84 VIGNETTES FROM NATURE, 



between us and Gradgrind, as well as to 

 explain why we have the sense of beauty at 

 all. There are two kinds of one-sidedness 

 which the real man of science will do well to 

 avoid. Thoreau, who loved nature as few 

 men have loved it, nevertheless sneered at 

 geology as a lot of old broken shells : that 

 was the one-sidedness of the poetical and 

 artistic temperament. He thought he was 

 showing his own superiority of mind when he 

 was really showing only his narrowness of 

 view. On the other hand, Gradgrind and 

 Dryasdust sneer at the beauty of the 

 veronica ; that is the one-sidedness of the 

 practical, technical, and scientific tempera- 

 ment. The true man of science will reconcile 

 the two. He will see no incompatibility 

 between loving the birds and beasts as well 

 as Thoreau, and yet taking an interest in the 

 old broken shells as well as Lyell or Mur- 

 chison ; between knowing all about the con- 

 duplicate cotyledons with Dryasdust, and 

 admiring the autumn fields with Millet or 



