I hope it is not unfilial to say that I think he was wrong in that point of view , but I am not sure I go so far as to approve of aeroplanes , though they may be a military necessity . If the Almighty had meant us to fly he would have provided us with wings . Since He did not it is plain He meant us to stick to the solid earth . At any rate , you will never see me , Mrs. Dr. dear , cavorting through the sky in an aeroplane . '' `` But you wo n't refuse to cavort a bit in father 's new automobile when it comes , will you , Susan ? '' teased Rilla . `` I do not expect to trust my old bones in automobiles , either , '' retorted Susan . `` But I do not look upon them as some narrow-minded people do . Whiskers-on-the-moon says the Government should be turned out of office for permitting them to run on the Island at all . He foams at the mouth , they tell me , when he sees one . The other day he saw one coming along that narrow side-road by his wheatfield , and Whiskers bounded over the fence and stood right in the middle of the road , with his pitchfork . The man in the machine was an agent of some kind , and Whiskers hates agents as much as he hates automobiles . He made the car come to a halt , because there was not room to pass him on either side , and the agent could not actually run over him . Then he raised his pitchfork and shouted , ` Get out of this with your devil-machine or I will run this pitchfork clean through you . ' And Mrs. Dr. dear , if you will believe me , that poor agent had to back his car clean out to the Lowbridge road , nearly a mile , Whiskers following him every step , shaking his pitchfork and bellowing insults . Now , Mrs. Dr. dear , I call such conduct unreasonable ; but all the same , '' added Susan , with a sigh , `` what with aeroplanes and automobiles and all the rest of it , this Island is not what it used to be . '' The aeroplane soared and dipped and circled , and soared again , until it became a mere speck far over the sunset hills . '' ` With the majesty of pinion Which the Theban eagles bear Sailing with supreme dominion Through the azure fields of air . ' '' quoted Anne Blythe dreamily . `` I wonder , '' said Miss Oliver , `` if humanity will be any happier because of aeroplanes .
It seems to me that the sum XXXXX human happiness remains much the same from age to age , no matter how it may vary in distribution , and that all the ` many inventions ' neither lessen nor increase it . ''
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