Emerson Fate

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    I: FATE

    Delicate omens traced in airTo the lone bard true witness bare;

    Birds with auguries on their wingsChanted undeceiving thingsHim to beckon him to warn;

    !ell might then the "oet scornTo learn o# scribe or courierHints writ in vaster character;

    And on his mind at dawn o# da$%o#t shadows o# the evening la$&For the "revision is allied'nto the thing so signi#ied;(r sa$ the #oresight that awaitsIs the same )enius that creates&Fate

    It chanced during one winter a #ew $ears ago that ourcities were bent on discussing the theor$ o# the Age& B$an odd coincidence #our or #ive noted men were eachreading a discourse to the citi*ens o# Boston or +ew

    ,ork on the %"irit o# the Times& It so ha""ened that thesub-ect had the same "rominence in some remarkable

    "am"hlets and -ournals issued in .ondon in the sameseason& To me however the /uestion o# the timesresolved itsel# into a "ractical /uestion o# the conduct o#li#e& How shall I live0 !e are incom"etent to solve thetimes& (ur geometr$ cannot s"an the huge orbits o# the

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    "revailing ideas behold their return and reconcile theiro""osition& !e can onl$ obe$ our own "olarit$& 1Tis #ine#or us to s"eculate and elect our course i# we mustacce"t an irresistible dictation&

    In our #irst ste"s to gain our wishes we come u"onimmovable limitations& !e are #ired with the ho"e tore#orm men& A#ter man$ e2"eriments we #ind that wemust begin earlier 3 at school& But the bo$s and girlsare not docile; we can make nothing o# them& !e decide

    that the$ are not o# good stock& !e must begin ourre#orm earlier still 3 at generation: that is to sa$ thereis Fate or laws o# the world&

    But i# there be irresistible dictation this dictationunderstands itsel#& I# we must acce"t Fate we are notless com"elled to a##irm libert$ the signi#icance o# the

    individual the grandeur o# dut$ the "ower o# character&This is true and that other is true& But our geometr$cannot s"an these e2treme "oints and reconcile them&

    !hat to do0 B$ obe$ing each thought #rankl$ b$har"ing or i# $ou will "ounding on each string welearn at last its "ower& B$ the same obedience to otherthoughts we learn theirs and then comes some

    reasonable ho"e o# harmoni*ing them& !e are surethat though we know not how necessit$ does com"ort

    with libert$ the individual with the world m$ "olarit$with the s"irit o# the times& The riddle o# the age has #oreach a "rivate solution& I# one would stud$ his own time

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    it must be b$ this method o# taking u" in turn each o#the leading to"ics which belong to our scheme o# humanli#e and b$ #irml$ stating all that is agreeable toe2"erience on one and doing the same -ustice to the

    o""osing #acts in the others the true limitations willa""ear& An$ e2cess o# em"hasis on one "art would becorrected and a -ust balance would be made&

    But let us honestl$ state the #acts& (ur America has abad name #or su"er#icialness& )reat men great nations

    have not been boasters and bu##oons but "erceivers o#the terror o# li#e and have manned themselves to #ace it&The %"artan embod$ing his religion in his countr$ dies

    be#ore its ma-est$ without a /uestion& The Turk whobelieves his doom is written on the iron lea# in themoment when he entered the world rushes on theenem$1s sabre with undivided will& The Turk the Arab

    the 4ersian acce"ts the #oreordained #ate&

    5(n two da$s it steads not to run #rom th$ graveThe a""ointed and the una""ointed da$;(n the #irst neither balm nor "h$sician can save+or thee on the second the 'niverse sla$&5

    The Hindoo under the wheel is as #irm& (ur Calvinistsin the last generation had something o# the samedignit$& The$ #elt that the weight o# the 'niverse heldthem down to their "lace& !hat could the$ do0 !isemen #eel that there is something which cannot be talked

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    or voted awa$ 3 a stra" or belt which girds the world&

    5The Destin$ minister generalThat e2ecuteth in the world o1er all

    The "urve$ance which )od hath seen be#orne%o strong it is that tho1 the world had swornThe contrar$ o# a thing b$ $ea or na$

    ,et sometime it shall #allen on a da$That #alleth not o#t in a thousand $ear;For certainl$ our a""etites here

    Be it o# war or "eace or hate or loveAll this is ruled b$ the sight above&5 Chaucer: The 6nighte1s Tale&The )reek Traged$ e2"ressed the same sense:5!hatever is #ated that will take "lace& The greatimmense mind o# 7ove is not to be transgressed&5%avages cling to a local god o# one tribe or town& The

    broad ethics o# 7esus were /uickl$ narrowed to villagetheologies which "reach an election or #avoritism& Andnow and then an amiable "arson like 7ung %tilling or8obert Huntington believes in a "istareen94rovidence

    which whenever the good man wants a dinner makesthat somebod$ shall knock at his door and leave a hal#9dollar& But +ature is no sentimentalist 3 does not

    cosset or "am"er us& !e must see that the world isrough and surl$ and will not mind drowning a man or a

    woman; but swallows $our shi" like a grain o# dust& Thecold inconsiderate o# "ersons tingles $our blood

    benumbs $our #eet #ree*es a man like an a""le& The

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    diseases the elements #ortune gravit$ lightningres"ect no "ersons& The wa$ o# 4rovidence is a littlerude& The habit o# snake and s"ider the sna" o# the tigerand other lea"ers and blood$ -um"ers the crackle o# the

    bones o# his "re$ in the coil o# the anaconda 3 these arein the s$stem and our habits are like theirs& ,ou have

    -ust dined and however scru"ulousl$ the slaughter9house is concealed in the grace#ul distance o# milesthere is com"licit$ 3 e2"ensive races 3 race living atthe e2"ense o# race& The "lanet is liable to shocks #rom

    comets "erturbations #rom "lanets rendings #romearth/uake and volcano alterations o# climate"recessions o# e/uino2es& 8ivers dr$ u" b$ o"ening o#the #orest& The sea changes its bed& Towns and counties#all into it& At .isbon an earth/uake killed men like#lies& At +a"les three $ears ago ten thousand "ersons

    were crushed in a #ew minutes& The scurv$ at sea; the

    sword o# the climate in the west o# A#rica at Ca$enne at4anama at +ew (rleans cut o## men like a massacre&(ur western "rairie shakes with #ever and ague& Thecholera the small9"o2 have "roved as mortal to sometribes as a #rost to the crickets which having #illed thesummer with noise are silenced b$ a #all o# thetem"erature o# one night& !ithout uncovering what

    does not concern us or counting how man$ s"ecies o#"arasites hang on a bomb$2; or gro"ing a#ter intestinal"arasites or in#usor$ biters or the obscurities o#alternate generation; 3 the #orms o# the shark thelabrus the -aw o# the sea9wol# "aved with crushing

