318 
But it would seem that notwithstanding the general spirit of 
harmony that prevailed in the Botanical Club, and especially in the 
large committee that it appointed, the work that has thus far been 
done does not receive the unanimous approval of the working 
botanists of the country. <A circular has recently been sent out 
bearing the signatures of a considerable number of men whom the 
science of botany justly honors, which is, in fact, in the nature of 
a protest against the movement. In urging the “ postponement 
of any radical measures of reform” these gentlemen seem to ad- 
mit the possibility of reform and perhaps the need of it, but, 
after a careful reading of this paper, I am obliged to conclude that 
it is in the main the result of the temporary irritation, already 
mentioned, which any new attempt to change the names of our 
plants is certain to produce. Of course, there are other causes 
arising out of the respective claims of rival universities, etc., etc. 
Especially is the argumentum ad verecundiam very prominent, and 
I might almost say justly so, since I yield to none in the profound 
respect which is generally shared for the great and good Dr. 
Gray, and for the unrivalled work in systematic botany that has 
been done at Harvard University. But still I am disposed not to 
permit mere sentiment to stand in the way of the settlement of so 
momentous a question as the one now before the botanical world, 
and I must say frankly, with all due respect for the eminent names 
that are appended to this circular, that I do not regard their gen- 
eral argument as a sound one, and I look upon the circular as 
little more than an appeal to botanists to preserve the status quo. 
In other words, it seems to be the product of that natural conser- 
vatism which always goes hand in hand with the spirit of progress 
and has its true function of preventing rash actions and hasty 
revolutions. With this spirit of order I fully sympathize, but at 
the same time I believe that the time has come for the completion 
of the reform movement which has merely been arrested, although 
gradually gaining ground since the date of the Stricklandian and 
of the Candollean codes. I do not regard the present movement 
in any sense revolutionary. It is merely an attempt on the part 
of botanists to secure a uniform system which has not thus far 
been actually put in practice, except to a limited extent. It is 
now proposed to practice what has been preached. 
