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to the highest limit of the French influences and training。  In

England he rose to the highest limit attainable through the

OUTSIDE HELPS AFFORDED BY THAT LAND'S IDEALS; INFLUENCES; AND

TRAINING。  You and I are but sewing…machines。  We must turn out

what we can; we must do our endeavor and care nothing at all when

the unthinking reproach us for not turning out Gobelins。



Y。M。  And so we are mere machines!  And machines may not

boast; nor feel proud of their performance; nor claim personal

merit for it; nor applause and praise。  It is an infamous

doctrine。



O。M。  It isn't a doctrine; it is merely a fact。



Y。M。  I suppose; then; there is no more merit in being brave

than in being a coward?



O。M。  PERSONAL merit?  No。  A brave man does not CREATE his

bravery。  He is entitled to no personal credit for possessing it。

It is born to him。  A baby born with a billion dollarswhere is

the personal merit in that?  A baby born with nothingwhere is

the personal demerit in that?  The one is fawned upon; admired;

worshiped; by sycophants; the other is neglected and despised

where is the sense in it?



Y。M。  Sometimes a timid man sets himself the task of

conquering his cowardice and becoming braveand succeeds。  What

do you say to that?



O。M。  That it shows the value of TRAINING IN RIGHT

DIRECTIONS OVER TRAINING IN WRONG ONES。  Inestimably valuable is

training; influence; education; in right directionsTRAINING

ONE'S SELF…APPROBATION TO ELEVATE ITS IDEALS。



Y。M。  But as to meritthe personal merit of the victorious

coward's project and achievement?



O。M。  There isn't any。  In the world's view he is a worthier

man than he was before; but HE didn't achieve the changethe

merit of it is not his。



Y。M。  Whose; then?



O。M。  His MAKE; and the influences which wrought upon it

from the outside。



Y。M。  His make?



O。M。  To start with; he was NOT utterly and completely a

coward; or the influences would have had nothing to work upon。

He was not afraid of a cow; though perhaps of a bull:  not afraid

of a woman; but afraid of a man。  There was something to build

upon。  There was a SEED。  No seed; no plant。  Did he make that

seed himself; or was it born in him?  It was no merit of HIS that

the seed was there。



Y。M。  Well; anyway; the idea of CULTIVATING it; the

resolution to cultivate it; was meritorious; and he originated

that。



O。M。  He did nothing of the kind。  It came whence ALL

impulses; good or bad; comefrom OUTSIDE。  If that timid man had

lived all his life in a community of human rabbits; had never

read of brave deeds; had never heard speak of them; had never

heard any one praise them nor express envy of the heroes that had

done them; he would have had no more idea of bravery than Adam

had of modesty; and it could never by any possibility have

occurred to him to RESOLVE to become brave。  He COULD NOT

ORIGINATE THE IDEAit had to come to him from the OUTSIDE。  And

so; when he heard bravery extolled and cowardice derided; it woke

him up。  He was ashamed。  Perhaps his sweetheart turned up her

nose and said; 〃I am told that you are a coward!〃  It was not HE

that turned over the new leafshe did it for him。  HE must not

strut around in the merit of itit is not his。



Y。M。  But; anyway; he reared the plant after she watered the

seed。



O。M。  No。  OUTSIDE INFLUENCES reared it。  At the command

and tremblinghe marched out into the fieldwith other soldiers

and in the daytime; not alone and in the dark。  He had the

INFLUENCE OF EXAMPLE; he drew courage from his comrades' courage;

he was afraid; and wanted to run; but he did not dare; he was

AFRAID to run; with all those soldiers looking on。  He was

progressing; you seethe moral fear of shame had risen superior

to the physical fear of harm。  By the end of the campaign

experience will have taught him that not ALL who go into battle

get hurtan outside influence which will be helpful to him; and

he will also have learned how sweet it is to be praised for

courage and be huzza'd at with tear…choked voices as the war…worn

regiment marches past the worshiping multitude with flags flying

and the drums beating。  After that he will be as securely brave

as any veteran in the armyand there will not be a shade nor

suggestion of PERSONAL MERIT in it anywhere; it will all have

come from the OUTSIDE。  The Victoria Cross breeds more heroes

than



Y。M。  Hang it; where is the sense in his becoming brave if

he is to get no credit for it?



O。M。  Your question will answer itself presently。  It

involves an important detail of man's make which we have not yet

touched upon。



Y。M。  What detail is that?



O。M。  The impulse which moves a person to do thingsthe

only impulse that ever moves a person to do a thing。



Y。M。  The ONLY one!  Is there but one?



O。M。  That is all。  There is only one。



Y。M。  Well; certainly that is a strange enough doctrine。

What is the sole impulse that ever moves a person to do a thing?



O。M。  The impulse to CONTENT HIS OWN SPIRITthe NECESSITY

of contenting his own spirit and WINNING ITS APPROVAL。



Y。M。  Oh; come; that won't do!



O。M。  Why won't it?



