Hitherto, alas! humanity has never dared face these hard facts.
We frantically scatter conscience money and invent systems of
conscience banking, with expiatory penalties, atonements,
redemptions, salvations, hospital subscription lists and what
not, to enable us to contract-out of the moral code. Not content
with the old scapegoat and sacrificial lamb, we deify human
saviors, and pray to miraculous virgin intercessors. We attribute
mercy to the inexorable; soothe our consciences after committing
murder by throwing ourselves on the bosom of divine love; and
shrink even from our own gallows because we are forced to admit
that it, at least, is irrevocable--as if one hour of imprisonment
were not as irrevocable as any execution!

If a man cannot look evil in the face without illusion, he will
never know what it really is, or combat it effectually. The few
men who have been able (relatively) to do this have been called
cynics, and have sometimes had an abnormal share of evil in
themselves, corresponding to the abnormal strength of their
minds; but they have never done mischief unless they intended to
do it. That is why great scoundrels have been beneficent rulers
whilst amiable and privately harmless monarchs have ruined their
countries by trusting to the hocus-pocus of innocence and guilt,
reward and punishment, virtuous indignation and pardon, instead
of standing up to the facts without either malice or mercy. Major
Barbara stands up to Bill Walker in that way, with the result
that the ruffian who cannot get hated, has to hate himself. To
relieve this agony be tries to get punished; but the Salvationist
whom he tries to provoke is as merciless as Barbara, and only
prays for him. Then he tries to pay, but can get nobody to take
his money. His doom is the doom of Cain, who, failing to find