A Thousand-Mile Walk 



try as the only ones who possess the kind of 

 souls for which that imponderable empire was 

 planned. 



This star, our own good earth, made many 

 a successful journey around the heavens ere 

 man was made, and whole kingdoms of crea 

 tures enjoyed existence and returned to dust 

 ere man appeared to claim them. After human 

 beings have also played their part in Creation s 

 plan, they too may disappear without any 

 general burning or extraordinary commotion 

 whatever. 



Plants are credited with but dim and uncer 

 tain sensation, and minerals with positively 

 none at all. But why may not even a mineral 

 arrangement of matter be endowed with sensa 

 tion of a kind that we in our blind exclusive 

 perfection can have no manner of communica 

 tion with? 



But I have wandered from my object. I 



stated a page or two back that man claimed 



the earth was made for him, and I was going 



to say that venomous beasts, thorny plants, 



[ 140] 



