The St. Louis Republic., 1904-12-08

But there are not only the prides of the
great; there are also the pri ras OF the
small ones, that low morgue which Is th-
worthy pendant OF the higher one. TIE
root of these two prides is identical. The
man who says, The law IL me- is not
| only that arrogant and imperiOus beng
VINO VINO provokes inSurrection by, his attitude
alone. II is still the subaltern, wnose
| wooden head Will rot admit taat there IS
| anything above him.
There are positively quantity OF peo-
| PIE wnom all superiority irritateS. For
them all advice is an offence: all criti-
cism an iInposture: all orders an attempt
on their liberty. They will not accept any
rues; TO respect anything or anyone
| seems to them like mental alteration
| Ihey say in their manner. ASIDE from us
| there IS no place for anyone"
or this naughty family are also those
who are intractable and susceptible to
excess; who, in humber conditions, never
succeed in being contented. and who ful-
NIL their duties with the airs of victims.
| there is misplaced self-love. They 90
not know how to keep their post simply;
and tney complicate their lives. and those
| OF others, by ridiculous eXactlonS and uE-
| just after-thoughts.
| When one takes the pains to study men
| at close range, one IS surprised to find that
| we call humble. Such is the power OF
| this vice that il succeeds in forming
| around the lives of those VINO live in the
| most modest conditions thick wall
| which isOlateS them from their ne!Sn-
| bors. They are there intrenched. barri-
| caded in their ambitions ana disdains. as
| unattainabe as the powerful! ones oil the
earth behind their ar.strocrauc pFtJu-
diceS. Obscure or illuStrious, pride grapes
| itself in its somber royalty OF enInlty 10
the human kind. 1t is the same in us
| misery and in its grandeur, poWerleSS
and solitary, distrusting everything and
Complicating everything And We can
never repeat enough, that if there is so
| much hatred and hostility between the
different classes. 1t Is less to the external
| fatalities than to the inward fatality that
| We owe them The antaGonism OF interest
fand the contrasts of situations dlg diicISs .iIs
| between us-no one can deny it-Dut prlle
| transforms those bitches into abysSes, ana
| in reality it is they only who cry from one
bank to the other. There Is nothing In
| common between you ana US
We have not yet finished with pride. but
it is impossible to picture i under all oi
its forms. l blame il, above ALL when 1t
| NEEDLES with knowledge and sterilizes IL.
| We owe knowledge like riches and power,
| to our fci.ow-be.nSs. II Is a social M l0Lce
| which should serve-and it cannot. unless
| those who know remain in heart near
| those who do not know. When klo"leuss
| transforms itself into an instrument OF
ambition, it destroys itself;
| What shall we say of the prlde OF Ihe
good people?-for it exists. and renters
Even yirttIe hateful The just VINO repent
of the evil that others do. live III soLi-
darity and in a social truth. On the cor
trary. the Just who despise others for
| their faults and their crOokedness. litrehGn
themselves against humanity. and theif
qualities descended to the rank OF a VAIN
GrI anent of their vanity. become similar
10 those riches which kindness does no.
inspire to that authority, which does hGs
temper the spirit Of obdience. AS 1nucn
as the naughty rich and the arros2n.
master prdeful virtue Is GeteStaD!e II
gives man features and an attitude lhat
reveal / know not what, that IS pellgI
e.nt It's example drives us away instead OF
drawing US to them. and those Wnom tnIs
virtue deiens TO nonor with its benefits
feel as II they had received a blow.
LET us sum up and conclude:
Ii is an error TO think that our ed
vsrtaEes. whatever they are. should be
put t. the service Of our vanity. Eacn
joys II an obligation and not an oo1J5cl
Of sef-glorifCation The material gooas
pcwer knowledge and the quaiues OIL @ lhe
heart and mind become as many Gauss
pride They are only beneficient wtren they
zen ain subjects of -nodesty for those wh"
possess much because that proves fhat
we are debtors. All that man fas ~.
owes TO some one. ana axe We sure Oh
being able 10 pay our debts -.o., ,,.;-,
Let us be humble If we are vested VILE
some important function, and If We iIoid
in our hands the fate of others. Tor II is
impossible that n cisar-seeIHS man -
not feel himself under such grave culie'
LET us be humble II We have many ac-
quaintanccs. for they serve US nut Ihe
better TO authenticate the Srea mess OF the
unkncvn. and to compare the little that
we have discovered by Ourselves with the
mass of what We owe to the pains OF
others. {.
are virtuous because no one can PETER
feel his defects than he who has oeen
drilled and mere than anyone he shoulu
feel the need OF being indulgent to others
and 10 suffer for others who are doias
wrong.
And what do you do with the necessary
distinctions? someone may say With 50
much simplicity are you not going TO ef-
face that sentiment of distance which it
is necessary to maintain for the proper
| working OF a society.
| / am nor OF the opinion that il would be
well to suppress the distances and dlStlnc-
tons But | think that what DISTINGUISHES
4 man is not found in grade. In junction.
neither in the uniform, nor In the fortune.
but i'll him alone. More than any other
epoch, ours has torn away The vanity ot
purely external things. To be someone now
it does not sufficie any longer TO Wen
the mantle of an Emperor or royal
| crown What good would 1t serve TO
wear gold lace. have coat OF arms OF
| ribbon? Certainly external signs are not
to be condemned, they have their signih-
cation and their utility, but on condluon
| that they cover SOUItLhluEs anu
ness. The day when they mean nothing mn.
they become useless and dangerous. ne
only way to distinguish one self IL TO oe
better II you wish that the social Gis-
tinctions so necessary, so respsctaple IN
| themselves should be effectually respect
| ed. YOU must first make yourself worthy
| OF them otherwise you Will contribute 10
making them hated and despised. If is
| a thing unfortunately too certain that re
spect is at low ebb with US: and II is
| certainly not the fault of the distinctions
suitable to marx what they wish should
be respected. The cause OF the evil Is In
the belief that a high position exempts
him who occupies 1t from observing the
current duties of life. In lifting ourselves
we believe that We are lifted above the
law And so we forget that the spirit OF
modesty and obedience should grow with
the occasion. II results that those who
demand the most respect for their charge
do the least to merit it That is why
respect Is diminishing
Tho only distinction necessary IS this
which consists in the desire to be better.
The man who tries TO become better be-
comes mora humble. more adorable. and
more familiar even with those who owe
him respect But as 1t gains by being
better known, hierarchy loses nothing.
and 1t reaps all the more respect where 1t
sowed the least pride.
CHAPTER XIII.
Education in Simplicity.
The simple life being. above all. the
n-oduct of direction of the mind. IL Is