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    teeth the wea"ons o# the gram"us and other warriorshidden in the sea 3 are hints o# #erocit$ in the interiorso# nature& .et us not den$ it u" and down& 4rovidencehas a wild rough incalculable road to its end and it is

    o# no use to tr$ to whitewash its huge mi2edinstrumentalities or to dress u" that terri#ic bene#actorin a clean shirt and white neckcloth o# a student indivinit$&

    !ill $ou sa$ the disasters which threaten mankind are

    e2ce"tional and one need not la$ his account #orcatacl$sms ever$ da$0 A$e but what ha""ens once ma$ha""en again and so long as these strokes are not to be"arried b$ us the$ must be #eared&

    But these shocks and ruins are less destructive to usthan the stealth$ "ower o# other laws which act on us

    dail$& An e2"ense o# ends to means is #ate; 3organi*ation t$ranni*ing over character& The menagerieor #orms and "owers o# the s"ine is a book o# #ate: the

    bill o# the bird the skull o# the snake determinest$rannicall$ its limits& %o is the scale o# races o#tem"eraments; so is se2; so is climate; so is the reactiono# talents im"risoning the vital "ower in certain

    directions& Ever$ s"irit makes its house; but a#terwardsthe house con#ines the s"irit&

    The gross lines are legible to the dull: the cabman is"hrenologist so #ar: he looks in $our #ace to see i# his

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    shilling is sure& A dome o# brow denotes one thing; a"ot9bell$ another; a s/uint a "ug9nose mats o# hair the"igment o# the e"idermis betra$ character& 4eo"le seemsheathed in their tough organi*ation& Ask %"ur*heim

    ask the doctors ask uetelet i# tem"eraments decidenothing0 or i# there be an$9thing the$ do not decide08ead the descri"tion in medical books o# the #ourtem"eraments and $ou will think $ou are reading $ourown thoughts which $ou had not $et told& Find the "art

    which black e$es and which blue e$es "la$ severall$ in

    the com"an$& How shall a man esca"e #rom hisancestors or draw o## #rom his veins the black dro"which he drew #rom his #ather1s or his mother1s li#e0 Ito#ten a""ears in a #amil$ as i# all the /ualities o# the"rogenitors were "otted in several -ars 3 some ruling/ualit$ in each son or daughter o# the house 3 andsometimes the unmi2ed tem"erament the rank

    unmitigated eli2ir the #amil$ vice is drawn o## in ase"arate individual and the others are "ro"ortionall$relieved& !e sometimes see a change o# e2"ression inour com"anion and sa$ his #ather or his mothercomes to the windows o# his e$es and sometimes aremote relative& In di##erent hours a man re"resentseach o# several o# his ancestors as i# there were seven or

    eight o# us rolled u" in each man1s skin3 seven or eightancestors at least 3 and the$ constitute the variet$ o#notes #or that new "iece o# music which his li#e is& At thecorner o# the street $ou read the "ossibilit$ o# each"assenger in the #acial angle in the com"le2ion in the

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    de"th o# his e$e& His "arentage determines it& en arewhat their mothers made them& ,ou ma$ as well ask aloom which weaves huckaback wh$ it does not makecashmere as e2"ect "oetr$ #rom this engineer or a

    chemical discover$ #rom that -obber& Ask the digger inthe ditch to e2"lain +ewton1s laws: the #ine organs o# his

    brain have been "inched b$ overwork and s/ualid"overt$ #rom #ather to son #or a hundred $ears& !heneach comes #orth #rom his mother1s womb the gate o#gi#ts closes behind him& .et him value his hands and

    #eet he has but one "air& %o he has but one #uture andthat is alread$ "redetermined in his lobes anddescribed in that little #att$ #ace "ig9e$e and s/uat#orm& All the "rivilege and all the legislation o# the worldcannot meddle or hel" to make a "oet or a "rince o#him&

    7esus said 5!hen he looketh on her he hath committedadulter$&5 But he is an adulterer be#ore he has $etlooked on the woman b$ the su"er#luit$ o# animal andthe de#ect o# thought in his constitution& !ho meetshim or who meets her in the street sees that the$ areri"e to be each other1s victim&

    In certain men digestion and se2 absorb the vital #orceand the stronger these are the individual is so much

    weaker& The more o# these drones "erish the better #orthe hive& I# later the$ give birth to some su"eriorindividual with #orce enough to add to this animal a

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    new aim and a com"lete a""aratus to work it out allthe ancestors are gladl$ #orgotten& ost men and most

    women are merel$ one cou"le more& +ow and then onehas a new cell or camarilla o"ened in his brain 3 an

    architectural a musical or a "hilological knack somestra$ taste or talent #or #lowers or chemistr$ or"igments or stor$9telling a good hand #or drawing agood #oot #or dancing an athletic #rame #or wide

    -ourne$ing

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    coincidence o# the e2tremes o# eastern and westerns"eculation in the daring statement o# %chelling 5thereis in ever$ man a certain #eeling that he has been whathe is #rom all eternit$ and b$ no means became such in

    time&5 To sa$ it less sublimel$ 3 in the histor$ o# theindividual is alwa$s an account o# his condition and heknows himsel# to be a "art$ to his "resent estate&

    A good deal o# our "olitics is "h$siological& +ow andthen a man o# wealth in the he$da$ o# $outh ado"ts the

    tenet o# broadest #reedom& In England there is alwa$ssome man o# wealth and large connection "lantinghimsel# during all his $ears o# health on the side o#"rogress who as soon as he begins to die checks his#orward "la$ calls in his troo"s and becomesconservative& All conservatives are such #rom "ersonalde#ects& The$ have been e##eminated b$ "osition or

    nature born halt and blind through lu2ur$ o# their"arents and can onl$ like invalids act on the de#ensive&But strong natures backwoodsmen +ew Ham"shiregiants +a"oleons Burkes Broughams !ebsters6ossuths are inevitable "atriots until their li#e ebbsand their de#ects and gout "als$ and mone$ war"them&

    The strongest idea incarnates itsel# in ma-orities andnations in the healthiest and strongest& 4robabl$ theelection goes b$ avoirdu"ois weight and i# $ou could

    weigh bodil$ the tonnage o# an$ hundred o# the !hig

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    and the Democratic "art$ in a town on the Dearbornbalance as the$ "assed the ha$scales $ou could "redictwith certaint$ which "art$ would carr$ it& (n the wholeit would be rather the s"eediest wa$ o# deciding the

    vote to "ut the selectmen or the ma$or and aldermen atthe ha$scales&

    In science we have to consider two things: "ower andcircumstance& All we know o# the egg #rom eachsuccessive discover$ is another vesicle; and i# a#ter #ive

    hundred $ears $ou get a better observer or a betterglass he #inds within the last observed another& Invegetable and animal tissue it is -ust alike and all thatthe "rimar$ "ower or s"asm o"erates is still vesicles

    vesicles& ,es 3 but the t$rannical Circumstance= Avesicle in new circumstances a vesicle lodged indarkness (ken thought became animal; in light a

