THE HARMONY OF VIRTUE

66 The Harmony of Virtueretentive memory undertook to inform me. “I understand,” I saidwhen he had finished, “and am pleased to see my own ideasgarbed in the beautiful dialect of poetical analogy, but have younot finished or is there more wine to be pressed from the cluster?”“There is more to be pressed,” he answered. Then beganan amusing scene, for Broome baited his hook for the argumentand kept throwing the line repeatedly, but Keshav was the wariestfish that ever cheated an angler and if he ever appeared tobite, was seen, as the line went flying up, to dart away into somefine thought or voluptuous image. At last when we least expectedit, he plunged into the argument.And so on the gnarled brow of Pisgah we stand and lookdown on a land flowing with milk and honey. Now whether is itwiser to descend and take the kingdom of heaven by violenceor to linger here and feel on our temples the breath of the windswafting us hints of the beauty we relinquish? Below there aretruculent peoples to conquer and strong cities to storm and giants,the sons of Anak, to slaughter, but above the stainless heavensand the sweet, fresh morning and one lingering star.“Let us go down,” I said, “and enjoy the full meaning ofthe beauty below us.”“Yes,” added Broome eagerly, “leave hints to the spirituallyindolent.”Treneth threw in a paradox.“I love the pleasure of anticipation better than the pain ofenjoyment.”“We are very far from the enjoyment,” said Keshav, “forwe have yet to make the descent of Pisgah.”“But what is Pisgah?” I asked.“In thought, the knowledge of virtue, and, in action, the purposeof evolving the inborn qualities and powers native to our personality.”“Shall I let you off, Keshav,” said Broome, “or are you readyto answer my inquiries?”“Pray do not,” he said, “for like Gorgias I profess to answerany question and not be at a loss however strange the inquiry.”“I am glad to hear it, and I hope you will answer and tell mewhy you have ignored the qualities that are native neither to our