40 Latitude and Longitude 



tact with the rough world of actual life, and the 

 uneasy, self-conscious vanity which misnames itself 

 virtue, and which declines to co-operate with what 

 ever does not adopt its own fantastic standard, are 

 rather worse than valueless, because they tend to 

 rob the forces of good of elements on which they 

 ought to be able to count in the ceaseless contest with 

 the forces of evil. It is true that the impracticable 

 idealist differs from the hard-working, sincere man 

 who in practical fashion, and by deeds as well as by 

 words, strives in some sort actually to realize his 

 ideal ; but the difference lies in the fact that the first 

 is impracticable, not in his having a high ideal, for 

 the ideal of the other may be even higher. At times 

 a man must cut loose from his associates, and stand 

 alone for a great cause; but the necessity for such 

 action is almost as rare as the necessity for a revo 

 lution; and to take such ground continually, in sea 

 son and out of season, is the sign of an unhealthy 

 nature. It is not possible to lay down an inflexible 

 rule as to when compromise is right and when 

 wrong; when it is a sign of the highest statesman 

 ship to temporize, and when it is merely a proof of 

 weakness. Now and then one can stand uncom 

 promisingly for a naked principle and force people 

 up to it. This is always the attractive course; but 

 in certain great crises it may be a very wrong course. 

 Compromise, in the proper sense, merely means 