    "lant& .odged in the "arent animal it su##ers changeswhich end in unsheathing miraculous ca"abilit$ in theunaltered vesicle and it unlocks itsel# to #ish bird or/uadru"ed head and #oot e$e and claw& TheCircumstance is +ature& +ature is what $ou ma$ do&There is much $ou ma$ not& !e have two things 3 thecircumstance and the li#e& (nce we thought "ositive

    "ower was all& +ow we learn that negative "ower orcircumstance is hal#& +ature is the t$rannouscircumstance the thick skull the sheathed snake the"onderous rock9like -aw; necessitated activit$; violentdirection; the conditions o# a tool like the locomotive

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    strong enough on its track but which can do nothingbut mischie# o## o# it; or skates which are wings on theice but #etters on the ground&

    The book o# +ature is the book o# Fate& %he turns thegigantic "ages 3 lea# a#ter lea# 3 never returning one&(ne lea# she la$s down a #loor o# granite; then athousand ages and a bed o# slate; a thousand ages anda measure o# coal; a thousand ages and a la$er o# marland mud: vegetable #orms a""ear; her #irst missha"en

    animals *oo"h$te trilobium #ish; then saurians 3rude #orms in which she has onl$ blocked her #uturestatue concealing under these unwieldl$ monsters the#ine t$"e o# her coming king& The #ace o# the "lanet coolsand dries the races meliorate and man is born& But

    when a race has lived its term it comes no more again&

    The "o"ulation o# the world is a conditional "o"ulationnot the best but the best that could live now; and thescale o# tribes and the steadiness with which victor$adheres to one tribe and de#eat to another is asuni#orm as the su"er"osition o# strata& !e know inhistor$ what weight belongs to race& !e see the EnglishFrench and )ermans "lanting themselves on ever$

    shore and market o# America and Australia andmono"oli*ing the commerce o# these countries& !e likethe nervous and victorious habit o# our own branch o#the #amil$& !e #ollow the ste" o# the 7ew o# the Indiano# the +egro& !e see how much will has been e2"ended

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    to e2tinguish the 7ew in vain& .ook at the un"alatableconclusions o# 6no2 in his 5Fragment o# 8aces5 3 arash and unsatis#actor$ writer but charged with"ungent and un#orgetable truths& 5+ature res"ects race

    and not h$brids&5 5Ever$ race has its own habitat&55Detach a colon$ #rom the race and it deteriorates to thecrab&5 %ee the shades o# the "icture& The )erman andIrish millions like the +egro have a great deal o# guanoin their destin$& The$ are #erried over the Atlantic andcarted over America to ditch and to drudge to make

    corn chea" and then to lie down "rematurel$ to make as"ot o# green grass on the "rairie&

    (ne more #agot o# these adamantine bandages is thenew science o# %tatistics& It is a rule that the most casualand e2traordinar$ events 3 i# the basis o# "o"ulation is

    broad enough 3 become matter o# #i2ed calculation& It

    would not be sa#e to sa$ when a ca"tain like Bona"artea singer like 7enn$ .ind or a navigator like Bowditch

    would be born in Boston: but on a "o"ulation o# twent$or two hundred millions something like accurac$ ma$

    be had& >?@

    >?@ 5Ever$thing which "ertains to the human s"ecies

    considered as a whole belongs to the order o# "h$sical#acts& The greater the number o# individuals the moredoes the in#luence o# the individual will disa""earleaving "redominance to a series o# general #actsde"endent on causes b$ which societ$ e2ists and is

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    "reserved&5 3 uetelet&

    1Tis #rivolous to #i2 "edanticall$ the date o# "articularinventions& The$ have all been invented over and over

    #i#t$ times& an is the arch machine o# which all theseshi#ts drawn #rom himsel# are to$ models& He hel"shimsel# on each emergenc$ b$ co"$ing or du"licating hisown structure -ust so #ar as the need is& 1Tis hard to #indthe right Homer oroaster or enu; harder still to #indthe Tubal Cain or ulcan or Cadmus or Co"ernicus or

    Fust or Fulton the indis"utable inventor& There arescores and centuries o# them& 5The air is #ull o# men&5This kind o# talent so abounds this constructive tool9making e##icienc$ as i# it adhered to the chemic atomsas i# the air he breathes were made o# aucansonsFranklins and !atts&

    Doubtless in ever$ million there will be an astronomera mathematician a comic "oet a m$stic& +o one canread the histor$ o# astronom$ without "erceiving thatCo"ernicus +ewton .a"lace are not new men or anew kind o# men but that Thales Ana2imenesHi""archus Em"edocles Aristarchus 4$thagoras;oEno"ides had antici"ated them; each had the same

    tense geometrical brain a"t #or the same vigorouscom"utation and logic a mind "arallel to the movemento# the world& The 8oman mile "robabl$ rested on ameasure o# a degree o# the meridian& ahometan andChinese know what we know o# lea"9$ear o# the

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    )regorian calendar and o# the "recession o# thee/uino2es& As in ever$ barrel o# cowries brought to+ew Bed#ord there shall be one orangia so there will ina do*en millions o# ala$s and ahometans be one or

    two astronomical skulls& In a large cit$ the most casualthings and things whose beaut$ lies in their casualt$are "roduced as "unctuall$ and to order as the baker1smu##in #or break#ast& 4unch makes e2actl$ one ca"ital

    -oke a week; and the -ournals contrive to #urnish onegood "iece o# news ever$ da$&

    And not less work the laws o# re"ression the "enaltieso# violated #unctions& Famine t$"hus #rost warsuicide and e##ete races must be reckoned calculable"arts o# the s$stem o# the world&

    These are "ebbles #rom the mountain hints o# the terms

    b$ which our li#e is walled u" and which show a kind o#mechanical e2actness as o# a loom or mill in what wecall casual or #ortuitous events&

    The #orce with which we resist these torrents o#tendenc$ looks so ridiculousl$ inade/uate that itamounts to little more than a criticism or a "rotest made

    b$ a minorit$ o# one under com"ulsion o# millions& Iseemed in the height o# a tem"est to see menoverboard struggling in the waves and driven abouthere and there& The$ glanced intelligentl$ at each other

    but 1twas little the$ could do #or one another; 1twas

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    much i# each could kee" a#loat alone& !ell the$ had aright to their e$e9beams and all the rest was Fate&

    !e cannot tri#le with this realit$ this cro""ing9out in

    our "lanted gardens o# the core o# the world& +o "ictureo# li#e can have an$ veracit$ that does not admit theodious #acts& A man1s "ower is hoo"ed in b$ a necessit$

    which b$ man$ e2"eriments he touches on ever$ sideuntil he learns its arc&

    The element running through entire nature which we"o"ularl$ call Fate is known to us as limitation&!hatever limits us we call Fate& I# we are brute andbarbarous the #ate takes a brute and dread#ul sha"e& Aswe re#ine our checks become #iner& I# we rise to s"iritualculture the antagonism takes a s"iritual #orm& In theHindoo #ables ishnu #ollows a$a through all her

    ascending changes #rom insect and craw#ish u" toele"hant; whatever #orm she took he took the male#orm o# that kind until she became at last woman andgoddess and he a man and a god& The limitations re#ineas the soul "uri#ies but the ring o# necessit$ is alwa$s"erched at the to"&

