The Spirit of Man: An Anthology in English & French from the Philosophers & Poets (Classic Reprint)

Preface a spiritual being, and the proper work of his mind is to interpret the world according to his higher nature, and to conquer the material aspects of the world so as to bring them into subjection to the spirit. Explanation of lesser matters is given in the preface to the Index at the end of the book: but it may be well to warn the reader at the outset against one possible misunderstanding; it should not be thought that there is any pretence of having collected together all the best illustrations that literature can provide. The compiler might perhaps congratulate himself if the high standard that he has tried to maintain should provoke such a misconception, but he is well aware that the collection might have been much better. As it is, whatever merit or attractive quality it may have, will lie in its being the work of one mind at one time; and its being such implies the presence of the peculiarities and blemishes that mark any personality and any time: these he has not sought to avoid. The progress of mankind on the path of liberty and humanity has been suddenly arrested and its promise discredited by the apostasy of a great people, who, casting off as a disguise their professions of Honour, now openly avow that the ultimate faith of their hearts is in material force.
(Typographical errors above are due to OCR software and don't occur in the book.)

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