,,the ,,new ,,paul ,,and ,,virginia or ,,positivism ,,on ,,an ,,island ,,by ,w4,h4 ,,mallock ,,author ,,of ',,the ,,new ,,republic' ,,etc4 ,,london ,,chatto ,,windus1 ,,piccadilly #ahij ',pessimism as to the essential dignity of man is one of the surest marks of the enervating influence of this dream of a celestial glory4' ,mr ,frederic ,harrison ',those who can read the signs of the times read in them that the kingdom of man is at hand'--,professor ,,clifford ,thou art smitten1 o ,god1 thou art smitten2 thy curse is upon thee1 ,o ,lord6 ,and the love song of earth as thou diest1 resounds through the wind of its wings1 ,glory to man in the highest1 for man is the master of things ,songs before ,sunrise ,,contents4 ,chapter ,i4 ,chapter ,,ii4 ,chapter ,,iii4 ,chapter ,,iv4 ,chapter ,v4 ,chapter ,,vi4 ,chapter ,,vii4 ,chapter ,,viii4 ,chapter ,,ix4 ,chapter ,x4 ,chapter ,,xi4 ,chapter ,,xii4 ,chapter ,,xiii4 ,chapter ,,xiv4 ,chapter ,,xv4 ,chapter ,,xvi4 ,chapter ,,xvii4 ,chapter ,,xviii4 ,notes ,,the ,,new ,,paul ,,and ,,virginia4 ,,chapter ,i4 ,the magnificent ocean-steamer the ,australasian was bound for ,england1 on her homeward voyage from ,melbourne1 carrying ,her ,majesty's mails and ninety-eight first-class passengers4 ,never did vessel start under happier auspices4 ,the skies were cloudless2 the sea was smooth as glass4 ,there was not a sound of sickness to be heard anywhere2 and when dinner-time came there was not a single absentee nor an appetite wanting4 ,but the passengers soon discovered they were lucky in more than weather4 ,dinner was hardly half over before two of the company had begun to attract general attention2 and every one all round the table was wondering1 in whispers1 who they could possibly be4 ,one of the objects of this delightful curiosity was a large-boned1 middle-aged man1 with gleaming spectacles1 and lank1 untidy hair2 whose coat fitted him so ill1 and who held his head so high1 that one saw at a glance he was some great celebrity4 ,the other was a beautiful lady of about thirty years of age1 the like of whom nobody present had ever seen before4 ,she had the fairest hair and the darkest eyebrows1 the largest eyes and the smallest waist conceivable2 art and nature had been plainly struggling as to which should do the most for her2 whilst her bearing was so haughty and distinguished1 her glance so tender1 and her dress so expensive and so fascinating1 that she seemed at the same time to defy and to court attention4 ,evening fell on the ship with a soft warm witchery4 ,the air grew purple1 and the waves began to glitter in the moonlight4 ,the passengers gathered in knots upon the deck1 and the distinguished strangers were still the subject of conjecture4 ,at last the secret was discovered by the wife of an old colonial judge2 and the news spread like wildfire4 ,in a few minutes all knew that there were on board the ,australasian no less personages than ,professor ,paul ,darnley and the superb ,virginia ,st4 ,john4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,miss ,st4 ,john had1 for at least six years1 been the most renowned woman in ,europe4 ,in ,paris and ,st4 ,petersburg1 no less than in ,london1 her name was equally familiar both to princes and to pot-boys2 indeed1 the gaze of all the world was fixed on her4 ,yet1 in spite of this exposed situation1 scandal had proved powerless to wrong her2 she defied detraction4 ,her enemies could but echo her friends' praise of her beauty2 her friends could but confirm her enemies' description of her character4 ,though of birth that might almost be called humble1 she had been connected with the heads of many distinguished families2 and so general was the affection she inspired1 and so winning the ways in which she contrived to retain it1 that she found herself1 at the age of thirty1 mistress of nothing except a large fortune4 ,she was now converted with surprising rapidity by a ,ritualistic priest1 and she became in a few months a model of piety and devotion4 ,she made lace trimmings for the curate's vestments2 she bowed at church as often and profoundly as possible2 she enjoyed nothing so much as going to confession2 she learnt to despise the world4 ,indeed1 such utter dross did her riches now seem to her1 that1 despite all the arguments of her ghostly counsellor1 she remained convinced that they were far too worthless to offer to the ,church1 and she saw nothing for it but to still keep them for herself4 ,the mingled humility and discretion of this resolve so won the heart of a gifted colonial bishop1 then on a visit to ,england1 that1 having first assured himself that ,miss ,st4 ,john was sincere in making it1 he besought her to share with him his humble mitre1 and make him the happiest prelate in the whole ,catholic ,church4 ,miss ,st4 ,john consented4 ,the nuptials were celebrated with the most elaborate ritual1 and after a short honeymoon the bishop departed for his ,south ,pacific diocese of the ,chasuble ,islands1 to prepare a home for his bride1 who was to follow him by the next steamer4 ,professor ,paul ,darnley1 in his own walk of life1 was even more famous than ,virginia had been in hers4 ,he had written three volumes on the origin of life1 which he had spent seven years in looking for in infusions of hay and cheese2 he had written five volumes on the entozoa of the pig1 and two volumes of lectures1 as a corollary to these1 on the sublimity of human heroism and the whole duty of man4 ,he was renowned all over ,europe and ,america as a complete embodiment of enlightened modern thought4 ,he criticised everything2 he took nothing on trust1 except the unspeakable sublimity of the human race and its august terrestrial destinies4 ,and1 in his double capacity of a seer and a savant1 he had destroyed all that the world had believed in the past1 and revealed to it all that it is going to feel in the future4 ,his mind indeed was like a sea1 into which the other great minds of the age discharged themselves1 and in which all the slight discrepancies of the philosophy of the present century mingled together and formed one harmonious whole4 ,nor was he less successful in his own private life4 ,he married1 at the age of forty1 an excellent evangelical lady1 ten years his senior1 who wore a green gown1 grey corkscrew curls1 and who had a fortune of two hundred thousand pounds4 ,deeply pledged though she was to the most vapid figments of ,christianity1 ,mrs4 ,darnley was yet proud beyond measure of her husband's worldwide fame1 for she did but imperfectly understand the grounds of it4 ,indeed1 the only thing that marred her happiness was the single tenet of his that she had really mastered4 ,this1 unluckily1 was that he disbelieved in hell4 ,and so1 as ,mrs4 ,darnley conceived that that place was designed mainly to hold those who doubted its existence1 she daily talked her utmost and left no text unturned to convince her darling of his very dangerous error4 ,these assiduous arguments soon began to tell4 ,the ,professor grew moody and brooding1 and he at last suggested to his medical man that a voyage round the world1 unaccompanied by his wife1 was the prescription most needed by his failing patience4 ,mrs4 ,darnley at length consented with a fairly good grace4 ,she made her husband pledge himself that he would not be absent for above a twelvemonth1 or else1 she said1 she should immediately come after him4 ,she bade him the tenderest of adieus1 and promised to pray till his return for his recovery of a faith in hell4 ,the ,professor1 who had but exceeded his time by six months1 was now on board the ,australasian1 homeward bound to his wife4 ,virginia was outward bound to her husband4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,the sensation created by the presence of these two celebrities was profound beyond description2 and the passengers were never weary of watching the gleaming spectacles and the square-toed boots of the one1 and the liquid eyes and the ravishing toilettes of the other4 ,virginia's acquaintance was made almost instantly by three pale-faced curates1 and so well did their friendship prosper1 that they soon sang at nightfall with her a beautiful vesper hymn4 ,nor did the matter end here1 for the strains sounded so lovely1 and ,virginia looked so devotional1 that most of the passengers the night after joined in a repetition of this touching evening office4 ,the ,professor1 as was natural1 held quite aloof1 and pondered over a new species of bug1 which he had found very plentiful in his berth4 ,but it soon occurred to him that he often heard the name of ,god being uttered otherwise than in swearing4 ,he listened more attentively to the sounds which he had at first set down as negro-melodies1 and he soon became convinced that they were something whose very existence he despised himself for remembering--namely1 ,christian hymns4 ,he then thought of the three curates1 whose existence he despised himself for remembering also4 ,and the conviction rapidly dawned on him that1 though the passengers seemed fully alive to his fame as a man of science1 they could yet know very little of all that science had done for them2 and of the death-blow it had given to the foul superstitions of the past4 ,he therefore resolved that next day he would preach them a lay-sermon4 ,at the appointed time the passengers gathered eagerly round him--all but ,virginia1 who retired to her cabin when she saw that the preacher wore no surplice1 as she thought it would be a mortal sin to listen to a sermon without one4 ,the ,professor began amidst a profound silence4 ,he first proclaimed to his hearers the great primary axiom on which all modern thought bases itself4 ,he told them that there was but one order of things--it was so much neater than two2 and if we would be certain of anything1 we must never doubt this4 ,thus1 since countless things exist that the senses can take account of1 it is evident that nothing exists that the senses can not take account of4 ,the senses can take no account of ,god2 therefore ,god does not exist4 ,men of science can only see theology in a ridiculous light1 therefore theology has no side that is not ridiculous4 ,he then told them a few of the names that enlightened thinkers had applied to the ,christian deity--how ,professor ,tyndall had called him an 'atom-manufacturer1' and ,professor ,huxley a 'pedantic drill-sergeant'4 ,the passengers at once saw how demonstrably at variance with fact was all religion1 and they laughed with a sense of humour that was quite new to them4 ,the ,professor's tones then became more solemn1 and1 having extinguished error1 he at once went on to unveil the brilliant light of truth4 ,he showed them how1 viewed by modern science1 all existence is a chain1 with a gas at one end and no one knows what at the other2 and how ,humanity is a link somewhere2 but--holy and awful thought6--we can none of us tell where4 ',however1' he proceeded1 'of one thing we can be quite certain2 all that is1 is matter2 the laws of matter are eternal1 and we cannot