the water-babies-第8部分

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nd　no　one　has　a　right　to　say　that　no　water…babies　exist；　till　they　have　seen　no　water…babies　existing；　which　is　quite　a　different　thing；　mind；　from　not　seeing　water…babies；　and　a　thing　which　nobody　ever　did；　or　perhaps　ever　will　do。

〃But　surely　if　there　were　water…babies；　somebody　would　have　caught　one　at　least？〃

Well。　　How　do　you　know　that　somebody　has　not？

〃But　they　would　have　put　it　into　spirits；　or　into　the　ILLUSTRATED　NEWS；　or　perhaps　cut　it　into　two　halves；　poor　dear　little　thing；　and　sent　one　to　Professor　Owen；　and　one　to　Professor　Huxley；　to　see　what　they　would　each　say　about　it。〃

Ah；　my　dear　little　man！　that　does　not　follow　at　all；　as　you　will　see　before　the　end　of　the　story。

〃But　a　water…baby　is　contrary　to　nature。〃

Well；　but；　my　dear　little　man；　you　must　learn　to　talk　about　such　things；　when　you　grow　older；　in　a　very　different　way　from　that。　You　must　not　talk　about　〃ain't〃　and　〃can't〃　when　you　speak　of　this　great　wonderful　world　round　you；　of　which　the　wisest　man　knows　only　the　very　smallest　corner；　and　is；　as　the　great　Sir　Isaac　Newton　said；　only　a　child　picking　up　pebbles　on　the　shore　of　a　boundless　ocean。

You　must　not　say　that　this　cannot　be；　or　that　that　is　contrary　to　nature。　　You　do　not　know　what　Nature　is；　or　what　she　can　do；　and　nobody　knows；　not　even　Sir　Roderick　Murchison；　or　Professor　Owen；　or　Professor　Sedgwick；　or　Professor　Huxley；　or　Mr。　Darwin；　or　Professor　Faraday；　or　Mr。　Grove；　or　any　other　of　the　great　men　whom　good　boys　are　taught　to　respect。　　They　are　very　wise　men；　and　you　must　listen　respectfully　to　all　they　say：　　but　even　if　they　should　say；　which　I　am　sure　they　never　would；　〃That　cannot　exist。　　That　is　contrary　to　nature；〃　you　must　wait　a　little；　and　see；　for　perhaps　even　they　may　be　wrong。　　It　is　only　children　who　read　Aunt　Agitate's　Arguments；　or　Cousin　Cramchild's　Conversations；　or　lads　who　go　to　popular　lectures；　and　see　a　man　pointing　at　a　few　big　ugly　pictures　on　the　wall；　or　making　nasty　smells　with　bottles　and　squirts；　for　an　hour　or　two；　and　calling　that　anatomy　or　chemistry　…　who　talk　about　〃cannot　exist；〃　and　〃contrary　to　nature。〃　　Wise　men　are　afraid　to　say　that　there　is　anything　contrary　to　nature；　except　what　is　contrary　to　mathematical　truth；　for　two　and　two　cannot　make　five；　and　two　straight　lines　cannot　join　twice；　and　a　part　cannot　be　as　great　as　the　whole；　and　so　on　（at　least；　so　it　seems　at　present）：　　but　the　wiser　men　are；　the　less　they　talk　about　〃cannot。〃　　That　is　a　very　rash；　dangerous　word；　that　〃cannot〃；　and　if　people　use　it　too　often；　the　Queen　of　all　the　Fairies；　who　makes　the　clouds　thunder　and　the　fleas　bite；　and　takes　just　as　much　trouble　about　one　as　about　the　other；　is　apt　to　astonish　them　suddenly　by　showing　them；　that　though　they　say　she　cannot；　yet　she　can；　and　what　is　more；　will；　whether　they　approve　or　not。

And　therefore　it　is；　that　there　are　dozens　and　hundreds　of　things　in　the　world　which　we　should　certainly　have　said　were　contrary　to　nature；　if　we　did　not　see　them　going　on　under　our　eyes　all　day　long。　　If　people　had　never　seen　little　seeds　grow　into　great　plants　and　trees；　of　quite　different　shape　from　themselves；　and　these　trees　again　produce　fresh　seeds；　to　grow　into　fresh　trees；　they　would　have　said；　〃The　thing　cannot　be；　it　is　contrary　to　nature。〃　And　they　would　have　been　quite　as　right　in　saying　so；　as　in　saying　that　most　other　things　cannot　be。

