32 BANQUET TO THE 



to improve upon Nature ; to tame her wild, harsh 

 tones ; to prune her wayward ruggedness and barren 

 shoots ; to guard against natural enemies ; to banish 

 the germs of disease and death ; to cherish best pos- 

 sibilities ; to regenerate, beautify, and perfect her : 

 this is a true art, and a token of man's superior 

 nature. It is a beautiful privilege to enter thus into 

 communion with Nature, to stand at the source and 

 fountain of her gifts, to see her mysterious ways, to 

 learn her laws, to lay a sympathizing hand upon her 

 forces, and to win them to one's thought and guide 

 them at one's will. It is a noble art to direct these 

 powers to their own perfection and to human good. 

 The painter or the sculptor produces but the likeness 

 of things : a likeness, perhaps, which genius has 

 idealized and perfected, but only an image after all. 

 But here is an art which is true creation, which pro- 

 duces a real thing and a living thing. These things 

 are a science and an education : and so our honored 

 friend has made himself Master of Nature's arts, and 

 Doctor of her laws ! 



And as in every true art, what is for beauty is also 

 for service. It seems to be intended by the Author 

 of Nature that she should in all the fruits most sub- 

 servient to the life of man present but rude types, 

 yet susceptible of various perfectionments ; and that 

 it is a necessary part of human development and 

 culture to bring out the possibilities of her primitive 



