Evening star., 1928-11-28
WORLD FAMOUS STORIES
THE FIRST MAN
BY COMTE DE BUFFON

The comte de Button, i107-ss, was
his chapter on Nan" aai it describes the
e Teao as s P2oass tie q m Ada man hsd
written them down.
I recollect that moment, full of Joy
and perpleX4ty, when for the first time
I was aware of M singular existence.
I did not know what was, where I was
or where I came from. I opened my
eyes. How my sensations increased!
The light, the vault OF Heaven, the ver-
dure Of the earth, the crystal Of the
Waters-everything interested me and
gave me an irexpresSible sentiment of
pleasure. I thought at first that all
these objects were in me and made a
part of myself. I was confirming my
self in this idea when turned my eyes
toward the sun. It's brilliance dis
tressed me. I involuntarily closed my
eyelids, and l felt slight sensation OF
grief. In this moment Of darkness
thought I had lost my entire being.
Afflicted and astonished, l was think
Ing Of this great change when sud dIenly
I heard sounds-the singing of birds,
the n1urmuring of the air. formed
concert the sweet influence of which
touched my very soul. I listened for a
long time. and soon felt convinced
that this harmony was myself. Intent
upon and entirely occupied with this
new part Of my existence, had already
forgotten light, that other portion of my
being, the first with which 1 had be-
come acquainted, when 1 reopened my
eyes. What happiness to possess once
more so many brilliant objects! Ny
pleasure surpassed what had felt the
first time and for while suspended
the charming effect of sound.
I fixed my eyes on thousand differ
ent objects. I soon discovered that
might lose and recover these objects
and that had at my will the power of
destroying and reproducing this beauti-
ful part of myself. And although it
seemed to me immense in its grandeur,
from the quality Of the rays of light
and from the variety Of the colors,
thought I had discovered that it was
all portion Of being.
I was beginning to see without emo
*ton and to hear without agitation,
%hen slight breeze, whose freshness I
felt, brought to me perfumes that gave
me an inward pleasure and caused a
feeling OF love for myself
Agitated by all these sensations and
oppressed by the pleasure of SO beau
tiful and grand an existence, suddenly
rose, and ! felt nvself taken alorg by
an unknown power. I made only one
step. The novelty Of my situation made
me motionlesS. My surprise was ex-
trcne. I thought my existence was
flying from me. The movement I had
made disturbed the objects around me.
and l imagined ever thing was disor-
0ered.
PIT my hard 20 nv head. I touched
my creh-ad End ewes. I felt all over
L~r a.
he tA2 Principal pa Of r1y eXist7N~-
What telt was 50 distinct and so COM
pete. tn enjoyment cf it appeared 50
T2rf1-t C~m01red with the pleasure that
5i1t and sonnd had caused me, that
C7ro r'"@-lf ~ entirely to This sub
S.9n II PIT Of m2 being. and I felt
t'la. my ideas acquired pIofundity and
reality.
E7cr7 part Of my body that touched
s~c-ned to give sack to my hand feeling
for i@e'in~, ard eaoh tou.h produced q
t-Gb 2 itc1 in ny m nd. I wcs not ,ong
in G'~c0verlng that this faculty. of feel
iinc3 w2s s2-ssd ever ever, part Of my
body l soon found out the limits OF
my existence, which hal at fist scemed
to me immense in extent. 1 had cast
my eyes over my body. I thought it OF
enormous dimensions. so large that al
the objects that struck my eye appeared
to me in comparison mere luminous
points. I examined myself for a lone
time; I looked at myself with pleasure
I followed my hand with my eyes, an
I observed all its movements. My mind
was filled with the strangest ideas.
thought the movement of my hand wa:
only kind of fugitive existence, a sue
cession of similar things. 1 put ms
hand near my eyes. 1t seemed to m'
larger than my whole body. and it hic
an infinite number OF objects from ny
view
I began to suspect that there wa
an illusion in the sensations that m
eyes made me experience. had dis
tinctly seen that my hand was only
ANAL part of my body. and could mo-