﻿THE 
  FACT 
  OF 
  BEAUTY 
  267 
  

  

  rightly 
  we 
  must 
  see 
  the 
  creature 
  in 
  its 
  native 
  haunts, 
  in 
  

   the 
  environment 
  to 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  adapted, 
  which 
  is 
  in 
  a 
  sense 
  

   its 
  external 
  heritage, 
  which 
  it 
  has 
  in 
  some 
  cases 
  sought 
  out. 
  

   The 
  hippopotamus 
  at 
  the 
  Zoo 
  may 
  fail 
  to 
  excite 
  aesthetic 
  

   emotion, 
  but 
  that 
  this 
  is 
  our 
  misfortune 
  and 
  not 
  Behemoth's 
  

   fault 
  is 
  evident 
  from 
  the 
  book 
  of 
  Job. 
  We 
  have 
  to 
  see 
  him 
  

   as 
  the 
  author 
  of 
  that 
  poem 
  saw 
  him, 
  with 
  his 
  ruddy 
  hide 
  

   in 
  the 
  shade 
  of 
  the 
  lotuses, 
  in 
  the 
  covert 
  of 
  the 
  reeds 
  and 
  fens. 
  

   " 
  His 
  strength 
  is 
  in 
  his 
  loins, 
  his 
  force 
  in 
  the 
  sinews 
  of 
  

   his 
  belly, 
  the 
  muscles 
  of 
  his 
  thighs 
  are 
  knit 
  together, 
  his 
  

   bones 
  are 
  pipes 
  of 
  brass, 
  his 
  limbs 
  are 
  like 
  bars 
  of 
  iron, 
  he 
  

   is 
  the 
  chief 
  of 
  the 
  ways 
  of 
  God." 
  And 
  we, 
  purblind, 
  call 
  

   the 
  hippopotamus 
  an 
  ugly 
  creature! 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  a 
  subtle 
  subject 
  which 
  we 
  venture 
  to 
  discuss 
  

   the 
  pervasiveness 
  of 
  a 
  certain 
  quality 
  in 
  living 
  things 
  and 
  

   in 
  the 
  inorganic 
  domain 
  as 
  well 
  that 
  makes 
  life 
  to 
  the 
  rela- 
  

   tively 
  unfettered 
  a 
  continuous 
  delight. 
  So 
  we 
  must 
  be 
  par- 
  

   doned 
  if 
  we 
  treat 
  it 
  gently, 
  rather 
  than 
  with 
  stern 
  analysis. 
  

   The 
  science 
  of 
  assthetics 
  has 
  not 
  gone 
  far 
  yet, 
  and 
  we 
  are 
  

   not 
  desirous 
  of 
  doing 
  much 
  more 
  than 
  pleading 
  that 
  our 
  

   synoptic 
  view 
  of 
  Nature 
  must 
  include 
  a 
  frank 
  recognition 
  

   of 
  the 
  fact 
  of 
  beauty. 
  

  

  6. 
  Factors 
  in 
  Esthetic 
  Delight. 
  

  

  What 
  is 
  implied 
  in 
  our 
  aesthetic 
  emotion 
  when 
  we 
  watch 
  

   beautiful 
  animals 
  the 
  Shetland 
  ponies 
  racing 
  in 
  the 
  field, 
  

   the 
  kingfisher 
  darting 
  up 
  the 
  stream 
  like 
  an 
  arrow 
  made 
  of 
  

   a 
  piece 
  of 
  rainbow, 
  the 
  mayflies 
  rising 
  in 
  a 
  living 
  cloud 
  

   from 
  a 
  quiet 
  stretch 
  of 
  the 
  river, 
  or 
  the 
  sea-anemones 
  nestling 
  

   like 
  flowers 
  in 
  the 
  niches 
  of 
  the 
  shore-pool 
  ? 
  What 
  is 
  implied 
  

   in 
  our 
  thrill 
  at 
  finding 
  in 
  a 
  corner 
  of 
  the 
  rocks 
  near 
  the 
  

   waterfall 
  a 
  stately 
  Royal 
  Fern 
  

  

  