act or think without conforming to them2 and if1' he said1 'we would be solemn and high1 and happy1 and heroic1 and saintly1 we have but to strive and struggle to do what we cannot for an instant avoid doing4 ,yes1' he exclaimed1 'as the sublime ,tyndall tells us1 let us struggle to attain to a deeper knowledge of matter1 and a more faithful conformity to its laws6' ,the ,professor would have proceeded1 but the weather had been rapidly growing rough1 and he here became violently sea-sick4 ',let us1' he exclaimed hurriedly1 'conform to the laws of matter and go below4' ,nor was the advice premature4 ,a storm arose1 exceptional in its suddenness and its fury4 ,it raged for two days without ceasing4 ,the ,australasian sprang a leak2 her steering gear was disabled2 and it was feared she would go ashore on an island that was seen dimly through the fog to the leeward4 ,the boats were got in readiness4 ,a quantity of provisions and of the passengers' baggage was already stowed in the cutter2 when the clouds parted1 the sun came out again1 and the storm subsided almost as quickly as it rose4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,no sooner were the ship's damages in a fair way to be repaired than the ,professor resumed his sermon4 ,he climbed into the cutter1 which was still full of the passengers' baggage1 and sat down on the largest of ,virginia's boxes4 ,this so alarmed ,virginia that she incontinently followed the ,professor into the cutter1 to keep an eye on her property2 but she did not forget to stop her ears with her fingers1 that she might not be guilty of listening to an unsurpliced minister4 ,the ,professor took up the thread of his discourse just where he had broken it off4 ,every circumstance favoured him4 ,the calm sea was sparkling under the gentlest breeze2 all ,nature seemed suffused with gladness2 and at two miles' distance was an enchanting island1 green with every kind of foliage1 and glowing with the hues of a thousand flowers4 ,the ,professor1 having reminded his hearers of what nonsense they now thought all the ,christian teachings1 went on to show them the blessed results of this4 ,since the ,god that we once called all-holy is a fable1 that ,humanity is all-holy must be a fact4 ,since we shall never be sublime1 and solemn1 and unspeakably happy hereafter1 it is evident that we can be sublime1 and solemn1 and unspeakably happy here4 ',this1' said the ,professor1 'is the new ,gospel4 ,it is founded on exact thought4 ,it is the ,gospel of the kingdom of man2 and had ,i only here a microscope and a few chemicals1 ,i could demonstrate its eternal truth to you4 ,there is no heaven to seek for2 there is no hell to shun4 ,we have nothing to strive and live for except to be unspeakably happy4' ,this eloquence was received with enthusiasm4 ,the captain in particular1 who had a wife in every port he touched at1 was overjoyed at hearing that there was no hell2 and he sent for all the crew1 that they might learn the good news likewise4 ,but soon the general gladness was marred by a sound of weeping4 ,three-fourths of the passengers1 having had time to reflect a little1 began exclaiming that as a matter of fact they were really completely miserable1 and that for various reasons they could never be anything else4 ',my friends1' said the ,professor1 quite undaunted1 'that is doubtless completely true4 ,you are not happy now2 you probably never will be4 ,but that1 ,i can assure you1 is of very little moment4 ,only conform faithfully to the laws of matter1 and your children's children will be happy in the course of a few centuries2 and you will like that far1 far better than being happy yourselves4 ,only consider the matter in this light1 and you yourselves will in an instant become happy also2 and whatever you say1 and whatever you do1 think only of the effect it will have five hundred years afterwards4' ,at these solemn words1 the anxious faces grew calm4 ,an awful sense of the responsibility of each one of us1 and the infinite consequences of every human act1 was filling the hearts of all2 when by a faithful conformity to the laws of matter1 the boiler blew up1 and the ,australasian went down4 ,in an instant the air was rent with yells and cries2 and all the ,humanity that was on board the vessel was busy1 as the ,professor expressed it1 uniting itself with the infinite azure of the past4 ,paul and ,virginia1 however1 floated quietly away in the cutter1 together with the baggage and provisions4 ,virginia was made almost senseless by the suddenness of the catastrophe2 and on seeing five sailors sink within three yards of her1 she fainted dead away4 ,the ,professor begged her not to take it so much to heart1 as these were the very men who had got the cutter in readiness2 'and they are1 therefore1' he said1 'still really alive in the fact of our happy escape4' ,virginia1 however1 being quite insensible1 the ,professor turned to the last human being still to be seen above the waters1 and shouted to him not to be afraid of death1 as there was certainly no hell1 and that his life1 no matter how degraded and miserable1 had been a glorious mystery1 full of infinite significance4 ,the next moment the struggler was snapped up by a shark4 ,our friends1 meanwhile1 borne by a current1 had been drifting rapidly towards the island4 ,and the ,professor1 spreading to the breeze ,virginia's beautiful lace parasol1 soon brought the cutter to the shore on a beach of the softest sand4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,the scene that met ,paul's eyes was one of extreme loveliness4 ,he found himself in a little fairy bay1 full of translucent waters1 and fringed with silvery sands4 ,on either side it was protected by fantastic rocks1 and in the middle it opened inland to an enchanting valley1 where tall tropical trees made a grateful shade1 and where the ground was carpeted with the softest moss and turf4 ,paul's first care was for his fair companion4 ,he spread a costly cashmere shawl on the beach1 and placed her1 still fainting1 on this4 ,in a few moments she opened her eyes2 but was on the point of fainting again as the horrors of the last half-hour came back to her1 when she caught sight in the cutter of the largest of her own boxes1 and she began to recover herself4 ,paul begged her to remain quiet whilst he went to reconnoitre4 ,he had hardly proceeded twenty yards into the valley1 when to his infinite astonishment he came on a charming cottage1 built under the shadow of a bread-tree1 with a broad verandah1 plate-glass windows1 and red window-blinds4 ,his first thought was that this could be no desert island at all1 but some happy ,european settlement4 ,but1 on approaching the cottage1 it proved to be quite untenanted1 and from the cobwebs woven across the doorway it seemed to have been long abandoned4 ,inside there was abundance of luxurious furniture2 the floors were covered with gorgeous ,indian carpets2 and there was a pantry well stocked with plate and glass and table-linen4 ,the ,professor could not tell what to make of it1 till1 examining the structure more closely1 he found it composed mainly of a ship's timbers4 ,this seemed to tell its own tale1 and he at once concluded that he and ,virginia were not the first castaways who had been forced to make the island for some time their dwelling-place4 ,overjoyed at this discovery1 he hastened back to ,virginia4 ,she was by this time apparently quite recovered1 and was kneeling on the cashmere shawl1 with a rosary in her hands designed especially for the use of ,anglo-,catholics1 alternately lifting up her eyes in gratitude to heaven1 and casting them down in anguish at her torn and crumpled dress4 ,the poor ,professor was horrified at the sight of a human being in this degrading attitude of superstition4 ,but as ,virginia quitted it with alacrity as soon as ever he told his news to her1 he hoped he might soon convert her into a sublime and holy ,utilitarian4 ,the first thing she besought him to do was to carry her biggest box to this charming cottage1 that she might change her clothes1 and appear in something fit to be seen in4 ,the ,professor most obligingly at once did as she asked him2 and whilst she was busy at her toilette1 he got from the cutter what provisions he could1 and proceeded to lay the table4 ,when all was ready1 he rang a gong which he found suspended in the lobby2 ,virginia appeared shortly in a beautiful pink dressing-gown1 embroidered with silver flowers2 and just before sunset the two sat down to a really excellent meal4 ,the bread tree at the door of the cottage contributed some beautiful ,french rolls2 close at hand also they discovered a butter-tree2 and the ,professor had produced from the cutter a variety of salt and potted meats1 pat de foie gras1 cakes1 preserved fruits1 and some bottles of fine champagne4 ,this last helped much to raise their spirits4 ,virginia found it very dry1 and exactly suited to her palate4 ,she had but drunk five glasses of it1 when her natural smile returned to her1 though she was much disappointed1 because ,paul took no notice of her dressing-gown1 and when she had drunk three glasses more she quietly went to sleep on the sofa4 ,the moon had by this time risen in dazzling splendour1 and the ,professor went out and lighted a cigar4 ,all during dinner there had been a feeling of dull despair in his heart1 which even the champagne did not dissipate4 ,but now1 as he surveyed in the moonlight the wondrous ,paradise in which his strange fate had cast him1 his mood changed4 ,the air was full of the scents of a thousand night-smelling flowers2 the sea murmured on the beach in soft1 voluptuous cadences4 ,the ,professor's cigar was excellent4 ,he now saw his situation in a truer light4 ,here was a bountiful island1 where earth unbidden brought forth all her choicest fruits1 and most of the luxuries of civilisation had already been wafted thither4 ,existence here seemed to be purified from all its evils4 ,was not this the very condition of things which all the sublimest and exactest thinkers of modern times had been dreaming and lecturing and writing books about for a good half-century8 ,here was a place where ,humanity could do justice to itself1 and realise those glorious destinies which all exact thinkers take for granted must be in store for it4 ,true1 from the mass of ,humanity he was completely cut away2 but ,virginia was his companion4 ,holiness1 and solemnity1 and unspeakably significant happiness did not1 he argued1 depend on the multiplication table4 ,he and ,virginia represented ,humanity as well as a million couples4 ,they were a complete humanity in themselves1 and humanity in a perfectible shape2 and the very next day they would make preparations for fulfilling their holy destiny1 and being as solemnly and unspeakably happy as it was their stern duty to be4 ,the ,professor turned his eyes upwards to the starry heavens1 and a sense came over him of the eternity and the immensity of ,nature1 and the demonstrable absence of any