table,asknoblessingnotbecauseIamwiserthanIwas,but,Iamobligedtoconfess,because,howevermuchitistoberegretted,withyearsIhavegrownmorecoarseandindifferent.Perhapsthesequestionsareentertainedonlyinyouth,asmostbelieveofpoetry.Mypracticeis“nowhere,”myopinionishere.NeverthelessIamfarfromregardingmyselfasoneofthoseprivilegedonestowhomtheVedreferswhenitsays,that“hewhohastruefaithintheOmnipresentSupremeBeingmayeatallthatexists,”thatis,isnotboundtoinquirewhatishisfood,orwhopreparesitandevenintheircaseitistobeobserved,asaHindoocommentatorhasremarked,thattheVedantlimitsthisprivilegeto“thetimeofdistress.”
Whohasnotsometimesderivedaninexpressiblesatisfactionfromhisfoodinwhichappetitehadnoshare?IhavebeenthrilledtothinkthatIowedamentalperceptiontothecommonlygrosssenseoftaste,thatIhavebeeninspiredthroughthepalate,thatsomeberrieswhichIhadeatenonahill-sidehadfedmygenius.“Thesoulnotbeingmistressofherself,”saysThseng-tseu,“onelooks,andonedoesnotseeonelistens,andonedoesnothearoneeats,andonedoesnotknowthesavoroffood.”Hewhodistinguishesthetruesavorofhisfoodcanneverbeagluttonhewhodoesnotcannotbeotherwise.Apuritanmaygotohisbrown-breadcrustwithasgrossanappetiteaseveranaldermantohisturtle.Notthatfoodwhichenterethintothemouthdefilethaman,buttheappetitewithwhichitiseaten.Itisneitherthequalitynorthequantity,butthedevotiontosensualsavorswhenthatwhichiseatenisnotaviandtosustainouranimal,orinspireourspirituallife,butfoodforthewormsthatpossessus.Ifthehunterhasatasteformud-turtles,muskrats,andothersuchsavagetid-bits,thefineladyindulgesatasteforjellymadeofacalf’sfoot,orforsardinesfromoverthesea,andtheyareeven.Hegoestothemill-pond,shetoherpreserve-pot.Thewonderishowthey,howyouandI,canlivethisslimy,beastlylife,eatinganddrinking.
Ourwholelifeisstartlinglymoral.Thereisneveraninstant’strucebetweenvirtueandvice.Goodnessistheonlyinvestmentthatneverfails.Inthemusicoftheharpwhichtremblesroundth