He  made  some  remark  about  what  a  pleasant  day


94  MY   SON

this  had  been,  and  seeing  that  he  did  not  refer  en
tirely  to  the  admirable  autumn  weather,  but  to  some
feeling  of  personal  satisfaction  he  had  in  it,  I  replied
briefly  in  the  affirmative  just  wide  enough  to  cover
the  day.  He  asked  me  if  I  noticed  what  a  large  con
gregation  he  had  at  the  morning  service.  I  admitted
that  a  great  many  people  were  there.
"I  never  preached  to  a  more  attentive  audience !"
he  exclaimed.
"Yes,  they  listened  as  if  they  were  deaf,"  I  an
swered.
He  glanced  at  me  inquiringly.
"What  was  that  you  quoted,  toward  the  last  of
your  sermon'?"  I  asked.
He  was  pleased.  When  you  are  young  and  do
not  know  how  simple  real  wisdom  is,  and  have  just
preached  a  learned  discourse,  you  do  crave  the,
humbler  admiration  of  your  fellow  men,  even  if  it
is  only  your  old  gray-haired  mother.
"Oh,  yes,"  Jie  answered;  "I  hope  they  all  got  that.
It  sums  up  the  whole  business  of  living:  'Act  only
onithe  maxim  which  thou  canst  at  the  same  time  will
to  become  the  universal  law,'  "  he  repeated  sonor
ously.
"Why  didn't  you  quote  Matthew,  seventh  chapter
and  twelfth  verse,  then,  without  calling  it  some
body's  categorical  imperative4?"  I  demanded.
He  flirted  his  head  round  and  caught  the  look  I
was  giving  him  over  the  top  of  my  glasses.
MY   SON  95

It  was  a  plagiarism  of  the  Golden  Rule,  but  I
doubt  if  your  congregation  recognized  it,  fussed  up
in  that  egotistical  thunder  of  words,"  I  said.
Peter  was  regarding  me  as  you  do  a  member  of
your  family  who  shows  the  impudence  of  invincible
ignorance.
