SANS GENIE ET SANS ESPRIT!

229. In these later ages, which may be proud of their humanity, there still remains so much fear, so much SUPERSTITION of the fear, of the “cruel wild beast,” the mastering of which constitutes the very pride of these humaner ages — that even obvious truths, as if by the agreement of centuries, have long remained unuttered, because they have the appearance of helping the finally slain wild beast back to life again.

I perhaps risk something when I allow such a truth to escape; let others capture it again and give it so much “milk of pious sentiment” [FOOTNOTE: An expression from Schiller’s William Tell, Act IV, Scene 3.] to drink, that it will lie down quiet and forgotten, in its old corner. — One ought to learn anew about cruelty, and open one’s