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68 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN. 
that very few men, not excepting the gentlemen present, 
know who was the first botanist and what was his method of 
classification. Do you know that, Professor? Well, allow 
me to tell you that it was a man whom all the world knows 
and it is written in a book which the whole world knows. 
It is in the first chapter of the book of Moses called 
the Bible. And I will tell you how it reads and you can 
convince yourself, no matter in what translation, and you 
will see that on the third day the plants were created and 
that he classified them in only two kinds: plants bearing 
seed directly, each of its kind, —I know it better in He- 
brew than in English, —and plants bearing fruit wherein 
the seed is contained, each of its kind; and that was the 
classification of over four thousand years ago by that old 
teacher, or law-giver as they called him, Moses. And 
every one who will look in the Bible will find expressly 
this classification. It is very simple. It may not be com- 
plete, but it is a botanical classification. I leave it to 
Professor Trelease at another opportunity to go over all 
the other greater and later botanists, to whom my friend 
the late Henry Shaw has even erected statues, — and 
to one a greater statue than marble or bronze, —the col- 
lected works of my deceased friend Engelmunn. I thank 
you, my friends, and I hope you will not forget the botan- 
ist. 
The Chairman: The lateness of the hour, gentlemen, 
and the fact that some of us have a long distance to go, 
renders it impossible for us to linger longer, though we 
might do so profitably, were this not the case. But one 
word, therefore, remains to be said, a word of thanks 
for your presence this evening and for the interest you 
have shown and the good wishes that have been voiced for 
the future of what we who are called on to guide it trust 
may be made, as time goes on, a useful adjunct to progres- 
sive horticulture in all of its branches. 
