John Galsworthy

“ Where are their symbols? How shall they move and lead the people? No," he said, "a little child shall lend the people, and I am the little child! For I can spin them a tale, such as children love, of what is behind the door." Such was the temper of his mind that he never flinched from believing true what he thought would benefit himself and others. Amongst other things, he held a crown of ultimate advantage to be necessary to pure and stable living. ”

“ Once indeed, in the unguarded moment of a heated argument, he had confessed that some day men might not require to use the symbols of religion they used now. It was at once pointed out to him that if he thought that, he could not believe these symbols to be true for all time; and if they were not true for all time, why did he say they were? He was dreadfully upset. Deferring answer, however, for the moment, he was soon able to report that the symbols were true—er—mystically. If a man—and this was the point—did not stand by these symbols, by which could he stand? ”

“ What one believed, what one was told to believe, was the truth; and it was no good telling him that the whole range of a man's feeling and reasoning powers must be exercised to ascertain Truth, and that, when ascertained. it would only be relative Truth, and the best available to that particular man. ”

“ Joined to this potent faculty of implanting in men a childlike trustfulness in what he told them was behind the door, he had a still more potent faculty of knowing exactly what was good for them in everyday life. ”

“ THE Puritan way of thinking has by no means died out of America or England. No public movement is spared the meddling of the Puritan mind either opposed to it or trying to modify it to suit itself. And the element of humor in contemplating people of that persuasion is added by the fact that they consider themselves profound philosophers ”