OPERATION OF VIRILE SENTIMENT 147 



and hyper-sensitive democracy, is wholly on behalf 

 of an insignificant minority of defective and un- 

 desirable citizens who are devoid of this capacity to 

 respond to a social environment which is sufficiently 

 healthy and beautiful. We are living on the earth 

 and not beyond its pale, and we must render unto 

 the world the things that are of it. We can never 

 have an environment that will be worthy of 

 Paradise. It is sufficient for all purposes, that 

 commingled with some features which we all 

 regret but are powerless to avoid, there is in normal 

 human life, much that is beautiful, inspiring, 

 and noble. Civilisation has always been a mixture 

 of good and evil, and it can never be anything 

 else, until the day when Man can satisfy his 

 hunger by noble thoughts and maintain his race 

 without passion. Into this mixed environment, 

 which is the same for all, men of varying innate 

 potentialities are born. In virtue of their congenital 

 attributes some respond in greater degree to the 

 nobler influences of that environment, and others 

 mainly or completely respond to its baser calls. If 

 men possess certain inherent attributes they will 

 spontaneously seek the appropriate environment to 

 which those attributes are attuned. If they are, 

 however, devoid of the requisite inborn qualities it 

 is idle to take the environment to them. If 

 Mahomet loves the mountain he will go to it. If he 

 does not, it is folly to attempt to take it to him. 

 In these two antithetic facts, is the one guiding 

 principle of a rational social policy. 



