prey to beasts than to phan-

FEAR.
toms.
fear
!

183

How
I

sad

is

life

perpetually agitated

by

pity the

man who

pursues his

way

like

a hunted animal, hearing the cries of the

mob

behind him, and knowing neither repose nor

tranquillity.

For there

is

always some cloud on

the horizon, some snake in the grass,

that

some

fire

smoulders,

some robbers

that

threaten,
scoffer

some microbe

lying in wait for us,

some

who

is

looking at us.

We
:
:

can say of fear as

I

the believer said to

God

" If

ascend up into
in

heaven,
hell,

Thou art there if I make my bed behold. Thou art there."

is

There
its

no external refuge from

the heart.

fear, since

abode

is in

And

it

is

there that

we must attack it. Young friend, examine your

afraid,

heart.

Are you
Tell

and of what are you afraid?

fear,

me
are,

what you

and

I will tell

you what you

for the quality of the

man

is

shown by the

sort

of thing he
to conquer

fears

but

I will also tell

you how
Is

your

fear.

And
for

from what malady

would you
there

rather be healed than from that?

any joy possible

him who

sees

the

sword of Damocles
his

eternally suspended

over

head?

84

COURAGE.
is

Here

little

advice which
I

may

aid

you to
the

conquer your

fear.
;

acknowledge that

means
ever.

are

humble

do not despise them, howlittle

We must
go.

learn

by

little,

as the an.

cient soldiers said, to drag our carcass

is

where

it

afraid to

There are nervous

fears,

and

others which have their seat in the imagination.

When we
reality

learn to perceive that the exterior

does not correspond to the formidable

agitation

we

experience,

we have taken a

step

in advance.

There

is

a profound psychological
:

fact

beneath the German expression

Translated
literally, this

Ich furchte
I

mich.

means, "
the

am

afraid of myself."

And,
It is

in fact,

kingdom of

fear lies within us.

terrify us,

not the objects which

but the state

us.

in

which we allow them

to

throw

Recall the two characters in the

" Magic Flute," both of them of terrible aspect.

Their mutual fright makes them throw themselves at each other's

feet
at

the same time,

heartily

with the cry, " Spare

me
!

"

How

we

laugh at the two fools

Yet we often resemble

Let us avow

them
it

in

our insensate cowardice.

it.

humbly, and try to correct

familiar with

We
;

must be-

come

what we

fear

we must walk

FEAR.

85

around

it,

touch

it,

and examine

it.

What
is

seems gigantic
at closer range.

at a distance often

seems natural
not

To

fly

from what we fear

the

way

to lessen our fear; quite the contrary.

Some

are afraid of the night, like children.

To

walk alone along a road or through the

frightens them.
If

forest

such be their case, the best

first

means

is

not to take to flight at the

first

noise

heard or the
run, the

shadow
will

more they

The more they be afraid. They will

seen.

come
same.

to believe that the devil

and

his

men
it

are

at their heels

And

in every instance
!

is

the

Woe
is

to the fugitives

The

greater the

number, the greater the

courage,
contagious.

disaster, for fear, like

It

must be

resisted as

soon as shown.

We

must make use of the same means

for

taming and calming ourselves as we use with

skittish horses.

As soon

as they swerve

from

the straight line or even prick

up

their ears in

a suspicious

manner, we tighten the reins or

This helps to
re-

touch them with the whip.

assure them.
It is

obvious that we must watch

a skittish horse more closely than others.

And

when we know

that

we

are impressionable, easily

86

COURAGE.

frightened, likely to run away,

ourselves.

we must distrust Our imagination and our nerves anlike

nounce events

those excited messengers

who

arrive out of breath to hurl

us.

some

terrify-

ing news at

Half the time they have only

seen from

afar,

and seen imperfectly.

You must

never believe them entirely, but reserve your

judgment, control yourself, and await further

details.

man

runs into folly otherwise.

group of timid persons

thing, and

who

exaggerate every-

work on one another, resembles a

crowd of madmen.
from heaven.
cited

calm man

in the

midst
gift

of this saraband of epileptics seems like a

He

has soon

made

the least exis

understand that the situation

not so
were,
it.

serious as they imagine;

and even

if it

being panic-struck

is

the last
qualities

way

to

meet

Of

all

the

helpful

possessed

by

courageous heart,

this

of being able to reassure

the timid, to arouse the despondent to courage,

to

bring a

little

tranquillity,

order,

and
is

light

into the chaos of

opposing elements,

one of

the most precious.

sired, in

The thing most

in

to be depri-

time of peace as
as in political

time of war, in

vate

life

life, is

a steadfast soul.

FEAR.

187
all

But

it

must be confessed that

of these

particular efforts, despite their relative efficacy,

are but insignificant aids to help us to courage.

If

the great support be wanting, the whole

structure remains incomplete,

and there
it

is

al-

ways danger that

unexpected
this
:

fear

may
The

destroy
great

at

some
is

moment.

support

it

is

the birth in us of something that

is

banishes fear, and this something

love.

Fear

has

its

roots in our egotism.

The watchword
In this lower

of every one

who puts
is.

his

whole hope and hap-

piness in himself

Tremble.

region of

life

where

egotistical interests
is

and

as-

pirations reign, there

no moment of

security.

We

must learn

to love

something outside our-

selves,

something greater and stronger.

is

True

courage, that which

not the growth of a day,

valour, has
its

and the

result of

mere physical

source in love.
ine
life

At
is

the bottom of every genu-

lies

the

sacrifice

of one's

self.

The
into

courageous

man

he who throws himself

the fray for the sake of truth, justice, the defence of the weak, the salvation of his country;
it is

he who, even when he has no formulated

perhaps, yet loves
life

belief,

because of the

88

COURAGE.
good
to

higher

which he can consecrate

life

it

He

feels

convinced that

does not

mean

eatit

ing, drinking,

and making merry, but that

all

is

a consecration of
invisible realities

one

is

and has to those

which alone give meaning and

life.

value to earthly

If

you

desire serenity, a calm mind, a

care,

happy
the

freedom from
with
those

you must
derived.

join

your forces

superhuman

forces

whence

strength of

man

is

When you

have

placed your standard higher, and your only fear

is

the fear of committing a cowardly act, you

will

be delivered from
will

all

lower

fears.

