Ulterior Purpose. 



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apple, in all its harshness ; the frost 

 the animals allow to fall, with their seeds untouched, 

 unless driven to eat them or starve ; the peach, in 

 its hard covering, and the button pear, which no 

 cooking can fully conquer all these are for the 

 plant the perfection of fruits. Such fruits perfect 

 and protect their seeds. 



But our Black Ilamburghs and Sweet-waters, our 

 Pippins and Bartletts, are mistakes, and evidences 

 of want of design in such plants, if they have no 

 end out of themselves ; for all these variations from 

 the original stock either weaken the seed or invite 

 to its destruction. Because they are of no advan- 

 tage to the plant, must we grant that they are a 

 mistake, or without significance? By no means. 

 Nor do we think it possible for the majority of men 

 ever to believe that we have not here a direct pro- 

 vision for the animal kingdom, as a whole, and for 

 man in particular; a provision that shows wisdom, 

 though through it plant-life is made entirely second- 

 ary. The continuance of the species must be pro- 

 vided for by some means, or its creation would be a 

 failure. This being done, sometimes by one method, 

 and sometimes by another, all the parts of the plant, 

 not needed for propagation, may be modified for the 

 benefit of this higher kingdom. It seems to us that 

 all these modifications indicate this ulterior purpose, 

 to which the interests of the plant, so to speak, are 

 made to yield. We have no doubt, indeed, the three 

 kingdoms of nature are all arranged with reference 

 to man, especially as an intellectual and moral being. 



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