sphere of religion, may be found in politics. Men embrace certain
political conceptions, and, though the whole world breaks into ruins,
and is reconstructed around them, nothing will alter their original
ideas. The Radical says that the Tory does not change his spots, and the
Tory is convinced that a Radical is still a direct emanation of the evil
one. In the middle of these conflicting antagonisms the real road to
national peace, prosperity, and security is missed by those who prefer
prejudice to the lessons which reality teaches. The most infamous case
of all to the unbending partisan is that of a man who has so far
outlived the prejudices of party as to be able to criticise one side
without joining another.

The advantage of prejudice is the preservation of tradition; its
disadvantage is the inability which it brings to an individual or to a
nation to adapt life to the change of circumstance. It is, therefore, at
once both the vice of youth and of age. Youth is prejudiced by
upbringing; age is prejudiced because it cannot adapt itself to the
circumstances of a changing world. But both youth and age can fight by
the power of the human will against the tendencies which steep them in
their own prepossessions.

Youth can say: "I will forget that I was brought up to be a Scotsman
and a Presbyterian, and so prejudiced against all Roman Catholics or
Jews; the world is open to me, I will form my own convictions and judge
men and religion on their merits." The subconscious self will still
operate, but its extravagances will be checked by reason and will.

Age can say to itself: "It is true that all that has happened in the
past is part of my experience, and therefore of me. I have formed
certain conclusions from what I have observed, but the data on which I