140 Dwellers of the Sea and Shore 



animals. To grasp those situations, of course, requires 

 a sympathetic attitude, an interpretative spirit fostered 

 by affection. This, however, will not be slow in assert- 

 ing itself. One cannot long associate oneself with 

 them before learning that one has not to do merely 

 with an inanimate, growing form, but with a very vital 

 thing. And this, by the way, is just as true of the higher 

 plants as of the seaweeds. It is a singular thing that 

 of all our companions on this planet, the members of 

 the plant kingdom are the most serviceable and yet the 

 most neglected. Almost every variety of animal has 

 been revealed to us through the fervent praises of dis- 

 tinguished pens. But where is there a Homer of the 

 plants? Certainly, the answer is plain; and perhaps it 

 contains the real reason why plants to the many always 

 have been, and still are — just plants. 



