Views of 

 Nature. 



CHAPTER VIII 

 CACTUS AND GREASE -WOOD 



NATURE seems a benevolent or a malevolent 

 goddess just as onr own inadequate vision 

 happens to see her. If we have eyes only for 

 her creative beauties we think her all goodness ; 

 if we see only her power of destruction we 

 incline to think she is all evil. With what 

 infinite care and patience, worthy only of a 

 good goddess, does she build up the child, the 

 animal, the bird, the tree, the flower ! How 

 wonderfully she fits each for its purpose, round- 

 ing it with strength, energy, and grace ; and 

 beautifying it with a prodigality of colors. For 

 twenty years she works night and day to bring 

 the child to perfection, for twenty days she toils 

 upon the burnished wings of some insect buz- 

 zing in the sunlight, for twenty hours she paints 

 the gold upon the petals of the dandelion. And 

 then what ? What of the next twenty ? Does 

 she leave her handiwork to take care of itself 

 until an unseen dragon called Decay comes 

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