    !hen the gods in the +orse heaven were unable to bindthe Fenris !ol# with steel or with weight o# mountains3 the one he sna""ed and the other he s"urned with hisheel3the$ "ut round his #oot a lim" band so#ter thansilk or cobweb and this held him: the more he s"urned

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    it the sti##er it drew& %o so#t and so stanch is the ring o#Fate& +either brand$ nor nectar nor sul"huric ethernor hell9#ire nor ichor nor "oetr$ nor genius can getrid o# this lim" band& For i# we give it the high sense in

    which the "oets use it even thought itsel# is not aboveFate: that too must act according to eternal laws and allthat is wil#ul and #antastic in it is in o""osition to its#undamental essence&

    And last o# all high over thought in the world o#

    morals Fate a""ears as vindicator levelling the highli#ting the low re/uiring -ustice in man and alwa$sstriking soon or late when -ustice is not done& !hat isuse#ul will last; what is hurt#ul will sink& 5The doer mustsu##er5 said the )reeks: 5$ou would soothe a Deit$ notto be soothed&5 5)od himsel# cannot "rocure good #orthe wicked5 said the !elsh triad& 5)od ma$ consent

    but onl$ #or a time5 said the bard o# %"ain& Thelimitation is im"assable b$ an$ insight o# man& In its lastand lo#tiest ascensions insight itsel# and the #reedom o#the will is one o# its obedient members& But we mustnot run into generali*ations too large but show thenatural bounds or essential distinctions and seek to do

    -ustice to the other elements as well&

    Thus we trace Fate in matter mind and morals 3 inrace in retardations o# strata and in thought andcharacter as well& It is ever$where bound or limitation&But Fate has its lord; limitation its limits; is di##erent

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    seen #rom above and #rom below; #rom within and #romwithout& For though Fate is immense so is "owerwhich is the other #act in the dual world immense& I#Fate #ollows and limits "ower "ower attends and

    antagoni*es Fate& !e must res"ect Fate as naturalhistor$ but there is more than natural histor$& For whoand what is this criticism that "ries into the matter0an is not order o# nature sack and sack bell$ andmembers link in a chain nor an$ ignominious baggage

    but a stu"endous antagonism a dragging together o# the

    "oles o# the 'niverse& He betra$s his relation to what isbelow him 3 thick9skulled small9brained #ish$/uadrumanous 3 /uadru"ed ill9disguised hardl$esca"ed into bi"ed and has "aid #or the new "owers b$loss o# some o# the old ones& But the lightning whiche2"lodes and #ashions "lanets maker o# "lanets andsuns is in him& (n one side elemental order sandstone

    and granite rock9ledges "eat9bog #orest sea and shore;and on the other "art thought the s"irit whichcom"oses and decom"oses nature 3 here the$ are side

    b$ side god and devil mind and matter king andcons"irator belt and s"asm riding "eace#ull$ togetherin the e$e and brain o# ever$ man&

    +or can he blink the #reewill& To ha*ard thecontradiction 3 #reedom is necessar$& I# $ou "lease to"lant $oursel# on the side o# Fate and sa$ Fate is all;then we sa$ a "art o# Fate is the #reedom o# man&Forever wells u" the im"ulse o# choosing and acting in

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    the soul& Intellect annuls Fate& %o #ar as a man thinks heis #ree& And though nothing is more disgusting than thecrowing about libert$ b$ slaves as most men are andthe #li""ant mistaking #or #reedom o# some "a"er

    "reamble like a 5Declaration o# Inde"endence5 or thestatute right to vote b$ those who have never dared tothink or to act $et it is wholesome to man to look not atFate but the other wa$: the "ractical view is the other&His sound relation to these #acts is to use and commandnot to cringe to them& 5.ook not on nature #or her name

    is #atal5 said the oracle& The too much contem"lation o#these limits induces meanness& The$ who talk much o#destin$ their birth9star

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    less the #low the e2"ansion and the resistance o# these&

    1Tis the best use o# Fate to teach a #atal courage& )o #acethe #ire at sea or the cholera in $our #riend1s house or

    the burglar in $our own or what danger lies in the wa$o# dut$ knowing $ou are guarded b$ the cherubim o#Destin$& I# $ou believe in Fate to $our harm believe it atleast #or $our good&

    For i# Fate is so "revailing man also is "art o# it and

    can con#ront #ate with #ate& I# the 'niverse have thesesavage accidents our atoms are as savage in resistance&!e should be crushed b$ the atmos"here but #or thereaction o# the air within the bod$& A tube made o# a #ilmo# glass can resist the shock o# the ocean i# #illed withthe same water& I# there be omni"otence in the strokethere is omni"otence o# recoil&

    & But Fate against Fate is onl$ "arr$ing and de#ence:there are also the noble creative #orces& The revelationo# Thought takes man out o# servitude into #reedom& !erightl$ sa$ o# ourselves we were born and a#terward we

    were born again and man$ times& !e have successivee2"eriences so im"ortant that the new #orgets the old

    and hence the m$tholog$ o# the seven or the nineheavens& The da$ o# da$s the great da$ o# the #east o#li#e is that in which the inward e$e o"ens to the 'nit$ inthings to the omni"resence o# law; 3 sees that what ismust be and ought to be or is the best& This beatitude

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    di"s #rom on high down on us and we see& It is not in usso much as we are in it& I# the air come to our lungs we

    breathe and live; i# not we die& I# the light come to oure$es we see; else not& And i# truth come to our mind we

    suddenl$ e2"and to its dimensions as i# we grew toworlds& !e are as lawgivers; we s"eak #or +ature; we"ro"hes$ and divine&

    This insight throws us on the "art$ and interest o# the'niverse against all and sundr$; against ourselves as

    much as others& A man s"eaking #rom insight a##irms o#himsel# what is true o# the mind: seeing its immortalit$he sa$s I am immortal; seeing its invincibilit$ he sa$s Iam strong& It is not in us but we are in it& It is o# themaker not o# what is made& All things are touched andchanged b$ it& This uses and is not used& It distancesthose who share it #rom those who share it not& Those

    who share it not are #locks and herds& It dates #romitsel#; 3 not #rom #ormer men or better men 3 gos"elor constitution or college or custom& !here it shines+ature is no longer intrusive but all things make amusical or "ictorial im"ression& The world o# men showlike a comed$ without laughter: 3 "o"ulationsinterests government histor$; 3 1tis all to$ #igures in a

    to$ house& It does not overvalue "articular truths& !ehear eagerl$ ever$ thought and word /uoted #rom anintellectual man& But in his "resence our own mind isroused to activit$ and we #orget ver$ #ast what he sa$smuch more interested in the new "la$ o# our own

