that fascinating realm which touches on the intel- 
ligence, the spirituality, the mysticism, the psy- 
chic phenomena, the higher life of plants. 
In all this, the manifest independence of plant 
life and purpose is convincingly apparent. The 
plants have their own lives to lead and their 
own evolutionary processes to carry on. They 
completed the conquest of the earth long before 
the first human being appeared on its surface. 
Out of approximately a hundred thousand spe- 
cies of flowering plants, it has been estimated 
that only two hundred and forty-seven render 
direct and important service to man, and of these, 
only about fifty-four are utilized by him to any 
great extent. 
While today it is no longer the fashion to be- 
lieve that plants were created for man’s sole 
benefit, yet it cannot be denied that, because of 
their physical limitations and inferior intel- 
ligence, the plants frequently become very do- 
cile servants of the human race, thereby thriv- 
ing mightily and to their own great advantage. 
This is as it should be. It is a law of earthly life. 
The danger lies in the contempt which this serv- 
itude engenders in the consciouness of man, the 
[14] 
