The Quest of the Face

Stephen Graham

13 chapters · about 4 h

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The opening

THE FACE OF CHRIST

We are all seeking a face. It may be the dream face of the ideal, our own face as it ought to be, as we could wish it to be, or the face that we could love, or a face we once caught a glimpse of and then lost in the crowds and the cares. We seek a face of such celestial loveliness that it would be possible to fall down before it in the devotion of utter sacrifice. Some seek it desperately, others seek it ever hopefully, some forget and remember and then forget again and remember again. Others live their life in the consciousness of a promise that they shall see the face at some definite time by and by. The vision of it seems completely remote from some, and they live their life hardly and darkly, but there are others who are perpetually in the light of it, and they see all the common sights of the world transfigured by it.

Each has his separate vision’ of the face. And as there is an infinite number and diversity of mankind, so the faces of the ideal are infinitely numerous and diverse. Yet as in truth we are all one, so all these faces are one, and all the loveliness is one loveliness.

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About this edition

The words
The author's text, copied word for word.
Left out
  • Page numbers and running heads from the printed pages, in 6 places
  • The half-title ("THE QUEST OF THE FACE")
  • Notes and pages added by translators, editors or publishers, in 2 places
  • Pictures and their captions, in 6 places
  • The title page and opening pages before chapter 1
  • The copyright line ("COPYRIGHT")
  • The half-title before the piece ("THE FACE OF CHRIST"); the piece's own heading follows
  • The half-title before the piece ("THE CHANGELESS GOD"); the piece's own heading follows
  • The half-title before the piece ("THE LIGHT"); the piece's own heading follows
  • The half-title before the piece ("A RUSSIAN BEGGAR"); the piece's own heading follows
  • The half-title before the piece ("THE STUDENT"); the piece's own heading follows
  • The half-title before the piece ("THE SHADOW"); the piece's own heading follows
  • The half-title before the piece ("ALICE"); the piece's own heading follows
  • The half-title before the piece ("MATHILDE"); the piece's own heading follows
  • The half-title before the piece ("SERAPION THE SINDONITE"); the piece's own heading follows
  • The half-title before the piece ("SIMON ON THE PILLAR"); the piece's own heading follows
  • The closing line "THE END"
  • The printer's imprint ("Printed by R. & R. CLARK, LIMITED, Edinburgh.")
  • The library's date-due slip ("DATE DUE", "UCSD Libr.") (4 blocks)