But where it does detect the earnestness of the Notion in its onward march dashing these figures to pieces, and comes to see how ill it fares with its venerated gods who dare to trespass on ground where the Notion holds sway, then it is not itself the negative power which actively interferes; on the contrary, it clings to the self less thought of such power, clings to the consciousness of an alien fate and produces the empty desire for ease and comfort, and .feeble talk of appease ment.