476 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



quotes ? Nothing. Abstinence tends toward virtue, hypocrisy 

 toward vice. But this is a minor matter, since Hamlet is scarcely 

 a safe social guide. 



A like confusion of ideas arises when he quotes these words, 

 which he appears to fancy contain an element of hypocrisy : 



"... rise to higher things, 

 With their dead selves as stepping-stones." 



Tennyson's arrangement is better, but that is an error in taste. 

 It is a more serious error to confound hypocrisy with the grand- 

 est attribute of man, the power to set his feet on his dead sins and 

 rise toward the Throne. Not so hypocrisy. It hugs its sin in 

 secret and sneaks toward hell. Better any day the bold sinner 

 than the hypocrite. 



Congratulations are in order for the Pharisees. They have at 

 last found an apologist, perhaps an admirer ; rather late, to be 

 sure, but better late than never. It seems that " they were pow- 

 erful promoters of the ethical development of the Jews," etc. 

 There must be a big mistake somewhere, for it was said of them 

 by one who surely had better opportunities for observing and 

 knowing the Pharisees than Mr. McElroy, " O generation of 

 vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come ? " 

 " Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! for ye devour 

 widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayer ; therefore 

 ye shall receive the greater damnation." Rather a harsh way to 

 address " powerful promoters of ethical development " ! 



But the excellence of the Pharisees is hardly a subject for 

 serious consideration, and we hasten on to those portions of the 

 argument which have some plausibility, viz., the cases of patriot- 

 ism, women, and religion. The key-note of this hymn to hypoc- 

 risy is struck in the remark on the second page, "No man is 

 worse by simulating goodness." This may sound finely epigram- 

 matic, but unfortunately there is not a word of truth in it. Any 

 one is always worse by simulating goodness, for that means as- 

 suming the appearance of it without the reality. Not only is he 

 no more virtuous than before, but his vice has acquired an addi- 

 tional sneaking quality, which makes the man more contemptible 

 per se, and infinitely more dangerous to the community. Imita- 

 tion is the tribute which vice pays to virtue, doubtless, but the 

 vice is none the less vicious. 



In the case of patriotism it is doubtless true that exaggerated 

 statements of the virtues and greatness of the past do little harm 

 and often good, but it is rather far-fetched to endeavor to class 

 such exaggerations as hypocrisy. The hypocrite is not anxious 

 to exalt others, but himself ; even if, in exalting himself, he pulls 

 down others. But, waiving this confusion of terms, does any one 



