us in one or another of these three ways.

I recently read a biography of Matthew Arnold, the author of
which constantly speaks of himself as Arnold's disciple. It is not
often nowadays that we hear men proclaim themselves disciples
and glory in their discipleship. At the present day the tendency is
for every one to assert an equality with others; and most persons
would resent the imputation of subordination implied in such a
word as disciple. And yet the writer in question is a self-respecting
man, he is thoroughly alive to his dignity, and he has keen and
unsparing words for certain of the faults of the master whom he
reveres. He is not blind, he is not wax in the hands of the master,
he does not look upon him with undiscerning admiration, and yet
he takes toward him the reverent attitude--what I should call the
spiritual attitude--for he recognizes that this master of his is a
casket in which nature has deposited a treasure of extraordinary
value, that he possesses a genius much superior to that of others.
The loyal disciple is concerned that this genius should appear in its
full potency and in undiminished radiance. To this end is the
upward look, the appreciation and reverence, and to this end also
the misgiving and the remonstrance when the great man deviates
from the course which he ought to follow. The same attitude of
loyalty we sometimes find among the disciples of great artists, and
the followers of great religious teachers. Loyalty is a virtue which
is somewhat underrated at the present day. Loyalty is not
debasing, not unworthy of a self-respecting man; it is but another
name for the spiritual attitude toward those who have a superior
genius, to whose height we are lifted by our appreciation of them.

Furthermore, in our spiritual relation toward those who occupy
about the same plane of development with ourselves, the same
principle of sympathy with the best possible attainment should be
the rule. To rejoice in the failure of others, to accentuate in our
thinking and in our conversation the faults of others, to triumph at
their expense, is the utterly unspiritual attitude. To desire that
others may manifest the excellence that is latent in them--be it like
to or different from our own, to desire that they shall have credit
for every excellence they possess, and to sedulously aid them in
developing such excellence as they can attain to, that is the
spiritual attitude.

I have spoken of superiors and equa