SELF-DEVOTION. A SKETCH FROM REAL LIFE. BY MRS. E. C. EMBURY. “Warriors and statesmen have their meed of praise, And what they do or suffer men record; But the long sacrifice of woman’s days Passes without a thought—without a word; And many a holy struggle for the sake Of duties sternly, faithfully fulfilled— For which the anxious mind must watch and wake, And the strong feelings of the heart be stilled,— Goes by unheeded as the summer wind, And leaves no memory and no trace behind!” _Mrs. Norton._ “Do you believe, cousin Grace, that the world is as disinterested as it was in the days of the ‘_preux chevaliers, sans peur et sans reproche_?’” “I do, Frank; and even though you quote the great Edmund Burke, you will not convince me that the days of chivalry are gone! The days of knight-errantry are passed away, and well is it for society that they are so, but there is as much of the true chivalric spirit now existing as was to be found in the time of Richard of the Lion Heart.” “Do you really believe this, Grace?” “Let me retaliate by another question, cousin Frank; do you believe that all the knights and squires of olden time were inspired purely by a noble desire to win fame and redress wrongs? Did not avarice, ambition, selfish gratification, and love of wild excitement mingle their elements then, even as they do now, in the mass of human feeling?” “Undoubtedly the grosser passions were often commingled with the better qualities of man’s nature; selfishness existed, but was not then so widely diffused.” “There we differ, Frank; the selfishness of modern times certainly shows itself in less fearful shapes.” “Because society has been compelled to make laws to protect itself against those who would sacrifice all things to their own will; ‘might no longer makes right,’ and therefore the selfishness of human nature is shown less in high-handed spoliations than in secret machinations.” “Well, Frank, that there is enough, aye, and to spare of selfishness on earth I do not mean to dispute; but I still adhere to my first assertion that there is no lack of the true chivalric spirit.” “And pray how does it exhibit its qualities in this very dull and prosaic world?” “Disinterestedness, self-devotion, purity of intention, integrity of principle, delicacy of sentiment, a high-toned sense of honor, and indomitable courage—these are the essential qualities of a chivalric character; and surely, Frank, there is no want of arenas in which to exercise these virtues.” “You will find few knights ready to enter the lists if such are the requisites, cousin Grace.”