On

that

day you

understand what the

man who

has

no God but himself can never apprehend.

The

man who is ready to die for justice is the only man who understands why he lives. The man who at every instant is ready to sacrifice himself through love, is the only one who lives and enjoys life. He alone is free who has given
himself to God.
ishes
all

The

fear of the Eternal ban-

other fear.

All courageous acts depend on this disposition of the heart.

The

secret of

all

great energy

FEAR.

189
it

and the ascendancy which

fact that
is felt

acquires

lies in

the

behind the most

trivial

word and deed

a determination to go to the end.

like to finish

would

with the words of a

young
"
I

soldier after his

first battle.
felt,

Some one
was not

asked him what he had

and he answered

was

afraid of being afraid, but I

afraid."
like

The brave
let

fellow!

Let us try to be
afraid
fear.

him:

us always be
shall

of being

afraid,

and then we

never

XIV.

THE STRUGGLE.

Ich bin ein

Mann und trage ein Schwert.

(I

and wear a sword.)

Hauff.

am a man,

I have fought a good fight, I have finished have kept the faith. Saint Paul.

my

course,

CHAPTER

XIV.

THE STRUGGLE.
I

HAVE
I

pointed out some of the sources of

use
is

energy.
nature, as

Its

sufficiently obvious
it.

from
it

its

have

tried to describe

But

may

not be without profit to add a few remarks on

the subject.

Energy
either

is

meant

for
in

action.

And
it,

as

man

cannot act except

for

some determinate way,

all

the

good or against

action

inevitably assumes the character of a struggle.

Every

act

is

a conflict.

Combat

is

the

word
others

most frequently heard on the

temporaries.
curse
it.

lips of

our conit
;

Some

of them welcome

shall seek to

open a path midway

between these two extremes.

To
is

put an end to conflict

is

impossible.

Life

a conflict.

As long
is

as

it

lasts, conflicts will

endure.

There

no getting away from

is

this.

To

counsel us not to fight

to

engage us to
an
evil.

abdicate and to declare that

13

life is

To

194

COURAGE.
is

say that the struggle

to understand

undertaken for

life,

and

by
is

that, material existence, is to

affirm that Hfe

the supreme good.

This

may

be true for the beasts, whose greatest misfortune

is

to perish.

But

for

man,

life

is

not the su-

preme good; otherwise how could we explain

that the best

among

us are those

who

are ready

to sacrifice their lives for something to

which
can

is

them of more value than

life?

How

we

explain that there are circumstances for every

man under which

to cling to life?

it

would be cowardly

for

him

How
death

explain that the exagis

gerated

fear

of

always a cause of

servitude and debasement for

mankind?
of our

How

explain the consideration of the strong for the

weak, which

is

the foundation

modern

philosophy?
felt

How

explain the invincible hatred

by

the noblest of

mankind

for all violence,

tyranny, and plunder?

facts.

We

cannot ignore these

that the

In face of them,

we cannot say

low and brutal struggle

is

for material existence

the law of the world,

one which an incomThe supreme

supreme good
;

plete observation has mistaken for the central

motive of the drama of history.

struggle of any creature
is

for

its

THE STRUGGLE.
and
life,

195
is

in the case of

man,

his

supreme good

not

but justice.
is is

The

great and righteous strug-

gle
flict

the struggle for justice.

All other conthis.

but the imperfect image of

speaking
like

In

of war,

properly so-called,
it

would
affairs,

to

add that

is

rare

for

human
present

and especially great

conflicts, to

themselves under well-defined aspects of good

and

evil.

But we can always

character
of a

affirm this:

The

essential

war depends on the

ideality interwoven

amount of moral
volved.

force

and

with the material interests and necessities inIt

is

an inferior kind of war that

rice,

is

undertaken for bags of

coal,

mines of gold or
I

and

political

intrigues.

would

rather

fight for the

Holy Sepulchre.
in

There was much

more moral grandeur

large

the Crusades than in a

enterprises

number of

the very positive

we

are accustomed to decorate with the

name
of

of great wars.

We may
spend
into

bring thousands

men
sack

into

action,

millions,

destroy and

cities,

bring

play

all

our material

and moral resources, and yet be animated only

by miserable motives.

We

ought rather to
feel

call a

great war one for which

we can

enthusiasm,

196

COURAGE.
in

and one

which the stakes are such that a

man
self:

can suffer and die without saying to him-

"What was

the

good of

it? "

When

a
is,

man marches

to death, the least

he can ask
is

Why?

And

yet this satisfaction

too often

lacking to him.
the blood that
is

How many
shed?
If

battles are

worth

we could not say

fall-

that they have prevented our energies from

ing asleep, and have given occasion for precious

exhibitions of courage and devotion,

we should
is

have no consolation.
against war in general.
that this

This

is

not a polemic
to

My intention

show

word has many meanings, and

that

we

can neither condemn nor approve of the institution en bloc.

The

thing that strikes

me
is

painfully

in the ordinary

polemics against war

the

utili-

tarian idea behind them,

and also the

frightful
It is

descriptions of

all

the suffering entailed.

not the blood shed that makes war so

terrible,

nor the wounds, deaths,

catastrophes.

fears,

and unspeakable
for

For when these are endured

the

sake of justice, liberty of conscience, or

integrity,

national

who can

hesitate?

\Miat

hecatombs would not be better than the igno-

miny of slavery accepted through

fear of suf-

THE STRUGGLE.
fering?

97

What

horrors of the battlefield could

at

be worse than peace

not desire peace for not because of
its

any price

We

must
It is

utilitarian'

motives.

cost that

a war must be

shunned; we
the dearest.
reasons.

all

know
of

that the best things are

Utilitarian reasons are very

utilitarian
filth.

poor
is

The end

morality
is

meanness, corruption, and

than mud.
I

Blood

better

know

all

that

can
;

be said
I

legitimately

against

an armed peace

know

the wide-

spread vice engendered

the question
tell
is

by

militarism.

