The Wall of the World

           Bythetimehismotherbeganleavingthecaveonhuntingexpeditions, thecubhadlearnedwellthelawthatforbadehisapproachingtheentrance. Notonlyhadthislawbeenforciblyandmanytimesimpressedonhimbyhismother’snoseandpaw, butinhimtheinstinctoffearwasdeveloping. Never,inhisbriefcave-life,hadheencounteredanythingofwhichtobeafraid. Yetfearwasinhim. Ithadcomedowntohimfromaremoteancestrythroughathousandthousandlives. ItwasaheritagehehadreceiveddirectlyfromOneEyeandtheshe-wolf; buttothem,inturn,ithadbeenpasseddownthroughallthegenerationsofwolvesthathadgonebefore. Fear!—thatlegacyoftheWildwhichnoanimalmayescapenorexchangeforpottage. 

           Sothegreycubknewfear,thoughheknewnotthestuffofwhichfearwasmade. Possiblyheaccepteditasoneoftherestrictionsoflife. Forhehadalreadylearnedthatthereweresuchrestrictions. Hungerhehadknown;andwhenhecouldnotappeasehishungerhehadfeltrestriction. Thehardobstructionofthecave-wall,thesharpnudgeofhismother’snose,thesmashingstrokeofherpaw, thehungerunappeasedofseveralfamines,hadborneinuponhimthatallwasnotfreedomintheworld, thattolifetherewaslimitationsandrestraints. Theselimitationsandrestraintswerelaws. Tobeobedienttothemwastoescapehurtandmakeforhappiness. 

           Hedidnotreasonthequestionoutinthismanfashion. Hemerelyclassifiedthethingsthathurtandthethingsthatdidnothurt. Andaftersuchclassificationheavoidedthethingsthathurt,therestrictionsandrestraints, inordertoenjoythesatisfactionsandtheremunerationsoflife. 

           Thusitwasthatinobediencetothelawlaiddownbyhismother, andinobediencetothelawofthatunknownandnamelessthing,fear,hekeptawayfromthemouthofthecave.