some have such a devotion to truth that the faintest shadow of insincerity—­not a lie, but the merest shadow of insincerity in the depths of their hearts—­is abhorrent to them.  Consider the infinite gradations between that mind and the mind which takes a lie for truth, a mind that is rotten with corruption, that does not know how to think straight, let alone care to speak straight.  You do not draw up your little set of rules and say:  “I do not call on that person because he does not speak the truth; and I won’t have anything to do with that one—­such persons are outside the social pale altogether because their conception of truth is different from mine!”

No, you keep your admiration for the truth-loving and the sincere.  You recognize that people have different standards about what is truth.  One person will never tell a lie under any circumstances:  another will reckon himself free to tell a lie to save a third, or to preserve a confidence; will you judge which is the more honourable of the two?  Where is your little set of rules?  You cannot have one.  You shrink from the person who is morally dishonest and corrupt; you worship the person who loves truth as Darwin loved it.  But between those two extremes what an infinite variety of attainment!  Who can say:  “These people are moral because they are married, and those are immoral, they are not married?” It is not true, it is not honest, to make these rules our measure.  They do not meet the realities of human nature, and I contend that we, who have known souls so chaste and lovely that they make us in love with virtue, do far more to raise the moral standard of humanity by seeking to imitate such people than by setting up our little codes of rules and condemning or justifying all men by them.  Let us treat this virtue as we do every other virtue, not fitting it to a set of rules which everyone knows do not fit the realities, but taking our courage in our hands and judging human beings (if we must judge them) by their real sincerity, their real unselfishness, their real unwillingness to exploit others—­the measure of the chastity of their souls.

V

THE MORAL STANDARD OF THE FUTURE:  WHAT SHOULD IT BE?

“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:  but I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.  It hath been said, Whosoever shall put away his wife let him give her a writing of divorcement:  But I say unto you that whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery:  and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.

“Again ye have heard that it has been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shall perform unto the Lord thine oaths:  but I say unto you, Swear not at