Page:The Message and Ministrations of Dewan Bahadur R. Venkata Ratnam, volume 2.djvu/117

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would bring them the credit of a chivalrous spirit ; there are yet some others who hold that the unworthy nature of the person appealing forbids the help otherwise due ; but there are a few noble spirits who could, out of a pure heart, say, "With a pure heart I shall strive to help, and through my purity I shall succeed.' If I may talk in somewhat abstract terms, in this world there is a perpetual struggle maintained between the pure and the impure, and the pure conquers the impure even through invincibility, even because its force is irresistible. The best way to illustrate the truth is this. A woman comes and, as a winning suggestion, utters or hints alluring things. But you turn round and say, 'Mother' or 'Sister'; and you instantly find the talismanic change in, the magic influence upon, the person. May I mention one or two instances? There was a cross road in Madras in some unfortunate locality; and some young men were standing there. A young female, one of those unfortunate sisters, came up and began to