[16] A great poet may permit himself, at least in jest, to give
utterance to psychological truths that are heavily censured. Thus
Heine: ‘Mine is the most peaceable disposition. My wishes are a humble
dwelling with a thatched roof, but a good bed, good food, milk and
butter of the freshest, flowers at my windows, some fine tall trees
before my door; and if the good God wants to make me completely happy,
he will grant me the joy of seeing some six or seven of my enemies
hanging from these trees. With my heart full of deep emotion I shall
forgive them before they die all the wrong they did me in their
lifetime—true, one must forgive one’s enemies, but not until they are
brought to execution.’ (Heine, _Gedanken und Einfälle_.)
[17] Anyone who has been through the misery of poverty in his youth,
and has endured the indifference and arrogance of those who have
possessions, should be exempt from the suspicion that he has no
understanding of or goodwill towards the endeavours made to fight the
economic inequality of men and all that it leads to. To be sure, if an
attempt is made to base this fight upon an abstract demand for equality
for all in the name of justice, there is a very obvious objection to
be made, namely, that nature began the injustice by the highly unequal
way in which she endows individuals physically and mentally, for which
there is no help.
[18] Cf. _Group Psychology and the Analysis of the Ego_ (1921).
London: Hogarth Press, 1922.