Chapter VIII: All-Seeing Nature

Sitting by a flat rock one summer morning, on my home acres in the Catskills, I noticed that the wild strawberry-vines sent out their runners over the rock, the surface of which is on a level with the turf, just as over the ground. Of course they could not take root, but they went through all the motions of taking root; the little clusters of leaves developed at intervals, the rootlets showed their points or stood at "attention," and the runners pushed out two or three feet over the barren surface and then seemed to hesitate like a traveler in the desert whose strength begins to fail. The first knot, or, one might say, the first encampment, was about one foot from the last one upon the turf, the next one about eight inches farther in; then the distance dropped to six inches, then to four. I think the runner finally gave it up and stopped reaching out. Each group of leaves apparently draws its main sustenance from the one next behind it, and when this one fails to reach the soil it loses heart and can give little succor to the next in front. The result is that the stools become smaller and smaller, and the distances between them less and less, down the whole line.

Nature's methods are seen in the little as well as in the big, and these little purple runners of the vine pushing out in all directions show the all-round-the-circle efforts of Nature as clearly as do the revolving orbs in sidereal space. Her living impulses go out in all directions. She scatters her seeds upon the barren as well as upon fertile spots. She sends rains and dews upon the sea as well as upon the land. She knows not our parsimony nor our prudence. We say she is blind, but without eyes she is all-seeing; only her creatures who live to particular ends, and are limited to particular spheres, have need of eyes. Nature has all time and all space and all ends. Delays and failure she knows not. If the runners of her strawberries do not reach their goal, the trouble corrects itself; they finally stop searching for it in that direction, and the impulse of the plant goes out stronger and fuller on other sides.

If the rains were especially designed to replenish our springs and supply our growing crops, the clouds might reasonably be expected to limit their benefactions, as do our sprinkling carts; but the rains are older than are we and our crops, and it is we who must adjust ourselves to them, not they to us.

The All-Seeing, then, has no need of our specialized vision. Does the blood need eyes to find its way to the heart and lungs? Does the wind need eyes to find the fertile spots upon which to drop its winged seeds? It drops them upon all spots, and each kind in due time finds its proper habitat, the highly specialized, such as those of the marsh plants, hitting their marks as surely as do others.

Our two eyes serve us well because our footsteps are numbered and must go in a particular direction, but the goal of all-seeing Nature is everywhere, and she arrives before she starts. She has no plan and no method, and she is not governed.

These conceptions express too little, not too much. Nature's movements are circular; her definite ends are enclosed in universal ends. The rains fall because the vapors rise. The rain is no more an end than is the rising vapor. Each is a part of the great circuit of beneficent and malevolent forces upon which our life (and all life) depends, upon which the making of the soil of the earth and the shaping of the landscape depend; all vegetable and animal life, all the bloom and perfume of the world, all the glory of cloud and sky, all the hazards of flood and storm, all the terror of torrents and inundations, are in this circuit of the waters from the sea to the sky, and back again through the rivers to the sea. In our geologic time there is, in this circuit of the waters, more that favors life than hinders it, else, as I so often say, we should not be here. The enormous destruction of human life, of all life, which has taken place and will continue to take place, in this beneficent circuit, is only an incident in the history of the globe; the physical forces are neither for nor against it; they are neutral; life to be here at all has to run these risks; has to run the gantlet of these forces, and to get many a lash and gash in the running. Against the suffering and death incident thereto there is no insurance save in the wit of man himself. All this wit has been developed and sharpened by much waste and suffering. We learn to deal with difficulties through the discipline of the difficulties themselves. If man were finally to learn to control the rains and the floods, it would be through the experience which they themselves bring him. The demons that destroy him are on his side when he strikes with the strength which they give him. Gravity, which so often crushes and overthrows him, is yet the source of all his might. The fire that consumes his towns and cities is yet the same fire that warms him and drives his engines across the continent.

There is no god that pities us or weeps over our sufferings, save the god in our own breasts. We have life on heroic terms. Nature does not baby us nor withhold from us the bitter cup. We take our chances with all other forms of life. Our special good fortune is that we are capable of a higher development, capable of profiting to a greater extent by experience, than are the lower forms of life. And here is the mystery that has no solution: we came out of the burning nebulæ just as our horse and dog, but why we are men and they are still horse and dog we owe to some Power, or, shall I say, to the chance working of a multitude of powers, that are beyond our ken. That some Being willed it, designed it, no; yet it was in some way provided for in the constitution of the world.