Y。M。  Because it puts him in the attitude of always looking

out for his own comfort and advantage; whereas an unselfish man

often does a thing solely for another person's good when it is a

positive disadvantage to himself。



O。M。  It is a mistake。  The act must do HIM good; FIRST;

otherwise he will not do it。  He may THINK he is doing it solely

for the other person's sake; but it is not so; he is contenting

his own spirit firstthe other's person's benefit has to always

take SECOND place。



Y。M。  What a fantastic idea!  What becomes of self…

sacrifice?  Please answer me that。



O。M。  What is self…sacrifice?



Y。M。  The doing good to another person where no shadow nor

suggestion of benefit to one's self can result from it。







II



Man's Sole Impulsethe Securing of His Own Approval





Old Man。  There have been instances of ityou think?



Young Man。  INSTANCES?  Millions of them!



O。M。  You have not jumped to conclusions?  You have examined

themcritically?



Y。M。  They don't need it:  the acts themselves reveal the

golden impulse back of them。



O。M。  For instance?



Y。M。  Well; then; for instance。  Take the case in the book

here。  The man lives three miles up…town。  It is bitter cold;

snowing hard; midnight。  He is about to enter the horse…car when

a gray and ragged old woman; a touching picture of misery; puts

out her lean hand and begs for rescue from hunger and death。  The

man finds that he has a quarter in his pocket; but he does not

hesitate:  he gives it her and trudges home through the storm。

Thereit is noble; it is beautiful; its grace is marred by no

fleck or blemish or suggestion of self…interest。



O。M。  What makes you think that?



Y。M。  Pray what else could I think?  Do you imagine that

there is some other way of looking at it?



O。M。  Can you put yourself in the man's place and tell me

what he felt and what he thought?



Y。M。  Easily。  The sight of that suffering old face pierced

his generous heart with a sharp pain。  He could not bear it。  He

could endure the three…mile walk in the storm; but he could not

endure the tortures his conscience would suffer if he turned his

back and left that poor old creature to perish。  He would not

have been able to sleep; for thinking of it。



O。M。  What was his state of mind on his way home?



Y。M。  It was a state of joy which only the self…sacrificer

knows。  His heart sang; he was unconscious of the storm。



O。M。  He felt well?



Y。M。  One cannot doubt it。



O。M。  Very well。  Now let us add up the details and see how

much he got for his twenty…five cents。  Let us try to find out

the REAL why of his making the investment。  In the first place HE

couldn't bear the pain which the old suffering face gave him。  So

he was thinking of HIS painthis good man。  He must buy a salve

for it。  If he did not succor the old woman HIS conscience would

torture him all the way home。  Thinking of HIS pain again。  He

must buy relief for that。  If he didn't relieve the old woman HE

would not get any sleep。  He must buy some sleepstill thinking

of HIMSELF; you see。  Thus; to sum up; he bought himself free of

a sharp pain in his heart; he bought himself free of the tortures

of a waiting conscience; he bought a whole night's sleepall for

twenty…five cents!  It should make Wall Street ashamed of itself。

On his way home his heart was joyful; and it sangprofit on top

of profit!  The impulse which moved the man to succor the old

woman wasFIRSTto CONTENT HIS OWN SPIRIT; secondly to relieve

HER sufferings。  Is it your opinion that men's acts proceed from

one central and unchanging and inalterable impulse; or from a

variety of impulses?



Y。M。  From a variety; of coursesome high and fine and

noble; others not。  What is your opinion?



O。M。  Then there is but ONE law; one source。



Y。M。  That both the noblest impulses and the basest proceed

from that one source?



O。M。  Yes。



Y。M。  Will you put that law into words?



O。M。  Yes。  This is the law; keep it in your mind。  FROM HIS

CRADLE TO HIS GRAVE A MAN NEVER DOES A SINGLE THING WHICH HAS ANY

FIRST AND FOREMOST OBJECT BUT ONETO SECURE PEACE OF MIND;

SPIRITUAL COMFORT; FOR HIMSELF。



Y。M。  Come!  He never does anything for any one else's

comfort; spiritual or physical?



O。M。  No。  EXCEPT ON THOSE DISTINCT TERMSthat it shall

FIRST secure HIS OWN spiritual comfort。  Otherwise he will not do

it。



Y。M。  It will be easy to expose the falsity of that

proposition。



O。M。  For instance?



Y。M。  Take that noble passion; love of country; patriotism。

A man who loves peace and dreads pain; leaves his pleasant home

and his weeping family and marches out to manfully expose himself

to hunger; cold; wounds; and death。  Is that seeking spiritual

comfort?



O。M。  He loves peace and dreads pain?



Y。M。  Yes。



O。M。  Then perhaps there is something that he loves MORE

than he loves peaceTHE APPROVAL OF HIS NEIGHBORS AND THE

PUBLIC。  And perhaps there is something which he dreads more than

he dreads painthe DISAPPROVAL of his neighbors and the public。

If he is sensitive to shame he will go to the fieldnot because

his spirit will be ENTIRELY comfortable there; but because it

will be more comfortable there than it would be if he remained at

home。  He will always do the thing which will bring him the MOST

mental comfortfor that is THE SOLE LAW OF HIS LIFE。  He leaves

the weeping family behind; he is sorry to make them

uncomfortable; but not sorry enough to sacrifice his OWN comfort

to secure theirs。



Y。M。  Do you really believe that mere public opinion could

force a timid and peaceful man to



O。M。 

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