130 The Nature-Study Idea 



inconsistent with our idea of divine wisdom 

 that the Creator should use more power than 

 was necessary to accomplish a given end." The 

 result may be secured with a less expenditure of 

 energy than Agassiz's method would entail. 

 But who knows that "our idea of the divine wis- 

 dom 1 ' is correct? It is only a human meta- 

 phor; but, being human, it may be useful. 



Much of our thinking about nature is only 

 the working out of propositions in logic, and 

 logic is sometimes, I fear, but a clever substi- 

 tute for truth. It is impossible to put ourselves 

 in nature's place if I may be allowed the 

 phrase ; that is, difficult to work from the stand- 

 point of the organism that we are studying. If 

 it were possible to get that point of view, it 

 would be an end to much of our speculation; 

 we should then deal with things as they are. 



We hope that we are coming nearer to an 

 intrinsic view of animals and plants ; yet we are 

 still so intent on discovering what ought to be, 

 that we forget to accept what is. 