intelligence that guided1 it4 ,these reflections naturally brought home to him with more vividness the stupendous and boundless importance of ,man4 ,his bosom swelled violently1 and he cried aloud1 his eyes still fixed on the firmament1 ',oh1 important ,all6 oh1 important ,me6' ,when he came back to the cottage he found ,virginia just getting off the sofa1 and preparing to go to bed4 ,she was too sleepy even to say good-night to him1 and with evident want of temper was tugging at the buttons of her dressing-gown4 ',ah6' she murmured as she left the room1 'if ,god1 in ,his infinite mercy1 had only spared my maid6' ,virginia's evident discontent gave profound pain to ,paul4 ',how solemn1' he exclaimed1 'for half ,humanity to be discontented6' ,but he was still more disturbed at the appeal to a chimerical manufacturer of atoms2 and he groaned in tones of yet more sonorous sorrow1 ',how solemn for half ,humanity to be sunk lower than the beasts by superstition6' ,however1 he hoped that these stupendous evils might1 under the present favourable conditions1 vanish in the course of a few days' progress2 and he went to bed1 full of august auguries4 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,next morning he was up betimes2 and the prospects of ,humanity looked more glorious than ever4 ,he gathered some of the finest pats from the butter-tree1 and some fresh ,french rolls from the bread-tree4 ,he discovered a cow close at hand1 that allowed him at once to milk it2 and a little roast pig ran up to him out of the underwood1 and fawning on him with its trotters1 said1 ',come1 eat me4' ,the ,professor vivisected it before ,virginia's door1 that its automatic noise1 which the vulgar call cries of pain1 might awaken her2 and he then set it in a hot dish on the table4 ',it has come6 it has come6' he shouted1 rapturously1 as ,virginia entered the room1 this time in a blue silk dressing-gown1 embroidered with flowers of gold4 ',what has come8' said ,virginia1 pettishly1 for she was suffering from a terrible headache1 and the ,professor's loud voice annoyed her4 ',you don't mean to say that we are rescued1 are we8' ',yes1' answered ,paul1 solemnly2 'we are rescued4 ,we are rescued from all the pains and imperfections of a world that has not learnt how to conform to the laws of matter1 and is but imperfectly acquainted with the science of sociology4 ,it is therefore inevitable that1 the evils of existence being thus removed1 we shall both be solemnly1 stupendously1 and unspeakably happy4' ',nonsense6' said ,virginia1 snappishly1 who thought the ,professor was joking4 ',it is not nonsense1' said the ,professor1 ',it is deducible from the teachings of ,john ,stuart ,mill1 of ,auguste ,comte1 of ,mr4 ,frederic ,harrison1 and of all the exact thinkers who have cast off superstition1 and who adore ,humanity4' ,virginia meanwhile ate pat de foie gras1 of which she was passionately fond2 and1 growing a little less sullen1 she at last admitted that they were lucky in having at least the necessaries of life left to them4 ',but as for happiness--there is nothing to do here1 there is no church to go to1 and you don't seem to care a bit for my dressing-gown4 ,what have we got to make us happy8' ',humanity1' replied the ,professor eagerly1--',humanity1 that divine entity1 which is necessarily capable of everything that is fine and invaluable1 and is the object of indescribable emotion to all exact thinkers4 ,and what is ,humanity8' he went on more earnestly2 'you and ,i are ,humanity--you and ,i are that august existence4 ,you already are all the world to me2 and ,i very soon shall be all the world to you4 ,adored being1 it will be my mission and my glory to compel you to live for me4 ,and then1 as modern philosophy can demonstrate1 we shall both of us be significantly and unspeakably happy4' ,for a few moments ,virginia merely stared at ,paul4 ,suddenly she turned quite pale1 her lips quivered1 and exclaiming1 ',how dare you6--and ,i1 too1 the wife of a bishop6' she left the room in hysterics4 ,the ,professor could make nothing of this4 ,though he had dissected many dead women1 he knew very little of the hearts of live ones4 ,a sense of shyness overpowered him1 and he felt embarrassed1 he could not tell why1 at being thus left alone with ,virginia4 ,he lit a cigar and went out4 ,here was a to-do indeed1 he thought4 ,how would progress be possible if one half of ,humanity misunderstood the other8 ,he was thus musing1 when suddenly a voice startled him2 and in another moment a man came rushing up to him1 with every demonstration of joy4 ',oh1 my dear master6 oh1 emancipator of the human intellect6 and is it indeed you8 ,thank ,god6----,i beg pardon for my unspeakable blasphemy--,i mean1 thank circumstances over which ,i have no control4' ,it was one of the three curates1 whom ,paul had supposed drowned1 but who now related how he had managed to swim ashore1 despite the extreme length of his black clerical coat4 ',these rags of superstition1' he said1 'did their best to drown me4 ,but ,i survive in spite of them1 to covet truth and to reject error4 ,thanks to your glorious teaching1' he went on1 looking reverentially into the ,professor's face1 'the very notion of an ,almighty ,father makes me laugh consumedly1 it is so absurd and so immoral4 ,science1 through your instrumentality1 has opened my eyes4 ,i am now an exact thinker4' ',do you believe1 said ,paul1 'in solemn1 significant1 and unspeakably happy ,humanity8 ',i do1' said the curate1 fervently4 ',whenever ,i think of ,humanity1 ,i groan and moan to myself out of sheer solemnity4' ',then two thirds of ,humanity1' said the ,professor1 'are thoroughly enlightened4 ,progress will now go on smoothly4' ,at this moment ,virginia came out1 having rapidly recovered composure at the sound of a new man's voice4 ',you here--you1 too6' exclaimed the curate4 ',how solemn1 how significant6 ,this is truly ,providential----,i mean this has truly happened through conformity to the laws of matter4' ',well1' said ,virginia1 'since we have a clergyman amongst us1 we shall perhaps be able to get on4' ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,things now took a better turn4 ,the ,professor ceased to feel shy2 and proposed1 when the curate had finished an enormous breakfast1 that they should go down to the cutter1 and bring up the things in it to the cottage4 ',a few hours' steady progress1' he said1 'and the human race will command all the luxuries of civilisation--the glorious fruits of centuries of onward labour4' ,the three spent a very busy morning in examining and unpacking the luggage4 ,the ,professor found his favourite collection of modern philosophers2 ,virginia found a large box of knick-knacks1 with which to adorn the cottage2 and there was1 too1 an immense store of wine and of choice provisions4 ',it is rather sad1' sighed ,virginia1 as she dived into a box of ,french chocolate-creams1 'to think that all the poor people are drowned that these things belonged to4' ',they are not dead1' said the ,professor3 'they still live on this holy and stupendous earth4 ,they live in the use we are making of all they had got together4 ,the owner of those chocolate-creams is immortal because you are eating them4' ,virginia licked her lips and said1 ',nonsense6' ',it is not nonsense1' said the ,professor4 ',it is the religion of ,humanity4' ,all day they were busy1 and the time passed pleasantly enough4 ,wines1 provisions1 books1 and china ornaments were carried up to the cottage and bestowed in proper places4 ,virginia filled the glasses in the drawing-room with gorgeous leaves and flowers and declared by the evening1 as she looked round her1 that she could almost fancy herself in ,st4 ,john's ,wood4 ',see1 said the ,professor1 'how rapid is the progress of material civilisation6 ,humanity is now entering on the fruits of ages4 ,before long it will be in a position to be unspeakably happy4' ,virginia retired to bed early4 ,the ,professor took the curate out with him to look at the stars2 and promised to lend him some writings of the modern philosophers1 which would make him more perfect in the new view of things4 ,they said good-night1 murmuring together that there was certainly no ,god1 that ,humanity was very important1 and that everything was very solemn4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,next morning the curate began studying a number of essays that the ,professor lent him1 all written by exact thinkers1 who disbelieved in ,god1 and thought ,humanity adorable1 and most important4 ,virginia lay on the sofa1 and sighed over one of ,miss ,broughton's novels2 and it occurred to the ,professor that the island was just the place where1 if anywhere1 the missing link might be found4 ',ah6' he exclaimed2 'all is still progress4 ,material progress came to an end yesterday4 ,mental progress has begun to-day4 ,one third of ,humanity is cultivating sentiment2 another third is learning to covet truth4 ,i1 the remaining and most enlightened third1 will go and seek it4 ,glorious1 solemn ,humanity6 ,i will go and look about for its arboreal ancestor4' ,every step the ,professor took he found the island more beautiful4 ,but he came back to luncheon1 having been unsuccessful in his search4 ,events had marched quickly in his absence4 ,virginia was at the beginning of her third volume2 and the curate had skimmed over so many essays1 that he professed himself able to give a thorough account of the want of faith that was in him4 ,after luncheon the three sat together in easy chairs1 in the verandah1 sometimes talking1 sometimes falling into a half-doze4 ,they all agreed that they were wonderfully comfortable1 and the ,professor said-- ',all ,humanity is now at rest1 and in utter peace4 ,it is just taking breath1 before it becomes unspeakably and significantly happy4' ,he would have said more1 but he was here startled by a piteous noise of crying1 and the three found themselves confronted by an old woman dripping with sea-water1 and with an expression on her face of the utmost misery4 ,they soon recognised her as one of the passengers on the ship4 ,she told them how she had been floated ashore on a spar1 and how she had been sustained by a little roast pig1 that kindly begged her to eat it1 having first lain in her bosom to restore her to warmth4 ,she was now looking for her son4 ',and if ,i cannot find him1' said the old woman1 ',i shall never smile again4 ,he has half broken my heart1' she went on1 'by his wicked ways4 ,but if ,i thought he was dead--dead in the midst of his sins--it would be broken altogether2 for in that case he must certainly be in hell4' ',old woman1' said the ,professor1 very slowly and solemnly1 'be comforted4 ,i announce to you that your son is alive4' ',oh1 bless you1 sir1 for that word6' cried the old woman4 ',but where is he8 ,have you seen him8 ,are you sure that he is living8' ',i am sure of it1' said the ,professor1 'because enlightened thought shows me that he cannot be anything else4 ,it is true that ,i saw