But
can

not reduced to that.

Who

us that this utilitarian age has not, despite

itself,

begot

its

institution?

own counterpoise Would our society,

in its military

as

it

stands,

be capable of creating a school of discipline,

abnegation, and a tradition of impersonality,

comparable to the army?

nations,
in

Who
upon

knows

if

the

their

present state

of rather low
to watch
in

morality,

are

not called
excite

one

another and

one another,

order to

escape somnolence and decay?

International
is

peace
it;

will

come when

the world
it

worthy of

at

present, perhaps

would only hasten

198
universal

COURAGE.
decay.

However
me,
is

that

may

be,

no

one

will contradict

am

sure,

when

I as-

sert that the soldier

one of the most admi-

rable figures in the world.

When

Saint Paul
justice,

wished to depict a Christian armed for

he borrowed
the soldier
;

his terms

from the equipment of

and Christ himself, the great apostle

:

of peace, has said sword."

" I

am come

to bring the

But

let

us return to our subject, which

is

the

struggle, while using the

eral

word
as

in its

most gen-

meaning.

As long

evil,

iniquity,

and

violence exist in the world, every

man worthy

of the with
all

name

will feel

obliged to combat them

the forces at his

command.
whether he
eats,

Everything that we do, we do with this conflict in

view.

good

soldier,

drinks, sleeps, exercises his muscles, enlightens

his mind, or polishes his

arms, does so with

the aim of being the better able to fight.

He
for

is

not allowed to do anything that will

diminish his strength.

And

the great question

will

each individual

is.

How
is

my

actions

count in the struggle for justice?

not complete unless he

man

is

armed.

THE STRUGGLE.
Nothing
is

199
if it

finer

than a combat,

be a

righteous one, whether carried on by the sword,

word, or pen.
it.

For nothing

is

unimportant
those

in

Those who sound the

fulfil

clarion,

who
com-

provide nourishment,

their function as well

as the sentinel on guard, or the captain

manding the
ples

assault.

One

of the finest examis

of

human

solidarity

exhibited

by an

organised struggle, wherein each

his place

man

occupies

and does

his

duty

wherein the leader

in

and the soldier are confounded Oh, what a valiant warrior

is

one action.

humanity, armed

for justice, truth, liberty, for all those

powers

which deserve to be fought

splendid school
rans
is

for

Oh, what a

that wherein so
in

many

vetein
all

and companions

arms,

united

times and nations, teach the same

the same devotion,

discipline,

and support proudly the

holiest of flags

same hardships under the

Is
it

necessary to add that the indelible char-

acter of the great and

tinctive

good

fight,

and the
in
It is
it

disare,

badge

of

those

engaged

" Loyalty, Truth, and Courtesy " ?

tant to distinguish

importhis

between the cause of

is

perfect cavalier

who

for

me

the ideal man,

200

COURAGE.
all

and that of

the filibusterers, desperadoes,

and brigands of the pen and sword.

all

Down
!

with

perfidious

arms and

rascality

confess

with
fast

infinite grief that loyalty

and courtesy are

It is

disappearing from our combats.

it.

easy

to see the reason of

We

are animated

by

party

spirit

rather than a desire

for justice.

And
all

this
is

is

why,

in

almost

all

our struggles,
I

justice

the

defeated

combatant.

conjure

young men who understand the

necessity of

righteous warfare to purify their arms and their

intentions.
It is

a sin to believe that

it

all

things

are fair in war, whether

be a war of nations

or of ideas.
It is

not necessary for the brave defence of

one's country to regard the

beast,

enemy

as a wild

and forget that he

is

a man.

He who
is,

is

animated by these savage sentiments

over, likely to feel

more-

them

for all his adversaries,

even when they are his countrymen.

blind and fanatic, and ready to treat his
patriots as if they

He

is

com-

were foreign enemies.

in

No

nation
it is

is

honoured

being defended by brutes

Fanati-

rather dishonoured and weakened.

is

cism

like those

dangerous explosives which

THE STRUGGLE.
kill

201

those

who handle them

almost as often as

those for

whom

they are destined.

The same
ideas.

rule holds

good

in the conflict of

You

are persuaded that

you are

in the right,

and you attack what you believe

ous errors in philosophy,
religion.

to

be danger-

politics, morals,

and
atti-

And you do
is

well.

The worst
in all

tude of mind

that which considers the for

and against about equally balanced

questions, and thinks that

these

intelligent

men do
not
to

not fight for ideas.

But be

careful
is

iniagine that the choice of

weapons

a matter

of indifference, and that arrows

may

be made

from any wood.

When
all

one

fights for the truth,

one owes

it

to himself
in

and

his cause to

be very
the

scrupulous

his

proceedings.

And

greater the energy of the attack, the greater the

need of conscientiousness.
look upon any one

The surgeon
them.

dis-

infects his instruments before using

I

as a malefactor

who

defends his political

faith,

or his

moral and

religious belief, without respecting his adversaries.

The

ruses, the calumnies, the pitfalls,

the betrayals,

by means of which one seeks

to

202

COURAGE.
it.

advance a cause, always compromise

in lies the secret of the

There-

impotence of so

many

causes that are genuinely worthy.

Their pro-

moters ruin them because they fight with unfair

weapons.

Society finally comes to be a

confused meUe, wherein unscrupulous adversaries

exterminate one another, calumniating and

dishonouring

one

another,

under pretext of

serving righteousness, liberty, justice, conscience.

Who

will deliver us

from party
is

spirit,

that pes-

tilential virus

which

more devastating than

for those pacific sol-

deadly fevers and rabies?

A
diers

word of comfort now

whose hearts are troubled by the perpetual

warfare in the midst of which they seem to be

thrown.

