52 THE LIFE OF THE BEE 



I will not allude to the material errors this chapter contains ; 

 I will only ask whether the mere fact of the bees accepting 

 a common existence, while doing each other the least pos- 

 sible harm, does not in itself argue a certain intelligence ? 

 And does not this intelligence appear the more remarkable to 

 us as we more closely examine the fashion in which these 

 " ten thousand individuals " avoid hurting each other and 

 end by giving assistance ? And further, is this not the history 

 of ourselves ; and does not all that the angry old naturalist 

 says apply equally to every one of our human societies ? Our 

 wisdom, our virtues, our policy, rugged fruits of necessity 

 that have been gilded over by our imagination, aim only at 

 diverting our egoism, and turning to the common good the 

 naturally harmful activity of each individual. And, yet once 

 again : if the bee is indeed to be credited with none of the 

 feelings or ideas that we have ascribed to it, shall we not very 

 willingly shift the ground of our wonder ? If we must not 

 admire the bee, we will then admire nature ; the moment must 

 always come when admiration can be no longer denied us, nor 

 shall there be loss to us through our having retreated, or waited. 



31 



However these things may be, and without abandoning 

 this conjecture of ours, that at least has the advantage of 

 connecting in our mind certain actions that have evident con- 

 nection in fact, it is evident that the bees have far less adora- 

 tion for the queen herself than for the infinite future of the 

 race that she represents. They are not sentimental ; and should 

 one of their number return from work so severely wounded 



