e of warmed-over
air."

Perhaps the most discouraging thing about the Doctrinaire is that while
he insists upon a high ideal, he is intolerant of the somewhat tedious
ways and means by which the ideal is to be reached. With his eye fixed
on the Perfect, he makes no allowance for the imperfectness of those who
are struggling toward it. There is a pleasant passage in Hooker's
"Ecclesiastical Polity" in which I find great comfort: "That which the
Gospel of Christ requireth is the perpetuity of virtuous duties, not the
perpetuity of exercise or action, but disposition perpetual, and
practise as often as times and opportunities require. Just, valiant,
liberal, temperate, and holy men, are they which _can_ whensoever they
will, and will whensoever they _ought_, execute whatever their several
perfections impart. If virtues did always cease when they cease to
work, there would be nothing more pernicious to virtue than sleep."

The judicious Hooker was never more judicious than in making this
observation. It is a great relief to be assured that in this world,
where there are such incessant calls upon the moral nature, it is
possible to be a just, valiant, liberal, temperate, and holy man, and
yet get a good night's sleep.

But your Doctrinaire will not have it so. His hero retains his position
only during good behavior, which means behaving all the time in an
obviously heroic manner. It is not enough that he should be to "true
occasion true," he must make occasions to show himself off.

Now it happens that in the actual world it is not possible for the best
of men to satisfy all the demands of their fidgety followers. In the
picture of the battle between St. George and the dragon, the attitude of
St. George is all that could be desired. There is an easy grace in the
way in which he deals with the dragon that is greatly to his credit.
There is a mingling of knightly pride and Christian resignation over his
own inevitable victory, that is charming.

St. George was fortunate in the moment when he had his picture taken. He
had the dragon just where he wanted him. But it is to be feared that if
some one had followed him with a kodak, some of the snap-shots might
have been less satisfactory. Let us suppose a moment when the dragon

Swinges the scaly horror of his folded tail.

It is a way that dragons have when they are excited. And what if that
moment St. George dodged. Would you criticise him harshly for such an
act