him sink for a third time in the sea1 and that he was then snapped up by a shark4 ,but he is as much alive as ever in his posthumous activities4 ,he has made you wretched after him2 and that is his future life4 ,become an exact thinker1 and you will see that this is so4 ,old woman1' added the ,professor solemnly1 'old woman1 listen to me--,you and your son are in hell4' ,at this the old woman flew into a terrible rage4 ',in hell1 sir6' she exclaimed2 'me in hell6--a poor lone woman like me6 ,how dare you6' ,and she sank back in a chair and fainted4 ',alas6' said the ,professor1 'thus is misery again introduced into the world4 ,a fourth part of ,humanity is now miserable4' ,the curate answered promptly that if no restoratives were given her1 she would probably die in a few minutes4 ',and to let her die1' he said1 'is clearly our solemn duty4 ,it will be for the greatest happiness of the greatest number4' ',no1' said the ,professor2 'for our sense of pity would then be wounded1 and the happiness of all of us would be marred by that4' ',excuse me1' said the curate2 'but exact thought shows me that pity for others is but the imagining of their misfortune falling on ourselves4 ,now1 we can none of us imagine ourselves exactly in the old woman's case2 therefore it is quite impossible that we can pity her4' ',but1' said the ,professor1 'such an act would violate our ideas of justice4' ',you are wrong again1' said the curate1 'for exact thought shows me that the love of justice is nothing but the fear of suffering injustice4 ,if we were to kill strong men1 we might naturally fear that strong men would kill us4 ,but whatever we do to fainting old women1 we cannot expect that fainting old women will do anything to us in return4' ',your reasoning cannot be sound1' said the ,professor1 'for it would lead to the most horrible conclusions4 ,i will solve the difficulty better4 ,i will make the old woman happy1 and therefore fit to live4 ,old woman1' he exclaimed1 'let me beg you to consider this4 ,you are yourself by your own unhappiness expiating your son's sins4 ,do but think of that1 and you will become unspeakably happy4' ,meanwhile1 however1 the old woman had died4 ,when the ,professor discovered this he was somewhat shocked2 but at length with a sudden change of countenance1 ',we neither of us did it1' he exclaimed2 'her death is no act of ours4 ,it is part of the eternal not-ourselves that makes for righteousness--righteousness1 which is1 as we all know1 but another name for happiness4 ,let us adore the event with reverence4' ',yes1' said the curate1 'we are well rid of her4 ,she was an immoral old woman1 for happiness is the test of morality1 and she was very unhappy4' ',on the contrary1' said the ,professor1 'she was a moral old woman2 for she has made us happy by dying so very opportunely4 ,let us speak well of the dead4 ,her death has been a holy and a blessed one4 ,she has conformed to the laws of matter4 ,thus is unhappiness destined to fade out of the world4 ,quick6 let us tie a bag of shot to all the sorrow and evil of ,humanity1 which1 after all1 is only a fourth part of it1 and let us sink her in the bay close at hand1 that she may catch lobsters for us4' ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,at last1' said the ,professor1 as they began dinner that evening1 'the fulness of time has come4 ,all the evils of ,humanity are removed1 and progress has come to an end because it can go no further4 ,we have nothing now to do but to be unspeakably and significantly happy4' ,the champagne flowed freely4 ,our friends ate and drank of the best1 their spirits rose1 and ,virginia admitted that this was really 'jolly4' ,the sense of the word pleased the ,professor1 but its sound seemed below the gravity of the occasion2 so he begged her to say 'sublime' instead4 ',we can make it mean1' he said1 'just the same1 but we prefer it for the sake of its associations4' ,it soon1 however1 occurred to him that eating and drinking were hardly delights sufficient to justify the highest state of human emotion1 and he began to fear he had been feeling sublime prematurely2 but in another moment he recollected he was an altruist1 and that the secret of their happiness was not that any one of them was happy1 but that they each knew the others were4 ',yes1 my dear curate1' said the ,professor1 'what ,i am enjoying is the champagne that you drink1 and what you are enjoying is the champagne that ,i drink4 ,this is altruism2 this is benevolence2 this is the sublime outcome of enlightened modern thought4 ,the pleasures of the table1 in themselves1 are low and beastly ones2 but if we each of us are only glad because the others are enjoying them1 they become holy and glorious beyond description4' ',they do1' cried the curate rapturously1 'indeed they do4 ,i will drink another bottle for your sake4 ,it is sublime6' he said1 as he tossed off three glasses4 ',it is significant6' he said as he finished three more4 ',tell me1 my dear1 do ,i look significant8' he added1 as he turned to ,virginia1 and suddenly tried1 to crown the general bliss by kissing her4 ,virginia started back1 looking fire and fury at him4 ,the ,professor was completely astounded by an occurrence so unnatural1 and exclaimed in a voice of thunder1 ',morality1 sir--remember morality6 ,how dare you upset that which ,professor ,huxley tells us must be for ever strong enough to hold its own8' ,but the last glass of champagne had put the curate beyond the reach of exact thought4 ,he tumbled under the table1 and the ,professor carried him off to bed4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,the ,professor1 like most serious thinkers1 knew but little of that trifle commonly called 'the world4' ,he had never kissed any one except his wife2 even that he did as seldom as possible2 and the curate lying dead drunk was the first glimpse he had of what1 par excellence1 is described as 'life4' ,but though the scene just recounted was thus a terrible shock to him1 in one way it gave him an unlooked-for comfort4 ,he had felt that even yet things were not quite as sublime as they should be4 ,he now saw the reason4 ',of course1' he said1 'existence cannot be perfect so long as one third of ,humanity makes a beast of itself4 ,a little more progress must be still necessary4' ,he hastened to explain this next morning to ,virginia1 and begged her not to be alarmed at the curate's scandalous conduct4 ',immorality1' he said1 'is but a want of success in attaining our own happiness4 ,it is evidently most immoral for the curate to be kissing you2 and therefore kissing you would not really conduce to his happiness4 ,i will convince him of this solemn truth in a very few moments4 ,then the essential dignity of human nature will become at once apparent1 and we shall all of us at last begin to be unspeakably happy4' ,the curate1 however1 altogether declined to be convinced4 ,he maintained stoutly that to kiss ,virginia would be the greatest pleasure that ,humanity could offer him4 ',and if it is immoral as well as pleasant1' he added1 ',i should like it all the better4' ,at this the ,professor gave a terrible groan2 he dropped almost fainting into a chair2 he hid his face in his hands2 and murmured half-articulately1 ',then ,i can't tell what to do6' ,in another instant1 however1 he recovered himself2 and fixing a dreadful look on the curate1 ',that last statement of yours1' he said1 'cannot be true2 for if it were1 it would upset all my theories4 ,it is a fact that can be proved and verified1 that if you kissed ,virginia it would make you miserable4' ',pardon me1' said the curate1 rapidly moving towards her1 'your notion is a remnant of superstition2 ,i will explode it by a practical experiment4' ,the ,professor caught hold of the curate's coat-tails1 and forcibly pulled him back into his seat4 ',if you dare attempt it1' he said1 ',i will kick you soundly1 and1 shocking1 immoral man6 you will feel miserable enough then4' ,the curate was a terrible coward1 and very weak as well4 ',you are a great hulking fellow1' he said1 eyeing the ,professor2 'and ,i am of a singularly delicate build4 ,i must1 therefore1 conform to the laws of matter1 and give in4' ,he said this in a very sulky voice2 and1 going out of the room1 slammed the door after him4 ,a radiant expression suffused the face of the ,professor4 ',see1' he said to ,virginia1 'the curate's conversion is already half accomplished4 ,in a few hours more he will be rational1 he will be moral1 he will be solemnly and significantly happy4' ,the ,professor talked like this to ,virginia the whole morning2 but in spite of all his arguments1 she declined to be comforted4 ',it is all very well1' she said1 'whilst you are in the way4 ,but as soon as your back is turned1 ,i know he will be at me again4' ',will you never1' said ,paul1 by this time a little irritated1 'will you never listen to exact thought8 ,the curate is now reflecting2 and a little reflection must inevitably convince him that he does not really care to kiss you1 and that it would give him very little real pleasure to do so4' ',stuff6' exclaimed ,virginia1 with a sudden vigour at which the ,professor was thunderstruck4 ',i can tell you1' she went on1 'that better men than he have borne kicks for my sake2 and to kiss me is the only thing that that little man cares about4--,what shall ,i do8' she exclaimed1 bursting into tears4 ',here is one of you insulting me by trying to kiss me2 and the other insulting me by saying that ,i am not worth being kissed6' ',ah1 me6' groaned the poor ,professor in an agony1 'here is one third of ,humanity plunged in sorrow2 and another third has not yet freed itself from vice4 ,when1 when1 ,i wonder1 will the sublimity begin8' ,,chapter ,,xi4 ,at dinner1 however1 things wore a more promising aspect4 ,the curate had been so terrified by the ,professor's threats1 that he hardly dared to so much as look at ,virginia2 and to make up for it1 he drank and drank champagne1 till the strings of his tongue were loosed1 and he was laughing and chattering at a rate that was quite extraordinary4 ,virginia1 seeing herself thus neglected by the curate1 began to fear that1 as ,paul said1 he really did not so much care to kiss her after all4 ,she1 therefore1 put on all her most enticing ways2 she talked1 flirted1 and smiled her best1 and made her most effective eyes1 that the curate might see what a prize was for ever beyond his reach4 ,this state of affairs seemed full of glorious promise4 ,virginia's tears were dried1 she had never looked so radiant and exquisite before4 ,the curate had foregone every attempt to kiss ,virginia1 and yet apparently he was happiness itself2 and ,paul took him aside1 as soon as the meal was over1 to congratulate him on the holy state to which exact thought had conducted him4 ',you see1' ,paul said1 'what a natural growth the loftiest morality is4 ,virginia doesn't want to be kissed by you4 ,i should be shocked at your doing so shocking a thing as kissing her4 ,if you kissed her1 you