Impressions 



sent down a shower of glittering drops, and 

 dived in time to pass through it. Then, with 

 great spreading of wings, the bird shook off the 

 drops that clung to it and sang or laughed — at 

 least I thought at the time that it laughed. 



I thought ! We describe what we witness in 

 accordance with the way we enter into the scene. 

 It is possible to see only motion and all 

 that suggests association of incidents can be 

 cried down as coincidence. True, and equally 

 so, that every community, however small, has 

 its dunce. If there were no pleasure derived 

 from interpretation, better stay away from Na- 

 ture's activities. It is vain to question her. 

 She is close-mouthed and we should never for- 

 get that she would move on in her own mysteri- 

 ous way just the same, if there never were a 

 man in all the world. Evolution merely hap- 

 pened in the direction of humanity. To Na- 

 ture, we are of no more importance than so 

 many cat-birds. If we were not of some impor- 

 tance to ourselves, we should be of none at all. 



One little bird was very insistent, this morn- 

 ing, saying, It is, it is, it is, it is! I too admit 

 "it is," but does my "it" and the bird's stand 

 for the same thing? If the bird feared I should 



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