INTRODUCTION. 



LECTURE I. 



Importance of System. Advantages to lie derived from the Study 

 of Botany. 



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THE universe consists of matter and mind. By the faculties of 

 mind with which God has endowed us, we are able to examine 

 into the properties of the material obje'cts by which we are 

 surrounded. 



If we had no sciences, nature would present exactly the same 

 phenomena as at present. The heavenly bodies would move 

 with equal regularity, and preserve the same relative situa- 

 tions, although no system of Astronomy had been formed. The 

 laws of gravity and of motion, would operate in the same man- 

 ner as at present, if we had no such science as Natural Phi- 

 losophy. The affinities of substances for each other were the 

 same, before the science of Chemistry existed, as they are now. 

 It is an important truth, and one which cannot be too much im- 

 pressed upon the mind in all scientific investigations, that no 

 systems of man can change the laws and operations of Nature ; 

 though by systems, we are enabled to gain a knowledge of 

 these laws and relations. 



The Deity has not only placed before us an almost infinite 

 variety of objects, but has given to our minds the power of 

 reducing them into classes, so as to form beautiful and regular 

 systems, by which we can comprehend, under a few terms, the 

 vast number of individual things, which would, otherwise, pre- 

 sent to our bewildered minds a confused and indiscriminate 

 mass. This power of the mind, so important in classification, 

 is that of discovering resemblances. We perceive two objects, 

 we have an idea of their resemblance, and we give a common 

 name to both ; other similar objects are then referred to the 

 same class or receive the same name. A child sees a flower 

 which he is told is a rose ; he sees another resembling it, and 

 nature teaches him to call that also a rose. On this operation 

 of the mind depends the power of forming classes or of general- 

 izing. 



By the faculties of mind we examine the properties of matter Human 

 science cannot alter the laws of nature Power of the mind to form classes, 



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