182 THE HEART OF NATURE 



serve order. The exercise of authority is no less an 

 obligation and duty upon men than obedience to it. 

 And the one has to be practised just as much as the 

 other. Or, rather, the exercise of authority has to 

 be practised more, for it is more difficult and more 

 valuable. And the proper exercise of authority, 

 maintenance of discipline, and preservation of 

 order, is a duty men owe ultimately to Nature her- 

 self. For it is from Nature that they finally 

 derive their authority and to Nature that they are 

 ultimately responsible. 



Whether as captain of the eleven or as head of 

 the house at school, as manager of an office or a 

 business, as policeman or foreman, as corporal or 

 Commander-in-Chief, as administrator or Prime 

 Minister, whether as nurse, parent, or school- 

 mistress, a man or woman is in his position of 

 authority directly or indirectly on the appointment 

 or choice of those over whom he has to exercise 

 authority. He is there to exercise authority for 

 their benefit. They have placed him — as the public 

 place the policeman — in authority for that purpose. 

 And they have a right to expect that he will exercise 

 his authority with decision, maintain discipline with 

 firmness, and preserve order with even-handed 

 justice. For only then can they themselves know 

 where they are, get on with their own duties and 

 affairs, and fulfil the law of their being. Ultimately 

 those in authority are chosen by, and are responsible 

 to, those over whom they exercise authority. And 

 those who choose them expect and require them 

 to exercise authority authoritatively. 



Each in his own particular sphere, in that par- 



