Chapter VI. The Great Awakening

           AndnowIcometotheendofthisextraordinaryincident,soovershadowinginitsimportance,notonlyinourownsmall,individuallives,butinthegeneralhistoryofthehumanrace.AsIsaidwhenIbeganmynarrative,whenthathistorycomestobewritten,thisoccurrencewillsurelystandoutamongallothereventslikeamountaintoweringamongitsfoothills.Ourgenerationhasbeenreservedforaveryspecialfatesinceithasbeenchosentoexperiencesowonderfulathing.Howlongitseffectmaylast—howlongmankindmaypreservethehumilityandreverencewhichthisgreatshockhastaughtit—canonlybeshownbythefuture.Ithinkitissafetosaythatthingscanneverbequitethesameagain.Nevercanonerealizehowpowerlessandignorantoneis,andhowoneisupheldbyanunseenhand,untilforaninstantthathandhasseemedtocloseandtocrush.Deathhasbeenimminentuponus.Weknowthatatanymomentitmaybeagain.Thatgrimpresenceshadowsourlives,butwhocandenythatinthatshadowthesenseofduty,thefeelingofsobrietyandresponsibility,theappreciationofthegravityandoftheobjectsoflife,theearnestdesiretodevelopandimprove,havegrownandbecomerealwithustoadegreethathasleavenedourwholesocietyfromendtoend?Itissomethingbeyondsectsandbeyonddogmas.Itisratheranalterationofperspective,ashiftingofoursenseofproportion,avividrealizationthatweareinsignificantandevanescentcreatures,existingonsufferanceandatthemercyofthefirstchillwindfromtheunknown.