f the world, who had in them the freshness of young
children, and yet the depth of earnest men, who did not think that they
had finished off all things in Heaven and Earth by merely giving them
scientific names, but had to gaze direct at them there, with awe and
wonder: they felt better what of divinity is in man and Nature; they,
without being mad, could _worship_ Nature, and man more than anything
else in Nature. Worship, that is, as I said above, admire without limit:
this, in the full use of their faculties, with all sincerity of heart,
they could do. I consider Hero-worship to be the grand modifying element
in that ancient system of thought. What I called the perplexed jungle
of Paganism sprang, we may say, out of many roots: every admiration,
adoration of a star or natural object, was a root or fibre of a root;
but Hero-worship is the deepest root of all; the tap-root, from which in
a great degree all the rest were nourished and grown.

And now if worship even of a star had some meaning in it, how much more
might that of a Hero! Worship of a Hero is transcendent admiration of
a Great Man. I say great men are still admirable; I say there is,
at bottom, nothing else admirable! No nobler feeling than this of
admiration for one higher than himself dwells in the breast of man.
It is to this hour, and at all hours, the vivifying influence in man's
life. Religion I find stand upon it; not Paganism only, but far higher
and truer religions,--all religion hitherto known. Hero-worship,
heartfelt prostrate admiration, submission, burning, boundless, for
a noblest godlike Form of Man,--is not that the germ of Christianity
itself? The greatest of all Heroes is One--whom we do not name here!
Let sacred silence meditate that sacred matter; you will find it the
ultimate perfection of a principle extant throughout man's whole history
on earth.

Or coming into lower, less unspeakable provinces, is not all Loyalty
akin to religious Faith also? Faith is loyalty to some inspired
Teacher, some spiritual Hero. And what therefore is loyalty proper, the
life-breath of all society, but an effluence of Hero-worship, submissive
admiration for the truly great? Society is founded on Hero-worship. All
dignities of rank, on which human association rests, are what we may
call a _Hero_archy (Government of Heroes),--or a Hierarchy, for it
is "sacred" enough withal! The Duke means _Dux_, Leader; King is
_Kon-ning_, _Kan-ning_, Man that _knows_ or _c