OCEAN, THE UNIVERSAL HIGHWAY 



AGES ago, so far back that the doubtful chronology 

 of those dim days can give us no definite idea as to 

 when it was, some man made an involuntary voyage 

 seaward from the shore of his native land. And when 

 I say " involuntary," I wish to express his entire un- 

 willingness and distaste for the making of the voyage. 

 For him the land held all that his simple needs indi- 

 cated roots and fruits, and grubs and small succulent 

 living things, the getting of which for the satisfying 

 of his craving but primitive appetite was a very easy 

 matter. His life was an easy one, containing just an 

 occasional thrill when a big beast of prey came after 

 him, a not unpleasant thrill either, for although there 

 were disappearances of his friends and relatives to 

 remember, he had the proud knowledge that he had 

 on certain well-remembered occasions been able to out- 

 manoeuvre, to over-reach the grim monsters of the 

 mysterious forests, and exultantly convert their huge 

 carcases to his own uses. And these recollections bred 

 in him a certain sense of superiority, of pride in 

 achieving that made for a distinct advance in the 

 long road of human progress. 



Now, it does not in the least matter where this 



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