172 Anniversary Address, 



that the original curse laid on the ground was then cancelled. 

 And the more so, because we read in Scripture that every blessing 

 and privilege regarding the earth and its produce conferred on 

 Adam at the time of his creation, was repeated almost verbatim 

 to Noah, and even enlarged ; so that in regard to the earth on 

 which he trod, Noah was in no respect in a worse position than 

 Adam was when he stood in his first innocence. 



If it is said that the original curse must remain, because man 

 must still ' eat bread by the sweat of his brow,' and that ' the 

 ground still brings forth thorns and thistles,' I confess I can 

 detect no great physical evil in the existence of these thorns and 

 thistles, and other weeds, such as they now are, of which indeed 

 there seems to be a great abundance and variety, to supply oc- 

 cupation to the botanist, and to furnish his box with specimens ; 

 but certainly they do not deform the earth's surface, and they 

 appear to have each their appropriate usefulness. No one will 

 say of this district that it is a mere nursery of thorns and 

 thistles. 



And if man must still labour for his bread, so, it must be 

 remembered, was Adam put into the Garden of Eden ' to dress 

 it and to keep it.' Adam certainly had his share of work ; and 

 who will venture at this day to specify the amount of labour 

 which may have been necessary to check the superfluous growth 

 of the weeds or wild flowers in Eden ? Or who will assert that 

 the exercise of remunerative labour is a curse to man, — or that 

 it does not add to his happiness, and is necessary to it ? ' Labor 

 voluptasque, dissimillim^ naturd, societate quadam natural! inter 

 se sunt juncta.' 



I will not, however. Gentlemen, practically confute this part of 

 my own argument, by condemning you to the tedious labour of 

 listening to the further prosecution of this subject, but retire 

 with the hope that we may for years to come enjoy the self-im- 

 posed labour of making many a long pedestrian excursion over 

 the hills and by the burn-sides of this county; and that the 

 gratifying labours of science may continue to produce among us 

 such fruits as they have already yielded in the books of more 

 than one distinguished Member of our Club. 



One remark more only I would add, viz. that the manifest 

 removal of the curse of physical evil from the ground leads the 

 mind to look forward with hope and confidence to the time when 



