mother of our evolution, its dark
shadow forever inciting us, breaking our Inertia, bringing swiftness and
strength first to the body, then to brain. Even desire for self, on the
long road behind, has been the good angel of our passage, for we had to
become splendid beasts before the dimension of man could be builded....
All good; mistakes nowhere in the plan.

But the trouble is, the passage of the many from grade to grade is
intolerably slow. We had thought the many had finished with war. The few
already are many grades ahead of that; the few have seen the virtues die
out of patriotism and trade; they have watched the desire for self turn
reptile, and hearkened to this truth which is beginning to reverberate
around the world: _What is good for beasts is not of necessity good for
men_.... One recent caller here, male, middle-aged, smilingly discussed
all things from the philosophical point of view. I was saying:

"From the nursery to world-clutched retirement from public affairs, a
man nowadays is taught more and more to keep his heart-principle
locked----"

He smiled: "We have all the time there is. It will all come out right.
You fellows excite yourselves and try to change things overnight. Others
of us think them over quietly by our fires. That is the whole
difference. Scratch off the veneer, and we are all the same kind of
God-yearning animal underneath."

Few sayings ever have hit me harder.

I studied the years' offerings from this man--to his house, to his
acquaintances, to the world in general. An irony filled the room, and so
intense was it that it seemed to have a colour, a kind of green and
yellow vapour. It emanated from the centre of his face. I think the
point that animated me especially was that he was in the habit of
talking to young men. He had no children of his own. I changed the
subject and opened the door--not to hasten his departure but because the
air was close.

By every law which makes us hold fast to the memory of saviours and
great men, the finest fabric of any race is its pioneers. We are living
and putting into action now the dreams of brave spirits who have gone
before. Philosophically, even they may have found that the plan is good,
but that did not prevent them from giving their lives to lift the
soddenness and accelerate the Inertia of the crowds. They took their joy
in the great goodness of the plan--only after they had done their best
to bring the race more swiftly into its hig