They deplore

the fact that

somehow
If their

or other they are always forced into the position of being

some one's adversary.

adversary were only some one

attack without regret
able,
!

whom
is

they could

But he
hard

often respectties

and frequently bound to them by

of

blood or friendship.
against those

How

it is

to struggle

we

love and admire

I

This
hearts,

is

what

would say to these wounded

!

Be

happy

You

are in one of the

THE STRUGGLE.
most favourable
righteousness.

203

situations for the realisation of

The sentiments which

you
will

these

adversaries arouse in

help you to conto those

tend with

all

probity, and

to*' furnish

whose eyes
is

are

upon you an example of what

conflict.
It is

rarest,

a loyal

not you

who

created the world, and

made
are

struggle the law

of

all

progress.

You

neither sufficiently

exalted nor far enough off to view the whole.

Fulfil

your immediate duty.

It

may be

that
in

you are attacking persons who are

defending themselves, and
to capitulate.

right

who would do wrong

is

Their duty

to resist, yours to

attack.

This

is

neither contradiction nor sophistry.

right.

Let no one say, They cannot both be

Undoubtedly

if

man

tried to sustain

two op-

posite theses at the

same

time, he

would be but
right
is

a dilettante.
in

But that two men should be

interests

upholding opposite ideas and

necessary,

not
is

only possible but

and nothing
truth.

more
on the
one
is

profitable to justice

and

right road to the discovery

One is of truth when

is

contending with a friend, and there

no danger of bitterness impoisoning the weap-

204
ons.

COURAGE.
Moreover, while fighting, they are
still

achieving two different parts of the same work.

And
It
is

thus one's grief

well that

is

turned into consolation.

two opposing causes, but two

destined to complement each other in a higher

sphere, should be upheld
victions

by men whose conand

are as strong

as their good-will,

who

are as fraternal as they are resolute.

Do

not fear that they will waver or defend their

cause lukewarmly because they do not hate

one another.
will

The

cause

is

in

good hands.

It

be better served than by fanatics

it

who

will

forget

to treat each other as

will

Turk and Moor,

and who

drag their standard through the

mire of personalities.
I

have sometimes found

great comfort

in

studying the lesson taught to us by a simple

clock.

Look

at this clock well:

it is

an organ-

ised and perpetual struggle

between the spring,

which wishes to
wishes to stop.
it

fly out,

and the pendulum, which

spring were
left to itself,

If the

would

fly off all at

once.

And
not

the

pendulum

without

the

spring

would

budge.

The
in-

motive-power of the one has need of the

ertia

of the other, and vice versa.

The admi-

THE STRUGGLE.
rable precision of the

205
results

mechanism

from

the regular play of these two opposing forces.

How many

times, while watching this simple

I

phenomenon,

have said to myself:

When we
property
this

contend for authority,

rity,

liberty, individual integ-

solidarity, science, faith, for the

and right of the poor, are we not imitating

mechanism?
Just
so

the

struggle

between

the

classes,

which exalts some and makes others groan,

ought to become,
if

carried

on

in

good

faith,

a co-operation for social justice.

Let each one

maintain his right, become the interpreter of

the wants arising from his
office, of

the needs

which

his particular condition

causes

him

to

feel vividly,
will,

and provided that there be goodwill result

an understanding

from the loyal

opposition.

Each man, each tendency of

nation, has
its

the mind, each

role to play,
is

its

word

to say in

the world.

It

for this that

they are here.

are destined

Among

these diverse forces

If they

some

to take the lead.

had no counterpoise,

they would work so quickly that everything

would be deranged.

Society would be like a

206

COURAGE.
flies
off.

clock whose spring

Others are des-

tined to act as restraints, to lengthen and regulate the

movement.

But

if

they acted alone,

This
is

everything would

come
it

to a stop.

why,

whether they

like

or not, they are obliged to

struggle against each other; let us say rather,

to
life

work

together, for their struggle

is

the very

of society.

In this struggle, as

in all

other

combats, there are risks to be run, property to

lose,

wounds,
I

suffering,

sacrifices

to
this

endure;
chapter

and therefore

would
:

like to

end

with this declaration

to

One

thing only seems

me
is

nobler than to deal blows for justice, and

to receive them.

that

XV.

THE

SPIRIT OF DEFENCE,

Open thy mouth

for the

dumb

as are appointed to destruction.

Proverbs.

in the cause of all such

Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of my brethren, ye have done it unto me. The Gospel according to Saint Matthew.
these

CHAPTER
THE
SPIRIT

XV.

OF DEFENCE.
mind when you

What

takes place in your

creature

see a powerful

maltreat one

who

is

weak and unarmed?

I feel

a furious desire to run and attack the

strong and protect the weak.

Take

this

instinctive

impulse for your con-

scious rule of conduct.

Follow

it

always withall

out hesitation.

It is

a better guide than

the

prudent wisdom of those who consider the

risks

before coming to -the succour of the oppressed.

If

you do not follow

this impulse,

you

will

be-

come the man of

SJiccess.

circumstances, the slave of

You

will

be the accomplice of the

till

strong, while waiting

for you.

he chooses a victim
be worth
less

man, you

will yet at a

than the dog who barks

robber regardless

of blows, or throws himself into the water to

save a
life.

14

2IO

COURAGE.
speak of the right of defence
;

We

it is

rather

of the duty that

we

should speak, for the right

it is

maybe
to

renounced, and

often

more generous
permitted to

renounce one's

strict

rights than to assert

it

them with acrimony.

no one
to

But

is

to sacrifice duty.
is

I shall try to

show
but

what degree defence

not

urgent and ineviof

the
feeble,

table;

only defence

defence in general.
fluous task, for

This

will

not be a super-

among the many obscure points human conduct there are not many more often misunderstood than this. The eagerness
of

and ardour which characterise youth should be

instructed

on

this point.
in

Not
to
in

that

we have need

general of being
it

urged to defend ourselves.

But

is

important

know what
what
spirit

sort of defence
it

is in

question, and

should be undertaken.
are

The
Their

majority of

men
is

prompt enough

at repartee,

and extremely quick to take

sensitiveness

offence.

very acute.

