Lay　Morals
  by　Robert　Louis　Stevenson
  CHAPTER　1
  THE　problem　of　education　is　twofold：　first　to　know；　and　then　　to　utter。　　Every　one　who　lives　any　semblance　of　an　inner　life　　thinks　more　nobly　and　profoundly　than　he　speaks；　and　the　best　　of　teachers　can　impart　only　broken　images　of　the　truth　which　　they　perceive。　　Speech　which　goes　from　one　to　another　between　　two　natures；　and；　what　is　worse；　between　two　experiences；　is　　doubly　relative。　　The　speaker　buries　his　meaning；　it　is　for　　the　hearer　to　dig　it　up　again；　and　all　speech；　written　or　　spoken；　is　in　a　dead　language　until　it　finds　a　willing　and　　prepared　hearer。　　Such；　moreover；　is　the　complexity　of　life；　　that　when　we　condescend　upon　details　in　our　advice；　we　may　be　　sure　we　condescend　on　error；　and　the　best　of　education　is　to　　throw　out　some　magnanimous　hints。　　No　man　was　ever　so　poor　　that　he　could　express　all　he　has　in　him　by　words；　looks；　or　　actions；　his　true　knowledge　is　eternally　incommunicable；　for　　it　is　a　knowledge　of　himself；　and　his　best　wisdom　comes　to　　him　by　no　process　of　the　mind；　but　in　a　supreme　self…　dictation；　which　keeps　varying　from　hour　to　hour　in　its　　dictates　with　the　variation　of　events　and　circumstances。
  A　few　men　of　picked　nature；　full　of　faith；　courage；　and　　contempt　for　others；　try　earnestly　to　set　forth　as　much　as　　they　can　grasp　of　this　inner　law；　but　the　vast　majority；　when　　they　come　to　advise　the　young；　must　be　content　to　retail　　certain　doctrines　which　have　been　already　retailed　to　them　in　　their　own　youth。　　Every　generation　has　to　educate　another　　which　it　has　brought　upon　the　stage。　　People　who　readily　　accept　the　responsibility　of　parentship；　having　very　　different　matters　in　their　eye；　are　apt　to　feel　rueful　when　　that　responsibility　falls　due。　　What　are　they　to　tell　the　　child　about　life　and　conduct；　subjects　on　which　they　have　　themselves　so　few　and　such　confused　opinions？　　Indeed；　I　do　　not　know；　the　least　said；　perhaps；　the　soonest　mended；　and　　yet　the　child　keeps　asking；　and　the　parent　must　find　some　　words　to　say　in　his　own　defence。　　Where　does　he　find　them？　　and　what　are　they　when　found？
  As　a　matter　of　experience；　and　in　nine　hundred　and　ninety…　nine　cases　out　of　a　thousand；　he　will　instil　into　his　wide…　eyed　brat　three　bad　things：　the　terror　of　public　opinion；　　and；　flowing　from　that　as　a　fountain；　the　desire　of　wealth　　and　applause。　　Besides　these；　or　what　might　be　deduced　as　　corollaries　from　these；　he　will　teach　not　much　else　of　any　　effective　value：　some　dim　notions　of　divinity；　perhaps；　and　　book…keeping；　and　how　to　walk　through　a　quadrille。
  But；　you　may　tell　me；　the　young　people　are　taught　to　be　　Christians。　　It　may　be　want　of　penetration；　but　I　have　not　　yet　been　able　to　perceive　it。　　As　an　honest　man；　whatever　we　　teach；　and　be　it　good　or　evil；　it　is　not　the　doctrine　of　　Christ。　　What　he　taught　（and　in　this　he　is　like　all　other　　teachers　worthy　of　the　name）　was　not　a　code　of　rules；　but　a　　ruling　spirit；　not　truths；　but　a　spirit　of　truth；　not　views；　　but　a　view。　　What　he　showed　us　was　an　attitude　of　mind。　　　