would make both of us miserable2 and1 as a necessary consequence1 you would be in an agony likewise2 in addition to which1 ,i should inevitably kick you4' ',but1' said the curate1 'suppose ,i kissed ,virginia on the sly1--,i merely put this as an hypothesis1 remember1--and that in a little while she liked it1 what then8 ,she and ,i would both be happy1 and you ought to be happy too1 because we were4' ',idiot6' said the ,professor4 ',virginia is another man's wife4 ,nobody really likes kissing another man's wife2 nor do wives ever like kissing any one except their husbands4 ,what they really like is what ,professor ,huxley calls the undefined but bright ideal of the highest good1 which1 as he says1 exact thought shows us is the true end of existence4 ,but1 pooh6 what is the use of all this talking8 ,you know which way your higher nature calls you2 and1 of course1 unless men believe in ,god1 they cannot help obeying their higher nature4' ',i1' said the curate1 'think the belief in ,god a degrading superstition2 ,i think every one an imbecile who believes a miracle possible4 ,and yet ,i do not care two straws about the highest good4 ,what you call my lower nature is far the strongest2 ,i mean to follow it to the best of my ability2 and ,i prefer calling it my higher1 for the sake of the associations4' ,this plunged the ,professor in deeper grief than ever4 ,he knew not what to do4 ,he paced up and down the verandah1 or about the rooms1 and moaned and groaned as if he had a violent toothache4 ,virginia and the curate asked what was amiss with him4 ',i am agonising1' he said1 'for the sake of holy1 solemn1 unspeakably dignified ,humanity4' ,the curate1 seeing the ,professor thus dejected1 by degrees took heart again1 and as ,virginia still continued her fascinating behaviour to him1 he resolved to try and prove to her that1 the test of morality being happiness1 the most moral thing she could do would be to allow him to kiss her4 ,no sooner had he begun to propound these views1 than the ,professor gave over his groaning1 seized the curate by the collar1 and dragged him out of the room with a roughness that nearly throttled him4 ',i was but propounding a theory--an opinion1' gasped the curate4 ',surely thought is free4 ,you will not persecute me for my opinions8' ',it is not for your opinions1' said the ,professor1 'but for the horrible effect they might have4 ,opinions1' he roared1 'can only be tolerated which have no possible consequences4 ,you may promulgate any of those as much as you like2 because to do that would be a self-regarding action4' ,,chapter ,,xii4 ',well1' said the curate1 'if ,i may not kiss ,virginia1 ,i will drink brandy instead4 ,that will make me happy enough2 and then we shall all be radiant4' ,he soon put his resolve into practice4 ,he got a bottle of brandy1 he sat himself down under a palm-tree1 and told the ,professor he was going to make an afternoon of it4 ',foolish man6' said the ,professor2 ',i was never drunk myself1 it is true2 but ,i know that to get drunk makes one's head ache horribly4 ,to get drunk is1 therefore1 horribly immoral2 and therefore ,i cannot permit it4' ',excuse me1' said the curate2 'it is a self-regarding action4 ,nobody's head will ache but mine2 so that is my own look-out4 ,i have been expelled from school1 from college1 and from my first curacy for drinking4 ,so ,i know well enough the balance of pains and pleasures4' ,here he pulled out his brandy bottle1 and applied his lips to it4 ',oh1 ,humanity6' he exclaimed1 'how solemn this brandy tastes6' ,matters went on like this for several days4 ,the curate was too much frightened to again approach ,virginia4 ,virginia at last became convinced that he did not care about kissing her4 ,her vanity was wounded1 and she became sullen2 and this made the ,professor sullen also4 ,in fact1 two thirds of ,humanity were overcast with gloom4 ,the only happy section of it was the curate1 who alternately smoked and drank all day long4 ',the nasty little beast6' said ,virginia to the ,professor1 'he is nearly always drunk4 ,i am beginning quite to like you1 ,paul1 by comparison with him4 ,let us turn him out1 and not let him live in the cottage4' ',no1' said the ,professor2 'for he is one third of ,humanity4 ,you do not properly appreciate the solidarity of mankind4 ,his existence1 however1 ,i admit is a great difficulty4' ,one day at dinner-time1 shortly afterwards1 ,paul came in radiant4 ',oh holy1 oh happy event6' he exclaimed2 'all will go right at last4' ,virginia inquired anxiously what had happened1 and ,paul informed her that the curate1 who had got more drunk than usual that afternoon1 had fallen over a cliff1 and been dashed to pieces4 ',what event1' he asked1 'could be more charming more unspeakably holy8 ,it bears about it every mark of sanctity4 ,it is for the greatest happiness of the greatest number4 ,come1' he continued1 'let you and me together1 purged of sin1 and purged of sorrow as we are--let us begin our love-feast4 ,let us each seek the happiness of the other4 ,let us instantly be sublime and happy4' ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ',the supreme moment is come1' said ,paul solemnly1 as they sat down to dinner4 ',let us prepare ourselves for realising to the full the essential dignity of ,humanity--that grand tre1 which has come1 in the course of progress1 to consist of you and me4 ,virginia1 consider this4 ,every condition of happiness that modern thinkers have dreamed of is now fulfilled4 ,we have but to seek each the happiness of the other1 and we shall both be in a solemn1 a significant1 and unspeakable state of rapture4 ,see1 here is an exquisite leg of mutton4 ,i1' said ,paul1 who liked the fat best1 ',i will give up all the fat to you4' ',and ,i1' said ,virginia1 resignedly1 'will give up all the lean to you1' ,a few mouthfuls made ,virginia feel sick4 ',i confess1' said she1 ',i can't get on with this fat4' ',i confess1' the ,professor answered1 ',i don't exactly like this lean4' ',then let us1' said ,virginia1 'be like ,jack ,sprat and his wife4' ',no1' said the ,professor1 meditatively1 'that is quite inadmissible4 ,for in that case we should be egoistic hedonists4 ,however1 for to-day it shall be as you say4 ,i will think of something better to-morrow4' ,next day he and ,virginia had a chicken apiece2 only ,virginia's was put before ,paul1 and ,paul's before ,virginia2 and they each walked round the table to supply each other with the slightest necessaries4 ',ah6' cried ,paul1 'this is altruism indeed4 ,i think already ,i can feel the sublimity beginning4' ,virginia liked this rather better4 ,but soon she committed the sin of taking for herself the liver of ,paul's chicken4 ,as soon as she had eaten the whole of it her conscience began to smite her4 ,she confessed her sin to ,paul1 and inquired1 with some anxiety1 if he thought she would go to hell for it8 ',metaphorically1' said ,paul1 'you have already done so4 ,you are punished by the loss of the pleasure you would have had in giving that liver to me1 and also by your knowledge of my knowledge of your folly in foregoing the pleasure4' ,virginia was much relieved by this answer2 she at once took several more of the ,professor's choicest bits1 and was happy in the thought that her sins were expiated in the very act of their commission1 by the latent pain she felt persuaded they were attended by4 ,feeling that this was sufficient1 she took care not to add ,paul's disapproval to her punishment1 so she never told him again4 ,for a short time this practice of altruism seemed to ,virginia to have many advantages4 ,but though the ,professor was always exclaiming1 ',how significant is human life by the very nature of its constitution6' she very soon found it a trifle dull4 ,luckily1 however1 she hit upon a new method of exercising morality1 and1 as the ,professor fully admitted1 of giving it a yet more solemn significance4 ,the ,professor having by some accident lost his razors1 his moustaches had begun to grow profusely1 and ,virginia had watched them with a deep but half-conscious admiration4 ,at last1 in a happy moment1 she exclaimed1 ',oh1 ,paul1 do let me wax the ends for you1' ,paul at first giggled1 blushed1 and protested1 but1 as ,virginia assured him it would make her happy1 he consented4 ',then1' she said1 'you will know that ,i am happy1 and that in return will make you happy also4 ,ah6' she exclaimed when the operation was over1 'do go and examine yourself in the glass4 ,i declare you look exactly like ,jack ,barley--,barley-,sugar1 as we used to call him--of the ,blues4' ,virginia smiled2 suddenly she blushed2 the ,professor blushed also4 ,to cover the blushes she begged to be allowed to do his hair4 ',it will make me so much happier1 ,paul1' she said4 ,the ,professor again assented1 that he might make ,virginia happy1 and that she might be happy in knowing that he was happy in promoting her happiness4 ,at last the ,professor1 shy and awkward as he was1 was emboldened to offer to do ,virginia's hair in return4 ,she allowed him to arrange her fringe1 and1 as she found he did no great harm to it1 she let him repeat the operation as often as he liked4 ,a week thus passed1 full1 as the ,professor said1 of infinite solemnity4 ',i admit1 ,paul1' sighed ,virginia1 'that this altruism1 as you call it1 is very touching4 ,i like it very much4 ,but1' she added1 sinking her voice to a whisper1 'are you quite sure1 ,paul1 that it is perfectly moral8' ',moral6' echoed the ,professor1 'moral6 ,why1 exact thought shows us that it is the very essence of all morality6' ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,matters now went on charmingly4 ,all existence seemed to take a richer colouring1 and there was something1 ,paul said1 which1 in ,professor ,tyndall's words1 'gave fulness and tone to it1 but which he could neither analyse nor comprehend4' ,but at last a change came4 ,one morning1 whilst ,virginia was arranging ,paul's moustaches1 she was frightened almost into a fit by a sudden apparition at the window4 ,it was a hideous hairy figure1 perfectly naked but for a band of silver which it wore about its neck4 ,for a moment it did nothing but grin and stare2 then1 uttering a discordant scream1 it flung into ,virginia's lap a filthy piece of carrion1 and in an instant it had bounded away with an almost miraculous activity4 ,virginia shrieked with disgust and terror1 and clung to ,paul's knees for protection4 ,he1 however1 in some strange way1 seemed unmoved and preoccupied4 ,all at once1 to her intense surprise1 she saw his face light up with an expression of triumphant eagerness4 ',the missing link6' he exclaimed1 'the missing link at last6 ,thank ,god4--,i beg pardon for my unspeakable blasphemy--,i mean1 thank circumstances over which ,i have no control4 ,i must this instant go out and hunt for it4 ,give me some provisions in a knapsack1 for ,i will not come back till ,i have caught it4' ,this was a fearful blow to ,virginia4 ,she fell at ,paul's feet weeping1 and besought