Every external
effect

shock produces on them the

in the

of a shot
it

mountain gorges; the echo repeats

it

thousand times and amplifies

like the roll of thunder.

until

it

sounds

THE

SPIRIT OF DEFENCE.
chief idea
is

211

For the man whose

of his
little

the importance
is

individuality, every offence

a crime

of lese-majesty.

He
is

springs up at once;

but

look at him

Is it for

defence ?

It is rather for

vengeance.
two.

There

no likeness between these

and low
it

Vengeance

consists of unclean

personal elements which cut us off from

tirely.

en-

It

inspires also a sort

of infernal joy

which the majority cannot

attraction

resist,

and whose
have agreed
:

may

lead us

far.

We

to disapprove of the law of retaliation

for

an eye
a misa great

an eye, a tooth

for a tooth.

This

is

take.

The law

is

not barbarous.
justice.

It is

advance towards

For

to

be content to

mete out vengeance according

is

to the offence

to

give

proof of moderation.

How many
awakened
to this law of

people in

whom
!

the brute

is

easily

would gain by being led back

retaliation
I

say that

know whereof I speak when I youth is not a time when one has least
Rancour, although

need

to hear these truths.

represented with wrinkled face and hollow eyes,

embitters
to lend

many young
fretful,

hearts.

do not intend

my voice

here to the surly, the quarrelto

some, the

those

who have always

212

COURAGE.
to satisfy,

some vengeance
off.

some

spite to

pay
are

I wish,

on the contrary,

to set

them

aside

now,

in order to avoid all confusion.

They

the worst caricatures of the righteous defence

which

advocate.
characteristic of a righteous defence
It is

The
is

first

impersonality.

not undertaken for the

private account of any one, no matter

who

it

may
he
or

be.

It is

an act of

justice.

Suppose some one has done you an

injury:

may have been

some
affair.

guilty of calumny, or theft,

violent attack

on you

it

is

not pri-

marily your

You have
justice

neither to avenge

yourself nor to ignore what has

been done.

But humanity and

in

having been attacked

your person, you must take measures against

In avenging yourself, you would
In allowing yourself

the injustice.

but increase the injustice.

to be ill-treated with impunity,

in

you would share

it.

the

wrong done and encourage

it

You
but

would encourage
yourself,

not only with regard to

least evil,
politic.

which would be the

with regard to the whole body

You

would

allow the

enemy

to

make

a breach

through which he could enter and do harm to

THE

SPIRIT OF DEFENCE.
If
it

213

others besides you.

that a

were not understood

man would
is

defend himself, the Golden

Age
all

of injustice and violence would begin, and

that

honest and pacific would become

the

prey of the wicked.

We

are therefore

obliged to defend
bours.

ourselves
is

and

our neighis

The question
or
I,

not whether he

con-

cerned

but

whether justice has been

there-

menaced and compromised, and must

fore

be defended.

And what

have said of

the individual applies to societies and nations.

To
is

fall

upon

thieves, murderers, corrupters of

youth, poisoners of the public mind or health,

not a right, but a duty.

And what if I

choose

to allow myself to be robbed, to be attacked in

the street, to be deceived

right to

choose

for

? You have not the when you allow these

wrongs, you compromise the right of others of

whom you
life

are not the master.

You misunderyour private

stand solidarity.

You

establish in

a centre of infection, which will be propaIt

gated.

may

chance that society has not the

means

to prevent

your doing

this; but I

have

the right to say to you that then you will be-

come

the accomplice of assassins, thieves, and

sowers of immorality.

214

COURAGE.
true for a nation:
it is

The same holds

self

not

your right to carry arms and to defend your-

any more than

country;
it

it

is

your right to defend

your

is

your absolute duty.

A
If

nation has not the right to allow itself to be

dismembered,
it

insulted, or even intimidated.

spirit, it

does

it

from a pacific

becomes the

accomplice of the enemy, and weakens the right

of
its

neighbours and the general security.

is

Defence

a sacred thing.
think
great
it

And

it is

for this

reason that
it.

sinful to

discountenance

However

my

respect

may be

for a

man
ject,

like Tolstoi, I

cannot help but find dan-

gerous the paradoxes he asserts on this sub-

and

which may be
engenders
evil.

" Defence

summed up thus: The precautions

their

which we take against offenders redoubles

animosity.
sassins.

A police

multiplies thieves and asall sorts

Laws and

regulations of

pro-

voke misdemeanours and crimes.

defending
itself,

A nation, by

but engenders innumerable new

conflicts for the future.

By

giving up defence,

we would do away with all by enchantment." These

it

attack and struggle as

theories are founded,
:

is

true,

on the words of Christ

"

But

say

THE

SPIRIT OF DEFENCE.
resist

21

unto you, that ye

not evil:

but whoso-

ever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn

to

him the other

if

also."

But we may ask ourliter-

selves
ally.

these words should be interpreted

that

And we may remember

He who

spake them attacked the Pharisees with great

vehemence, and drove the money-changers from

the temple with a scourge.
casting pearls

Would

it

not be

before swine to use gentleness

under certain circumstances?

And

yet

we must remember

that the strongest

its

weapons humanity has ever used in

struggle

against evil have been patience, pardon, gentleness,

and love.

They have done more than

is

vanquish the adversary; they have often converted him, which

more

difficult.

And

if

we

admire the courageous champions who have

given their strength in the service of a good

we must admire still more those who it by abnegation, silent suffering, and the immolation of themselves. The highcause,

have aided

est

palm belongs

to them,

and they alone have

is

the right to teach us what

just

in the

way
it

of defence, because they have practised

its

in

sublimest form.

think that

we

are true

2l6
to this spirit

COURAGE.

when we say
the

" It Is an absolute

duty to struggle against

but

evil

on every occasion,
defence

among

means

of

we must

choose the least violent, and only resort to the

others in the last extremity."
especially never forget
is

What we must

the spirit of defence.

