332 THE RULE OF FORCE IN NATURE. 



because it is in these localities where bird and animal 

 life is most plentiful and in such places they are 

 often exceedingly numerous and destructive, especially 

 among young birds which have not yet attained their 

 full strength, and there can be no doubt that in many 

 countries they form a serious impediment to the increase 

 of game. 



This picture of perpetual and hereditary destruction 

 among the animal creation is not an agreeable one 

 to contemplate ; and yet we see it pervading the whole 

 system of Nature : evidently in pursuance of a positive 

 law, emanating from the decree of the Creator's wisdom. 

 The world in fact, is one vast slaughter-house. From 

 the huge whale to the most minute animated germ 

 that moves upon the earth, or in the waters, we 

 everywhere behold examples of one species preying 

 upon others, and maintaining its own existence by the 

 death and destruction of weaker or inferior creatures, 

 until at length we reach the level of the human race 

 itself for in man this scale of graduated tyranny, and 

 of predatory rapine appears to attain it last and greatest 

 example. The moralist and the humanitarian visionary 

 may affect to deny or to cavil at it but when all is 

 said and done this great salient fact will still stand 

 forth in all its pristine distinctness that the Law of 

 Nature is the rule of force, and of force only. Every- 

 where the strong oppresses and destroys the weak: 

 nowhere do we find a single example of that most 

 visionary of all dreams the dream of Universal 

 Peace. 



The learned scholar, as well as at the same time 

 the first soldier of Europe, the late German Field Mar- 

 shal Count Helmuth Von Moltke, is said to have 



