“We athe­ists,” he went on fiercely, “un­der­stand that if a man has a thing to bear, he must bear it as best he can; and if he sinks un­der it—why, so much the worse for him. But a Chris­tian comes whin­ing to his God, or his saints; or, if they won’t help him, to his en­emies—he can al­ways find a back to shift his bur­dens on to.