Page:Pontoppidan - Emanuel, or Children of the Soil (1896).djvu/283

 the insult. Finally he put on his Old Testament mask and said, in a perfectly controlled voice:

"You seem, Provst, in your extraordinary want of confidence in the People, to forget the word of God which says: 'Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

The Provst wanted to interrupt, but the bishop would not allow it, and went on with rising voice:

"In this connection it would also be worth while remembering that our Lord Jesus Christ, when he was on earth, did not choose helpers in his own work of salvation from among the learned, but—also in those days—from among the despised working classes whose life he shared. Ought this not to be an example for all time? Is it not time for us to acknowledge that our Saviour not only pointed out the way to realms above, but also, by breaking down the spiritual pride of the heathen, He laid the foundations of an earthly kingdom of righteousness, a sacred tribunal of the people, which it remains for those who come after to realize according to His great message, 'Love your neighbour as yourself!' The motto, 'Freedom, Equality, Fraternity,' which a certain newly-formed party have—unfortunately in a bad sense—adopted, that, in few words, is the whole teaching of Christ, which we would all do well to burn into our hearts."

Emanuel sat at the other end of the table, bent over his plate, following this conversation with