392 SYMBIOGENESIS 



of him what Heine said of Goethe: "Die Eulen verkrochen 

 sich " (The owls were forced to retire), had he not been so 

 strangely over-zealous in the service of his " proprio santo." 

 As it is, his propaganda unfortunately scared away many 

 useful birds, many desirable songsters with the owls, and one 

 might rather apply to him: "So haben wir den Gift an 

 tausende gegeben" (Thus we to thousands did the poison give). 



Are we not driven at the present day by the logic of events 

 to a similar mental metamorphosis (wishing to trust rather 

 than defy the cosmos) as that ascribed by Huxley to the 

 ancestors of the Stoics? Is not history repeating itself? We 

 are reminded by The Times (11/2/15) that: "In future 

 science, if it is not to be discredited, must be used to make us 

 all more sane." 



Why not, indeed, return to some of the prescriptions of the 

 ancient Stoics, which appealed to so many of the noblest spirits 

 of antiquity? The cardinal virtues of the Stoics were wisdom, 

 courage, justice and discretion, and it is said that " it was 

 the active, social, and severely self-denying principles in the 

 standard of duty inculcated by the Stoics that commended their 

 philosophy to the preference of the noblest spirits of Rome." 



Stoic frugality meant true independence, which resulted 

 in love of Truth, Peace, Justice, Honour and Liberty. Is there 

 no appeal in this to the modern man? And, if not, what is it 

 that bars the way? Why not also seek inspiration from the 

 similar teachings of Gautama, the Buddha, the " Light of 

 Asia," of whom Huxley in a wiser (differently inspired) 

 moment declared : " By the inculcation of love and benevolence 

 to all sentient beings, he practically levelled every social, 

 political and racial barrier." 



Great developments, I believe, are in store for that nation 

 which, by a co-operation of reforms, knows to make practical 

 application of such ancient wisdom combined with the teach- 

 ings of symbiogenesis. With the socio-political measures that 

 might be taken to hasten this consummation, I hope to deal on 

 some future occasion. 



