382 STUDY OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



duties, or he enters at once upon his divine ministry. 

 In the former case there is leisure, more than 

 enough, to make himself practically conversant with 

 the wonders of the material world ; for into what- 

 ever department of natural history his inclination 

 may lead him, our island possesses stores of objects 

 calling for observation and research. Whether his 

 attention be directed to zoology, botany, mineralogy, 

 or geology, he cannot fail of drawing from one and 

 from all these studies, materials for illustrating the 

 perfections of Him whose word he is to teach, and 

 whose works he is to " magnify in the congre- 

 gation." If, on the contrary, the young divine is 

 settled on a small curacy " remote from cities," what 

 a never-failing resource would he find in prose- 

 cuting those physical studies, the elements of which 

 had been acquired at the university. Independently 

 of the spiritual use to which he could apply material 

 things, — the shadows of such as are heavenly^ — 

 how little would he feel the loss of ordinary society, 

 and how little would he prize that which usually 

 distinguishes country families. It is for these 

 reasons we contend that the interests of religion, 

 and the future worldly happiness of the students, 

 are most materially concerned in the present ques- 

 tion regarding our universities. It may be said that 

 these pursuits may produce evil, by absorbing too 

 much of the time and attention of the young clergy- 

 man from his pastoral duties. But this is no argu- 

 ment to the purpose, for all the good and all the 

 virtues of this world might equally be prohibited 

 for the self-same reason. 



(263.) The neglect of this science at our uni- 



