down stringent rules for his own governance, he neither set himself up for a model nor did he attempt to force his convictions upon others. He was always tolerant; he knew his own faults, and his own temptations, and if he could say nothing good of a man he would not speak of him at all. But he was by no means disposed to overlook conduct of which he disapproved, and undue leniency was a weakness to which he never yielded. If he once lost confidence or discovered deception on the part of one he trusted, he withdrew himself as far as possible from any further dealings with him; and whether with the cadets or with his brother-officers, if an offense had been committed of which he was called upon to take notice, he was absolutely inflexible. Punishment or report inevitably followed. No excuses, no personal feelings, no appeals to the suffering which might be brought upon the innocent, were permitted to interfere with the execution of his duty."
"As exact as the multiplication table," some one
said of him, "and as full of things military as an
arsenal." Those of us who are looking for the
secret of Christian influence over others may be
sure that we will find it here. Men are not going
to follow the shifting man. They will follow the
man who makes no compromise, who has his firm
convictions and who stands by those convictions,
no matter what the cost of his loyalty may be.
Recent American politics are rather eloquent and
convincing on this point.
In the sixth place, compromise in principle substitutes reliance upon majorities for reliance upon the truth, and the majorities never have
