176 AFOOT THROUGH THE 



from all who would aid and sustain her, an over-exacting 

 mistress. This man talked no gospel, translated no 

 sacred screeds, was no sectarian, but his life preached 

 in no mistakable terms the three great doctrines enunci- 

 ated by the Sikh, that courage, kindness, and truth are 

 the great virtues, and that to quietly count the cost 

 and quietly overcome misgivings is better than courting 

 needless dangers, to help the weakly brother is more 

 meritorious than the frantic efforts of much-advertised 

 philanthropy, and that to take the simple facts of life 

 as they stand and construct canons for the conduct of 

 our life from them, is better than to befog ourselves in 

 searchings after misty phrases of philosophy. 



Strength is the soul of man, and all that nourishes 

 that strength is wholesome, the only thing worth any- 

 thing; to be subject is bad, and slavish vices are 

 foul and unworthy, for which reason this w r ide empire 

 is a noble institution, and one out of which men, strong 

 and sinewy, shall be bred, the weak-kneed and unstable 

 losing caste and class. 



It was a pleasant change to sit and talk with any one 

 who could understand without speaking every word, 

 who could catch one's meaning before the phrase was 

 complete, or an allusion but partly indicated; better 

 still it was to note the sympathy of the strong character 

 for the weaknesses of his soft underlings, and the real 

 pity and sorrow for the hopeless, unmerited sufferings 

 of his peoples. People at home wonder at the incapa- 

 city in India to deal with appalling disasters plagues 

 of sickness and hunger. Folk in India have no time for 

 wonder or speculation, but give up their strength and 

 their health, their money, and their enjoyment to 

 alleviate what they cannot wholly relieve, to aid what 

 thev cannot understand. 



