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with his nose in the air。 This is a manly and rational position；
but it is open to the objection we noted against the compromise
between optimism and pessimismthe 〃resignation〃 of Matthew Arnold。
Being a mixture of two things； it is a dilution of two things；
neither is present in its full strength or contributes its full colour。
This proper pride does not lift the heart like the tongue of trumpets；
you cannot go clad in crimson and gold for this。 On the other hand；
this mild rationalist modesty does not cleanse the soul with fire
and make it clear like crystal； it does not （like a strict and
searching humility） make a man as a little child； who can sit at
the feet of the grass。 It does not make him look up and see marvels；
for Alice must grow small if she is to be Alice in Wonderland。 Thus it
loses both the poetry of being proud and the poetry of being humble。
Christianity sought by this same strange expedient to save both
of them。
It separated the two ideas and then exaggerated them both。
In one way Man was to be haughtier than he had ever been before；
in another way he was to be humbler than he had ever been before。
In so far as I am Man I am the chief of creatures。 In so far
as I am a man I am the chief of sinners。 All humility that had
meant pessimism； that had meant man taking a vague or mean view
of his whole destinyall that was to go。 We were to hear no more
the wail of Ecclesiastes that humanity had no pre…eminence over
the brute； or the awful cry of Homer that man was only the saddest
of all the beasts of the field。 Man was a statue of God walking
about the garden。 Man had pre…eminence over all the brutes；
man was only sad because he was not a beast； but a broken god。
The Greek had spoken of men creeping on the earth； as if clinging
to it。 Now Man was to tread on the earth as if to subdue it。
Christianity thus held a thought of the dignity of man that could only
be expressed in crowns rayed like the sun and fans of peacock plumage。
Yet at the same time it could hold a thought about the abject smallness
of man that could only be expressed in fasting and fantastic submission；
in the gray ashes of St。 Dominic and the white snows of St。 Bernard。
When one came to think of ONE'S SELF； there was vista and void enough
for any amount of bleak abnegation and bitter truth。 There the
realistic gentleman could let himself goas long as he let himself go
at himself。 There was an open playground for the happy pessimist。
Let him say anything against himself short of blaspheming the original
aim of his being； let him call himself a fool and even a damned
fool （though that is Calvinistic）； but he must not say that fools
are not worth saving。 He must not say that a man； QUA man；
can be valueless。 Here； again in short； Christianity got over the
difficulty of combining furious opposites； by keeping them both；
and keeping them both furious。 The Church was positive on both points。
One can hardly think too little of one's self。 One can hardly think
too much of one's soul。
Take another case： the complicated question of charity；
which some highly uncharitable idealists seem to think quite easy。
Charity is a paradox； like modesty and courage。 Stated baldly；
charity certainly means one of two thingspardoning unpardonable acts；
or loving unlovable people。 But if we ask ourselves （as we did
in the case of pride） what a sensible pagan would feel about such
a subject； we shall probably be beginning at the bottom of it。
A sensible pagan would say that there were some people one could forgive；
and some one couldn't： a slave who stole wine could be laughed at；
a slave who betrayed his benefactor could be killed； and cursed
even after he was killed。 In so far as the act was pardonable；
the man was pardonable。 That again is rational； and even refreshing；
but it is a dilution。 It leaves no place for a pure horror of injustice；
such as that which is a great beauty in the innocent。 And it leaves
no place for a mere tenderness for men as men； such as is the whole
fascination of the charitable。 Christianity came in here as before。
It came in startlingly with a sword； and clove one thing from another。
It divided the crime from the criminal。 The criminal we must forgive
unto seventy times seven。 The crime we must not forgive at all。
It was not enough that slaves who stole wine inspired partly anger
and partly kindness。 We must be much more angry with theft than before；
and yet much kinder to thieves than before。 There was room for wrath
and love to run wild。 And the more I considered Christianity；
the more I found that while it had established a rule and order；
the chief aim of that order was to give room for good things to run
wild。
Mental and emotional liberty are not so simple as they look。
Really they require almost as careful a balance of laws and conditions
as do social and political liberty。 The ordinary aesthetic anarchist
who sets out to feel everything freely gets knotted at last in a
paradox that prevents him feeling at all。 He breaks away from home
limits to follow poetry。 But in ceasing to feel home limits he has
ceased to feel the 〃Odyssey。〃 He is free from national prejudices
and outside patriotism。 But being outside patriotism he is outside
〃Henry V。〃 Such a literary man is simply outside all literature：
he is more of a prisoner than any bigot。 For if there is a wall
between you and the world； it makes little difference whether you
describe yourself as locked in or as locked out。 What we want
is not the universality that is outside all normal sentiments；
we want the universality that is inside all normal sentiments。
It is all the difference between being free from them； as a man
is free from a prison； and being free of them as a man is free of
a city。 I am free from Windsor Castle （that is； I am not forcibly
detained there）； but I am by no means free of that building。
How can man be approximately free of fine emotions； able to swing
them in a clear space without breakage or wrong？ THIS was the
achievement of this Christian paradox of the parallel passions。
Granted the primary dogma of the war between divine and diabolic；
the revolt and ruin of the world； their optimism and pessimism；
as pure poetry； could be loosened like cataracts。
St。 Francis； in praising all good； could be a more shouting
optimist than Walt Whitman。 St。 Jerome； in denouncing all evil；
could paint the world blacker than Schopenhauer。 Both passions
were free because both were kep