CHAPTER II. 



COERCION. 



I RECOLLECT, in years gone by, an old and pleasant 

 comrade used to declare that " to be in a rage was almost 

 as contemptible as to be in a funk ! " Doubtless the 

 passion of anger, though less despised than that of fear, 

 is so far derogatory to the dignity of man that it de- 

 prives him temporarily of reason, the very quality which 

 confers sovereignty over the brute. When a magician 

 is without his talisman the slaves he used to rule will 

 do his bidding no longer. When we say of such a one 

 that he has " lost his head," we no more expect him to 

 steer a judicious course than a ship that has lost her 

 rudder. Both are the prey of circumstances at the 

 mercy of winds and waves. Therefore, however hard 

 you are compelled to hit, be sure to keep your temper. 

 Strike in perfect good -humour, and in the right place. 

 Many people cannot encounter resistance of any kind 



