The Integument-Man 61 



what is within the range of one mind may be 

 far beyond the range of another, and it is folly 

 to try to make the statement as full and accurate 

 for the latter mind as for the former. A very 

 imperfect statement of osmosis is accurate for 

 a child or a young pupil; a fuller statement is 

 accurate for the college student; and a still 

 fuller and exacter statement is accurate for the 

 physicist; but perhaps it is impossible to make 

 any statement of it that is finally accurate. The 

 Integument-Man confuses all these degrees, and 

 thinks that because the statement is inaccurate 

 for the physicist, it is therefore inaccurate for 

 the pupil or the child. Refined verbiage that 

 safeguards the statement to the scientist, may 

 confuse it to the beginner. It may be only 

 pedantry and narrowness. It is not an acci- 

 dent that some of the most useful text-books 

 have been made by persons who do not know 

 too much about the subject. 



The Integument-Man is fearful of every 

 word that seems to imply motive or direction in 

 plants and the lower animals. u The roots go 

 here and there in search of food" is wrong 



