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  THE 
  FACT 
  OF 
  BEAUTY 
  

  

  the 
  jellyfish, 
  beyond 
  doubt 
  a 
  decorative 
  masterpiece, 
  because 
  

   he 
  was 
  once 
  stung; 
  he 
  cannot 
  abide 
  the 
  handsome 
  newt 
  be- 
  

   cause 
  of 
  its 
  clammy 
  skin 
  ; 
  he 
  does 
  not 
  appreciate 
  the 
  snake's 
  

   beauty 
  because 
  of 
  the 
  Garden 
  of 
  Eden. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  use 
  

   trying 
  to 
  get 
  a 
  fair 
  verdict 
  from 
  a 
  packed 
  jury. 
  In 
  testing 
  

   our 
  thesis 
  we 
  must 
  exclude 
  cases 
  where 
  our 
  impressions 
  are 
  

   more 
  or 
  less 
  excusably 
  warped 
  by 
  some 
  unpleasant 
  associa- 
  

   tion 
  by 
  something 
  which 
  is 
  often 
  at 
  least 
  quite 
  extrinsic 
  

   to 
  the 
  creature. 
  It 
  is 
  difficult, 
  even 
  for 
  a 
  naturalist, 
  to 
  judge 
  

   impartially 
  of 
  the 
  artistic 
  merits 
  of 
  parasites, 
  though 
  in 
  

   some 
  cases, 
  like 
  dodder 
  and 
  mistletoe, 
  the 
  beauty 
  is 
  too 
  

   strong 
  for 
  our 
  prejudice. 
  In 
  support 
  of 
  the 
  view 
  that 
  Nature 
  

   is 
  spotted 
  with 
  ugliness, 
  Prof. 
  James 
  Ward 
  refers 
  to 
  crea- 
  

   tures 
  like 
  the 
  spinose 
  lizard 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  called 
  Moloch 
  

   horridus. 
  But 
  his 
  examples 
  are 
  unfortunate. 
  They 
  are 
  

   animals 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  which 
  a 
  prejudiced 
  association 
  might 
  

   readily 
  arise 
  ; 
  but 
  they 
  are 
  delightful 
  quaint 
  creatures 
  over 
  

   which 
  the 
  artist 
  is 
  enthusiastic. 
  

  

  The 
  other 
  saving-clauses 
  are 
  slightly 
  different. 
  To 
  get 
  

   a 
  clear 
  issue 
  we 
  must 
  exclude 
  domesticated 
  animals 
  such 
  as 
  

   prize 
  pigs, 
  and 
  cultivated 
  plants 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  buxom 
  cabbage, 
  

   which 
  are 
  non-viable 
  in 
  a 
  state 
  of 
  nature, 
  and 
  bear 
  too 
  ob- 
  

   viously 
  the 
  marks 
  of 
  man's 
  fingers. 
  We 
  may 
  exclude 
  also 
  

   unfinished 
  or 
  embryonic 
  stages, 
  which 
  are 
  often, 
  as 
  a 
  matter 
  

   of 
  fact, 
  hidden 
  away 
  very 
  carefully 
  in 
  Nature. 
  We 
  may 
  ex- 
  

   clude 
  also 
  all 
  captive 
  creatures 
  which 
  are 
  distorted 
  or 
  crippled 
  

   by 
  parasites 
  or 
  by 
  disease, 
  and 
  all 
  the 
  monsters 
  of 
  the 
  terato- 
  

   logical 
  show 
  which 
  Nature 
  would 
  not 
  have 
  tolerated 
  for 
  a 
  mo- 
  

   ment. 
  These 
  are 
  ugly, 
  and 
  we 
  shall 
  see, 
  later 
  on, 
  that 
  there 
  

   are 
  several 
  objective 
  reasons 
  for 
  their 
  being 
  repulsive 
  to 
  us. 
  

   Our 
  thesis 
  refers 
  to 
  wholesome 
  wild 
  nature. 
  

  

  Another 
  saving-clause 
  is 
  significant. 
  If 
  we 
  are 
  to 
  appraise 
  

  

  