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ntment; and hence he cares not to keep more; and  shares his sovereign or his shilling with a friend。  The  poor; if they are generous; are Bohemian in virtue of their  birth。  Do you know where beggars go?  Not to the great  houses where people sit dazed among their thousands; but to  the doors of poor men who have seen the world; and it was the  widow who had only two mites; who cast half her fortune into  the treasury。

But a young man who elects to save on dress or on lodging; or  who in any way falls out of the level of expenditure which is  common to his level in society; falls out of society  altogether。  I suppose the young man to have chosen his  career on honourable principles; he finds his talents and  instincts can be best contented in a certain pursuit; in a  certain industry; he is sure that he is serving mankind with  a healthy and becoming service; and he is not sure that he  would be doing so; or doing so equally well; in any other  industry within his reach。  Then that is his true sphere in  life; not the one in which he was born to his father; but the  one which is proper to his talents and instincts。  And  suppose he does fall out of society; is that a cause of  sorrow?  Is your heart so dead that you prefer the  recognition of many to the love of a few?  Do you think  society loves you?  Put it to the proof。  Decline in material  expenditure; and you will find they care no more for you than  for the Khan of Tartary。  You will lose no friends。  If you  had any; you will keep them。  Only those who were friends to  your coat and equipage will disappear; the smiling faces will  disappear as by enchantment; but the kind hearts will remain  steadfastly kind。  Are you so lost; are you so dead; are you  so little sure of your own soul and your own footing upon  solid fact; that you prefer before goodness and happiness the  countenance of sundry diners…out; who will flee from you at a  report of ruin; who will drop you with insult at a shadow of  disgrace; who do not know you and do not care to know you but  by sight; and whom you in your turn neither know nor care to  know in a more human manner?  Is it not the principle of  society; openly avowed; that friendship must not interfere  with business; which being paraphrased; means simply that a  consideration of money goes before any consideration of  affection known to this cold…blooded gang; that they have not  even the honour of thieves; and will rook their nearest and  dearest as readily as a stranger?  I hope I would go as far  as most to serve a friend; but I declare openly I would not  put on my hat to do a pleasure to society。  I may starve my  appetites and control my temper for the sake of those I love;  but society shall take me as I choose to be; or go without  me。  Neither they nor I will lose; for where there is no  love; it is both laborious and unprofitable to associate。

But it is obvious that if it is only right for a man to spend  money on that which he can truly and thoroughly enjoy; the  doctrine applies with equal force to the rich and to the  poor; to the man who has amassed many thousands as well as to  the youth precariously beginning life。  And it may be asked;  Is not this merely preparing misers; who are not the best of  company?  But the principle was this: that which a man has  not fairly earned; and; further; that which he cannot fully  enjoy; does not belong to him; but is a part of mankind's  treasure which he holds as steward on parole。  To mankind;  then; it must be made profitable; and how this should be done  is; once more; a problem which each man must solve for  himself; and about which none has a right to judge him。  Yet  there are a few considerations which are very obvious and may  here be stated。  Mankind is not only the whole in general;  but every one in particular。  Every man or woman is one of  mankind's dear possessions; to his or her just brain; and  kind heart; and active hands; mankind intrusts some of its  hopes for the future; he or she is a possible well…spring of  good acts and source of blessings to the race。  This money  which you do not need; which; in a rigid sense; you do not  want; may therefore be returned not only in public  benefactions to the race; but in private kindnesses。  Your  wife; your children; your friends stand nearest to you; and  should be helped the first。  There at least there can be  little imposture; for you know their necessities of your own  knowledge。  And consider; if all the world did as you did;  and according to their means extended help in the circle of  their affections; there would be no more crying want in times  of plenty and no more cold; mechanical charity given with a  doubt and received with confusion。  Would not this simple  rule make a new world out of the old and cruel one which we  inhabit?


'After two more sentences the fragment breaks off。'




FATHER DAMIEN AN OPEN LETTER TO THE REVEREND DR。 HYDE OF HONOLULU




SYDNEY; FEBRUARY 25; 1890。


SIR; … It may probably occur to you that we have met; and  visited; and conversed; on my side; with interest。  You may  remember that you have done me several courtesies; for which  I was prepared to be grateful。  But there are duties which  come before gratitude; and offences which justly divide  friends; far more acquaintances。  Your letter to the Reverend  H。 B。 Gage is a document which; in my sight; if you had  filled me with bread when I was starving; if you had sat up  to nurse my father when he lay a…dying; would yet absolve me  from the bonds of gratitude。  You know enough; doubtless; of  the process of canonisation to be aware that; a hundred years  after the death of Damien; there will appear a man charged  with the painful office of the DEVIL'S ADVOCATE。  After that  noble brother of mine; and of all frail clay; shall have lain  a century at rest; one shall accuse; one defend him。  The  circumstance is unusual that the devil's advocate should be a  volunteer; should be a member of a sect immediately rival;  and should make haste to take upon himself his ugly office  ere the bones are cold; unusual; and of a taste which I shall  leave my readers free to qualify; unusual; and to me  inspiring。  If I have at all learned the trade of using words  to convey truth and to arouse emotion; you have at last  furnished me with a subject。  For it is in the interest of  all mankind; and the cause of public decency in every quarter  of the world; not only that Damien should be righted; but  that you and your letter should be displayed at length; in  their true colours; to the public eye。

To do this properly; I must begin by quoting you at large: I  shall then proceed to criticise your utterance from several  points of view; divine and human; in the course of which I  shall attempt to draw again; and with more specification; the  character of the dead saint whom it has pleased you to  vilify: so much being done; I shall say farewell to you for  ever。


'HONOLULU; 'AUGUST 2; 1889。


'Rev。 H。 B。 GAGE。

'DEAR BROTHER; … In answer to your inquiries about Father  Damien; I can only reply that we who knew the man are  surprised at the extravagant newspaper laudations; as if he  was a most saintly philanthropist。  The simple truth is; he  was a coarse; dirty man; head…strong and bigoted。  He was not  sent to Molokai; but went there without orders; did not stay  at the leper settlement (before he became one himself); but  circulated freely over the whole island (less than half the  island is devoted to the lepers); and he came often to  Honolulu。  He had no hand in the reforms and improvements  inaugurated; which were the work of our Board of Health; as  occasion required and means were provided。  He was not a pure  man in his relations with women; and the leprosy of which he  died should be attributed to his vices and carelessness。   Others have done much for the lepers; our own ministers; the  government physicians; and so forth; but never with the  Catholic idea of meriting eternal life。 … Yours; etc。;

'C。 M。 HYDE。' (1)


To deal fitly with a letter so extraordinary; I must draw at  the outset on my private knowledge of the signatory and his  sect。  It may offend others; scarcely you; who have been so  busy to collect; so bold to publish; gossip on your rivals。   And this is perhaps the moment when I may best explain to you  the character of what you are to read: I conceive you as a  man quite beyond and below the reticences of civility: with  what measure you mete; with that shall it be measured you  again; with you; at last; I rejoice to feel the button off  the foil and to plunge home。  And if in aught that I shall  say I should offend others; your colleagues; whom I respect  and remember with affection; I can but offer them my regret;  I am not free; I am inspired by the consideration of  interests far more large; and such pain as can be inflicted  by anything from me must be indeed trifling when compared  with the pain with which they read your letter。  It is not  the hangman; but the criminal; that brings dishonour on the  house。

You belong; sir; to a sect … I believe my sect; and that in  which my ancestors laboured … which has enjoyed; and partly  failed to utilise; an exceptional advantage in the is

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