Page:You Gentiles (1924) by Maurice Samuel 1895-1972.djvu/184

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You Gentiles

tacitly, and by the grace of God, we do deliberately and in the gracelessness of ambition. You grew into this new life of yours. We contort ourselves into it. In one or two generations we would achieve what it took you a hundred generations to reach. We take up your life with an anxiousness, a ferocity, which is its own undoing. Whatever in you can be imitated, we do imitate admirably, but though you cannot quite define it, you are aware of a deception. Our patriotisms are hysterical; our sport pursuits are unnaturally eager; our business ambitions artificially passionate. We seek the same apparent ends as you, but not in the same spirit. Would you have us fight and die for country? We'll do it as well as you. Would you have us run fast, box skilfully? We'll do it. Would you have us build up enterprises? We'll do that too. But one thing we cannot do. Do it for the same reason and in the same spirit.

Since you insist, we will measure values with your standards and register the results. But you know, you feel, that the standards

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