Towards　the　many　considerations　on　which　conduct　is　built；　　each　man　stands　in　a　certain　relation。　　He　takes　life　on　a　　certain　principle。　　He　has　a　compass　in　his　spirit　which　　points　in　a　certain　direction。　　It　is　the　attitude；　the　　relation；　the　point　of　the　compass；　that　is　the　whole　body　　and　gist　of　what　he　has　to　teach　us；　in　this；　the　details　are　　comprehended；　out　of　this　the　specific　precepts　issue；　and　by　　this；　and　this　only；　can　they　be　explained　and　applied。　　And　　thus；　to　learn　aright　from　any　teacher；　we　must　first　of　all；　　like　a　historical　artist；　think　ourselves　into　sympathy　with　　his　position　and；　in　the　technical　phrase；　create　his　　character。　　A　historian　confronted　with　some　ambiguous　　politician；　or　an　actor　charged　with　a　part；　have　but　one　　pre…occupation；　they　must　search　all　round　and　upon　every　　side；　and　grope　for　some　central　conception　which　is　to　　explain　and　justify　the　most　extreme　details；　until　that　is　　found；　the　politician　is　an　enigma；　or　perhaps　a　quack；　and　　the　part　a　tissue　of　fustian　sentiment　and　big　words；　but　　once　that　is　found；　all　enters　into　a　plan；　a　human　nature　　appears；　the　politician　or　the　stage…king　is　understood　from　　point　to　point；　from　end　to　end。　　This　is　a　degree　of　trouble　　which　will　be　gladly　taken　by　a　very　humble　artist；　but　not　　even　the　terror　of　eternal　fire　can　teach　a　business　man　to　　bend　his　imagination　to　such　athletic　efforts。　　Yet　without　　this；　all　is　vain；　until　we　understand　the　whole；　we　shall　　understand　none　of　the　parts；　and　otherwise　we　have　no　more　　than　broken　images　and　scattered　words；　the　meaning　remains　　buried；　and　the　language　in　which　our　prophet　speaks　to　us　is　　a　dead　language　in　our　ears。
  Take　a　few　of　Christ's　sayings　and　compare　them　with　our　　current　doctrines。
  'Ye　cannot；'　he　says；　'SERVE　GOD　AND　MAMMON。'　　Cannot？　　And　　our　whole　system　is　to　teach　us　how　we　can！
  'THE　CHILDREN　OF　THIS　WORLD　ARE　WISER　IN　THEIR　GENERATION　　THAN　THE　CHILDREN　OF　LIGHT。'　　Are　they？　　I　had　been　led　to　　understand　the　reverse：　that　the　Christian　merchant；　for　　example；　prospered　exceedingly　in　his　affairs；　that　honesty　　was　the　best　policy；　that　an　author　of　repute　had　written　a　　conclusive　treatise　'How　to　make　the　best　of　both　worlds。'　　　Of　both　worlds　indeed！　　Which　am　I　to　believe　then　…　Christ　　or　the　author　of　repute？
  'TAKE　NO　THOUGHT　FOR　THE　MORROW。'　　Ask　the　Successful　　Merchant；　interrogate　your　own　heart；　and　you　will　have　to　　admit　that　this　is　not　only　a　silly　but　an　immoral　position。　　　All　we　believe；　all　we　hope；　all　we　honour　in　ourselves　or　　our　contemporaries；　stands　condemned　in　this　one　sentence；　　or；　if　you　take　the　other　view；　condemns　the　sentence　as　　unwise　and　inhumane。　　We　are　not　then　of　the　'same　mind　that　　was　in　Christ。'　　We　disagree　with　Christ。　　Either　Christ　　meant　nothing；　or　else　he　or　we　must　be　in　the　wrong。　　Well　　says　Thoreau；　speaking　of　some　texts　from　the　New　Testament；　　and　finding　a　strange　echo　of　another　style　which　the　reader　　may　recognise：　'Let　but　one　of　these　sentences　be　rightly　　read　from　any　pulpit　in　the　land；　and　there　would　not　be　left　　one　stone　of　that　meeting…house　upon　another。'
