CHAPTER VII 

 THE WHITE ROCKERY (continued) 



GOETHE has said that the intentions of Nature are 

 invariably good ; that her purposes are noble and 

 amiable ; that, in fact, she means well. I go further 

 than this, and dare assert that if one soars above the 

 egotistical pettiness incidental to humanity, we shall 

 find how Nature not only means, but actually does 

 well. For, if you examine the objections to Nature, 

 they prove invariably to be based on a human standard 

 of good or evil, and we arrive at a mere anthropo- 

 centric judgment inspired solely by regard for our 

 noble selves. In the case of generous and large- 

 hearted people, the race is their first thought ; but 

 an average man or woman does not even consider 

 the race, and is merely concerned with the paltry 

 family circle to which he or she belongs ; while, to sink 

 still lower, there are a craven sort of spirits amongst 

 us who reduce every interest to the bald and unblush- 

 ing dimension of No. i. All, however, be their out- 

 look large or narrow, limit it to the race. Yet Nature 

 might be expected to feel less sympathy with us than 

 with any of her creatures, because the only unreason- 

 able animal she has created happens to be the one 



with reason. What a shock and source of irritation 



91 



