73
But even the beginner
may attempt
this practice
with advantage.
Either a fact fits in or it does not; if it does
not, harmony
is broken
;
and as the Universal harmony
cannot
be broken, the discord
must
be in
the mind of the student,
thus
showing
that he is not in tune
with
that
Universal
choir.
Let him then puzzle out first the great facts, then the little; until
one
summer,
when he is bald and lethargic
after lunch,
he understands
and
appreciates
the existence of flies !
This lack of Understanding with which
we all begin
is so terrible,
so
pitiful.
In this world
there is so much
cruelty,
so much
waste,
so much
stupidity.
The
contemplation
of the
Universe
must
be
at
first
almost
pure
anguish.
It is this fact which
is responsible
for most of the speculations
of philosophy.
Mediaeval
philosophers
went hopelessly
astray because their theology
necessitated
the reference of all things
to the standard
of men's welfare.
They even became stupid:
Bernardin de St. Pierre
(was it not?)
said
that the goodness of God was such that wherever
men had built a great
city. He had placed
a river
to
assist
them
in
conveying
merchandise.
But
the
truth
is
that
in
no
way
can
we
imagine
the
Universe
as
devised.
If horses were made
for men to ride, were
not
men made for
worms
to eat?