THE END

INDEX

Agassiz, Louis, 168, 169.

Air, light and heavy, 72, 73.

Albatross, 38.

Animal life, abundance, 11, 12.

Antlers, 201.

Ants, 11.

Army trucks, 110, 111.

Arum, 196.

Automobile trip, 109-26.

Bacon, Francis, 186.

Barton, W. Va., 119.

Bee, honey, spirit of the hive, 152, 158-62;
intelligence, 156, 157;
communication, 159, 160;
their world, 161;
sting, 165.

Bee, leaf-cutter, 14, 15.

Beech, autumn color, 3.

Birds, living with, 31;
flight, 32-38;
and cats, 56;
nesting near houses, 54-59;
home sense, 59;
nests of most species built by the females, 64, 65;
and dead trees, 84, 85;
song, 86;
at Pine Knot, Va., 102-05;
of southern California, 129-32;
community of mind in flocks, 153, 154.

Birds' nests, finding, 79-81.

Bluebird, endearing qualities, 43;
nesting, 43, 44, 54;
experience with a pair, 44-48.

Bobolink, song flight, 38, 85.

Bolar Springs, 117.

Brain, as organ of the mind, 22, 23.

Buffon, Georges Louis Le Clerc, 157.

Bumble-bee, carpenter, 36.

Bunting, indigo, nesting, 90, 91.

Bunting, painted, 114.

Butterflies, flight, 34;
flocking, 155.

Butterfly, monarch, 34, 35, 155.

Buzzard, turkey, 32-34.

Cacti, 143-48.

California, southern, observations in, 127-51;
coast, 127;
mountains, 127, 128;
climate and soil, 128;
bird-song, 128, 129;
birds, 129-32;
change of climate in, 210-12.

Cambium layer, 5, 6.

Carpenter, W. B., quoted, 194.

Catbird, 30;
stealthiness, 60, 67, 68;
experience with a pair, 60-66;
fondness for butter, 66;
theatrical, 68;
notes, 87.

Caterpillars, 91-94.

Causes, 165-67.

Cedar-bird, 65.

Chance, in animal life, 208, 209.

Cheat River, W. Va., 116.

Chipmunks, two in a den, 11;
storing currants, 17;
carrying provender, 96, 97.

Chippie. _See_ Sparrow, chipping.

Chlorophyll, 190, 191.

Chrysalis, 12.

Condor, 33, 34.

Connellsville, Pa., 113.

Cormorant, 132.

Cosmos, the, order and harmony of, 191-93.

Cow, 205.

Crow, flight, 37;
needs no great wing-power, 180.

Crow, fish, 55, 56, 68.

Cuckoo, 71, 72, 87;
solemnity, 88;
nesting, 88, 89;
young, 89;
nest, 90;
food, 90.

Cuckoo, black-billed, notes, 87, 88;
nesting-habits, 88.

Cuckoo, yellow-billed, 87.

Dana, Richard Henry, Jr., at San Diego, 210, 211.

Darwin, Charles, quoted, 5,17, 18, 33;
his eager study of natural history, 17, 18;
observations during the voyage of the Beagle, 18, 19;
failure of his theory, 147, 167-69;
his mind, 173;
treated man as an animal, 174.

Darwin, George Howard, on the tides, 169, 170.

Darwinism, a cause of the World War, 172-75.

Death, an analogy of, 185, 186.

Desert, vegetation of the, 143-48.

Dove, mourning, _or_ turtle-dove, 86.

Earth, the, quiverings of the surface, 169-71;
the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, 171, 172.

Edison, Thomas A., 114, 119;
contrasted with Mr. Ford, 122-25.

Elm, autumn color, 3.

Emerson, Ralph Waldo, quoted, 69, 165, 186.

Erosion, as sculpture, 181-83.

Fabre, Jean Henri, 162;
quoted, 139.

Far-away, the, 39.

Fear in animals, 58, 59, 154, 155, 209.

Fireflies, 19.

Firestone, H. S., 119, 125.

Fish, schools of, 154.

Fleas, 210.

Flies, intelligence, 156, 157.

Foraminiferæ, 194.

Ford, Henry, 113, 114, 119, 120;
contrasted with Mr. Edison, 122-24.

