XVill PREFACE. 



mankind or to themselves. They would 

 permit their children to study botany, 

 only because it might possibly lead to 

 professorships, or other lucrative prefer- 

 ment. 



These views are not blameable, but 

 they are not the sole end of human ex- 

 istence. Is it not desirable to call the 

 soul from the feverish agitation of worldly 

 pursuits, to the contemplation of Divine 

 Wisdom in the beautiful economy of 

 Nature ? Is it not a privilege to walk with 

 God in the garden of creation, and hold 

 converse with his providence ? If such ele- 

 vated feelings do not lead to the study of 

 Nature, it cannot far be pursued without 

 rewarding the student by exciting them. 



Rousseau, a great judge of the human 

 heart and observer of human manners, 

 has remarked, that " when^ science is 

 transplanted from the mountains and 

 woods into cities and worldly society, it 