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    thought than in an$ thought o# his& 1Tis the ma-est$ intowhich we have suddenl$ mounted the im"ersonalit$the scorn o# egotisms the s"here o# laws that engage us&(nce we were ste""ing a little this wa$ and a little that

    wa$; now we are as men in a balloon and do not thinkso much o# the "oint we have le#t or the "oint we wouldmake as o# the libert$ and glor$ o# the wa$&

    7ust as much intellect as $ou add so much organic"ower& He who sees through the design "resides over it

    and must will that which must be& !e sit and rule andthough we slee" our dream will come to "ass& (urthought though it were onl$ an hour old a##irms anoldest necessit$ not to be se"arated #rom thought andnot to be se"arated #rom will& The$ must alwa$s havecoe2isted& It a""rises us o# its sovereignt$ and godhead

    which re#use to be severed #rom it& It is not mine or

    thine but the will o# all mind& It is "oured into the soulso# all men as the soul itsel# which constitutes them men&I know not whether there be as is alleged in the u""erregion o# our atmos"here a "ermanent westerl$current which carries with it all atoms which rise to thatheight but I see that when souls reach a certainclearness o# "erce"tion the$ acce"t a knowledge and

    motive above sel#ishness& A breath o# will blowseternall$ through the universe o# souls in the directiono# the 8ight and +ecessar$& It is the air which allintellects inhale and e2hale and it is the wind which

    blows the worlds into order and orbit&

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    Thought dissolves the material universe b$ carr$ing themind u" into a s"here where all is "lastic& (# two meneach obe$ing his own thought he whose thought is

    dee"est will be the strongest character& Alwa$s one manmore than another re"resents the will o# Divine4rovidence to the "eriod&

    & I# thought makes #ree so does the moral sentiment&The mi2tures o# s"iritual chemistr$ re#use to be

    anal$*ed& ,et we can see that with the "erce"tion o#truth is -oined the desire that it shall "revail& Thata##ection is essential to will& oreover when a strong

    will a""ears it usuall$ results #rom a certain unit$ o#organi*ation as i# the whole energ$ o# bod$ and mind#lowed in one direction& All great #orce is real andelemental& There is no manu#acturing a strong will&

    There must be a "ound to balance a "ound& !here"ower is shown in will it must rest on the universal#orce& Alaric and Bona"arte must believe the$ rest on atruth or their will can be bought or bent& There is a

    bribe "ossible #or an$ #inite will& But the "ure s$m"ath$with universal ends is an in#inite #orce and cannot bebribed or bent& !hoever has had e2"erience o# the

    moral sentiment cannot choose but believe in unlimited"ower& Each "ulse #rom that heart is an oath #rom theost High& I know not what the word sublime means i#it be not the intimations in this in#ant o# a terri#ic #orce&

    A te2t o# heroism a name and anecdote o# courage are

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    not arguments but sallies o# #reedom& (ne o# these isthe verse o# the 4ersian Ha#i* 51Tis written on the gateo# Heaven 1!o unto him who su##ers himsel# to be

    betra$ed b$ Fate=15 Does the reading o# histor$ make us

    #atalists0 !hat courage does not the o""osite o"inionshow= A little whim o# will to be #ree gallantl$contending against the universe o# chemistr$&

    But insight is not will nor is a##ection will& 4erce"tion iscold and goodness dies in wishes; as oltaire said 1tis

    the mis#ortune o# worth$ "eo"le that the$ are cowards;5un des "lus grands malheurs des honnetes gens c1est/u1ils sont des la#aches&5 There must be a #usion o# thesetwo to generate the energ$ o# will& There can be nodriving #orce e2ce"t through the conversion o# the maninto his will making him the will and the will him& Andone ma$ sa$ boldl$ that no man has a right "erce"tion

    o# an$ truth who has not been reacted on b$ it so as tobe read$ to be its mart$r&

    The one serious and #ormidable thing in nature is a will&%ociet$ is servile #rom want o# will and there#ore the

    world wants saviours and religions& (ne wa$ is right togo: the hero sees it and moves on that aim and has the

    world under him #or root and su""ort& He is to others asthe world& His a""robation is honor; his dissent in#am$&The glance o# his e$e has the #orce o# sunbeams& A"ersonal in#luence towers u" in memor$ onl$ worth$and we gladl$ #orget numbers mone$ climate

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    gravitation and the rest o# Fate&

    !e can a##ord to allow the limitation i# we know it is themeter o# the growing man& !e stand against Fate as

    children stand u" against the wall in their #ather1shouse and notch their height #rom $ear to $ear& But

    when the bo$ grows to man and is master o# the househe "ulls down that wall and builds a new and bigger&1Tis onl$ a /uestion o# time& Ever$ brave $outh is intraining to ride and rule this dragon& His science is to

    make wea"ons and wings o# these "assions andretarding #orces& +ow whether seeing these two things#ate and "ower we are "ermitted to believe in unit$0The bulk o# mankind believe in two gods& The$ areunder one dominion here in the house as #riend and"arent in social circles in letters in art in love inreligion: but in mechanics in dealing with steam and

    climate in trade in "olitics the$ think the$ come underanother; and that it would be a "ractical blunder totrans#er the method and wa$ o# working o# one s"hereinto the other& !hat good honest generous men athome will be wolves and #o2es on change= !hat "iousmen in the "arlor will vote #or what re"robates at the"olls= To a certain "oint the$ believe themselves the

    care o# a 4rovidence& But in a steamboat in ane"idemic in war the$ believe a malignant energ$ rules&

    But relation and connection are not somewhere andsometimes but ever$where and alwa$s& The divine

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    order does not sto" where their sight sto"s& The #riendl$"ower works on the same rules in the ne2t #arm andthe ne2t "lanet& But where the$ have not e2"eriencethe$ run against it and hurt themselves& Fate then is a

    name #or #acts not $et "assed under the #ire o# thought;3 #or causes which are un"enetrated&

    But ever$ -et o# chaos which threatens to e2terminate usis convertible b$ intellect into wholesome #orce& Fate isun"enetrated causes& The water drowns shi" and sailor

    like a grain o# dust& But learn to swim trim $our barkand the wave which drowned it will be cloven b$ it andcarr$ it like its own #oam a "lume and a "ower& Thecold is inconsiderate o# "ersons tingles $our blood#ree*es a man like a dew9dro"& But learn to skate andthe ice will give $ou a grace#ul sweet and "oetic motion&The cold will brace $our limbs and brain to genius and

    make $ou #oremost men o# time& Cold and sea will trainan im"erial %a2on race which nature cannot bear tolose and a#ter coo"ing it u" #or a thousand $ears in