Foxes, 180.

Frog, wood, 94, 95.

Germans, Darwinism, and the World War, 172-75.

Giraffe, 200.

Girls, two West Virginia, 115.

Gnatcatcher, blue-gray, 103.

God, man appropriating, 199.

Goldfinch, flight, 37, 42;
chorus singing, 40-42;
notes, 42;
notes of young, 43;
nesting, 43.

Grand Cañon, 182, 194.

Grass, the wonder of, 74, 75.

Grasshoppers, 155.

Great Smoky Mts., 109.

Greensborough, Pa., 112.

Grosbeak, rose-breasted, nesting, 65.

Grouse, ruffed, 166.

Gull, herring, 131.

Gulls, flight, 38.

Hawk, red-tailed, 32.

Hawks, flight, 35.

Haymaking, 69-76.

Hen-hawk, flight, 35.

Hornets, 163.

Horns, 201, 202.

Horse, 205, 206.

Horseshoe Run, W. Va., 114.

Hummingbird, ruby-throated, 64;
bathing in dew, 13;
nest, 79;
a fairy bird, 94.

Hurley, Edward N., 113.

Huxley, Thomas Henry, 27;
quoted, 8, 25.

Ibis, white, 32, 153, 154.

Insects, their world, 23-25, 162;
senses, 24;
reaction to heat,
cold, and vibrations, 25;
antennæ, 25;
the ruling sex among, 140, 141.

Interpretation, 186-90.

Ironweed, 116.

James, William, 22.

Jay, blue, notes, 87.

Joe-Pye-weed, 116.

Junco, young, 19, 20;
nesting, 81;
abundance, 82.

Kepler, Johann, 169.

Killdeer, 130, 131.

Kingbird, flight, 37;
and bees, 156.

Leaves, autumn, 1-3.

Lemmings, 152, 153.

Life, origin of, 194, 195.

Life, human, analogies, 25-27.

Lightning-bugs. _See_ Fireflies.

Lowell, James Russell, quoted, 5.

Lubbock, Sir John, quoted, 156.

McCarthy, Denis Aloysius, quoted, 157.

Maeterlinck, Maurice, quoted, 23, 162;
on the bee, 156-63.

Man, and Darwinism, 174;
a part of nature, 184-86;
interpretation of nature and of himself, 186-90;
mystery of his evolution, 216.

Maple, sugar, susceptibility to atmospheric changes, 72, 73.

Maples, autumn color, 3.

Marcus Aurelius, quoted, 185.

Meadowlark, song flight, 37.

Measuring-worm, 91, 92.

Mice, wild, 16;
barking trees, 27, 28.

Microphone, 170, 171.

Microseisms, 170.

Mind, community of, 152-55.

Mockingbird, 68.

Moose, 200.

Mosquitoes, 210.

Moth, luna, 97.

Mouse, jumping, 166, 167.

Mouse, white-footed, 166.

Mullets, 154.

Natural history about home, 39, 40.

Nature, her methods unlike ours, 179-81, 199;
interpreting, 186-90;
lavishness and parsimony, 195, 196, 209;
puzzling and contradictory, 201, 202;
all-seeing, 212-14;
her movements circular, 214-16.

Nighthawk, 104.

Nonpareil, _or_ painted bunting, 114.

North Carolina, a countryman of, 121.

Northern Hemisphere, 171, 172.

Oak, autumn color, 3.

Odd and even numbers, 163-65.

Oriole, Baltimore, 30, 56;
nest, 48-52, 64.

Oriole, Bullock's, nest, 52.

Oriole, orchard, nest, 52.

Osborn, Henry Fairfield, on the origin of life, 194, 195.

Ostrich, 200.

Owl, screech, 45-47.

Pacific Ocean, 127.

Pain, 209.

Pear-trees, autumn color, 1.

Pelican, California brown, 131, 132.

Pennsylvania, motor trip through, 109-13.

Pewee, wood, nest, 52, 64;
its plaint, 87.

Phœbe, flight, 37;
nest, 52-54, 56, 59, 60, 64, 79, 80.

Pigeon, wild, 103, 104.

Pine Knot, Va., visit to, 101-08.

Pipit, American, 129;
nest, 129, 130.

Pittsburgh, 111.

Plover, killdeer, 130, 131.

Porcupine, 166.

