A BACKWARD GLANCE 
further in invention, art, science, and general 
knowledge—than the one hundred and thirty-eight 
generations, which preceded them, combined. 
So, up to two or three human generations ago, 
the plants, with their start of tens of thousands 
of generations, were abreast of or ahead of human 
needs. 
But human inventive genius, going ahead 
hundreds or thousands of years at a jump, 
bringing with it organization and specialization, 
has changed all of that. 
In our race across the untracked plains before 
us, we have outrun our plants. That is all. And, 
having outrun them, we must lend a hand to 
bring them up with us if they are to meet our 
requirements. 
Shall we content ourselves with watering our 
plants when they are dry; and enriching the soil 
when it is worn out; shall we be satisfied merely 
to be good gardeners? 
Or shall we study the living forces within the 
plants themselves and let them teach us how to 
work real transformations? 
It is conceivable that a manufacturer of 
machinery might become successful, or even rise 
to be the foremost manufacturer in his line, 
[279] 
