V. 

 ON INSECTS. 



MY DEAR FRIENDS, 



One of our most celebrated poets has said 



" Each crawling insect holds a rank 

 Important in the plan of Him who framed 

 This scale of beings ;" 



and it is on the subject of these insects that I 

 am now about to address you. 



The scale of beings in this world has been 

 so beautifully and wisely ordained by the Great 

 Creator, that one of the greatest of naturalists 

 and philosophers in this or in any other coun- 

 try, while showing me a very small insect 

 through his microscope, made the following re- 

 mark: " I believe that if it were possible to 

 destroy the whole of these insects, the scale of 



