lies in the fact that the qualities for the exercise of such an
influence are to be found far more commonly among women than among
men, though accompanied as a rule by less consciousness of it, and
little desire to exercise it officially; indeed it is the very
absence of egotism among women, the absence of the personal claim,
that makes them less effective than they otherwise might be,
because they do not hold an object or an aim dear enough. They
desire to achieve, rather than to be known to have achieved; and
yet in this unperceptive world, human beings are apt to choose for
their guides and counsellors people whom they know by reputation,
rather than those whom they know familiarly. And thus mere
recognition often brings with it a power of wider influence,
because people are apt to trust the judgment of others rather than
their own. In seeking for an adviser, men are apt to consider who
has the greatest reputation for wisdom, rather than whom they
themselves have found wisest; and thus the man who seeks for
influence often attains it, because he has a wider circle of those
who recommend him. It is this absence of independent judgment that
gives strength to the self-seeking priest; while the natural
priesthood of women is less recognized because it is attended with
no advertisement.

The natural priest is one whom one can instinctively and utterly
trust, in whom one can deposit secrets as one deposits them in the
custody of a bank, without any fear that they will be used for
other purposes. In the true priest one finds a tender compassion, a
deep and patient love; it is not worth while to wear disguises
before him, because his keen, weary, and amused eye sees through
the mask. It is not worth while to keep back, as Ananias did, part
of the price of the land, to leave sordid temptations untold,