

24 ANNALS OK THE MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN 



[Vol. 2 



for his specimens there, but never unmindful of the grandeur 

 of all nature to which his specimen furnishes only a clue. 



But studying of the plant means more than that. It means 

 the reason of nature. I have sometimes thought that if we 

 knew more of the reason for the decline of one plant and the 

 triumph of another, we would have a better understanding of 

 the meaning of the inevitable and unavoidable conflicts that are 

 now tearing the world apart ; and we Americans, if we knew 

 more of the generating influence of the one and the survival 

 of the other, would appreciate that it takes conflict and danger 

 to make strong men and women. 



I do not want to go too far, but while a park need not be a 

 botanical garden, no park can succeed unless it has applied to 

 it the science and the work of the school of botany. We can 

 not have the city beautiful, with all our preaching, until we 

 understand the true meaning of a school of botany and of our, 

 botanical gardens. If any one doubts it, let him look abroad. 

 He who has seen the beautiful forests about Paris, the splendid 

 forests about Berlin, the wonderful forests about the Hague, 

 will say to himself, "Yes, this is nature, profound and beauti- 

 ful"; but it is not an accident. It is the result of nature's 

 force guided by experience and science. 



That is what we need — politics, government, must take into 

 counsel the man of wisdom and experience to produce those 

 wonderful results which so far we cannot imitate. There is 

 more than that. Abroad, not only the government utilizes 

 the information which these men and women of science have 

 to give, but every man and woman throughout the land con- 

 sciously or unconsciously is influenced by the same teaching. 

 Wherever you look and whatever you see demonstrates to you 

 the result of that kind of work. It means not only the flowers 

 and the plants, but it evidences the happiness of family life. 

 Every field shows it; every home and every garden patch 

 shows it. That is the lesson we have to take unto ourselves in 

 this, our new country. That is what we have to do if, as a 

 people, we are to succeed; and it is for this reason that we 

 welcome the greetings of the distinguished guests who have 

 joined us to-night. 



