are lonely; if you live only for
others you are also left lonely at last. For it seems to me that the
"soul" of every man and woman is a lonely "soul," no matter if their
life be one long round of pleasure-seeking and success, or merely
renunciation. Only occasionally, very, very occasionally--maybe only
once in a lifetime!--do we ever really feel that our own "soul" and the
"soul" of another has met for an all-too-brief moment, shared for a
flash its "secret," mutually sympathised and understood. For the
rest--well, we live for the most part holding out, as it were, shadowy
arms towards shadows which only _seem_ to be substance. The road to
Calvary is a lonely road, and each man and woman is forced to follow
it. There remains then only God--God who knows us for what we are;
God--and the faith that in a life beyond we shall by our loved ones be
also recognised and known. For the rest, we but look at each other
yearningly through iron bars--and from a long, long distance. The
least lonely road which leads to Calvary is the road which leads to
God; the least lonely pilgrims are those who walk with Him. But not
everybody can believe in God, no matter how they yearn. They seek
"soul" realisation in success, in self-gratification, in the applause
and passion of the crowd. The "religious" men condemn and despise
them. But they are wrong. They are more to be pitied. For they do
not find consolation in the things by which they have sought to drug
the loneliness of their inner life. Their Calvary is often the most
terrible of all. So it seems to me that Calvary is at the end of
whichever road we take. We are wise when we realise that it is in our
own power to make that road brighter and happier for others, and that
there are always halts of interest and delight, entertainment and joy,
dotted along it for ourselves as well--if we look for them. But we do
not escape Calvary even though we struggle for success, gratify our own
desires, seek the honour and approval of our fellow-men. It is just
the Road of Life, and, provided that we harm no other man in so doing,
let us realise ourselves in worldly ambition and in love and in
enjoyment as often as we may. That is my philosophy, but it is no less
lonely in reality than other people's. Old age is each man's Calvary.

_Mountain Paths_

And the worst of that road to Calvary which we all of us must follow,
whether it be a long or short way, is that it is alway