him in piteous accents that he would not thus abandon her4 ',i must1' said the ,professor solemnly1 'for ,i am going in pursuit of ,truth4 ,to arrive at ,truth is man's perfect and most rapturous happiness4 ,you must surely know that1 even if ,i have forgotten to tell it to you4 ,to pursue truth--holy truth for holy truth's sake--is a more solemn pleasure than even frizzling your hair4' ',oh1' cried4 ,virginia1 hysterically1 ',i don't care two straws for truth4 ,what on earth is the good of it8' ',it is its own end1' said the ,professor4 ',it is its own exceeding great reward4 ,i must be off at once in search of it4 ,good-bye for the present4 ,seek truth on your own account1 and be unspeakably happy also1 because you know that ,i am seeking it4' ,the ,professor remained away for three days4 ,for the first two of them ,virginia was inconsolable4 ,she wandered about mournfully with her head dejected4 ,she very often sighed2 she very often uttered the name of ,paul4 ,at last she surprised herself by exclaiming aloud to the irresponsive solitude1 ',oh1 ,paul1 until you were gone1 ,i never knew how passionately ,i loved you4' ,no sooner were these words out of her mouth than she stood still1 horror-stricken4 ',alas6' she cried1 'and have ,i really come to this8 ,i am in a state of deadly sin1 and there is no priest here to confess to6 ,alone1 alone ,i must conquer my forbidden love as ,i may4 ,but1 ah me1 what a guilty thing ,i am6' ,as she uttered these words1 her eyes fell on a tin box of the ,professor's1 marked ',private1' which he always kept carefully locked1 and which had before now excited her curiosity4 ,suddenly she became conscious of a new impulse4 ',i will pursue truth6' she exclaimed4 ',i will break that box open1 and ,i will see what is inside it4 ,ah6' she added1 as with the aid of the poker she at last wrenched off the padlock4 ',paul may be right1 after all4 ,there is more interest in the pursuit of truth than ,i thought there was4' ,the box was full of papers1 letters1 and diaries1 the greater part of which were marked ',strictly private4' ,seeing this1 ,virginia's appetite for truth became keener than ever4 ,she instantly began her researches4 ,the more she read1 the more eager she became2 and the more private appeared the nature of the documents1 the more insatiable did her thirst for truth grow4 ,to her extreme surprise1 she gathered that the ,professor had begun life as a clergyman4 ,there were several photographs of him in his surplice2 and a number of devout prayers1 apparently composed by himself for his own personal use4 ,this discovery was the result of her labours4 ',certainly1' she said1 'it is one of extreme significance4 ,if ,paul was a priest once1 he must be a priest now4 ,orders are indelible--at least in the ,church of ,england ,i know they are4' ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,paul came back1 to ,virginia's extreme relief1 without the missing link4 ,but he was still radiant in spite of his failure2 for he had discovered1 he said1 a place where the creature had apparently slept1 and he had collected in a card-paper box a large number of its parasites4 ',i am glad1' said ,virginia1 'that you have not found the missing link3 though as to thinking that we really came from monkeys1 of course that is too absurd4 ,now if you could have brought me a nice monkey1 ,i should really have liked that4 ,the ,bishop has promised that ,i shall have a darling one1 if ,i ever reach him--ah me6--if----,paul1' continued ,virginia1 in a very solemn voice1 after a long pause1 'do you know that whilst you have been away ,i have been pursuing truth8 ,i rather liked it2 and ,i found it very1 very significant4' ',oh1 joy6' exclaimed the ,professor4 ',oh1 unspeakable radiance6 ,oh1 holy1 oh essentially dignified ,humanity6 it will very soon be perfect6 ,tell me1 ,virginia1 what truths have you been discovering8' ',one truth about you1 ,paul1' said ,virginia1 very gravely1 'and one truth about me4 ,i burn--oh1 ,i burn to tell them to you6' ,the ,professor was enraptured to hear that one half of ,humanity had been thus studying human nature2 and he began asking ,virginia if her discoveries belonged to the domain of historical or biological science4 ,meanwhile ,virginia had flung herself on her knees before him1 and was exclaiming1 in piteous accents-- ',by my fault1 by my own fault1 by my very grievous fault1 holy father1 ,i confess to you----' ',is the woman mad8' cried the ,professor1 starting up from his seat4 ',you are a priest1 ,paul1' said ,virginia2 'that is one of the things ,i have discovered4 ,i am in a state of deadly sin2 that is the other3 and ,i must and will confess to you4 ,once a priest1 always a priest4 ,you cannot get rid of your orders1 and you must and shall hear me4' ',i was once in orders1 it is true1' said ,paul1 reluctantly2 'but how did you find out my miserable secret8' ',in my zeal for truth1' said ,virginia1 ',i broke open your tin box2 ,i read all your letters2 ,i looked at your early photographs2 ,i saw all your beautiful prayers4' ',you broke open my box6' cried the ,professor4 ',you read my letters and my private papers6 ,oh1 horrible6 oh1 immoral6 ,what shall we do if one half of ,humanity has no feeling of honour8' ',oh6' said ,virginia1 'it was all for the love of truth--of solemn and holy truth4 ,i sacrificed every other feeling for that4 ,but ,i have not told you my truth yet2 and ,i am determined you shall hear it1 or ,i must still remain in my sins4 ,paul1 ,i am a married woman2 and ,i discover1 in spite of that1 that ,i have fallen in love with you4 ,my husband1 it is true1 is far away2 and whatever we do1 he could never possibly be the wiser4 ,but ,i am in a state of mortal sin1 nevertheless2 and ,i would give anything in the world if you would only kiss me4' ',woman6' exclaimed ,paul1 aghast with fright and horror1 'do you dare to abuse truth1 by turning it to such base purposes8' ',oh1 you are so clever1' ,virginia went on1 'and when the ends of your moustaches are waxed1 you look positively handsome2 and ,i love you so deeply and so tenderly1 that ,i shall certainly go to hell if you do not give me absolution4' ,at this the ,professor jumped up1 and1 staring very hard at ,virginia1 asked her if1 after all that he had said on the ship1 she really believed in such exploded fallacies as hell1 ,god1 and priestcraft4 ,she reminded him that he had preached there without a surplice1 and that she had therefore not thought it right to listen to a word he said4 ',ah6' cried the ,professor1 with a sigh of intense relief1 ',i see it all now4 ,how can ,humanity ever be unspeakably holy so long as one half of it grovels in dreams of an unspeakably holy ,god8 ,as ,mr4 ,frederic ,harrison truly says1 a want of faith in the essential dignity of man is one of the surest marks of the enervating influence of this dream of a celestial glory4' ,the ,professor accordingly re-delivered to ,virginia the entire substance of his lectures in the ship4 ,he fully impressed on her that all the intellect of the world was on the side of ,humanity2 and that ,god's existence could be disproved with a box of chemicals4 ,he was agreeably surprised at finding her not at all unwilling to be convinced1 and extremely unexacting in her demands for proof4 ,in a few days she had not a remnant of superstition left4 ',at last6' exclaimed the ,professor2 'it has come at last4 ,unspeakable happiness will surely begin now4' ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,no one now could possibly be more emancipated than ,virginia4 ,she tittered all day long and whenever the ,professor asked her why1 she always told him she was thinking of 'an intelligent ,first ,cause1' a conception which she said 'was really quite killing4' ,but when her first burst of intellectual excitement was over1 she became more serious4 ',all thought1 ,paul1' she said1 'is valuable mainly because it leads to action4 ,come1 my love1 my dove1 my beauty1 and let us kiss each other all daylong4 ,let us enjoy the charming license which exact thought shows us we shall never be punished for4' ,this was a result of freedom that the ,professor had never bargained for4 ,he could not understand it1 'because1' he argued1 'if people were to reason in that way1 morality would at once cease to be possible4' ,but he had seen so much of the world lately1 that he soon recovered himself1 and recollecting that immorality was only ignorance1 he began to show ,virginia where her error lay---her one remaining error4 ',i perceive1' he said1 'that you are ignorant of one of the greatest triumphs of exact thought--the distinction it has established between the lower and the higher pleasures4 ,philosophers1 who have thought the whole thing over in their studies1 have become sure that as soon as the latter are presented to men they will at once leave all and follow them4' ',they must be very nice pleasures1' said ,virginia1 'if they would make me leave kissing you for the sake of them4' ',they are nice1' said the ,professor4 ',they are the pleasures of the imagination1 the intellect1 and the glorious apprehension of truth4 ,compared with these1 kissing me would be quite insipid4 ,remain here for a moment1 whilst ,i go to fetch something1 and you shall then begin to taste them4' ,in a few moments ,paul came back again1 and found ,virginia in a state of intense expectancy4 ',now--1' he exclaimed triumphantly4 ',now--1' exclaimed ,virginia1 with a beating heart4 ,the ,professor put his hand in his pocket1 and drew slowly forth from it an object which ,virginia knew well4 ,it reminded her of the most innocent period of her life2 but she hated the very sight of it none the less4 ,it was a ,colenso's ,arithmetic4 ',come1' said the ,professor1 'no truths are so pure and necessary as those of mathematics2 you shall at once begin the glorious apprehension of them4' ',oh1 ,paul1' cried ,virginia1 in an agony1 'but ,i really don't care for truth at all2 and you know that when ,i broke your tin box open and read your private letters in my search for it1 you were very angry with me4' ',ah6' said ,paul1 holding up his finger1 'but those were not necessary truths4 ,truths about human action and character are not necessary truths2 therefore men of science care nothing about them1 and they have no place in scientific systems of ethics4 ,pure truths are of a very different character2 and1 however much you may misunderstand your own inclinations1 you can really care for nothing so much as doing a few sums4 ,i will set you some very easy ones to begin with1 and you shall do them by yourself1 whilst ,i magnify in the next room the parasites of the missing link4' ,virginia saw that there was no help for it4 ,she did her sums by herself the whole morning1 which1 as at school she had been very good at arithmetic1 was not a hard task for her1 and ,paul magnified parasites in the next room1 and prepared slides for his microscope4 ,when they met again1 ,paul began skipping and dancing1 as if he had gone quite