other men preferred before you. When these tilings come, there
are two ways of meeting them. One is, to hate and vilify those who
surpass you, either in merit or in success: to detract from their
merit and under-rate their success: or, if you must admit some
merit, to bestow upon it very faint praise. Now, all this is natural
enough; but assuredly it is neither a right nor a happy course to
follow. The other and better way is, to fight these tendencies to
the death: to struggle against them, to pray against them: to resign
yourself to God's good will: to admire and love the man who beats
you. This course is the right one, and the happy one. I believe the
greatest blessing God can send a man, is disappointment, rightly
met and used. There is no more ennobling discipline: there is no
discipline that results in a happier or kindlier temper of mind.
And in honestly fighting against the evil impulses which have been
mentioned, you will assuredly get help and strength to vanquish
them. I have seen the plain features look beautiful, when man or
woman was faithfully by God's grace resisting wrong feelings and
tendencies, such as these. It is a noble end to attain, and it
is well worth all the labour it costs, to resolutely be resigned,
cheerful, and kind, when you feel a strong inclination to be
discontented, moody, and bitter of heart. Well said a very wise
mortal, 'Better is he that ruleth his spirit, than he that taketh
a city.' And that ruling of the spirit which is needful to rightly
meet disappointment, brings out the best and noblest qualities that
can be found in man.

Sometimes, indeed, even in the parson's quiet life, he may know
something of the first perplexity of which we have been thinking:
the perplexity of the man who is struggling to make up his mind
where he is to settle down for the remainder of life. And it is