This

is

everything.
it is

Just as

possible to

wound more

grievously

by words than by the sword, and accomplish a work of hate under a gentle exterior, so it is
possible to do

good and heal by means

that

are often called violent.

me by
is

fire

The man who resists and sword when I wish to do evil

if I,

doing a deed of benevolence, although he

it

achieves

with redoubtable severity ; and

iniquity, could

who am working

understand the

motive that animates him, how

much he

suffers

when he pursues me, overtakes me, strikes me, I should call him my benefactor, and should
enroll myself

under his banner.

* *
*
for insisting

must be pardoned

on

this

duty

of defence.
of
it

We

have great need to be reminded

I

constantly.

see

persons everywhere

THE

SPIRIT OF DEFENCE.

21/

wreaking vengeance, and very few who understand

veritable

defence.

The

majority,

when
stir.

they themselves are not concerned, do not

Some

of

them excuse

their inertia

by saying:
enough
to

" God, truth, and justice are strong

defend themselves

they have no need of us."

What
tivity.

gross error

The consequence of
all

this

reasoning would be the suppression of

ac-

Why should

we be here
it is

if

we had

noth-

ing to do?
evil exists,

Unfortunately

through us that
it

and there
for

is

no hope that

will

ever

be atoned
us also.
as

and vanquished except through

acts in

God

humanity by human

forces,

He

acts in nature
it

by

natural

forces.
is

We
work

may

maintain,

is

true, that

no man

neces-

sary, that the best

may be

lacking, and the

go on

but

looking at
it is

we must not exaggerate this way of things. From another point of view,
and more encouraging
to be-

just as true

lieve that

we

are needed.

And

it is

a fact that
terrible

many

gaps,

many empty
left

places

and

breaches are

by the

loss of certain valiant

and active men.

Let us never say, then, that the

us.

good
still

will

be achieved without
evil

Let us say

less that the

about us does not con'

2l8
certi us,

COURAGE.

when

it

does not touch us directly in

our property or health.

so-called

The world

is

full

of

good people who reason

cry out for help.

in this

way.

When
the

they themselves are attacked, they are

to

first

These good
the
cheats,

people
thieves,

should

be

classed

with

and calumniators by profession. growth of

all

Their

inertia aids in the

these wrongs

more
in the

surely than the most favourable conditions

development of microbes.
is

" Let us

mind
it

our own business,"

a poor motto, for

is

equivalent to saying: "

My

neighbour's

affairs

are no concern of mine."

Everything
"

is

our concern.

The maxim,
for corol-

Do
:

not do unto others what you would not

that they should

lary

do unto you," has

"

Do

not permit anything to be done to

others that you would not have done unto you."

It is

good

to feel thus.

We
feel

try harder to be-

come strong when we

dependent on
of
life, I

that

some one

is

us.

Among
To be

the

happy periods

count those when

one.

we

are permitted to

protect

some

there, to hinder a

weak creature from being crushed,

suffer for his sake, to

to act, to

espouse his cause passion-

THE
ately,

SPIRIT OF DEFENCE.
rest

219
it

and to have no

or peace until
finer

is

gained,

know nothing

than

this.

In the Old Testament

said unto him,

we read: "And God

:

Abraham

and he

said,

Behold,
is

here

am."

Everywhere where there

a just

defence to be undertaken, a voice, always the

same,

calls

each
rise

man by

his

name.
:

Happy

is

he who can
I

and answer

" Behold, here

am

"
!

Young

friends, these are things to

fill

your

days with useful meditations, and your heart

with beautiful and noble desires, that will help
to conquer the evil that feeble
;

is in

you.

Protect the

protect the poor; protect those

;

who
is

are

calumniated

protect the absent.

It is

ignoble

to fight with a pistol against

one who

armed

with a stick, and, above

against one.

all,

when you
in

are

This

is,

however, just

many what we

do whenever we take part

an attack on one
are always in the

who
add:

is

absent.

"
is

The absent

wrong."
it

This
is

a terrible saying, for

is

we must

because there

no one to defend

them.

Do we

understand that in saying the

absent are always in the wrong,

we

are accus-

ing the whole world of cowardice?

We

must

220

COURAGE
If

not submit to this shame.

the person attacked,
lieve

you do not know you do not beuntil

show

that

what

is

said against

him

you have
justify

sifted the matter,

and he has had time to

is

himself.

If

you know him, and he

if

dear to
it;
it

you, speak up for him

not,

he

is

worthy of

if
is

make

those present understand that

better to accuse people to their faces than be-

hind their backs.

Calumnies and untrue reports

in public

have reached such a pitch, both

private,

and
to

that

we must

take

some measures
I

protect ourselves against them.

have always

noticed that one voice raised in the defence of

the absent,
it

might be the voice of a young

girl

or child, carried

great weight even against a

multitude of accusing voices, or the silence of

the indifferent.

Of
dead.
is

all

the absent, there are none so helpless

as those

who

are absent forever: I

mean
a

the

We

must defend the dead.

When

man

once

in his grave, his

enemies are no longer

restrained.

They

attack those
;

whom

he pro-

tected,

his wife, his children

they lay hands

on

his work.

Every time

that

you have the op-

portunity of standing up for the rights of those

THE
who
are dead,

SPIRIT OF DEFENCE.
it.

221

do

You

will

experience some-

thing in accomplishing this duty that you will

gain in no other way.
until

By

respecting humanity

death and in death, you will come to unit is

man to die You will soon perceive that the best of what we possess has come to us from those who died for some holy cause. As, alas, there are living men who are dead, so Their memthere are dead men who still live
derstand that
to

not enough for a

become

nothing.

ory, their love, their spirit, will penetrate yours.

They gave

their

life

for the

good of

all

and from

the mysterious

Beyond they watch

left

for others to

take up the

work which they

incomplete.
for a

What higher grace can we wish man than to feel within his soul the
great dead awake ?

young

souls of the

Thus, step by step, the defence of justice leads

us higher.
It is

a road that ascends

and when
leads,

we have reached the summit to which it we catch a glimpse of the infinite life.