out of his senses1 and every now and then between the skips he gave a sepulchral groan4 ,virginia asked him in astonishment what on earth was the matter with him4 ',matter6' he exclaimed4 ',why1 ,humanity is at last perfect6 ,all the evils of existence are removed2 we neither of us believe in a ,god or a celestial future2 and we are both in full enjoyment of the higher pleasures and the apprehension of scientific truth4 ,and therefore ,i skip because ,humanity is so unspeakably happy1 and ,i groan because it is so unspeakably solemn4' ',alas6 alas6' cried ,virginia1 'and would not you like to kiss me8' ',no1' said the ,professor1 sternly2 'and you would not like me to kiss you4 ,it is impossible that one half of ,humanity should prefer the pleasure of unlawful love to the pleasure of finding out scientific truths4' ',but1' pleaded ,virginia1 'cannot we enjoy both8' ',no1' said the ,professor1 'for if ,i began to kiss you ,i should soon not care two straws about the parasites of the missing link4' ',well1 said ,virginia1 'it is nice of you to say that2 but still----,ah me6 ,ah me6' ,and her bosom heaved slowly with a soft1 long sigh4 ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,virginia was preparing1 with a rueful face1 to resume her enjoyment of the higher pleasures1 when a horrible smell1 like that of an open drain1 was suddenly blown in through the window4 ,virginia stopped her nose with her handkerchief4 ,the ,professor's conduct was very different4 ',oh1 rapture6' he cried1 jumping up from his seat1 ',i smell the missing link4' ,and in another instant he was gone4 ',well1' said ,virginia1 'here is one comfort4 ,whilst ,paul is away ,i shall be relieved from the higher pleasures4 ,alas6' she cried1 as she flung herself down on the sofa1 'he is so nice-looking1 and such an enlightened thinker4 ,but it is plain he has never loved1 or else very certainly he would love again4' ,paul returned in about a couple of hours1 again unsuccessful in his search4 ',ah6' cried ,virginia1 ',i am so glad you have not caught the creature6' ',glad6' echoed the ,professor1 'glad6 ,do you know that till ,i have caught the missing link the cause of glorious truth will suffer grievously8 ,the missing link is the token of the solemn fact of our origin from inorganic matter4 ,i did but catch one blessed glimpse of him4 ,he had certainly a silver band about his neck4 ,he was about three feet high4 ,he was rolling in a lump of carrion4 ,it is through him that we are related to the stars--the holy1 the glorious stars1 about which we know so little4' ',bother the stars6' said ,virginia2 ',i couldn't bear1 ,paul1 that anything should come between you and me4 ,i have been thinking of you and longing for you the whole time you have been away4' ',what6' cried ,paul1 'and how have you been able to forego the pleasures of the intellect8' ',i have deserted them1' cried ,virginia1 'for the pleasures of the imagination1 which ,i gathered from you were also very ennobling4 ,and ,i found they were so2 for ,i have been imagining that you loved me4 ,why is the reality less ennobling than the imagination8 ,paul1 you shall love me2 ,i will force you to love me4 ,it will make us both so happy3 we shall never go to hell for it2 and it cannot possibly cause the slightest scandal4' ,the ,professor was more bewildered than ever by these appeals4 ,he wondered how ,humanity would ever get on if one half of it cared nothing for pure truth1 and persisted in following the vulgar impulses that had been the most distinguishing feature of its benighted past--that is to say1 those ages of its existence of which any record has been preserved for us4 ,luckily1 however1 ,virginia came to his assistance4 ',i think ,i know1 ,paul1' she said1 'why ,i do not care as ,i should do for the intellectual pleasures4 ,we have both been seeking them by ourselves2 and we have been therefore egoistic hedonists4 ,it is quite true1 as you say1 that selfishness is a despicable thing4 ,let me1' she went on1 sitting down beside him1 'look through your microscope along with you4 ,i think perhaps1 if we shared the pleasure1 the missing link's parasites might have some interest for me4' ,the ,professor was overjoyed at this proposal4 ,the two sat down side by side1 and tried their best to look simultaneously through the eye-piece of the microscope4 ,virginia in a moment expressed herself much satisfied4 ,it is true they saw nothing2 but their cheeks touched4 ,the ,professor too seemed contented1 and said they should both be in a state of rapture when they had got the right focus4 ,at last ,virginia whispered1 with a soft smile-- ',suppose we put that nasty microscope aside2 it is only in the way4 ,and then1 oh1 ,paul2 dear love1 dove of a ,paul6 we can kiss each other to our heart's content4' ,paul thought ,virginia quite incorrigible1 and rushed headlong out of the room4 ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ',alas6' cried ,paul1 'what can be done to convince one half of ,humanity that it is really devoted to the higher pleasures and does not care for the lower--at least nothing to speak of8' ,the poor man was in a state of dreadful perplexity1 and felt wellnigh distracted4 ,at last a light broke in on him4 ,he remembered that as one of his most revered masters1 ,professor ,tyndall1 had admitted1 a great part of ,humanity would always need a religion1 and that ,virginia now had none4 ,he at once rushed back to her4 ',ah6' he exclaimed1 'all is explained now4 ,you cannot be in love with me1 for that would be unlawful passion4 ,unlawful passion is unreasonable1 and unreasonable passion would quite upset a system of pure reason1 which is what exact thought shows us is soon going to govern the world4 ,no6 the emotions that you fancy are directed to me are in reality cosmic emotion--in other words1 are the reasonable religion of the future4 ,i must now initiate you in its solemn and unspeakably significant worship4' ',religion6' exclaimed ,virginia1 not knowing whether to laugh or cry4 ',it is not kind of you to be making fun of me4 ,there is no ,god1 no soul1 and no supernatural order1 and above all there is no hell4 ,how then can you talk to me about religion8' ',you1' replied ,paul1 'are associating religion with theology1 as indeed the world hitherto always has done4 ,but those two things1 as ,professor ,huxley well observes1 have absolutely nothing to do with each other4 ,it may be1 says that great teacher1 that the object of a man's religion is an ideal of sensual enjoyment1 or----' ',ah6' cried ,virginia1 'that is my religion1 ,paul4' ',nonsense6' replied ,paul2 'that cannot be the religion of half ,humanity1 else high1 holy1 solemn1 awful morality would never be able to stand on its own basis4 ,see1 the night has fallen1 the glorious moon has arisen1 the stupendous stars are sparkling in the firmament4 ,come down with me to the sea-shore1 where we may be face to face with nature1 and ,i will show you then what true religion--what true worship is4' ,the two went out together4 ,they stood on the smooth sands1 which glittered white and silvery in the dazzling moonlight ,all was hushed4 ,the gentle murmur of the trees1 and the soft splash of the sea1 seemed only to make the silence audible4 ,the ,professor paused close beside ,virginia1 and took her hand4 ,virginia liked that1 and thought that religion without theology was not perhaps so bad after all4 ,meanwhile ,paul had fixed his eyes on the moon4 ,then1 in a voice almost broken with emotion1 he whispered1 ',the prayer of the man of science1 it has been said1 must be for the most part of the silent sort4 ,he who said that was wrong4 ,it need not be silent2 it need only be inarticulate4 ,i have discovered an audible and a reasonable liturgy which will give utterance to the full to the religion of exact thought4 ,let us both join our voices1 and let us croon at the moon4' ,the ,professor at once began a long1 low howling4 ,virginia joined him1 until she was out of breath4 ',oh1 ,paul1' she said at last1 'is this more rational than the ,lord's ,prayer8' ',yes1' said the ,professor1 'for we can analyse and comprehend that2 but true religious feeling1 as ,professor ,tyndall tells us1 we can neither analyse nor comprehend4 ,see how big nature is1 and how little--ah1 how little6--we know about it4 ,is it not solemn1 and sublime1 and awful8 ,come let us howl again4' ,the ,professor's devotional fervour grew every moment4 ,at last he put his hand to his mouth1 and began hooting like an owl1 till it seemed that all the island echoed to him4 ,the louder ,paul hooted and howled1 the more near did he draw to ,virginia4 ',ah6' he said1 as he put his arm about her waist1 'it is in solemn moments like this that the solidarity of mankind becomes apparent4' ,virginia1 during the last few moments1 had stuck her fingers in her ears4 ,she now took them out1 and1 throwing her arms round ,paul's neck1 tried1 with her cheek on his shoulder1 to make another little hoot2 but the sound her lips formed was much more like a kiss4 ,the power of religion was at last too much for ,paul4 ',for the sake of cosmic emotion1' he exclaimed1 ',o other half of ,humanity1 and for the sake of rational religion1 both of which are showing themselves under quite a new light to me1 ,i will kiss you4' ,the ,professor was bending down his face over her1 when1 as if by magic1 he started1 stopped1 and remained as one petrified4 ,amidst the sharp silence1 there rang a human shout from the rocks4 ',oh6' shrieked ,virginia1 falling on her knees1 'it is a miracle6 it is a miracle6 ,and ,i know--merciful heavens--,i know the meaning of it4 ,god is angry with us for pretending that we do not believe on ,him4' ,the ,professor was as white as a sheet2 but he struggled with his perturbation manfully4 ',it is not a miracle1' he cried1 'but an hallucination4 ,it is an axiom with exact thinkers that all proofs of the miraculous are hallucinations4' ',see1' shrieked ,virginia again1 'they are coming1 they are coming4 ,do not you see them8' ,paul looked1 and there sure enough1 were two figures1 a male and a female1 advancing slowly towards them1 across the moonlit sand4 ',it is nothing1' cried ,paul2 'it cannot possibly be anything4 ,i protest1 in the name of science1 that it is an optical delusion4' ,suddenly the female figure exclaimed1 ',thank ,god1 it is he6' ,in another moment the male figure exclaimed1 ',thank ,god1 it is she6' ',my husband6' gasped ,virginia4 ',my wife6' replied the bishop1 for it was none other than he4 ',welcome to ,chasuble ,island4 ,by the blessing of ,god it is on your own home you have been wrecked1 and you have been living in the very house that ,i had intended to prepare for you4 ,providentially1 too1 ,professor ,darnley's wife has called here1 in her search for her husband1 who has overstayed his time4 ,see1 my love1 my dove1 my beauty1 here is the monkey ,i promised you as a pet1 which broke loose a few days ago1 and which ,i was in the act of looking for when your joint cries attracted us1 