    $onder England gives a hundred Englands a hundrede2icos& All the bloods it shall absorb and domineer:and more than e2icos 3 the secrets o# water andsteam the s"asms o# electricit$ the ductilit$ o# metals

    the chariot o# the air the ruddered balloon are awaiting$ou&

    The annual slaughter #rom t$"hus #ar e2ceeds that o#war; but right drainage destro$s t$"hus& The "lague in

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    the sea9service #rom scurv$ is healed b$ lemon -uice andother diets "ortable or "rocurable: the de"o"ulation b$cholera and small9"o2 is ended b$ drainage and

    vaccination; and ever$ other "est is not less in the chain

    o# cause and e##ect and ma$ be #ought o##& And whilstart draws out the venom it commonl$ e2torts some

    bene#it #rom the van/uished enem$& The mischievoustorrent is taught to drudge #or man: the wild beasts hemakes use#ul #or #ood or dress or labor; the chemice2"losions are controlled like his watch& These are now

    the steeds on which he rides& an moves in all modesb$ legs o# horses b$ wings o# wind b$ steam b$ gas o#balloon b$ electricit$ and stands on ti"toe threateningto hunt the eagle in his own element& There1s nothing he

    will not make his carrier&

    %team was till the other da$ the devil which we

    dreaded& Ever$ "ot made b$ an$ human "otter orbra*ier had a hole in its cover to let o## the enem$ lesthe should li#t "ot and roo# and carr$ the house awa$&But the ar/uis o# !orcester !att and Fulton

    bethought themselves that where was "ower was notdevil but was )od; that it must be availed o# and not b$an$ means let o## and wasted& Could he li#t "ots and

    roo#s and houses so handil$0 he was the workman the$were in search o#& He could be used to li#t awa$ chainand com"el other devils #ar more reluctant anddangerous namel$ cubic miles o# earth mountains

    weight or resistance o# water machiner$ and the labors

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    o# all men in the world; and time he shall lengthen andshorten s"ace&

    It has not #ared much otherwise with higher kinds o#

    steam& The o"inion o# the million was the terror o# theworld and it was attem"ted either to dissi"ate it b$amusing nations or to "ile it over with strata o# societ$3 a la$er o# soldiers; over that a la$er o# lords; and aking on the to"; with clam"s and hoo"s o# castlesgarrisons and "olice& But sometimes the religious

    "rinci"le would get in and burst the hoo"s and riveever$ mountain laid on to" o# it& The Fultons and !attso# "olitics believing in unit$ saw that it was a "owerand b$ satis#$ing it >as -ustice satis#ies ever$bod$@through a di##erent dis"osition o# societ$ 3 grou"ing iton a level instead o# "iling it into a mountain 3 the$have contrived to make o# his terror the most harmless

    and energetic #orm o# a %tate&

    er$ odious I con#ess are the lessons o# Fate& !ho likesto have a da""er "hrenologist "ronouncing on his#ortunes0 !ho likes to believe that he has hidden in hisskull s"ine and "elvis all the vices o# a %a2on or Celticrace which will be sure to "ull him down 3 with what

    grandeur o# ho"e and resolve he is #ired 3 into a sel#ishhuckstering servile dodging animal0 A learned"h$sician tells us the #act is invariable with the+ea"olitan that when mature he assumes the #orms o#the unmistakable scoundrel& That is a little overstated

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    3 but ma$ "ass&

    But these are maga*ines and arsenals& A man mustthank his de#ects and stand in some terror o# his

    talents& A transcendent talent draws so largel$ on his#orces as to lame him; a de#ect "a$s him revenues onthe other side& The su##erance which is the badge o# the7ew has made him in these da$s the ruler o# the rulerso# the earth& I# Fate is ore and /uarr$ i# evil is good inthe making i# limitation is "ower that shall be i#

    calamities o""ositions and weights are wings andmeans 3 we are reconciled&

    Fate involves the melioration& +o statement o# the'niverse can have an$ soundness which does not admitits ascending e##ort& The direction o# the whole and o#the "arts is toward bene#it and in "ro"ortion to the

    health& Behind ever$ individual closes organi*ation:be#ore him o"ens libert$ 3 the Better the Best& The#irst and worst races are dead& The second and im"er#ectraces are d$ing out or remain #or the maturing o#higher& In the latest race in man ever$ generosit$ ever$new "erce"tion the love and "raise he e2torts #rom his#ellows are certi#icates o# advance out o# #ate into

    #reedom& .iberation o# the will #rom the sheaths andclogs o# organi*ation which he has outgrown is the endand aim o# this world& Ever$ calamit$ is a s"ur and

    valuable hint; and where his endeavors do not $et #ull$avail the$ tell as tendenc$& The whole circle o# animal

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    li#e 3 tooth against tooth 3 devouring war war #or#ood a $el" o# "ain and a grunt o# trium"h until at lastthe whole menagerie the whole chemical mass ismellowed and re#ined #or higher use 3 "leases at a

    su##icient "ers"ective&

    But to see how #ate slides into #reedom and #reedominto #ate observe how #ar the roots o# ever$ creaturerun or #ind i# $ou can a "oint where there is no threado# connection& (ur li#e is consentaneous and #ar9related&

    This knot o# nature is so well tied that nobod$ was evercunning enough to #ind the two ends& +ature is intricateoverla""ed interweaved and endless& Christo"her

    !ren said o# the beauti#ul 6ing1s College cha"el 5that i#an$bod$ would tell him where to la$ the #irst stone he

    would build such another&5 But where shall we #ind the#irst atom in this house o# man which is all consent

    inosculation and balance o# "arts0

    The web o# relation is shown in habitat shown inh$bernation& !hen h$bernation was observed it was#ound that whilst some animals became tor"id in

    winter others were tor"id in summer: h$bernation thenwas a #alse name& The long slee" is not an e##ect o# cold

    but is regulated b$ the su""l$ o# #ood "ro"er to theanimal& It becomes tor"id when the #ruit or "re$ it liveson is not in season and regains its activit$ when its #oodis read$&

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    E$es are #ound in light; ears in auricular air; #eet onland; #ins in water; wings in air; and each creature

    where it was meant to be with a mutual #itness& Ever$*one has its own Fauna& There is ad-ustment between

    the animal and its #ood its "arasite its enem$& Balancesare ke"t& It is not allowed to diminish in numbers nor toe2ceed& The like ad-ustments e2ist #or man& His #ood iscooked when he arrives; his coal in the "it; the house

    ventilated; the mud o# the deluge dried; his com"anionsarrived at the same hour and awaiting him with love

    concert laughter and tears& These are coarsead-ustments but the invisible are not less& There aremore belongings to ever$ creature than his air and his#ood& His instincts must be met and he has"redis"osing "ower that bends and #its what is near himto his use& He is not "ossible until the invisible thingsare right #or him as well as the visible& (# what changes

    then in sk$ and earth and in #iner skies and earthsdoes the a""earance o# some Dante or Columbusa""rise us=