  It　may　be　objected　that　these　are　what　are　called　'hard　　sayings'；　and　that　a　man；　or　an　education；　may　be　very　　sufficiently　Christian　although　it　leave　some　of　these　　sayings　upon　one　side。　　But　this　is　a　very　gross　delusion。　　　Although　truth　is　difficult　to　state；　it　is　both　easy　and　　agreeable　to　receive；　and　the　mind　runs　out　to　meet　it　ere　　the　phrase　be　done。　　The　universe；　in　relation　to　what　any　　man　can　say　of　it；　is　plain；　patent　and　staringly　　comprehensible。　　In　itself；　it　is　a　great　and　travailing　　ocean；　unsounded；　unvoyageable；　an　eternal　mystery　to　man；　　or；　let　us　say；　it　is　a　monstrous　and　impassable　mountain；　　one　side　of　which；　and　a　few　near　slopes　and　foothills；　we　　can　dimly　study　with　these　mortal　eyes。　　But　what　any　man　can　　say　of　it；　even　in　his　highest　utterance；　must　have　relation　　to　this　little　and　plain　corner；　which　is　no　less　visible　to　　us　than　to　him。　　We　are　looking　on　the　same　map；　it　will　go　　hard　if　we　cannot　follow　the　demonstration。　　The　longest　and　　most　abstruse　flight　of　a　philosopher　becomes　clear　and　　shallow；　in　the　flash　of　a　moment；　when　we　suddenly　perceive　　the　aspect　and　drift　of　his　intention。　　The　longest　argument　　is　but　a　finger　pointed；　once　we　get　our　own　finger　rightly　　parallel；　and　we　see　what　the　man　meant；　whether　it　be　a　new　　star　or　an　old　street…lamp。　　And　briefly；　if　a　saying　is　hard　　to　understand；　it　is　because　we　are　thinking　of　something　　else。
  But　to　be　a　true　disciple　is　to　think　of　the　same　things　as　　our　prophet；　and　to　think　of　different　things　in　the　same　　order。　　To　be　of　the　same　mind　with　another　is　to　see　all　　things　in　the　same　perspective；　it　is　not　to　agree　in　a　few　　indifferent　matters　near　at　hand　and　not　much　debated；　it　is　　to　follow　him　in　his　farthest　flights；　to　see　the　force　of　　his　hyperboles；　to　stand　so　exactly　in　the　centre　of　his　　vision　that　whatever　he　may　express；　your　eyes　will　light　at　　once　on　the　original；　that　whatever　he　may　see　to　declare；　　your　mind　will　at　once　accept。　　You　do　not　belong　to　the　　school　of　any　philosopher；　because　you　agree　with　him　that　　theft　is；　on　the　whole；　objectionable；　or　that　the　sun　is　　overhead　at　noon。　　It　is　by　the　hard　sayings　that　　discipleship　is　tested。　　We　are　all　agreed　about　the　middling　　and　indifferent　parts　of　knowledge　and　morality；　even　the　　most　soaring　spirits　too　often　take　them　tamely　upon　trust。　　　But　the　man；　the　philosopher　or　the　moralist；　does　not　stand　　upon　these　chance　adhesions；　and　the　purpose　of　any　system　　looks　towards　those　extreme　points　where　it　steps　valiantly　　beyond　tradition　and　returns　with　some　covert　hint　of　things　　outside。　　Then　only　can　you　be　certain　that　the　words　are　not　　words　of　course；　nor　mere　echoes　of　the　past；　then　only　are　　you　sure　that　if　he　be　indicating　anything　at　all；　it　is　a　　star　and　not　a　street…lamp；　then　only　do　you　touch　the　heart　　of　the　mystery；　since　it　was　for　these　that　the　author　wrote　　his　book。
  Now；　every　now　and　then；　and　indeed　surprisingly　often；　　Christ　finds