and we found you4' ,a yell of delight here broke from the ,professor4 ,the eyes of the others were turned on him1 and he was seen embracing wildly a monkey which the bishop led by a chain4 ',the missing link6 he exclaimed1 'the missing link6' ',nonsense6' cried the sharp tones of a lady with a green gown and grey corkscrew curls4 ',it is nothing but a monkey that the good bishop has been trying to tame for his wife4 ,don't you see her name engraved on the collar8' ,the shrill accents acted like a charm upon ,paul4 ,he sprang away from the creature that he had been just caressing4 ,he gazed for a moment on ,virginia's lovely form1 her exquisite toilette1 and her melting eyes4 ,then he turned wildly to the green gown and the grey corkscrew curls4 ,sorrow and superstition1 he felt1 were again invading ,humanity4 ',alas6' he exclaimed at last1 ',i do now indeed believe in hell4' ',and ,i1' cried ,virginia1 with much greater tact1 and rushing into the arms of her bishop1 'once more believe in heaven4' ,,notes4 ',we now find it 7the earth7 not only swathed by an atmosphere1 and covered by a sea1 but also crowded with living things4 ,the question is1 how were they introduced8444 ,the conclusion of science would undoubtedly be1 that the molten earth contained within it elements of life1 which grouped themselves into their present forms as the planet cooled4 ,the difficulty and reluctance encountered by this conception arise solely from the fact that the theologic conception obtained a prior footing in the human mind4444 ,were not man's origin implicated1 we should accept without a murmur the derivation of animal and vegetable life from what we call inorganic nature4 ,the conclusion of pure intellect points this way1 and no other4' ,,professor ,,tyndall4 ',is this egg 7from which the human being springs7 matter8 ,i hold it to be so1 as much as the seed of a fern or of an oak4 ,nine months go to the making of it into a man4 ,are the additions made during this period of gestation drawn from matter8 ,i think so1 undoubtedly4 ,if there be anything besides matter in the egg1 or in the infant subsequently slumbering in the womb1 what is it8' ,,professor ,,tyndall4 ',matter ,i define as the mysterious thing by which all this is accomplished4' ,,professor ,,tyndall4 ',i do not think that the materialist is entitled to say that his molecular groupings and motions explain everything4 ,in reality1 they explain nothing4 ,,professor ,,tyndall4 ',who shall exaggerate the deadly influence on personal morality of those theologies which have represented the ,deity 444 as a sort of pedantic drill-sergeant of mankind1 to whom no valour1 no long-tried loyalty1 could atone for the misplacement of a button of the uniform1 or the misunderstanding of a paragraph of the regulations and instructions8' ,,professor ,,huxley4 '7,to the ,jesuit imagination7 ,god is obviously a large individual1 who holds the leading-strings of the universe1 and orders its steps from a position outside it all4444 ,according to it 7this notion7 the ,power whom ,goethe does not dare to name1 and whom ,gassendi and ,clark ,maxwell present to us under the guise of a manufacturer of atoms1 turns out annually1 for ,england and ,wales alone1 a quarter of a million of new souls4 ,taken in connection with the dictum of ,mr4 ,carlyle1 that this annual increment to our population are mostly fools1 but little profit to the human heart seems derivable from this mode of regarding the divine operations4444 ,in the presence of this mystery 7the mystery of life7 the notion of an atomic manufacturer and artificer of souls1 raises the doubt whether those who entertain it were ever really penetrated by the solemnity of the problem for which they offer such a solution4' ,,professor ,,tyndall4 ',i look forward1 however1 to a time when the strength1 insight1 and elevation which now visit us in mere hints and glimpses1 during moments of clearness and vigour1 shall be the stable and permanent possession of purer and mightier minds than ours--purer and mightier1 partly because of their deeper knowledge of matter1 and their more faithful conformity to its laws4' ,,professor ,,tyndall4 ',the world1 as it is1 is growing daily dimmer before my eyes4 ,the world1 as it is to be1 is ever growing brighter4' ,,harriet ,,martineau4 '444 ,when you and ,i1 like streaks of morning cloud1 shall have melted into the infinite azure of the past4' ,,professor ,,tyndall4 ',we1 too1 turn our thoughts to that which is behind the veil4 ,we strive to pierce its secret with eyes1 we trust1 as eager and as fearless1 and even1 it may be1 more patient in searching for realities behind the gloom4 ,that which shall come after is no less solemn to us than to you4' ,,mr4 ,,frederic ,,harrison4 ',theological hypotheses of a new and heterogeneous existence have deadened our interest in the realities1 the grandeur1 and the perpetuity of an earthly life4' ,,mr4 ,,frederic ,,harrison4 ',as we read1 the calm and humane words of ,condorcet1 on the very edge of his yawning grave1 we learn1 from the conviction of posthumous activity 7not posthumous fame71 how the consciousness of a living incorporation with the glorious future of his race1 can give a patience and happiness equal to that of any martyr of theology4444 ,once make it 7i4e4 this sense of posthumous participation in the life of our fellows7 the basis of philosophy1 the standard of right and wrong1 and the centre of a religion1 and this 7the conversion of the masses7 will prove1 perhaps1 an easier task than that of teaching ,greeks and ,romans1 ,syrians and ,moors1 to look forward to a life of ceaseless psalmody in an immaterial heaven4' ,,mr4 ,,frederic ,,harrison4 ',we make the future life1 in the truest sense1 social1 inasmuch as our future is simply an active existence prolonged by society2 and our future life rests not in any vague yearning1 of which we have as little evidence as we have definite conception3 it rests on a perfectly certain truth 444 that the actions1 feelings1 thoughts1 of each one of us1 do marvellously influence and mould each other4444 ,can we conceive a more potent stimulus to rectitude1 to daily and hourly striving after a true life1 than this ever-present sense that we are indeed immortal2 not that we have an immortal something within us--but that in very truth we ourselves1 our thinking1 feeling1 acting personalities1 are immortal8' ,,mr4 ,,frederic ,,harrison4 ',as we live for others in life1 so we live in others after death4444 ,how deeply does such a belief as this bring home to each moment of life the mysterious perpetuity of ourselves6 ,for good1 for evil1 we cannot die4 ,we cannot shake ourselves free from this eternity of our faculties4' ,,mr4 ,,frederic ,,harrison4 ',we cannot even say that we shall continue to love2 but we know that we shall be loved4' ,,mr4 ,,frederic ,,harrison4 ',it is only when an earthly future is the fulfilment of a worthy earthly life1 that we can see the majesty1 as well as the glory1 of the world beyond the grave2 and then only will it fulfil its moral and religious purpose as the great guide of human conduct4' ,,mr4 ,,frederic ,,harrison4 ',i am confident that a brighter day is coming for future generations4' ,,harriet ,,martineau4 ',the humblest life that ever turned a sod sends a wave--no1 more than a wave1 a life--through the evergrowing harmony of human society4' ,,mr4 ,,frederic ,,harrison4 ',not a single nature1 in its entirety1 but leaves its influence for good or for evil4 ,as a fact1 the good prevail4' ,,mr4 ,,frederic ,,harrison4 ',to our friends and loved ones we shall give the most worthy honour and tribute if we never say nor remember that they are dead1 but1 contrariwise1 that they have lived2 that hereby the brotherly force and flow of their action and work may be carried over the gulf of death1 and made immortal in the true and healthy life which they worthily had and used4' ,,professor ,,clifford4 ',it cannot be doubted that the spiritual body of this book 7,the ,unseen ,universe7 will be used to support a belief that the dead are subject either to the shame and suffering of a ,christian ,heaven and ,hell1 or to the degrading service of a modern witch4 ,from each of these unspeakable profanities let us hope and endeavour that the memories of great and worthy men may be finally relieved4' ,,professor ,,clifford4 ',i choose the noble part of ,emerson1 when1 after various disenchantments1 he exclaimed1 ,i covet truth4 ,the gladness of true heroism visits the heart of him who is really competent to say this4' ,,professor ,,tyndall4 ',the highest1 as it is the only1 content is to be attained1 not by grovelling in the rank and steaming valleys of sense1 but by continually striving towards those high peaks1 when1 resting in eternal calm1 reason discerns the undefined but bright ideal of the highest good--a cloud by day1 a pillar of fire by night4' ,,professor ,,huxley4 ',if it can be shown by observation and experiment1 that theft1 murder1 and adultery1 do not tend to diminish the happiness of society1 then1 in the absence of any but natural knowledge1 they are not social immoralities4' ,,professor ,,huxley4 ',for my own part1 ,i do not for one moment admit that morality is not strong enough to hold its own4' ,,professor ,,huxley4 ',i object to the very general use of the terms religion and theology1 as if they were synonymous1 or indeed had anything whatever to do with one another4444 ,religion is an affair of the affections4 ,it may be that the object of a man's religion--the ideal which he worships--is an ideal of sensual enjoyment4' ,,professor ,,huxley4 ',in his hour of health 444 when the pause of reflection has set in1 the scientific investigator finds himself overshadowed with the same awe4 ,it associates him with a power which gives fulness and tone to his existence1 but which he can neither analyse nor comprehend4' ,,professor ,,tyndall4 ',he will see what drivellers even men of strenuous intellects may become1' though exclusively dwelling and dealing with theological chimeras4 ,,professor ,,tyndall4 ',the two kinds of cosmic emotion run together and become one4 ,the microcosm is viewed only in relation to human action1 nature is presented to the emotions as the guide and teacher of humanity4 ,and the microcosm is viewed only as tending to complete correspondence with the external2 human conduct is subject for reverence only in so far as it is consonant to the demiurgic law1 in harmony with the teaching of divine ,nature4' ,,professor ,,clifford4 ',the world will have religion of some kind1 even though it should fly for it to the intellectual whoredom of spiritualism4' ,,professor ,,tyndall4 ',all positive methods of treating man1 of a comprehensive kind1 adopt to the full all that has ever been said about the dignity of man's moral and spiritual life4444 ,i do not confine my language to the philosophy or religion of ,comte2 for the same conception of man is common to many philosophies and many religions4' ,,mr4 ,,frederic ,,harrison4