From Fox's Earth 



A weakness in many of the smaller species, the 

 details of whose markings are dimmed in the 

 shades, or merged and lost in the expanse of 

 the open. 



For the amenity lent to their haunts, jay and 

 magpie are worth carefully keeping ; but they are 

 not kept. A very common man with no trace of 

 what, for want of a better name, is called a soul, 

 inherits a property, and follows out his common 

 ideas. For some petty personal interest, the life- 

 renter, for such he is, may destroy objects of 

 beauty, which, though unfortunately living on his 

 estate, are really general possessions. The by- 

 stander can only chafe ; he can do nothing. Let 

 him keep his property for his tenure. I for one 

 am no socialist. But hands off some things. 



It is one of the weaknesses of our system to 

 give so much away with the land, that he who 

 owns can do anything within his march stone, 

 except perhaps kill a man. Wherefore the restric- 

 tion is not very obvious. Gurth wore a brass 

 ring resembling a dog's collar, but without any 

 opening, and soldered round his neck to mark him 

 the born thrall of Cedric. Had he disappeared, 

 no one would have asked where he had gone. 

 We in these days respect human liberty and spare 

 human life. It is a part of a miserable creed 

 based on selfishness. A further emancipation is 

 awaiting. Apart from aesthetic considerations, 

 there is room for a wider sense of obligation a 



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