144 THE NATURE OF NATURE 



Nature is not a chance collection of particles, 

 nor is she a mere machine, nor some kind of 

 structure like a Cathedral in course of construction. 

 But she is a Power of some kind, and what we have 

 to determine is the kind of Power she is. Now we 

 have seen that running through the life of the 

 forest, controlling and directing the whole, is an 

 Organising Activity. And our observation of the 

 stars leads us to think that this same Organising 

 Activity runs through them also. There is quite 

 evidently an Activity at work keeping the whole 

 together — the particles which go to form great 

 suns, the particles which go to form a flower, and 

 the particles which go to form a man ; and all in 

 their togetherness. Only we would not look upon 

 this Activity as working anywhere outside Nature : 

 we would look for it within her. We would not 

 regard it as emanating from some kind of spiritual 

 central sun situated among the stars midway 

 between us and the farthest star we see — as irradiat- 

 ing from some sort of centrally-situated spiritual 

 power-house. As we look up into the starry 

 heavens we cannot imagine the Activity as residing 

 in the empty space between the stars or between 

 the stars and the Earth on which we stand. It 

 seems absurd to picture its dwelling-place there. 

 Equally absurd does it seem to regard the Activity 

 as emanating from some spiritual sun situated far 

 beyond the confines of the stars, and from there 

 emitting spiritual rays upon Nature, including us 

 men. As we look out upon Nature we see that 

 the Activity which animates her does not issue 

 from any outside source, but is actually in her. 



