who；　as　he　informs　us；　has　〃brushed　Stevenson　aside。〃　　I　do　not　know
  where　he　has　been　brushed　to；　but　wherever　it　is　I　fancy　he　is　having
  a　good　time；　because　he　had　the　wisdom　to　be　vain；　and　not　proud。
  Stevenson　had　a　windy　vanity；　Mr。　Moore　has　a　dusty　egoism。
  Hence　Stevenson　could　amuse　himself　as　well　as　us　with　his　vanity；
  while　the　richest　effects　of　Mr。　Moore's　absurdity　are　hidden
  from　his　eyes。
  If　we　compare　this　solemn　folly　with　the　happy　folly　with　which
  Stevenson　belauds　his　own　books　and　berates　his　own　critics；
  we　shall　not　find　it　difficult　to　guess　why　it　is　that　Stevenson
  at　least　found　a　final　philosophy　of　some　sort　to　live　by；
  while　Mr。　Moore　is　always　walking　the　world　looking　for　a　new　one。
  Stevenson　had　found　that　the　secret　of　life　lies　in　laughter　and　humility。
  Self　is　the　gorgon。　　Vanity　sees　it　in　the　mirror　of　other　men　and　lives。
  Pride　studies　it　for　itself　and　is　turned　to　stone。
  It　is　necessary　to　dwell　on　this　defect　in　Mr。　Moore；　because　it
  is　really　the　weakness　of　work　which　is　not　without　its　strength。
  Mr。　Moore's　egoism　is　not　merely　a　moral　weakness；　it　is
  a　very　constant　and　influential　aesthetic　weakness　as　well。
  We　should　really　be　much　more　interested　in　Mr。　Moore　if　he　were
  not　quite　so　interested　in　himself。　　We　feel　as　if　we　were　being
  shown　through　a　gallery　of　really　fine　pictures；　into　each　of　which；
  by　some　useless　and　discordant　convention；　the　artist　had　represented
  the　same　figure　in　the　same　attitude。　　〃The　Grand　Canal　with　a　distant
  view　of　Mr。　Moore；〃　〃Effect　of　Mr。　Moore　through　a　Scotch　Mist；〃
  〃Mr。　Moore　by　Firelight；〃　〃Ruins　of　Mr。　Moore　by　Moonlight；〃
  and　so　on；　seems　to　be　the　endless　series。　　He　would　no　doubt
  reply　that　in　such　a　book　as　this　he　intended　to　reveal　himself。
  But　the　answer　is　that　in　such　a　book　as　this　he　does　not　succeed。
  One　of　the　thousand　objections　to　the　sin　of　pride　lies
  precisely　in　this；　that　self…consciousness　of　necessity　destroys
  self…revelation。　A　man　who　thinks　a　great　deal　about　himself
  will　try　to　be　many…sided；　attempt　a　theatrical　excellence　at
  all　points；　will　try　to　be　an　encyclopaedia　of　culture；　and　his
  own　real　personality　will　be　lost　in　that　false　universalism。
  Thinking　about　himself　will　lead　to　trying　to　be　the　universe；
  trying　to　be　the　universe　will　lead　to　ceasing　to　be　anything。
  If；　on　the　other　hand；　a　man　is　sensible　enough　to　think　only　about
  the　universe；　he　will　think　about　it　in　his　own　individual　way。
  He　will　keep　virgin　the　secret　of　God；　he　will　see　the　grass　as　no
  other　man　can　see　it；　and　look　at　a　sun　that　no　man　has　ever　known。
  This　fact　is　very　practically　brought　out　in　Mr。　Moore's　〃Confessions。〃
  In　reading　them　we　do　not　feel　the　presence　of　a　clean…cut
  personality　like　that　of　Thackeray　and　Matthew　Arnold。
  We　only　read　a　number　of　quite　clever　and　largely　conflicting　opinions
  which　might　be　uttered　by　any　clever　person；　but　which　we　are　called
  upon　to　admire　specifically；　because　they　are　uttered　by　Mr。　Moore。
  He　is　the　only　thread　that　connects　Catholicism　and　Protestantism；
  realism　and　mysticismhe　or　rather　his　name。　　He　is　profoundly
  absorbed　even　in　views　he　no　longer　holds；　and　he　expects　us　to　be。
  And　he　intrudes　the　capital　〃I〃　even　where　it　need　not　be　intruded
  even　where　it　weakens　the　force　of　a　plain　statement。
  Where　another　man　would　say；　〃It　is　a　fine　day；〃　Mr。　Moore　says；
  〃Seen　through　my　temperament；　the　day　appeared　fine。〃
  Where　another　man　would　say　〃Milton　has　obviously　a　fine　style；〃
  Mr。　Moore　would　say；　〃As　a　stylist　Milton　had　always　impressed　me。〃
  The　Nemesis　of　this　self…centred　spirit　is　that　of　being
  totally　ineffectual。　　Mr。　Moore　has　started　many　interesting　crusades；
  but　he　has　abandoned　them　before　his　disciples　could　begin。
  Even　when　he　is　on　the　side　of　the　truth　he　is　as　fickle　as　the　children
  of　falsehood。　　Even　when　he　has　found　reality　he　cannot　find　rest。
  One　Irish　quality　he　has　which　no　Irishman　was　ever　withoutpugnacity；
  and　that　is　certainly　a　great　virtue；　especially　in　the　present　age。
  But　he　has　not　the　tenacity　of　conviction　which　goes　with　the　fighting
  spirit　in　a　man　like　Bernard　Shaw。　　His　weakness　of　introspection
