Page:The Message and Ministrations of Dewan Bahadur R. Venkata Ratnam, volume 2.djvu/134

 The sight of beauty — what is the kind of feeling that it evokes ? Is it the low craving of a carnal nature ; or is it the middling feeling of aesthetic admiration; or is it the high sentiment of chivalrous awe and reverence? Shall I give you an example oftentimes recurring to my mind ? There was a beautiful Mahammedan princess taken captive by the soldiers of Sivaji. The captain of the troops took her as a prize to Sivaji, hoping that the Maharajah would be immensely pleased with the tempting present. But when Sivaji saw her, he said, 'Had my mother been as handsome as this lady is, I should have inherited some of that handsomeness; and then I should have had a right to look at her. Take her away. therefore: let us not tarnish her with our black hearts.' That was worthy of a Maharajah; that showed a true hero; there lay the real might of the great founder of a potent empire I And this is true of every species of greatness, whether it be the prowess of the arm or the keenness of the eye or the