XVI.

THE HEALING POWER OF BENEFICENCE.

lost.

For the Son of man is come to save that which was The Gospel according to Saint Matthew.

The Gospel

alone can restore to the soul, even to the

soul, all the

most devastated
express
it,

verdure of youth, the freshif

ness of the impressions of childhood, and,

all its virginity.

Alexandre Vinet.

may

so

CHAPTER

XVI.

THE HEALING POWER OF BENEFICENCE.

Thus, step by
point
in benevolence.

step,
is

we have

arrived at the

when energy

especially

made

manifest

Undoubtedly the kind of energy with which

we

are concerned
;

is
it

always united with benevo-

lence

otherwise

would be but an instrument

of cruelty and of savage and destructive rage

but the benevolence

dent.

is

not always equally evi-

When it dwells
it it

beneath the brazen armour

it

of the warrior,

seems veiled; and

at
its

is

more

consoling to see
helpful.

work, smiling and

Let us dwell
its

for a

moment on

this

part of

mission.

It is solicitous for

the victims of

evil, for all

who

are struck down, vanquished,

life

lost.

It is to

the honour of humanity that

seems to us
afflicted

more touching under

aspects than in
all

its

tormented and

the plenitude of

its

force.

Every one admires a vigorous

IS

tree, a beautiful

226

COURAGE.

forest in tranquil majesty; but

when

the tempest
it,

descends upon
it,

it,

shaking

it,

twisting

tearing

we

take

the part of the tree against the

its

tempest, and

broken branches,

its

trunk that

has withstood the storm, appeal to us more

strongly than ever.

And

so

it

is

at certain

hours, our eyes are less fascinated

by the

rising

sun than by some poor

little

light

among
resist a

the

evening shadows, struggling against wind and

rain.

There are men who cannot

cry

of distress.

As

gold attracts the

thief,

a carcass

the vulture, so these are drawn towards misfortune.

They have

received, I

know

not by what

dispensation, an ordinance which has

made them
up the
less to

saviours

and as others have been born to do

destroy, they are

harm and

come

to bind

wounds and assuage

comfort those

suffering.

Caring

discover the origin of a catastrophe than to

who have been overwhelmed by it,

they have declared a pacific war against wrong.

Its

immensity does not discourage them; the

insignificance of their efforts

compared

to the

number of misfortunes and

them
cast

sins

does not make

In the eyes of
are trying to

down

their

arms.
fools

sceptics, they are

poor

who

THE HEALING POWER OF BENEFICENCE. 22/

accomplish the impossible; the positive philos-

ophers smile at their naivete

but they take no

heed, and follow the dictates of their heart.

their
instigation,

At

a work of philanthropy has

been organised
not only for

in the

world which
sufTering,

is

solicitous

physical

illness,

and

poverty, but for moral infirmities, weakness of

the

will,

and anguish of the

heart.

Pity has

its

tradition like crime,

in
it

and we should be

initiated

early.

do not believe that youth should be crushed

sight of sin

by the

and misery, nor that

its

horizon should be darkened by a too precocious

revelation of the sorrows of the world.
is

But

it

equally bad to hide everything from youth.

It is

one thing

to

be overwhelmed daily with

heart-rending recitals and startled

ing scenes,

by

distress-

and quite another to learn

that

there are beings

who

suffer,

and to be

initiated

gently into the

trials

of

life.

A young man who

all

has arrived at the end of his adolescence, and

who
been

has been guarded from

knowledge of

suffering

and death,

is

like a victim

who

has

purposely disarmed in order to be

handed

over to his executioners with more security.

He

228
is

COURAGE.
life,

ignorant of one of the primordial laws of

the law of sorrow.

as

This

is

a serious lack as far

he himself

is

concerned, and renders him less

useful to his neighbours.

is

How

can one
it

who
and

ignorant of grief feel compassion for

relieve it?

There are many good reasons why we should

bring youth into contact with sorrow.
Grief
this

matures and strengthens.

baptism of
fire

It

is

through

that one really enters into the

sanctuary of humanity.

One

is

not a

man

until

the waves of misery beat against his heart like

ocean waves against the shore. Grief, moreover,

has the power to purify us.
of mind
is

A certain lightness
it.

incompatible with

In fraternising
alliance

with grief,

we form a powerful
lives.

which
This
that

enables us to live better

Do

not fear that

it

will

diminish joy.

is
is

a mistake.

Joy, like everything

human

holy and great, only flourishes under the reign

of the

common

law,

and not under that of

privilege or caprice.

He who

hopes to be the

exception, and to escape from the

common

law

of suffering and pain, narrows his

enlarging
it.

life

instead of

He

tries

to cultivate joy in the

THE HEALING POWER OF BENEFICENCE.

229

obscure retreat where egotism vegetates, and he

might as well try

to cultivate flowers in a cave.

to itself in
grief.

Moreover, youth must do violence

order to refrain from sympathising with

What is more generous What more ready to be

than a young heart?

touched, and to-fly to

the succour of others without looking behind?

Life often turns to us a sour face; wickedness

and ingratitude harden our

hearts.

Some
years.

of us
But,

grow thick-skinned with advancing

in general,

when we

are

young we have not had

There

our senses dulled to the grief of others.

are days

when we wish well to the whole uniwhen we call down blessings on the unknown passers-by, when we pardon all our off"enders, when our hearts are given to every one who suffers and weeps, when we should like
verse,

to

warm

the feet of

little

children with

our

hands, and in spirit lay wreaths on the coffins

of those
sign.

who

pass

away without one

all

friendly

And

should

these

sentiments

be

repressed?
pulses to be

No,

no.

Do
Help

not resist your imin

pitiful.

the work of heal-

ing

do your share

in the

holy labour of hope

and beneficence.

230

COURAGE.
is

Who
youth?
ence
is

better prepared

for this

task than

Youth

lacks experience.