  and　selfishness　in　all　their　glory　cannot　prevent　him　fighting；
  but　they　will　always　prevent　him　winning。
  X。　On　Sandals　and　Simplicity
  The　great　misfortune　of　the　modern　English　is　not　at　all
  that　they　are　more　boastful　than　other　people　（they　are　not）；
  it　is　that　they　are　boastful　about　those　particular　things　which
  nobody　can　boast　of　without　losing　them。　　A　Frenchman　can　be　proud
  of　being　bold　and　logical；　and　still　remain　bold　and　logical。
  A　German　can　be　proud　of　being　reflective　and　orderly；　and　still
  remain　reflective　and　orderly。　　But　an　Englishman　cannot　be　proud
  of　being　simple　and　direct；　and　still　remain　simple　and　direct。
  In　the　matter　of　these　strange　virtues；　to　know　them　is　to　kill　them。
  A　man　may　be　conscious　of　being　heroic　or　conscious　of　being　divine；
  but　he　cannot　（in　spite　of　all　the　Anglo…Saxon　poets）　be　conscious
  of　being　unconscious。
  Now；　I　do　not　think　that　it　can　be　honestly　denied　that　some　portion
  of　this　impossibility　attaches　to　a　class　very　different　in　their
  own　opinion；　at　least；　to　the　school　of　Anglo…Saxonism。　I　mean
  that　school　of　the　simple　life；　commonly　associated　with　Tolstoy。
  If　a　perpetual　talk　about　one's　own　robustness　leads　to　being
  less　robust；　it　is　even　more　true　that　a　perpetual　talking
  about　one's　own　simplicity　leads　to　being　less　simple。
  One　great　complaint；　I　think；　must　stand　against　the　modern　upholders
  of　the　simple　lifethe　simple　life　in　all　its　varied　forms；
  from　vegetarianism　to　the　honourable　consistency　of　the　Doukhobors。
  This　complaint　against　them　stands；　that　they　would　make　us　simple
  in　the　unimportant　things；　but　complex　in　the　important　things。
  They　would　make　us　simple　in　the　things　that　do　not　matter
  that　is；　in　diet；　in　costume；　in　etiquette；　in　economic　system。
  But　they　would　make　us　complex　in　the　things　that　do　matterin　philosophy；
  in　loyalty；　in　spiritual　acceptance；　and　spiritual　rejection。
  It　does　not　so　very　much　matter　whether　a　man　eats　a　grilled　tomato
  or　a　plain　tomato；　it　does　very　much　matter　whether　he　eats　a　plain
  tomato　with　a　grilled　mind。　　The　only　kind　of　simplicity　worth　preserving
  is　the　simplicity　of　the　heart；　the　simplicity　which　accepts　and　enjoys。
  There　may　be　a　reasonable　doubt　as　to　what　system　preserves　this；
  there　can　surely　be　no　doubt　that　a　system　of　simplicity　destroys　it。
  There　is　more　simplicity　in　the　man　who　eats　caviar　on
  impulse　than　in　the　man　who　eats　grape…nuts　on　principle。
  The　chief　error　of　these　people　is　to　be　found　in　the　very　phrase
  to　which　they　are　most　attached〃plain　living　and　high　thinking。〃
  These　people　do　not　stand　in　need　of；　will　not　be　improved　by；
  plain　living　and　high　thinking。　　They　stand　in　need　of　the　contrary。
  They　would　be　improved　by　high　living　and　plain　thinking。
  A　little　high　living　（I　say；　having　a　full　sense　of　responsibility；
  a　little　high　living）　would　teach　them　the　force　and　meaning
  of　the　human　festivities；　of　the　banquet　that　has　gone　on　from
  the　beginning　of　the　world。　　It　would　teach　them　the　historic　fact
  that　the　artificial　is；　if　anything；　older　than　the　natural。
  It　would　teach　them　that　the　loving…cup　is　as　old　as　any　hunger。
  It　would　teach　them　that　ritualism　is　older　than　any　religion。
  And　a　little　plain　thinking　would　teach　them　how　harsh　and　fanciful
  are　the　mass　of　their　own　ethics；　how　very　civilized　and　very
  complicated　must　be　the　brain　of　the　Tolstoyan　who　really　believes
  it　to　be　evil　to　love　one's　country　and　wicked　to　strike　a　blow。
  A　man　approaches；　wearing　sandals　and　simple　raiment；　a　raw
  tomato　held　firmly　in　his　right　hand；　and　says；　〃The　affections
  of　family　and　country　alike　are　hindrances　to　the　fuller　development
  of　human　love；〃　but　the　plain　thinker　will　only　answer　him；
  with　a　wonder　not　untinged　with　admiration；　〃What　a　great　deal
  of　trouble　you　must　have　taken　in　order　to　feel　like　that。〃
  High　living　will　reject　the　tomato。　　Plain　thinking　will　equally
  decisively　reject　the　idea　of　the　invariable　sinfulness　of　war。
  High　living　will　convince　us　that　nothing　is　more　materialistic
  than　to　despise　a　pleasure　as　purely　material。　　And　plain　thinking
  will　convince　us　that　nothing　is　more　materialistic　than　to　reserv