    How is this e##ected0 +ature is no s"endthri#t but takesthe shortest wa$ to her ends& As the general sa$s to hissoldiers 5i# $ou want a #ort build a #ort5 so nature

    makes ever$ creature do its own work and get its living3 is it "lanet animal or tree& The "lanet makes itsel#&The animal cell makes itsel#; 3 then what it wants&Ever$ creature 3 wren or dragon 3 shall make its ownlair& As soon as there is li#e there is sel#9direction and

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    absorbing and using o# material& .i#e is #reedom 3 li#ein the direct ratio o# its amount& ,ou ma$ be sure thenew9born man is not inert& .i#e works both voluntaril$and su"ernaturall$ in its neighborhood& Do $ou

    su""ose he can be estimated b$ his weight in "oundsor that he is contained in his skin 3 this reachingradiating -aculating #ellow0 The smallest candle #ills amile with its ra$s and the "a"illae o# a man run out toever$ star&

    !hen there is something to be done the world knowshow to get it done& The vegetable e$e makes lea#"ericar" root bark or thorn as the need is; the #irst cellconverts itsel# into stomach mouth nose or nailaccording to the want: the world throws its li#e into ahero or a she"herd; and "uts him where he is wanted&Dante and Columbus were Italians in their time: the$

    would be 8ussians or Americans to9da$& Things ri"ennew men come& The ada"tation is not ca"ricious& Theulterior aim the "ur"ose be$ond itsel# the correlation

    b$ which "lanets subside and cr$stalli*e then animatebeasts and men will not sto" but will work into #iner"articulars and #rom #iner to #inest&

    The secret o# the world is the tie between "erson andevent& 4erson makes event and event "erson& The5times5 5the age5 what is that but a #ew "ro#ound"ersons and a #ew active "ersons who e"itomi*e thetimes0 3 )oethe Hegel etternich Adams Calhoun

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    )ui*ot 4eel Cobden 6ossuth 8othschild AstorBrunel and the rest& The same #itness must be"resumed between a man and the time and event as

    between the se2es or between a race o# animals and the

    #ood it eats or the in#erior races it uses& He thinks his#ate alien because the co"ula is hidden& But the soulcontains the event that shall be#all it #or the event isonl$ the actuali*ation o# its thoughts; and what we "ra$to ourselves #or is alwa$s granted& The event is the "rinto# $our #orm& It #its $ou like $our skin& !hat each does is

    "ro"er to him& Events are the children o# his bod$ andmind& !e learn that the soul o# Fate is the soul o# us asHa#i* sings

    Alas= till now I had not known$ guide and #ortune1s guide are one&

    All the to$s that in#atuate men and which the$ "la$ #or3 houses land mone$ lu2ur$ "ower #ame are thesel#same thing with a new gau*e or two o# illusionoverlaid& And o# all the drums and rattles b$ which menare made willing to have their heads broke and are ledout solemnl$ ever$ morning to "arade 3 the mostadmirable is this b$ which we are brought to believe that

    events are arbitrar$ and inde"endent o# actions& At thecon-uror1s we detect the hair b$ which he moves his"u""et but we have not e$es shar" enough to descr$ thethread that ties cause and e##ect&

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    +ature magicall$ suits the man to his #ortunes b$making these the #ruit o# his character& Ducks take to the

    water eagles to the sk$ waders to the sea marginhunters to the #orest clerks to counting9rooms soldiers

    to the #rontier& Thus events grow on the same stem with"ersons; are sub9"ersons& The "leasure o# li#e isaccording to the man that lives it and not according tothe work or the "lace& .i#e is an ecstas$& !e know whatmadness belongs to love 3 what "ower to "aint a vileob-ect in hues o# heaven& As insane "ersons are

    indi##erent to their dress diet and otheraccommodations and as we do in dreams withe/uanimit$ the most absurd acts so a dro" more o#

    wine in our cu" o# li#e will reconcile us to strangecom"an$ and work& Each creature "uts #orth #rom itsel#its own condition and s"here as the slug sweats out itsslim$ house on the "ear9lea# and the wooll$ a"hides on

    the a""le "ers"ire their own bed and the #ish its shell&In $outh we clothe ourselves with rainbows and go as

    brave as the *odiac& In age we "ut out another sort o#"ers"iration 3 gout #ever rheumatism ca"rice doubt#retting and avarice&

    A man1s #ortunes are the #ruit o# his character& A man1s

    #riends are his magnetisms& !e go to Herodotus and4lutarch #or e2am"les o# Fate; but we are e2am"les&5uis/ue suos "atimur manes&5 The tendenc$ o# ever$man to enact all that is in his constitution is e2"ressedin the old belie# that the e##orts which we make to

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    esca"e #rom our destin$ onl$ serve to lead us into it: andI have noticed a man likes better to be com"limentedon his "osition as the "roo# o# the last or totale2cellence than on his merits&

    A man will see his character emitted in the events thatseem to meet but which e2ude #rom and accom"an$him& Events e2"and with the character& As once he#ound himsel# among to$s so now he "la$s a "art incolossal s$stems and his growth is declared in his

    ambition his com"anions and his "er#ormance& Helooks like a "iece o# luck but is a "iece o# causation; 3the mosaic angulated and ground to #it into the ga" he#ills& Hence in each town there is some man who is inhis brain and "er#ormance an e2"lanation o# the tillage"roduction #actories banks churches wa$s o# livingand societ$ o# that town& I# $ou do not chance to meet

    him all that $ou see will leave $ou a little "u**led: i# $ousee him it will become "lain& !e know inassachusetts who built +ew Bed#ord who built .$nn.owell .awrence Clinton Fitchburg Hol$oke4ortland and man$ another nois$ mart& Each o# thesemen i# the$ were trans"arent would seem to $ou not somuch men as walking cities and wherever $ou "ut

    them the$ would build one&

    Histor$ is the action and reaction o# these two 3 +atureand Thought; 3 two bo$s "ushing each other on thecurb9stone o# the "avement& Ever$thing is "usher or

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    "ushed: and matter and mind are in "er"etual tilt andbalance so& !hilst the man is weak the earth takes u"him& He "lants his brain and a##ections& B$ and b$ he

    will take u" the earth and have his gardens and

    vine$ards in the beauti#ul order and "roductiveness o#his thought& Ever$ solid in the universe is read$ to

    become #luid on the a""roach o# the mind and the"ower to #lu2 it is the measure o# the mind& I# the wallremain adamant it accuses the want o# thought& To asubtler #orce it will stream into new #orms e2"ressive o#

    the character o# the mind& !hat is the cit$ in which wesit here but an aggregate o# incongruous materialswhich have obe$ed the will o# some man0 The granitewas reluctant but his hands were stronger and it came&Iron was dee" in the ground and well combined withstone; but could not hide #rom his #ires& !ood limestu##s #ruits gums were dis"ersed over the earth and

    sea in vain& Here the$ are within reach o# ever$ man1sda$9labor 3 what he wants o# them& The whole world isthe #lu2 o# matter over the wires o# thought to the "olesor "oints where it would build& The races o# men rise outo# the ground "reoccu"ied with a thought which rulesthem and divided into "arties read$ armed and angr$ to#ight #or this meta"h$sical abstraction& The /ualit$ o#

    the thought di##erences the Eg$"tian and the 8omanthe Austrian and the American& The men who come onthe stage at one "eriod are all #ound to be related to eachother& Certain ideas are in the air& !e are allim"ressionable #or we are made o# them; all

