There is spiritual good breeding and natural good breeding. The first comes from the achievement of personal character-the second is born with us-to use or misuse as we prefer.
It is a happy thing to realize that our freedom from bondage to circ.u.mstances, and our loving, intelligent freedom from other people, is the true spiritual good breeding which gives vitality to every action of our lives, and brings us into more real and closer touch with our fellow-men. Courtesy is alive when it has genuine love of all human nature at the root of it-it is dead when it is merely a matter of good form.
In so far as I know, the habit of such freedom and good breeding cannot be steadily sustained without an absolute, conscious dependence upon the Lord G.o.d Almighty.