ave a part?

Paul had wished to leave when Wilhelm had finished, but the latter
waited out of politeness to hear his opponent speak, and when the
speaker had ended in a storm of applause, the three friends left the
meeting. When they were outside, Dr. Schrotter said to Wilhelm:

"Do you know that you are a first-rate speaker? You have everything
that is necessary for moving a crowd in the highest degree."

"Hardly that, I think."

"Certainly, I mean it: a noble appearance, a voice which goes to the
heart, remarkable calmness and assurance, uncommon command of language,
and an idealistic earnestness which would move all the better spirits
among your audience. You have shown us to-night the road you ought to
take. You must devote your gift to speaking in public, you must
endeavor to become a deputy. If you fail in this, you will sin against
our people."

"Bravo! I had already thought of that," cried Paul.

"A deputy--never," said Wilhelm. "If I spoke well to-day it was because
I was sorry for the poor, ignorant men who listened to the silly talk
of a fool as if it were a revelation from Mount Sinai, but I could
never presume to have any influence in Parliament or in the fate of
governments."

"And so you call what is every citizen's duty 'presumption,'"

"Forgive me, doctor, if I say I do not believe that. Only those who are
acquainted with the laws and their development should have anything to
do with the nation's destiny. But only a few isolated individuals know
these laws, and I am not one of them."

"Do you think that the government know them?"

"Oh, no."

"And yet the government does not hesitate to rule the people's destiny
according to their intelligence."

"It reminds me of the poet's expression, 'Du glaubst zu schieben und du
wirst geschoben.'"

"What is the movement that you mean?"

"An unknown inner organic force which defines all the expressions of
life, of single individuals and united societies alike. It develops as
a tree grows. No single individual can add anything to it or take away
from it, no single individual can hasten or retard the development or
give it any direction."

"In one word--the philosophy of the Unknown."

"That is so."

"Very good, and if a government oppresses a people, robs them of their
freedom, perpetually finds fault with them and ill-treats them, they
must bear it quietly, and comfort themselves by the thought that the
government is controlled by the infallibl