One of the most widespread illusions of mankind is the assumption that whatever novelty he introduces is necessarily an 'improvement'. In the present age mankind is suffering from a fever of change: nearly nothing can be left as it was, nearly everything must be altered, and ever more rapidly - and the alteration is nearly always assumed to be an 'improvement'.
At the same time one observes that the contrary is generally the opinion of the cultured minority, the new way is found to be longer, further, more wearisome, the new thing is seen as clumsy, ugly, ill-made, the new schedule almost invariably more inconvenient. In seeking to extract more money from some people others are displeased and incommoded, colossal injustices are inflicted on some in the supposed interests of others. Meanwhile nature is ever more disfigured by man who fancies that whatever he does is 'better'.
Inevitably both points of view are equally insensate, for both are illusory evaluations. The 'old' was once 'new', change from what was before, and the 'new' will shortly be 'old' and subject to further change, whereas the ideas of convenience and beauty are resultants of habit.
The most that one can say is that nothing man has ever done, is doing, or ever will do can be other than a disfigurement of nature, of that nature of which he himself is an integral part.
