84 
NATURE NOTES 
the whole heaven sparkles with innumerable stars, we see that 
the sun hides even more than it reveals. 
“ If,” says St. Basil,* “ on a clear night, you have fixed your 
gaze upon the beauty of the stars, and then suddenly turned to 
thoughts of the artist of the universe, whoever he be, who has 
adorned the sky so wonderfully wdth these undying flowers, and 
has so planned it that the beauty of the spectacle is not less than 
its conformity to law .... if the finite and perishable 
world is so beautiful, what must the infinite and invisible be ? ” 
It has been said that “the heavens declare the glory of God, 
but do not tell us of His goodness.” I cannot agree ; they do 
both. 
We are told by Fielding in his charming book “ The Soul 
of a People,” that Buddha “ went into the Forest to look for 
truth He left Mankind and went to Nature for 
help.” 
To the wise and good, indeed. Nature is divine; but to under- 
stand her we must love her, we must feel that we are one with 
her. People often talk of the supernatural. This is, no doubt, 
mainly a matter of definition. To me. Nature is all-sufficient 
and all-covering. What they regard as supernatural seems to 
me either natural or non-existent. Whatever exists is part of 
Nature. It is not that those who hold these views wish to lower 
the so-called supernatural, but that those who hold the opposite 
opinion seem to us to limit and lower Nature. Nature is infinite. 
Every fresh discovery reveals new sources of wonder : every 
problem that is solved opens others. The telescope and micro- 
scope create for us new worlds ; the spectroscope has answered 
questions which Comte thought were obviously beyond the 
range of human ken. 
Certainly we naturalists ought to be, and we have Hamerton’s 
assurance that we are, cheerful, unless there is something pecu- 
liarly sad or painful in the individual lot. 
Moreover, Nature teaches us that possession is not necessary 
to enjoyment. In mediaeval fairy tales the Nature spirits occa- 
sionally fell in love with some peculiarly attractive mortal, and 
endowed their favourite with splendid gifts. But Nature will 
do all this and more for those who love her. 
“ If any one,” said Seneca, “ gave you a few acres, you 
would say that you had received a benefit ; can you deny that 
the boundless extent of the earth is a benefit? If any one gave 
you money you would call that a benefit. God has buried 
countless masses of gold and silver in the earth. If a house 
were given you, bright with marble, its roof beautifully painted 
with colours and gilding, you would call it no small benefit. 
God has built for you a mansion that fears no fire or ruin 
. . . covered with a roof which glitters in one fashion by 
It.asil. Iloniilie.'.. 
