O.M. Alexander Hamilton was a conspicuously high-principled man. He regarded dueling as wrong, and as opposed to the teachings of religion—but in deference to _public opinion_ he fought a duel. He deeply loved his family, but to buy public approval he treacherously deserted them and threw his life away, ungenerously leaving them to lifelong sorrow in order that he might stand well with a foolish world. In the then condition of the public standards of honor he could not have been comfortable with the stigma upon him of having refused to fight. The teachings of religion, his devotion to his family, his kindness of heart, his high principles, all went for nothing when they stood in the way of his spiritual comfort. A man will do _anything_, no matter what it is, _to secure his spiritual comfort_; and he can neither be forced nor persuaded to any act which has not that goal for its object. Hamilton’s act was compelled by the inborn necessity of contenting his own spirit; in this it was like all the other acts of his life, and like all the acts of all men’s lives. Do you see where the kernel of the matter lies? A man cannot be comfortable without _his own_ approval. He will secure the largest share possible of that, at all costs, all sacrifices. Y.M. A minute ago you said Hamilton fought that duel to get _public_ approval. O.M. I did. By refusing to fight the duel he would have secured his family’s approval and a large share of his own; but the public approval was more valuable in his eyes than all other approvals put together—in the earth or above it; to secure that would furnish him the _most_ comfort of mind, the most _self_—approval; so he sacrificed all other values to get it. Y.M. Some noble souls have refused to fight duels, and have manfully braved the public contempt. O.M. They acted _according to their make_. They valued their principles and the approval of their families _above_ the public approval. They took the thing they valued _most_ and let the rest go. They took what would give them the _largest_ share of _personal contentment and approval_—a man _always_ does. Public opinion cannot force that kind of men to go to the wars. When they go it is for other reasons. Other spirit-contenting reasons. Y.M. Always spirit-contenting reasons? O.M. There are no others. Y.M. When a man sacrifices his life to save a little child from a burning building, what do you call that? O.M. When he does it, it is the law of _his_ make. _He_ can’t bear to see the child in that peril (a man of a different make _could_), and so he tries to save the child, and loses his life. But he has got what he was after—_his own approval_. Y.M. What do you call Love, Hate, Charity, Revenge, Humanity, Magnanimity, Forgiveness?