﻿26 
  THE 
  UNFATHOMED 
  UNIVERSE 
  

  

  abundance 
  of 
  brain-stretching 
  theoretical 
  puzzles 
  and 
  we 
  

   eagerly 
  tackle 
  them; 
  there 
  are 
  more 
  worlds 
  to 
  conquer 
  and 
  

   we 
  do 
  not 
  let 
  the 
  sword 
  sleep 
  in 
  our 
  hand 
  ; 
  but 
  how 
  does 
  

   it 
  stand 
  with 
  feeling? 
  Nature 
  is 
  beautiful, 
  gladdening, 
  

   awesome, 
  mysterious, 
  wonderful, 
  as 
  ever, 
  but 
  do 
  we 
  feel 
  it 
  

   as 
  our 
  forefathers 
  did 
  ? 
  

  

  What 
  is 
  this 
  feeling 
  for 
  Nature? 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  a 
  -simple 
  

   restfulness, 
  such 
  as 
  Darwin 
  once 
  spoke 
  of 
  when 
  for 
  the 
  

   moment 
  he 
  laid 
  aside 
  his 
  questionings 
  ; 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  a 
  keen 
  

   aesthetic 
  joy; 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  the 
  thrill 
  of 
  a 
  starry 
  night; 
  it 
  may 
  

   be 
  the 
  pleasure 
  of 
  seeing 
  trust 
  and 
  affection 
  in 
  a 
  dog's 
  eyes 
  ; 
  

   it 
  may 
  be 
  the 
  response 
  our 
  heart 
  makes 
  in 
  spring 
  when 
  we 
  

   hear 
  the 
  wild 
  geese 
  passing 
  overhead 
  on 
  their 
  northward 
  

   migration, 
  and 
  know 
  that 
  another 
  winter 
  is 
  over 
  and 
  gone; 
  

   it 
  may 
  be 
  that 
  deep 
  calls 
  to 
  deep, 
  and 
  we 
  have 
  a 
  vicarious 
  

   share 
  in 
  life's 
  triumph 
  over 
  matter; 
  it 
  has 
  often 
  expressed 
  

   itself 
  in 
  reverent 
  worship 
  ; 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  an 
  awed 
  elation 
  in 
  

   finding 
  ourselves 
  part 
  of 
  so 
  sublime 
  a 
  process 
  as 
  cosmic 
  

   evolution. 
  This 
  element 
  of 
  feeling 
  in 
  our 
  outlook 
  on 
  Nature 
  

   is 
  a 
  satisfaction 
  in 
  itself, 
  but 
  our 
  plea 
  for 
  allowing 
  it 
  to 
  

   operate 
  in 
  our 
  interpretation 
  of 
  Nature 
  is 
  that 
  we 
  get 
  

   closer 
  to 
  some 
  things 
  through 
  feeling 
  than 
  we 
  do 
  through 
  

   science. 
  Just 
  as 
  feeling 
  contributes 
  to 
  our 
  total 
  appreciation 
  

   of 
  people, 
  so 
  of 
  Nature. 
  Through 
  feeling 
  we 
  discern 
  what 
  

   science 
  cannot 
  get 
  into 
  focus. 
  Not 
  that 
  any 
  one 
  dreams 
  of 
  

   mingling 
  feeling 
  with 
  science 
  or 
  of 
  attempting 
  to 
  eke 
  out 
  

   science 
  with 
  feeling, 
  but 
  to 
  try 
  to 
  exclude 
  feeling 
  from 
  our 
  

   total 
  view 
  of 
  Nature 
  is 
  to 
  try 
  to 
  close 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  right-of- 
  

   way 
  paths 
  to 
  reality. 
  Goethe 
  went 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  saying: 
  

   " 
  Sympathy 
  and 
  enjoyment 
  in 
  what 
  we 
  see 
  is 
  in 
  fact 
  the 
  

   only 
  reality, 
  and, 
  from 
  such 
  reality, 
  reality 
  as 
  a 
  natural 
  

   product 
  follows. 
  All 
  else 
  is 
  vanity." 
  

  

  