But it reflects not at all upon the high intelligence, the unobtrusive
but sterling moral qualities, the tact, dignity, and personal charm of
the central figure in their pageantries, a charm the pathetic
circumstances of his unseasonable illness very greatly enhanced, if the
New Republican fails to consider these ceremonials of primary
importance, if he declines to see them as of any necessary importance
at all, until it has been conclusively shown that they do minister to
the bettering of births and of the lives intervening between birth and
birth. On the surface they do not do that. Unless they can be shown to
do that they are dissipations of energy, they are irrelevant and wrong,
from the New Republican point of view. The New Republican can take no
part in these things, or only a very grudging and qualified part, on
his way to real service. He may or he may not, after deliberate
examination, leave these things on one side, unchallenged but ignored.

It may be urged that all the subserviences that distinguish our kingdom
and that become so amazingly conspicuous about a coronation, the
kissing of hands, the shambling upon knees, the crawling of body and
mind, the systematic encouragement of that undignified noisiness that
nowadays distinguishes the popular rejoicings of our imperial people,
are simply a proof of the earnest preoccupation of our judges, bishops,
and leaders and great officers of all sorts with remoter and nobler
aims. The kingdom happens to exist, and it would be complex and
troublesome to get rid of it. They stand these things, they get done
with these things, and so are able to get to their work. The
paraphernalia of a Court, the sham scale of honours, the submissions,
the ceremonial subjection, are, it is argued, entirely irrelevant to
the purpose and honour of our race, but then so would rebellion against
these things be also irrelevant and secondary. To submit or to rebel is