VEGETABLES AND ANIMALS. 15 



RELATIONS OF VEGETABLES AND ANIMALS. 



The world in which we live may be considered as naturally 

 eluding two great classes of bodies, viz : Animate and Inani- 

 ate. The latter class consists of the atmosphere around us, 

 ' e various bodies of water, and the earth with its mineral con- 

 ■Ints. To the former class belong all those various forms of living 

 Ifings which swarm upon the earth and teem in the air and water, 

 i|cluding the plants, which form, in one respect at least, the con- 

 itcting link between the animate and inanimate — the living and 

 1e dead. Whatever life may be — whether an abstract and 

 I illscoverable principle or essence of the metaphysicians — whe- 

 t M- it be the product of a number of forces acting in conjunc- 

 l II — or merely and simply chemical action — whatever it may 

 1— one thing is certain, we know it and recognize it only in 

 i effects. No one can say of the egg or acorn that it is 

 aive, except by presumption, for it gives no sensible evidence of 

 iL But let either be subjected to the action of certain circum- 

 Bjnces, and they grow warm and active with life. The chick in 

 i\t time breaks forth from its prison a living and breathing ani- 

 ffl, and the oak in due time spreads the shade of its broad " bun- 

 ded arms" far over the land, and we say they live. This is all 

 V know as yet of life. 



iBut of living beings we know more. We can tr^ce the power 

 ojthe vital principle by its effects upon matter in giving to it forms 

 ail functions, which unaided mere matter could never assume. 

 Tese changes we can follow in the acorn or the Qgg^ from the 

 fiit moment that life begins to mould them, till the perfect plant 

 ai animal are produced. We cannot sefe how they are produced — 

 wean only see that they are. 



Ne cannot imitate the products of life. Very many of the 

 rCfjibinations and changes which take place in inanimate nature we 

 ' npy, or by resources in our power we can produce the same 

 --.Its. We can separate the elements of water and ascertain its 

 ccjiposition — and we can take the same elements and reunite 

 thn, so as to produce water again. We can analyze the most 

 inicate of the products of life, but we cannot reunite even the 

 siiplest, so as to form the same compound. Here the art of the 



