186 THE UNIVERSE 



mental law of evolution progress from the lower 

 to the higher and the survival of the fittest. The 

 higher, the more sublime, the spiritual truth, though 

 it be ages in advance of the world's comprehension, 

 yet its brightness and power will penetrate the 

 darkness, and scintillate from soul to soul, as the 

 sun gleams from atom to atom, until at last all 

 humanity is illumined and exalted. When we go 

 down into the darkness and poisoned vapors of a 

 dungeon we seek for a ray of sunshine as we seek 

 for life and light, and we are cheered by the smallest 

 sunbeam which enters through a crevice, for in its 

 silvery thread of light little atoms float like minia- 

 ture stars, dispelling the desolation. There at our 

 feet, left to decay and perish, may be the seed or 

 bulb of an insignificant vine or flower, forgotten 

 by the busy world of conflicts without, where little 

 men become great and great men become little, not 

 dreaming of the eternal law of life and hope that 

 thrills in every throbbing atom and electric germ 

 in this life-evolving magnetic universe. 



But there in the darkness of that dungeon a strug- 

 gle for life and hope goes on as important to the 

 life involved as that of building a throne or destroy- 

 ing an empire. Never did a hero dare or a nation 

 fight more bravely to attain its aspirations than 

 did that little seed or bulb lying in the darkness. 

 A slender beam of light gives it a hope of escape, 

 and, cold and chilled, its prayer for life has slowly 

 evolved a delicate pale vine which creeps toward 

 the sunbeam. 



Each day it has seen that beam of light fade and 

 pass, and darkness and mildew paralyze it into the 

 stupor of unconsciousness. And again that sun- 



