The Good Humor of the Saints [pp. 127-138]

1882.] THE GOOD HUMOR OF THE SAINTS. 129
Kempis, whose Imitation of Christ is, after the Bible, perhaps the
best known of all spiritual books, and of whose "holy simplicity" we hear such a vast amount of praise. Simplicity! Yes,
the old monk is simple enough, with the quiet straightforward
ness of one who lives always in the sight of God; but the good
people who read the hnitati'n, with a comfortable feeling that
the writer is not going to be satirically severe on their shortcomings, must not trust too much to this much-admired simplicity.
Surely there is a half-cynical wisdom in the advice, very gently
and quietly given, not to seek too much intercourse with those
whom we desire to please:
"It happeneth sometimes that a person while unknown shineth highly
in good report, but whose presence offendeth the eyes of them that see
him.
"Sometimes we think to please others with our company, and we begin
rather to be displeasing to them from the bad qualities they discover in us."
And there is another warning given by A Kempis, who presents it with a delicate satire that is truly inimitable
"In judging others a man toileth in vain; for the most part he is mistaken and he easily sinneth; but in judging and scrutinizing himself he
always laboreth with profit."
Could sarcasm be more pointed and subtle than in this suggestion? We give ourselves no end of trouble in satisfactorily
settling our neighbor's conscience, and have only committ~d a
sin for our pains.
If from the writings of holy men we turn to their lives we
are often surprised by the cunous gayety with which they bear
burdens that to our unsaintly eyes appear absolutely crushing.
It is not only patience and resignation; it is a downright chee~
fulness, sometimes a positive sense of amusement in their own
trials. The knowledge that they are enduring these hardships
for Christ's sake seems to make them not only bearable, which
we can understand, but absolutely entertaining, which is beyond
our comprehension. There is, perhaps, nothing less conducive to
good spirits than the history of the Catholic Church in China.
A few pages of Marshall's Christian Missions are sufficient to
sicken us with the recital of man's barbarity to man, and we
close the book unwilling even to read of further atrocities. But
the missionaries themselves, those heroic men who lived in the
midst of these terrible persecutions, ever ready to suffer and die
when their turns came, were not only courageous but perfectly
serene and cheerful. Even at its best their life was one of
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