250 BOOK OF THE DAMNED 



Nature, 58-294: 



That, upon July 8, 1898, a correspondent had seen, at Kiel, an 

 object in the sky, colored red by the sun, which had set. It was 

 about as broad as a rainbow, and about twelve degrees high. "It 

 remained in its original brightness about five minutes, and then 

 faded rapidly, and then remained almost stationary again, finally 

 disappearing about eight minutes after I first saw it." 



In an intermediate existence, we quasi-persons have nothing to 

 judge by because everything is its own opposite. If a hundred 

 dollars a week be a standard of luxurious living to some persons, 

 it is poverty to others. We have instances of three objects that 

 were seen in the sky in a space of three months, and this concurrence 

 seems to me to be something to judge by. Science has been built 

 upon concurrence: so have been most of the fallacies and fanati- 

 cisms. I feel the positivism of a Leverrier, or instinctively take to 

 the notion that all three of these observations relate to the same 

 object. However, I don't formulate them and predict the next 

 transit. Here's another chance for me to become a fixed star but 

 as usual oh, well 



A point in Intermediatism: 



That the Intermediatist is likely to be a flaccid compromiser. 



Our own attitude: 



Ours is a partly positive and partly negative state, or a state in 

 which nothing is finally positive or finally negative 



But, if positivism attract you, go ahead and try: you will be in 

 harmony with cosmic endeavor but Continuity will resist you. 

 Only to have appearance in quasiness is to be proportionately posi- 

 tive, but beyond a degree of attempted positivism, Continuity will 

 rise to pull you back. Success, as it is called though there is only 

 success-failure in Intermediateness will, in Intermediateness, be 

 yours proportionately as you are in adjustment with its own state, 

 or some positivism mixed with compromise and retreat. To be very 

 positive is to be a Napoleon Bonaparte, against whom the rest of 

 civilization will sooner or later combine. For interesting data, see 

 newspaper accounts of fate of one Dowie, of Chicago. 



Intermediatism, then, is recognition that our state is only a quasi- 

 state: it is no bar to one who desires to be positive: it is recognition 

 that he can not be positive and remain in a state that is positive- 

 negative. Or that a great positivist isolated with no system to 

 support him will be crucified, or will starve to death, or will be 



