It has been tried in the balance, and found essentially 

 wanting. We are no friends either to puerile send 

 mentalism or morbid morality; but, "believing it in 

 our hearts, shall we be ashamed to confess it? Shall 

 we deny the wisdom of our Maker, because he is all 

 wise ; or his power, because he is all powerful ? Shall 

 we respect the works and contemn the Maker ? " * 



Another cause impeded the progress of knowledge : 

 her books were sealed with the impress of tech- 

 nical terms, and contained words formed of inflexible 

 materials ; so that an interdict was imposed on nine- 

 tenths of those who would have willingly and gladly 

 consulted them, who would have read them, but could 

 not, and thus the readings of creation in the writings 

 of genius were as unintelligible to the general reader, 

 as the hieroglyphic symbols of aboriginal Egypt. 

 Science has now assumed a more popular form, and 

 numerous are the attempts to 



" Robe fair Science in a pleasing garb, 

 Then lead the young to view her." 



All this is laudable, and must tend to promote human 

 happiness. The fountain of this department of know- 

 ledge never sends forth the " waters of Marah : " it is 

 a copious source, and, like that of its almighty Author, 

 ever flowing, and yet ever full. The tree of know- 

 ledge is not, indeed, the tree of life ; but they flourish 

 in the same Eden ; both were planted by the same hand, 

 and are watered by the river of " Araby the blest." 

 Sir H. Davy says, " The tree of knowledge is grafted 

 on the tree of life : " we think them different. In 

 Botany, and Entomology, and the higher departments 

 of Zoology, the entire descriptive formularies are in 



* British Naturalist. 

 B 2 