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    im"ressionable but some more than others and these#irst e2"ress them& This e2"lains the curiouscontem"oraneousness o# inventions and discoveries&The truth is in the air and the most im"ressionable

    brain will announce it #irst but all will announce it a #ewminutes later& %o women as most susce"tible are the

    best inde2 o# the coming hour& %o the great man that isthe man most imbued with the s"irit o# the time is theim"ressionable man 3 o# a #ibre irritable and delicatelike iodine to light& He #eels the in#initesimal attractions&

    His mind is righter than others because he $ields to acurrent so #eeble as can be #elt onl$ b$ a needledelicatel$ "oised&

    The correlation is shown in de#ects& oller in his Essa$on Architecture taught that the building which was#itted accuratel$ to answer its end would turn out to be

    beauti#ul though beaut$ had not been intended& I #indthe like unit$ in human structures rather virulent and"ervasive; that a crudit$ in the blood will a""ear in theargument; a hum" in the shoulder will a""ear in thes"eech and handiwork& I# his mind could be seen thehum" would be seen& I# a man has a seesaw in his voiceit will run into his sentences into his "oem into the

    structure o# his #able into his s"eculation into hischarit$& And as ever$ man is hunted b$ his owndaemon ve2ed b$ his own disease this checks all hisactivit$&

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    %o each man like each "lant has his "arasites& A strongastringent bilious nature has more truculent enemiesthan the slugs and moths that #ret m$ leaves& %uch anone has curculios borers kni#e9worms: a swindler ate

    him #irst then a client then a /uack then smooth"lausible gentlemen bitter and sel#ish as oloch&

    This correlation reall$ e2isting can be divined& I# thethreads are there thought can #ollow and show them&Es"eciall$ when a soul is /uick and docile; as Chaucer

    sings

    5(r i# the soul o# "ro"er kindBe so "er#ect as men #indThat it wot what is to come

    And that he warneth all and some(# ever$ o# their aventures

    B$ "revisions or #igures;But that our #lesh hath not mightIt to understand arightFor it is warned too darkl$&5 3

    %ome "eo"le are made u" o# rh$me coincidence omen"eriodicit$ and "resage: the$ meet the "erson the$

    seek; what their com"anion "re"ares to sa$ to themthe$ #irst sa$ to him; and a hundred signs a""rise themo# what is about to be#all&

    !onder#ul intricac$ in the web wonder#ul constanc$ in

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    the design this vagabond li#e admits& !e wonder howthe #l$ #inds its mate and $et $ear a#ter $ear we #ind twomen two women without legal or carnal tie s"end agreat "art o# their best time within a #ew #eet o# each

    other& And the moral is that what we seek we shall #ind;what we #lee #rom #lees #rom us; as )oethe said 5whatwe wish #or in $outh comes in hea"s on us in old age5too o#ten cursed with the granting o# our "ra$er: andhence the high caution that since we are sure o# having

    what we wish we beware to ask onl$ #or high things&

    (ne ke$ one solution to the m$steries o# humancondition one solution to the old knots o# #ate #reedomand #oreknowledge e2ists the "ro"ounding namel$ o#the double consciousness& A man must ride alternatel$on the horses o# his "rivate and his "ublic nature as thee/uestrians in the circus throw themselves nimbl$ #rom

    horse to horse or "lant one #oot on the back o# one andthe other #oot on the back o# the other& %o when a man isthe victim o# his #ate has sciatica in his loins and cram"in his mind; a club9#oot and a club in his wit; a sour #aceand a sel#ish tem"er; a strut in his gait and a conceit inhis a##ection; or is ground to "owder b$ the vice o# hisrace; he is to rall$ on his relation to the 'niverse which

    his ruin bene#its& .eaving the daemon who su##ers he isto take sides with the Deit$ who secures universal

    bene#it b$ his "ain&

    To o##set the drag o# tem"erament and race which "ulls

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    down learn this lesson namel$ that b$ the cunningco"resence o# two elements which is throughout nature

    whatever lames or "aral$*es $ou draws in with it thedivinit$ in some #orm to re"a$& A good intention

    clothes itsel# with sudden "ower& !hen a god wishes toride an$ chi" or "ebble will bud and shoot out winged#eet and serve him #or a horse&

    .et us build altars to the Blessed 'nit$ which holdsnature and souls in "er#ect solution and com"els ever$

    atom to serve an universal end& I do not wonder at asnow9#lake a shell a summer landsca"e or the glor$ o#the stars; but at the necessit$ o# beaut$ under which theuniverse lies; that all is and must be "ictorial; that therainbow and the curve o# the hori*on and the arch o#the blue vault are onl$ results #rom the organism o# thee$e& There is no need #or #oolish amateurs to #etch me to

    admire a garden o# #lowers or a sun9gilt cloud or awater#all when I cannot look without seeing s"lendorand grace& How idle to choose a random s"arkle here orthere when the indwelling necessit$ "lants the rose o#

    beaut$ on the brow o# chaos and discloses the centralintention o# +ature to be harmon$ and -o$&

    .et us build altars to the Beauti#ul +ecessit$& I# wethought men were #ree in the sense that in a singlee2ce"tion one #antastical will could "revail over the lawo# things it were all one as i# a child1s hand could "ulldown the sun& I# in the least "articular one could

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    derange the order o# nature 3 who would acce"t thegi#t o# li#e0

    .et us build altars to the Beauti#ul +ecessit$ which

    secures that all is made o# one "iece; that "lainti## andde#endant #riend and enem$ animal and "lanet #oodand eater are o# one kind& In astronom$ is vast s"ace

    but no #oreign s$stem; in geolog$ vast time but thesame laws as to9da$& !h$ should we be a#raid o# +ature

    which is no other than 5"hiloso"h$ and theolog$

    embodied50 !h$ should we #ear to be crushed b$ savageelements we who are made u" o# the same elements0.et us build to the Beauti#ul +ecessit$ which makesman brave in believing that he cannot shun a dangerthat is a""ointed nor incur one that is not; to the+ecessit$ which rudel$ or so#tl$ educates him to the"erce"tion that there are no contingencies; that .aw

    rules throughout e2istence a .aw which is notintelligent but intelligence 3 not "ersonal norim"ersonal 3 it disdains words and "assesunderstanding; it dissolves "ersons; it vivi#ies nature;

    $et solicits the "ure in heart to draw on all itsomni"otence&