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Small inconventionalities are needed.—Acting sometimes against our better insight in matters of custom, yielding in practice whilst reserving our intellectual freedom, doing like everybody else, and thereby showing consideration and kindness to all, as a compensation, so to speak, for what may be unconventional in our opinions, —all this is looked upon by many tolerably free-minded people not only as safe, but even as honourable," humane, tolerant, unpecantic," and whatever else may be the beautiful words by which the intellectual conscience is lulled to sleep. So one person, though an atheist, brings his child to Christian baptism; anothir serves in the army, though he severely condemns the hatred of nations: a third accompanies his little wife, because she is of pions parentage, to church, an unblushingly makes rows to the priest. ("What does it matter if we do what everybody always has done and will do?" asserts blind prejudice.) What a great mistake! For nothing matters more than that a strong, old-established and irrationally recognised custom be once more confirmed through the action of one recognised as reasonable. To
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