Article #25 - Botany

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                        Botany

How interesting and instructive it must be to trace the different species of Flora’s beauties

which bedecks the face of nature from their germ hidden in the ground up through all its changes

until it arrives at perfection, how small and trifling the seed appears before it is consigned to the earth, but soon its vitilizing [sic] power bursts through its enclosure and then springs into existance [sic] a ?? which at its first appearance above the soil is ?? tender but as the leaves draw nourishment from the atmosphere which surrounds it and the roots from the soil which encircles them the plant grows ?? an soon puts forth buds which swell and ?? full blown flower, and perhaps the  ?? turn gives way to the perfect fruit. These ?? and transformation follow each other in such ?? regularity that we are led to admire the ?? and power of him who created them. The more we study into these mysteries, and the better we become acquainted with the rules which govern them, the more do we feel our inferiority to our maker, and the more does our love and reverence for him increase. This fact is proved in our every day life, take for instance the man who has had but little education his finer feelings are blunted by his yielding to the grosser, he looks upon life as a curse and denies the existence of a creative power, he can see the delicate flower expanding its beautiful petals to receive the genial influence of the sun and admire it not, he can feel the gentle zephers [sic] fan his cheek, yet be unconscious of the fragrant perfume

with which it is laden, he is merely conscious of their existence, yet ignorant of the law which govern them, and from his ignorance of these facts he can gain but little pleasure from his existence, how different is it with him who has made it his study, he does not pass the smallest flower without stoping [sic] to ?? its form and structure and to trace out ?? it must undergo before it arrives at perfection  ?? experiences pleasure in tracing out the  ?? God throughout the whole productions of ?? his senses are quickened and his mind is ?? state for receiving impressions ?? greatly to his comfort and enjoyment of life ?? it not be well for us to devote some of our study which would be so beneficial in its ?? it would cause us better to undestand the  ?? which govern our universe and make us better capable of appreciating the design of him who made it.

                                                W