I would make this principle seek
out every weak spot, every sore spot in the whole social
constitution. I'm sick to death of the frauds that we practise upon
ourselves in order to be able to injure others. Just consider the
infernal ease of mind in which men remain concerning men's share in
the social evil----"
"Ah, my dear friend, you can't expect me to consider _that_ in
my pulpit!" cried the minister.
"No; I couldn't consider it in my paper. I suppose we must leave
that where it is, unless we can affect it by analogy, and show that
there is infamy for both parties to any sin committed in common. You
must select your instances in other directions, but you can find
plenty of them--enough and to spare. It would give the series a
tremendous send-off," said Evans, relapsing into his habitual tone,
"if you would tackle this subject in your first sermon for
publication. There would be money in it. The thing would make a
success in the paper, and you could get somebody to reprint it in
pamphlet form. Come, what do you say?"
"I should say that you had just been doing something you were
ashamed of," answered Sewell. "People don't have these tremendous
moral awakenings for nothing."
"And you don't think my present state of mind is a gradual outgrowth
of my first consciousness of the common responsibility of actors and
audience in the representation of a shameless comedy?"
"No, I shouldn't think it was," said the minister securely.
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