or heart, and he does
not estimate his fellow-men in figures. His exceptional position, instead
of exalting him, makes him humble, for he is very sensible of how far he
falls short of reaching the level of his duty. He has remained a
man--that says it all. He is accessible, helpful, and far from making of
his wealth a barrier to separate him from other men, he makes it a means
for coming nearer and nearer to them. Although the profession of riches
has been so dishonored by the selfish and the proud, such a man as this
always makes his worth felt by everyone not devoid of a sense of
justice. Each of us who comes in contact with him and sees him live, is
forced to look within and ask himself the question, "What would become
of me in such a situation? Should I keep this modesty, this naturalness,
this uprightness which uses its own as though it belonged to others?" So
long as there is a human society in the world, so long as there are
bitterly conflicting interests, so long as envy and egoism exist on the
earth, nothing will be worthier of honor than wealth permeated by the
spirit of simplicity. And it will do more than make itself forgiven; it
will make itself beloved.

* * * * *

More dangerous than pride inspired by wealth is that inspired by power,
and I mean by the word every prerogative that one man has over another,
be it unlimited or restricted. I see no means of preventing the
existence in the world of men of unequal authority. Every organism
supposes a hierarchy of powers--we shall never escape from that law. But
I fear that if the love of power is so wide-spread, the spirit of power
is almost impossible to find. From wrong understanding and misuse of it,
those who keep even a fraction of authority almost everywhere succeed in
compromising it.

Power exercises a great influence over him who holds it. A head must be
very well balanced not to be disturbed by it. The sort of dementia which
took possession of the Roman emperors in the time of their world-wide
rule, is a universal malady whose symptoms belong to all times. In every
man there sleeps a tyrant, awaiting only a favorable occasion for
waking. Now the tyrant is the worst enemy of authority, because he
furnishes us its intolerable caricature, whence come a multitude of
social complications, collisions and hatreds. Every man who says to
those dependent on him: "Do this because it is my will and pleasure,"
does ill. There is within