lways spies
danger in every proposal, and many others. We need not consider the
comfort of the first nor the selfishness of the second; but the third
and fourth require a word. The man of policy offers me his judgment
instead of a clear consideration of the truth. 'Tis he who says: "You
and I can discuss certain things privately. We are educated; we
understand. Ignorant people can't understand, and you only make mischief
in supposing it. It's not wise." To him I reply: "You are afraid to
speak the whole truth; I am afraid to hide it. You are filled with the
danger to ignorant people of having out everything; I am filled with the
danger to _you_ of suppressing anything. I do not propose to you that
you can with the whole truth make ignorant people profound, but I say
you must have the whole truth out for your own salvation." Here is the
danger: we see life within certain limitations, and cannot see the
possibly infinite significance of something we would put by. It is of
grave importance that we see it rightly, and in the difficulties of the
case our only safe course is to take the evidence life offers without
prejudice and without fear, and write it down. When the matter is grave,
let it be taken with all the mature deliberation and care its gravity
demands, but once the evidence is clearly seen, let us for our salvation
write it down. For any man to set his petty judgment above the need for
setting down the truth is madness; and I refuse to do it. There is our
religious pessimist to consider. To him I say I take religion more
seriously. I take it not to evade the problems of life, but to solve
them. When I tell him to have no fear, this is not my indifference to
the issue, but a tribute to the faith that is in me. Let us be careful
to do the right thing; then fear is inconsistent with faith. Nor can I
understand the other attitude. Two thousand years after the preaching of
the Sermon on the Mount we are to go about whispering to one another
what is wise.

VI

To conclude: Now, and in every phase of the coming struggle, the strong
mind is a greater need than the strong hand. We must be passionate, but
the mind must guide and govern our passion. In the aberrations of the
weak mind decrying resistance, let us not lose our balance and defy
brute strength. At a later stage we must consider the ethics of
resistance to the Civil Power; the significance of what is written now
will be more apparent then. Let the cultivati