24 ADDRESS OF THE EDITOR. [January, 



much prosperity and contentment as we hope and desire for 

 ourselves. 



From these charitable aspirations the friend who has been the 

 cause of our inflicting so long a programme on our phytological 

 supporters^ is by no means excluded. As we are not profound 

 physiologists, like Dr. Carpenter, nor deeply conversant with the 

 laws of natural selection, so ably illustrated by Mr. Darwin, 

 all our conjectures about the secret causes which grieve our 

 friend would be only abortive efforts to discover Avhat is possibly 

 a mystery to himself. Whatever be the origin of his distemper, 

 it is clear from the symptoms that he is smarting under some 

 imaginary ill, or is letting his clear philosophic mind become 

 beclouded by the darkling shade of jealousy and disappointment. 

 The torrents of abuse, the cumulative rebukes, so plentifully 

 poured out and heaped on a few scientific sinners, that can 

 barely see an inch before their respective noses, for supposed 

 oflPences against laws never appointed by Nature, are surely too 

 cogent proofs that they proceed from a mind ill at ease. All 

 attempts to lead or scare such a herd of mediocrities, or imbe- 

 ciles, is just labour wasted, like milking the he-goats, getting 

 blood out of a lamp-post, skinning flints, hunting the gowk, etc., 

 etc. To be in a pet with such noodles is not very unaptly com- 

 pared to a '' tempest in a tea-pot,^' or to a little puddle trying to 

 lash itself into a fury, and to imitate the swelling billows of the 

 mighty deep. 



It is not very easy to persuade ourselves that our facetious 

 friend is in earnest, even though the big blusterous words in 

 which he gives vent to his indignant feelings are not such as are 

 usually employed by writers who are in the merry mood. Yet it 

 is more reasonable to believe that he is making game of us for his 

 own diversion, than that he has any serious intention of making 

 us unhappy by the manifestations of his displeasure. 



As we profess some acquaintance with the healing art, and are 

 not altogether unskilled in the functions of ministering " to a 

 mind diseased,^' we can tell the patient where he will find a recipe 

 for his malady far more efficient than any to be found in Kant, 

 Fichte, Hegel, Cousin, Brown, Dugald Stewart, George Combe, 

 Spurzheim, or Gall. This is contained in an epistle written by 

 the holy Apostle Paul to the Church at Colosse, in the third 

 chapter, and at the 12th verse, as divines say, where the servant 



