Page:Meda - a tale of the future.djvu/150

146 is true, but pure and free from the curse of a horrible record of crime.

"Yes, my Specimen, when we look back on the history of the past, and remember what a shameful part the cupidity of man caused gold, silver, and the precious stones to play in the world's history, we cannot help coupling and associating man's worst instincts with these otherwise harmless substances. They are truly in themselves possessed of singular beauty, but this beauty is so dimmed and disfigured by the doings of men, that we cannot see one apart from the other. We live for none of these; we live for a more true and lasting pleasure."