Or　suppose　again；　that　you　had　come；　like　M。　Du　Chaillu；　a　traveller　from　unknown　parts；　and　that　no　human　being　had　ever　seen　or　heard　of　an　elephant。　　And　suppose　that　you　described　him　to　people；　and　said；　〃This　is　the　shape；　and　plan；　and　anatomy　of　the　beast；　and　of　his　feet；　and　of　his　trunk；　and　of　his　grinders；　and　of　his　tusks；　though　they　are　not　tusks　at　all；　but　two　fore　teeth　run　mad；　and　this　is　the　section　of　his　skull；　more　like　a　mushroom　than　a　reasonable　skull　of　a　reasonable　or　unreasonable　beast；　and　so　forth；　and　so　forth；　and　though　the　beast　（which　I　assure　you　I　have　seen　and　shot）　is　first　cousin　to　the　little　hairy　coney　of　Scripture；　second　cousin　to　a　pig；　and　（I　suspect）　thirteenth　or　fourteenth　cousin　to　a　rabbit；　yet　he　is　the　wisest　of　all　beasts；　and　can　do　everything　save　read；　write；　and　cast　accounts。〃　　People　would　surely　have　said；　〃Nonsense；　your　elephant　is　contrary　to　nature；〃　and　have　thought　you　were　telling　stories　…　as　the　French　thought　of　Le　Vaillant　when　he　came　back　to　Paris　and　said　that　he　had　shot　a　giraffe；　and　as　the　king　of　the　Cannibal　Islands　thought　of　the　English　sailor；　when　he　said　that　in　his　country　water　turned　to　marble；　and　rain　fell　as　feathers。　　They　would　tell　you；　the　more　they　knew　of　science；　〃Your　elephant　is　an　impossible　monster；　contrary　to　the　laws　of　comparative　anatomy；　as　far　as　yet　known。〃　　To　which　you　would　answer　the　less；　the　more　you　thought。

Did　not　learned　men；　too；　hold；　till　within　the　last　twenty…five　years；　that　a　flying　dragon　was　an　impossible　monster？　　And　do　we　not　now　know　that　there　are　hundreds　of　them　found　fossil　up　and　down　the　world？　　People　call　them　Pterodactyles：　　but　that　is　only　because　they　are　ashamed　to　call　them　flying　dragons；　after　denying　so　long　that　flying　dragons　could　exist。

The　truth　is；　that　folks'　fancy　that　such　and　such　things　cannot　be；　simply　because　they　have　not　seen　them；　is　worth　no　more　than　a　savage's　fancy　that　there　cannot　be　such　a　thing　as　a　locomotive；　because　he　never　saw　one　running　wild　in　the　forest。　　Wise　men　know　that　their　business　is　to　examine　what　is；　and　not　to　settle　what　is　not。　　They　know　that　there　are　elephants；　they　know　that　there　have　been　flying　dragons；　and　the　wiser　they　are；　the　less　inclined　they　will　be　to　say　positively　that　there　are　no　water…babies。

No　water…babies；　indeed？　　Why；　wise　men　of　old　said　that　everything　on　earth　had　its　double　in　the　water；　and　you　may　see　that　that　is；　if　not　quite　true；　still　quite　as　true　as　most　other　theories　which　you　are　likely　to　hear　for　many　a　day。　　There　are　land…babies　…　then　why　not　water…babies？　　ARE　THERE　NOT　WATER…RATS；　WATER…FLIES；　WATER…CRICKETS；　WATER…CRABS；　WATER…TORTOISES；　WATER…SCORPIONS；　WATER…TIGERS　AND　WATER…HOGS；　WATER…CATS　AND　WATER…DOGS；　SEA…LIONS　AND　SEA…BEARS；　SEA…HORSES　AND　SEA…ELEPHANTS；　SEA…MICE　AND　SEA…　URCHINS；　SEA…RAZORS　AND　SEA…PENS；　SEA…COMBS　AND　SEA…FANS；　AND　OF　PLANTS；　ARE　THERE　NOT　WATER…GRASS；　AND　WATER…CROWFOOT；　WATER…　MILFOIL；　AND　SO　ON；　WITHOUT　END？

〃But　all　these　things　are　only　nicknames；　the　water　things　are　not　really　akin　to　the　land　things。〃

