1 26 Considerations on Botany^ 



imprison it under a glass, and watches, with interest, its en- 

 deavours to regain liberty ; he deprives it of its wings, still 

 to see how, in such situations, the little insect will conduct 

 itself. Let boys be encouraged in the pursuit of a species of 

 knowledge so agreeable to them as the habits of animals ; let 

 them be supplied with books, and assisted in any little diffi- 

 culties that occur to them, and a great majority will, of their 

 own accord, devote to it even the leisure so precious to them; 

 nor will it be too bold to say, that boys thus accustomed to 

 think of the feelings and instincts of a variety of living crea- 

 tures, will never shock humanity by the cruelty of thoughtless 

 sports. 



Girls are not only discouraged from the pursuit of natural 

 history, but are very commonly forbidden it. Confounding 

 innocence with ignorance, their instructors keep from them all 

 books that may afford information which they would consider 

 as objectionable, or excite enquiry which they would think it 

 injudicious to satisfy. When arrived at an age to judge for 

 themselves, young ladies are apt to be alarmed by the nume- 

 rous terms of science; unacquainted with Latin, they shrink 

 from this formidable difficulty, and either decide that, how- 

 ever sweet be the kernel, the shell is too hard for them to 

 cracky or, if less diffident of their powers or sparing of their 

 trouble, they are willing to surmount that obstacle, they are 

 met by another, the dread of being branded with that fearful 

 epithet — blue I The latter difficulty is, however, easily ob- 

 viated; since the lady is not compelled to obtrude upon 

 others the Latin terms which serve as stepping-stones to the 

 knowledge of which she is in pursuit. I do not assert that 

 natural history is the study the most peculiarly adapted to 

 enable a young lady to shine in company ; but neither that 

 nor any other is surely any hindrance to it. The more we 

 know on any one subject, the more we are prepared to throw 

 amusement and illustration on any other. 



To some branches of natural history it has been objected 

 that their study leads to no useful result. This is applied 

 more particularly to mineralogy, conchology, botany, &c. 

 To speak of the latter only, which, perhaps, has been the 

 most generally charged with inutility, I fear not to assert 

 that the charge is unfounded. I have heard some indivi- 

 duals go so far as to question the utility of the knowledge of 

 plants altogether ; this extravagance can scarcely be very ge- 

 neral; a moment's consideration of the many, the innumer- 

 able uses to which plants have been applied by mankind, and 

 of the facility which a due knowledge of their structure and 