Rabbit, its protection, 166;
caught by a weasel, 177, 178.

Rainbow tints, in dew, etc., 13, 14.

Rat, wood, 207 _note_.

Reasons, 165-67.

Redstart, 29.

Road-mending, 11.

Robin, young, 19;
nest, 53-55, 64, 176;
fear of man, 57, 58;
fittest to survive, 175, 176;
versatility, 176;
a hustler, 176;
danger of a plague of robins, 177;
a runner, 177.

Rocks, origin of the secondary, 200.

Roosevelt, Theodore, visit to Pine Knot, Va., with, 101-08;
knowledge of India, 101;
opinion of Taft, 105;
killing a mosquito, 105, 106;
protection of the President, 106;
bird-gazing, 107;
letter from, 107, 108.

Salamander, orange-colored, 95, 96.

San Diego, Cal., 210-12.

Sandstone, in the Catskills, 20.

Sap, 6-8.

Sapsucker, yellow-bellied, 6.

Scorpion, 23.

Seals, hair, in California, 148-51.

Sex, the ruling, 140, 141.

Shaler, Nathaniel S., quoted, 169;
on the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, 171, 172.

Shrew, 16.

Skunk, 206-08.

Snakes, 11.

Sources, original, 190, 191.

South, characteristics of the, 120, 121.

Southern Hemisphere, 171, 172.

Sparrow, story of a nest, 98, 99.

Sparrow, chipping _or_ social, nest, 53, 54.

Sparrow, song, song flight, 37;
nesting, 54;
singing, 85, 86.

Sparrow, vesper, nesting, 80-84;
its names, 82;
appearance and habits, 82, 83;
courted by a skylark, 83.

Species, origin of, an insoluble problem, 167-69, 199.

Spider, trap-door, 132-43.

Spiders, 12, 23;
genius of, 136.

Spider-webs, rainbows in, 13, 14.

Squirrel, gray, caught by a weasel, 178.

Squirrel, red, chased by a weasel, 178.

Strawberry-vines, wild, 212-14.

Struggle, 203, 204.

Sunrise, 197, 198.

Survival of the fit, 201, 203.

Swallow, bank, 78.

Swallow, barn, 71;
parental anxiety, 76, 77;
notes, 76, 77;
pleasing qualities, 77, 78.

Swallow, cliff, 77.

Swallow, tree, 78.

Swallows, feeding, 15, 16;
hibernation, 78.

Swift, chimney, 36.

Sycamore, autumn color, 3.

Taft, William Howard, 105.

Telepathy, 155.

Thistle, Canada, 202.

Thorns, the use of, 143-48.

Thrasher, brown, 67, 68.

Thrush, Alaska hermit, 129.

Thrush, hermit, song, 87.

Thrush, olive-backed, 30.

Thrush, Wilson's. _See_ Veery.

Thrush, wood, 30, 64;
manners, 67, 68.

Tides, the, 169, 170, 193, 194.

Titlark. _See_ Pipit.

Trees, leaves, 1-3;
mechanism of growth, 4-8;
roots and rootlets, 4-6;
what man has in common with, 9, 10.

Tree-toad, 71.

Turnip, Indian, 196.

Turtle-dove. _See_ Dove, mourning.

Uniontown, Pa., 113.

Universe. _See_ Cosmos.

Van Dyke, John C., on desert plants, 145, 146.

Veery, nesting, 97, 98.

Vireo, nest, young, and mother, 99, 100.

Vireo, red-eyed, 86, 100.

Vireo, yellow-throated, 30.

Vital principle, 8, 9.

Warbler, Audubon's, 129.

Warbler, Canada, 29.

Warbler, mourning, 29, 31.

Wasp, a solitary, 12, 13.

Water-thrush, _or_ water accentor, 79.

Waxwing, Bohemian, 21.

Weasel, catching rabbits and squirrels, 177, 178;
an inspirer of terror, 178, 179.

Weather, prophesying the, 20-22.

West Virginia, motor trip through, 114-19.

Whitman, Walt, quoted, 9, 193.

Wolf Creek, 117.

Woodcock, flight song, 32, 37.

Woodpecker, yellow-bellied, 6.

Woodpeckers, flight, 37.

World War, Darwinism a cause of the, 172-75.

Wren, Bewick's, 103.

Wren, house, 86;
and nesting-box, 29.

Wren, winter, nest, 79.

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