The Best and the Good r 1 7 



lution is sometimes necessary, but if revolutions be 

 come habitual the country in which they take place 

 is going down-hill. Hysteria in any form is incom 

 patible with sane and healthy endeavor. We must 

 never compromise in a way that means retrogres 

 sion. But in moving forward we must realize that 

 normally the condition of sure progress is that it 

 shall not be so fast as to ensure a revolt and a stop 

 page of the upward course. In this country espe 

 cially, where what we have now to contend ,with is 

 not so much any one concrete evil as a general low 

 ering of the standards, we must remember that to 

 keep these standards high does not at all imply that 

 they should be put upon impossible positions po 

 sitions which must ultimately be abandoned. There 

 can be no compromise on the great fundamental 

 principles of morality. A public man who directly 

 or indirectly breaks the eighth commandment is just 

 as guilty as an editor or a speaker who breaks the 

 ninth, and it matters little whether the fault be due 

 to venality in the one case or to morbid vanity and 

 mean envy in the other. If a man is dishonest he 

 should be driven fromi public life. If a course of 

 policy is vicious and produces harm it should be re 

 versed at any cost. But when we come to the count 

 less measures and efforts for doing good, let us keep 

 ever clearly in mind that while we must always 

 strive for the utmost good that can be obtained, and 



