James D. Hague 



him at the time and from his point 

 of view. In his vivifying mind many 

 a commonplace conception became 

 brilliant, as a scrap of iron, dull and 

 lifeless in common air, when immersed 

 in oxygen, becomes a coruscating fire. 

 Such tendencies in thought or speech 

 were only part of the natural, glowing 

 enthusiasm which was often a most 

 potent factor in the accomplishment 

 of his purposes. " If you want to 

 get a man red-hot, you must go at 

 him white-hot," he sometimes said in 

 justification of an apparently exces- 

 sive zeal. 



King has often been called to ac- 

 count by many friends for neglected 

 obligations in unanswered letters, un- 

 kept engagements, broken promises 

 and similar offences, concerning which 

 another writer has already said that 

 five minutes of King's personal pres- 

 ence was enough to insure complete 

 forgiveness. One reason why he left 



411 



