xxxv LETTERS TO MARCO 243 



except the glory of the Creator and the 

 delight of eyes capable of seeing that glory. 

 Mere perpetuation of species could be at- 

 tained easily without all this elaborate display 

 of beauty. I also hold with Mr. Ruskin that 

 the blossom is the culminating glory and per- 

 fection of a plant's life. All further ripening 

 of seed being effected during the plant's 

 decadence, and with a view to a further dis- 

 play in following years. 



The plant's usefulness is quite another 

 question. As far as the plant is concerned, 

 the said usefulness does not always prove an 

 advantage, but on the contrary often causes 

 its destruction. Many food-supplying plants 

 would very soon get exterminated were they 

 not carefully preserved and cultivated by 



man. 



G. D. L. 



