should look out for and appreciate sense, vigour, faithfulness,
kindness, rectitude, and originality, in however humble a sphere
these qualities may be displayed. That one should fight hard
against conventionality, that one should welcome beauty, both the
beauty of natural things, as well as the beauty displayed in
sincere and simple lives in every rank of life. I have heard
conventional professional people, who thought they were giving
utterance to manly and independent sentiments, speak slightingly of
dukes and duchesses, as if the possession of high rank necessarily
forfeited all claims to simplicity and true-heartedness. Such an
attitude is as inartistic and offensive as for a duchess to think
that fine courtesy and consideration could not be found among
washerwomen. The truth is that beauty of character is just as
common and just as uncommon among people of high rank as it is
among bagmen; and the only just attitude to adopt is to approach
all persons simply and directly on the grounds of our common
humanity. One who does this will find simplicity, tenderness, and
rectitude among persons of high rank; he will also find
conventionality, meanness, and complacency among them; when he is
brought into contact with bagmen, he will find bagmen of sincerity,
directness, and delicacy, while he will also find pompous,
complacent, and conventional bagmen.

Of course the special circumstances of any life tend to develop
certain innate faults of character into prominence; but it may
safely be said that circumstances never develop a fault that is not
naturally there; and, not to travel far for instances, I will only
say that one of the most unaffected and humble-minded persons I
have ever met was a duke, while one of the proudest and most
affected Pharisees I ever encountered was a servant. It all depends