“Go on.  What about education?”

“My dear friend,” said Father Jervis.  “The Church controls the whole of education, as she did, in fact, up to the very time when the State first took it away from her and then abused her for neglecting it.  Practically all the scientists; all the specialists in medicine, chemistry, and mental health; nine-tenths of the musicians; three-quarters of the artists—­practically all those are Religious.  It’s only the active trades, which are incompatible with Religion, that are in the hands of the laity.  It’s been found by experience that no really fine work can be done except by those who are familiar with divine things; because it’s only those who see things all round, who have, that is to say, a really comprehensive intuition.  Take history.  Unless you have a really close grasp of what Providence means—­of not only the End, but the Means by which God works; unless you can see right through things to their Intention, how in the world can you interpret the past?  Don’t you remember what Manners said about Realism?  We don’t want misleading photographs of externals any more.  We want Ideas.  And how can you correlate Ideas, unless you have a real grasp of the Central Idea?  It’s nonsense.”

“Go on with the other things.”

“There’s a lot more about education.  There’s the graduated education we have now (entirely an ecclesiastical notion, by the way).  We don’t try to teach everybody everything.  We teach a certain foundation to every one—­the Catechism, of course, two languages perfectly, the elements of physical science, and a great deal of history. (You can’t understand the Catechism without history, and vice-versa); but after that we specialize.  Well, the world understands now——­”

“That’s enough, thank you.  Go on with the other things.”

Father Jervis laughed again.

“We’re nearly home.  Let’s turn in here, and get into the gardens for a bit. . . .  Well, I think you’ll find that the root of all your difficulties is that you seem not to be able to get into your head that the world is really and intelligently Christian.  There are the Religious Orders you spoke of.  Well, aren’t the active Religious Orders the very finest form of association ever invented?  Aren’t they exactly what Socialists have always been crying for, with the blunders left out and the gaps filled in?  As soon as the world understood finally that the active Religious Orders could beat all other forms of association at their own game—­that they could teach and work more cheaply and effectively, and so on—­well, the most foolish Political Economist had to confess that the Religious Orders made for the country’s welfare.  And as for the Contemplative Orders——­”

Father Jervis’ face grew grave and tender.

“Yes?”

“Why, they’re the princes of the world!  They are models of the Crucified.  So long as there is Sin in the world, so long must there be Penance.  The instant Christianity was accepted, the Cross stood up dominant once more. . . .  And then . . . then people understood.  Why, they’re the Holy Ones of the universe—­higher than angels; for they suffer. . . .”