4 The Bible of Nature 



i 



Abundance of Power. In ancient days when mas- 

 tery of the forces of nature was not even dreamed 

 of, men were almost overwhelmed by their sense 

 of the abundance of power in the world. Unable 

 to see much order in this power, unable to utilize 

 it, they took what came and wondered. Often 

 personifying the various forces, they brought 

 thank-offerings when these were benign and sacri- 

 fices when they were hostile. Short-sighted and 

 timorous, they paid heavy premiums to experience, 

 and yet were slow to learn. It may be, however, 

 that they excelled us, in whom familiarity has bred 

 commonplaceness, in their keener sense of the 

 abundance of power in the world. It seems some- 

 times as if we needed an earthquake, a volcanic 

 eruption, a tornado, a comet, to re-awaken us to a 

 sense of the world Svvafus , to the powers that make 

 our whole solar system travel in space toward an 

 unknown goal, that keep our earth together and 

 awhirling round the sun, that sway the tides 

 and rule the winds, that mould the dew-drop and 

 build the crystal, that clothe the lily and give us 

 energy for every movement and every thought 

 in short that keep the whole system of things 

 agoing. 



"Trees in their blooming, 

 Tides in their flowing, 

 Stars in their circling, 

 Tremble with song." 



