only that when man is truly human, in him alone the soul becomes
self-knowing and self-concentrated; the mirror of Heaven, and the
focus of the Divine Light. And he declared, moreover, that the
spiritual evolution of which he spoke was not so much promoted by
intellectual knowledge as by moral goodness; that it was possible
to be a very learned ape indeed, but in no wise to deserve the name
of man; and that inasmuch as any person was disposed to sacrifice
the higher to the lower reason, and to rank intellectual above
spiritual attainment, insomuch that person was still an ape and
had not developed humanity.
Now, the stranger who was brave enough to say all this was no other
than the traveler poet, and all the time he was speaking, the bird
which the Princess had given him lay hid in his bosom and sang to
him, clear and sweet, "Courage! courage! these are the ogres and
the dragons; fight the good fight; be of a bold heart!" Nor was
he astonished or dismayed when the assembly arose with tumult and
hooting, and violently thrust him out of the Scientific Institution
into the street. And that was the noise which the other traveler
and his companion had heard.
But when the greater part of the mob had returned into the building
there was left with the poet a little group of men and women whose
hearts had been stirred by his protest. And they said to him, "You
have spoken well, sir, and have done a noble thing. We are citizens
of this place, and we will devote ourselves to giving effect to
your words. Doubt not that we shall succeed, though it may be long
first, for indeed we will work with a will." Then the poet was
glad, because he had not spoken in vain, and he bade them good speed,
and went on his way. But the scientific man, who was with the other
traveler, heard these last words, and became very angry. "Certainly,"
he said, "this foolish and ignorant person who has just been turned
out of the assembly must have insulted our great leaders! What
presumption! what insolence! No one knows what mischief he may
not have done by his silly talk! It is deplorable! But see, here
comes Professor Effaress, the very man I most wished to see.
Professor, let me present this gentleman. He is the owner of a
rare and remarkable bird, on which we want your opinion."
The Professor was a very great personage, and his coat was covered
all over with decorations and bits of colored ribbon, like those
on a kite's tail. Perhaps, like a kite's tail, they weighted and
steadied him, and kept him from mounting too high into the clouds.
The Professor looked at the bird through his spectacles, and nodded
his head sagaciously. "I have seen this species before," he said,
"though not often. It belongs to a very ancient family indeed,
and I scarcely thought that any specimen of it remained in the
present day. Quite a museum bird; and in excellent plumage, too.
Sir, I congratulate you."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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