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of the duty which has fallen to his lot to do; to the unattached worker all duties are equally good, and from efficient instruments with which selfishness and sensuality may be effectively killed, and the freedom of the soul unfailingly secured. We are all apt to think too highly of ourselves. When I was a boy I used to dream that I was a great emperor and a great this and a great that; so, I suppose, you too have dreamt. But it is all a dream and nature's justice is uniformly stern and unrelenting. Therefore our duties are also determined by our deserts to a much larger extent than we are willing to grant. By doing well the duty which is nearest to us, the duty which is in our hands now, we make ourselves stronger; and improving our strength in this manner step by step, we may even reach a state in which it shall be our privilege to do the most coveted and honored duties in life and in society. Competition rouses envy, and it kills the kindliness of the heart. To the grumbler all duties are distasteful; nothing will ever satisfy him, and his, whole life is