That's　not　always　true。　　They　are；　in　millions　of　cases；　not　only　of　the　same　family；　but　actually　the　same　individual　creatures。　　Do　not　even　you　know　that　a　green　drake；　and　an　alder…fly；　and　a　dragon…fly；　live　under　water　till　they　change　their　skins；　just　as　Tom　changed　his？　　And　if　a　water　animal　can　continually　change　into　a　land　animal；　why　should　not　a　land　animal　sometimes　change　into　a　water　animal？　　Don't　be　put　down　by　any　of　Cousin　Cramchild's　arguments；　but　stand　up　to　him　like　a　man；　and　answer　him　（quite　respectfully；　of　course）　thus：…

If　Cousin　Cramchild　says；　that　if　there　are　water…babies；　they　must　grow　into　water…men；　ask　him　how　he　knows　that　they　do　not？　and　then；　how　he　knows　that　they　must；　any　more　than　the　Proteus　of　the　Adelsberg　caverns　grows　into　a　perfect　newt。

If　he　says　that　it　is　too　strange　a　transformation　for　a　land…baby　to　turn　into　a　water…baby；　ask　him　if　he　ever　heard　of　the　transformation　of　Syllis；　or　the　Distomas；　or　the　common　jelly…　fish；　of　which　M。　Quatrefages　says　excellently　well　…　〃Who　would　not　exclaim　that　a　miracle　had　come　to　pass；　if　he　saw　a　reptile　come　out　of　the　egg　dropped　by　the　hen　in　his　poultry…yard；　and　the　reptile　give　birth　at　once　to　an　indefinite　number　of　fishes　and　birds？　　Yet　the　history　of　the　jelly…fish　is　quite　as　wonderful　as　that　would　be。〃　　Ask　him　if　he　knows　about　all　this；　and　if　he　does　not；　tell　him　to　go　and　look　for　himself；　and　advise　him　（very　respectfully；　of　course）　to　settle　no　more　what　strange　things　cannot　happen；　till　he　has　seen　what　strange　things　do　happen　every　day。

If　he　says　that　things　cannot　degrade；　that　is；　change　downwards　into　lower　forms；　ask　him；　who　told　him　that　water…babies　were　lower　than　land…babies？　　But　even　if　they　were；　does　he　know　about　the　strange　degradation　of　the　common　goose…barnacles；　which　one　finds　sticking　on　ships'　bottoms；　or　the　still　stranger　degradation　of　some　cousins　of　theirs；　of　which　one　hardly　likes　to　talk；　so　shocking　and　ugly　it　is？

And；　lastly；　if　he　says　（as　he　most　certainly　will）　that　these　transformations　only　take　place　in　the　lower　animals；　and　not　in　the　higher；　say　that　that　seems　to　little　boys；　and　to　some　grown　people；　a　very　strange　fancy。　　For　if　the　changes　of　the　lower　animals　are　so　wonderful；　and　so　difficult　to　discover；　why　should　not　there　be　changes　in　the　higher　animals　far　more　wonderful；　and　far　more　difficult　to　discover？　　And　may　not　man；　the　crown　and　flower　of　all　things；　undergo　some　change　as　much　more　wonderful　than　all　the　rest；　as　the　Great　Exhibition　is　more　wonderful　than　a　rabbit…burrow？　　Let　him　answer　that。　　And　if　he　says　（as　he　will）　that　not　having　seen　such　a　change　in　his　experience；　he　is　not　bound　to　believe　it；　ask　him　respectfully；　where　his　microscope　has　been？　　Does　not　each　of　us；　in　coming　into　this　world；　go　through　a　transformation　just　as　wonderful　as　that　of　a　sea…egg；　or　a　butterfly？　and　do　not　reason　and　analogy；　as　well　as　Scripture；　tell　us　that　that　transformation　is　not　the　last？　and　that；　though　what　we　shall　be；　we　know　not；　yet　we　are　here　but　as　the　crawling　caterpillar；　and　shall　be　hereafter　as　the　perfect　fly。　　The　old　Greeks；　heathens　as　they　were；　saw　as　much　as　that　two　thousand　years　ago；　and　I　care　very　little　for　Cousin　Cramchild；　if　he　sees　even　less　than　they。　　And　so　forth；　and　so　forth；　till　he　is　quite　cross。　　And　then　tell　him　that　if　there　are　no　water…babies；　at　least　there　ought　to　be；　and　that；　at　least；　he　cannot　answer。

And　meanwhile；　my　dear　little　man；　till　you　know　a　great　deal　more　about　nature　than　Professor　Owen　and　Professor　Huxley　put　together；　don't　tell　me　about　what　cannot　be；　or　fancy　that　anything　is　too　wonderful　to　be　true。　　〃We　are　fearfully　and