292 AT THE NORTH OF BE ARC AMR WATER. 
of life in the next year. The world’s rhythm 
will be just as strong, just as even, just as full 
of joy to those who will accept joy as the birds 
accept it. What, then, is death if it cannot 
diminish the sum total of creation’s forces? Is 
it more than a transfer of energy from one point 
to another? When the flower dies we can see 
and measure the transfer; when a man dies we 
who live cannot see it all, but we can measure 
the poor shell which is left to us and feel sure, 
terribly sure at first, joyously sure in time, that 
all which was there in life is not still there; 
that something has been transferred where we 
can neither see nor measure it. 
The year begins in snow and ends in snow. 
When it begins, the pendulum of life is far up 
at the left of its arc, all its force is gathered 
in position, none is displayed in motion. But 
suddenly the pendulum begins to move; it is 
falling; it moves faster and faster towards the 
right. Then it is that snows melt, buds swell, 
birds come northward singing, dormant crea¬ 
tures leave their caves, and all Nature displays 
her latent energy in motion. Just when the 
motion of the pendulum is fastest it passes that 
middle and lowest point in its arc and begins to 
turn its momentum into the force of position. 
Up it goes, and as it ascends to the far right, 
it goes more and more slowly until finally it 
