50 THE KINGDOM OF MAN 



governing class in the almost sudden adoption of the 

 knowledge and control of Nature as the purpose of 

 national education and the guide of State administration. 

 It is possible that in a less rapid and startling manner 

 our old Universities may, at no distant date, influence 

 the intellectual life of the more fortunate of our fellow 

 citizens, and consequently of the entire community. 

 The weariness which is so largely expressed at the 

 present day in regard to human effort whether it be 

 in the field of politics, of literature, or of other art, or 

 in relation to the improvement of social organization 

 and the individual life is possibly due to the fact that 

 we have exhausted the old sources of inspiration, and 

 have not yet learnt to believe in the new. The ' return 

 to Nature,' which is sometimes vaguely put forward as 

 a cure for the all-pervading * taedium ' of this age, is 

 perhaps an imperfect expression of the truth that it 

 is time for civilized man not to return to the ' state of 

 Nature,' but to abandon his retrospective attitude and 

 to take up whole-heartedly the Kingdom of Nature 

 which it is his destiny to rule. New hope, new life 

 will, when he does this, be infused into every line of 

 human activity : Art will acquire a new impulse, and 

 politics become real and interesting. To a community 

 which believes in the destiny of Man as the controller 

 of Nature, and has consciously entered upon its fulfil- 

 ment, there can be none of the weariness and even 

 despair which comes from an exclusive worship of the 

 past. There can only be encouragement in every victory 

 gained, hope and the realization of hope. Even in the 

 face of the overwhelming opposition and incredulity 

 which now unhappily have the upper hand, the believer 

 in the predestined triumph of Man over Nature can 

 exert himself to place a contribution, however small, in 