But experi-

acquired by contact with those

it,

who

possess

and certainly the unhappy are not

of
it.

avaricious

They

fear

no competitors.
is

Moreover, to be lacking

in

experience

not to
pity,

be lacking

in

means.

For the work of

youth possesses such powerful means that they

almost seem a special grace.

We

have been
to

told that a flower or a spider has sufficed

while away the tedium of certain

prisoners.

Nothing

is

more

effectual

than contact with

youth to charm away sadness, to sweeten and

console
it.

Youth brings with

it

life

and hope.
it

Without much to say or complicated means,

does us more good than
If

many

official consolers.
visit,

one only knew what part a smile, a

little gift,

friendly

played

in certain

humble and

unfortunate
these

lives,

one would not be sparing of

trivial presents.

The

old rabbi, Hillel, a

contemporary of Jesus, summed

up

all

his

teaching of youth in the one saying, "

Be good,
do,
for-

my

child."

How many

things one would

and how many things one would give up

ever,
if

one took

this device as a rule

of conduct

THE HEALING POWER OF BENEFICENCE.

Benevolence,
all

23

it

is

what we sigh

for,

because

of us

suffer.

To open

our eyes, to cultivate

in ourselves

the delicate sense of

it,

human

suffer-

ing in order to divine

to

learn to

touch

wounds with a

light hand,

why do so few men

It
is,

care to devote themselves to this task?

however, one of the most humane in the world.

Why do we

prefer to labour at the

inhuman task

of irritating and tormenting others, and causing

their tears to flow?

Be good,

my

child

Along

the

dim path which men pursue. Be-

nevolence alone sees clearly.

things are
ceives.
all

To

her, certain
else

revealed
this
is

which

no one

per-

And

the reason

why

she proves

things

by her simple presence.

signifies to

She
"

is

re-

assuring, and

any one who

least,

suffers

and grieves, were he among the

art not forgotten."

Thou

This

is

why

man, wicked

though he may be, has recognised Benevolence

as something divine. to

And God

never appeared

him more

clearly than in the

image of a

man who, moved by

from both.

pity for man's sorrow and

sin, sacrificed himself in order to deliver

him

XVII.

SURSUM CORDA.

To honour God, To love humanity,

Is to

be a hero. Triades Gauloises. most

Holy Father
;

I give myself to thee to-day in the

I

renounce all masters who have dominated me all worldly joys, and all lusts of the flesh. I renounce everything that is perishable, to the end that God may be my all. I consecrate to thee all that I am and all that I have, the faculties of my mind, the members of my body, my Deign to use me, O Lord, as an time, and my resources.

solemn manner. ...

instrument destined to thy service. May the name of the Lord be an eternal witness that I have signed this promise in the firm and righteous intention of keeping it.
. .

Jean FniDiRic Oberlin.

Strasburg, January
i,

1760.

This was the point of departure of one of the noblest and most useful lives that have ever done honour to France and humanity. Jean Frdddric Oberlin, born at Strasburg on August 31, 1740, became in 1767 the " Catholic Evangelical Minister " (this was the title he gave himself) of
the rude parish of Ban-de-la-Roche, in a valley of the

Vosges.

civiliser,

During nearly sixty years he was its apostle, and benefactor and he died there in his eightysixth year, on June i, 1826. In his thirtieth year, he renewed the vow he had made ten years before. In the decline of his life, on re-reading once more his "act of consecration," he added on the margin " Lord, have pity upon me " He was then
; :
!

died four years later (June i, 1826). The motto which he chose was, " Walk before God." In his " May you forget my name, and only rewill he wrote
eighty-two.
:

He

member that

of Jesus Christ."

XVII.

SURSUM CORDA!
If the grain of wheat sleeping beneath the

dark earth could foresee what

it

it

was

to

become,

would

rejoice in thinking that

toil

it

united in
it

itself

the labourer's

and God's sun; that

future, as
it

was to be the bread of the

is

the
its

hope

of to-day.

It

would submit gladly

it

to

destiny, and accomplish

its

with love, through

germination,

its

flowering, and maturity, to

the grinding beneath the millstone.

If

man
have

could take account of what he

is

and

what he might become, he would do the same.

tried, in this

book, to show the magI

nitude of our destiny.

desire to set

it

forth

again in a few brief words.]

What is A man

a
is

man?
one who believes
in life, in

" the
la-

useful passing of the days," in productive

bour, in the emancipating power of grief; one

236

COURAGE.
confides himself to the great Will which
is

who

at the foundation of all things,

A man
cannot

is

one who knows brotherly love, who

conceive of his

own happiness
is

apart

from that of others, who

one with the whole,

who marches
as

in the

ranks and loves humanity

he loves

his family

and country, with

all

all

the

emotion
sacrifice.

of his heart and

the power of

man

is

one who

tries to

govern himself,

not according to his passions, his interests, or

the caprice and violence of others, but in ac-

cordance with the laws of

justice.

man

is

one who knows how to

is

fight

and

suffer for

what

good, for what he loves, for

what he worships.

He

is

one who hates

it

evil,

and declares war against

without

mercy,
in

knowing well that our greatest enemy, and,

reality,

our only one,

finally,

is

sin.

And
to die
;

man

is

one who knows

life

how
he
is

who knows
it,

that in giving his

it:

not losing

but finding

this

is

passing

from the evanescent to the eternal.

SURSUM CORDA!

237
of honour,
valiant,

Young
to
just,

soldier

on humanity's

field

your post!

Do
!

your

best.

Be

be

be confident

You

are serving

a good

cause, under a

good

leader.

When
dain
:

the ancient Gauls were asked what

they feared, they answered

"

with superb
is

dis-

We

fear only

one thing, and that

!

that

the heavens should

fall

"

If

you are conlife,

vinced of the inestimable value of

heart will

your

become

as

firm

as those

of your

rugged ancestors; and when you

feel yourself

tremble before some danger in the path

duty,

of

some one who

all

is

greater than the heav-

ens and

the visible world will say to you:

I

" Fear not, for

am

with thee."

THE END.