the prophet disdainfully and without shame, that they knew nothing of any spiritual utilities, because they believed in evolution and held man to be only a developed ape, with no more soul than his ancestor, the stranger responded that he too was an Evolutionist, but that he understood the doctrine quite differently from them, and more after the fashion of the old teachers,—­Pythagoras, Plato, Hermes, and Buddha.  And that the living and incorruptible Spirit of God was in all things, whether ape or man, whether beast or human; ay, and in the very flowers and grass of the field, and in every element of all that is ignorantly thought to be dead and inert matter.  So that the soul of man, he said, is one with the soul that is in all Nature, 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.”