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THE PRESSURE OF GENTLENESS

D'ARCY WENTWORTH THOMPSON

D'ARCY WENTWORTH THOMPSON was a Scottish writer on scientific subjects. He died in 1902.

A close relation of my own was for twelve years an officer in almost the severest of all continental services. 5 He tells me that in his long experience he met with only one captain who in dealing with his company avowedly ignored all means of physical coercion.

On this captain's breast were the orders of two kingdoms and two empires. After one well-fought day he had been 10 voted by acclamation as a candidate for the order of the Iron Crown, which he would have obtained had he added his own signature to those of all his brother officers; and yet so soft-hearted was this chevalier sans peur that any beggar woman could draw from him an ill-spared florin. 15 In a village where a portion of the regiment were once quartered, the good curé, at the close of a sermon on Christian character, told his flock that if they wished to see Christianity in action they might see it in a captain of grenadiers, who clothed their poorest children with his 20 pocket money, and whose closest companion was ignorant of his good deeds.

This captain's company was noted as being the best dressed and the best conducted in the regiment. There

were at Solferino (and there are, alas! such cases in all engagements) cases of gallant but stern officers that fell by a traitorous bullet from behind. There was not one man in the company of this captain that would not have taken in his stead a bullet aimed at him from the front.

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A year and a half ago I met at Yorkshire an invalid young sailor. From his smooth face, short stature, and attenuated form, I should have taken him for a senior midshipman. To my complete astonishment I found that he was commander of a Pacific liner, with a numerous 10 crew under his orders and in receipt of a splendid income.

I discussed with him the theory of discipline. He considered physical chastisement as brutal, swearing as unchristian, and hectoring as unmanly. "The man who cannot control himself is not fit to command a crew," he 15 said tritely and truly. I looked in wonder at this shrimp of a man, who was speaking with such calm confidence. "I never," he continued, "raise my voice above its usual tone to enforce an order."

He was worn to skin and bone by a chest disorder of 20 long continuance, which he considered would close his life at no distant date. I could have pushed him over with a rude jostle of my elbow. But there was something in his face that told you unmistakably he was not the man with whom to take a liberty.

He gave a remarkable anecdote of himself. His ship was alongside an American liner in the Liverpool docks.

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The Yankee captain was dining with him, and the conversation fell upon the means of maintaining order in a crew. The Yankee scouted all means but the stick. He and his mates used on principle the most brutal means of coercion. 5 During this argument the steward came to announce that the English crew were fighting the Yankees on the neighboring vessel.

The captains went on deck, and the Englishman, slinging himself by a rope, alighted in the midst of an uproari10 ous crowd." Well, my men," said he, "so you are making beasts of yourselves, and disregarding your captain." And the big fellows slunk off without a word to their own vessel, and one or two of the ringleaders were set for an hour or two to swab the decks. But of the quarreling tars there 15 was not a man but could have lifted his wee captain and dropped him overboard without an effort. I trust to God he may yet be living, and may long be spared as a specimen of a quiet, resolute English skipper.

But if I were called upon to name the Aristides of my 20 life acquaintance, I should name a man whom I never knew till I had crossed the Tweed. I believe it would be as hard to warp a Carlyle into sentimental or religious cant, and a prophet Cumming into common sense and modesty, as to twist the nature of my friend into petty 25 words of illiberal action. He was once the superintendent of a public educational institution. He had been present one day in the drill ground, where an honest sergeant

with a good deal of superfluous bluster was putting a regiment through its facings. When the boys were dismissed, the sergeant approached the superior and said, "Excuse the liberty, sir, but when you are more used to boys, you'll find that you must put more pepper into what you do and say." "Well," said my friend, "every man has his own way; for my part, I don't believe in pepper."

A few weeks afterwards the principal was in his library, when the sergeant was ushered in. "I've come, sir," said the latter, "to ask a favor. Those boys are a little trouble- 10 some at times. If you'd be kind enough just to stand at your drawing-room window for a few minutes when drill was going on, it would do a deal of good."

Ah! worthy sergeant, your pepper won't do after all. No, friend, keep it for your vegetables, and use it then in 15 moderation.

orders: the decorations or insignia of an order of knighthood or similar association. - the order of the Iron Crown: an order or society of great distinction. Charlemagne and Napoleon were crowned with the Iron Crown. Within it is a narrow band which, according to tradition, was made from one of the nails used in the crucifixion of Christ. chevalier sans peur (sheh-vä-le-asan per): Bayard, a French soldier of the sixteenth century. He was known as the knight "without fear and without reproach." curé (kū-ra'): priest. grenadiers: see note on page 186. Solferino (sol-fer-e'no): a village in Italy where a great battle was fought in 1859. -liner: a vessel belonging to an established line. - tritely: trite literally means rubbed until worn out.-shrimp: a dwarf. - Aristi'des: an Athenian general, "spotless of heart," who was known as "the Just." — Tweed: a river in the south of Scotland.. ·Carlyle': a Scottish writer and philosopher of unwavering honesty and courage. Cum'ming: a British writer on philosophy.fa'cings: drill.

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SONNET

ON HIS BLINDNESS

JOHN MILTON

JOHN MILTON (1608-1674) was the greatest of English poets after Shakespeare. In some ways the two may be ranked as equals. Milton was a deep thinker and scholar, warmly interested in English politics and in the success of the Puritan party. Among his famous poems are 5 "Paradise Lost," "Comus," "Lycidas," "L'Allegro," and "Il Penseroso.”

NOTE.-Milton became blind in 1654. His chief work, "Paradise Lost," was written after this date.

When I consider how my life is spent

Ere half my days in this dark world and wide,
And that one talent which is death to hide
Lodged with me useless, though my soul more bent
To serve therewith my Maker, and present

My true account, lest he returning chide,
"Doth God exact day-labor, light denied?"

I fondly ask. But Patience, to prevent

That murmur, soon replies, "God doth not need
Either man's work or his own gifts. Who best
Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state
Is kingly thousands at his bidding speed,

And post o'er land and ocean without rest;
They also serve who only stand and wait."

fondly foolishly. The old meaning of fond was silly rather than affectionate.

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