332 



A Dream — yet not a Dream. 



Vol. IX. 



cerely believe that the most effectual me- 

 thod for diffusing such information, will bo 

 to invoke the friendly aid and countenance 

 of the ladies. Their salutary influence has 

 been felt and owned, in many a noble cause ; 

 and I cannot for a moment doubt its efficacy 

 here. 



Some of my young friends — although per- 

 haps assenting to the justice of these views 

 — may yet be inclined to object, that the 

 science of botany is so encumbered with un- 

 couth terms and'barbarous names, as to ob- 

 scure its charms, and even render it repul- 

 sive to the youthful student. I am free to 

 admit that appearances, at a first glance, 

 seem to warrant the objection. I have ex- 

 perienced all its force, and can fully appre- 

 ciate its influence upon others. But I can 

 truly add, for the encouragement of begin- 

 ners, that, when the study is properly con- 

 ducted, and the subject comes to be rightly 

 understood, the difficulty is rather seeming, 

 than real. It undoubtedly appears enor- 

 mous to the uninitiated, — ^just as strange 

 objects are apt to be magnified, when en- 

 countered by twilight, or viewed through a 

 mist; but there is no ground for dismay or 

 apprehension. The supposed obstacle will 

 either vanish, when approached, or prove 

 itself to be an aid, rather than an impedi- 

 ment, in the way of the learner. It is, in- 

 deed, impossible to describe objects, or to 

 communicate definite ideas, without the em- 

 ployment of terms and names; yet these 

 are not .science. They are but the imple- 

 ments — the mere machinery with which the 

 mind operates; and should only be taken up, 

 or resorted to, as they are wanted for use. 

 It is worse than idle, to commence by lum- 

 bering the memory with hard words — of 

 which the student comprehends neither the 

 rueaning, nor the application. Such a plan, 

 I admit, is calculated only to dishearten and 

 disgust. But let him begin — where all true 

 knowledge begins — by a practical acquaint- 

 ance Vkith things, rather than with names — 

 by observing features and examining struc- 

 tures; and he will soon perceive the import- 

 ance of terms, by which to designate and 

 distinguish the objects of his attention. 

 When the investigator of plants comes to 

 take a discriminating view of the vegetable 

 tribes, and observes the varied, yet definite 

 forms and arrangement of the organs, which 

 constitute their botanical character, — so far 

 from complaining of the burthen of names 

 and terms, he will eagerly seek and adopt 

 them, as indispensable aids in his progress: 

 and he will find, moreover, that although 

 many appear harsh and arbitrary, the greater 

 number are remarkably significant and ap- 

 propriate. A moment's reflection will con- 



vince any of us, that even in the common 

 occurrences of life, we cannot dispense with 

 the use of names, and what may be called 

 technical terms; and that new ones are con- 

 tinually added to our stock without an effort, 

 and almost without our consciousness. When 

 we make new acquaintances among our own 

 kind, especially if they are agreeable, we 

 never think of such an objection, as that of 

 having to learn or remember their names; 

 and even in the minor gratifications of dress 

 and personal comfort, we are all very expert 

 in acquiring the nomenclature — sti^nge 

 though it be — of such articles as attract our 

 notice or suit our fancy. The facility with 

 which young ladies become familiar with 

 the vocabulary of taste and fashion — their 

 admirable tact in discerning, and their flu- 

 ency in discussing the qualities and patterns 

 of Gimps and Ginghmns — Gros des Indes 

 and Mousselines de Laine — satisfy me that 

 technicalities have no real terrors for them ; 

 and the language of botany can never pre- 

 sent any serious obstacle to their progress 

 in the science, — provided, tliat they have 

 the will and the application ; and I desire 

 no better evidence of the requisite disposi- 

 tion and effort, than that which I have now 

 the pleasure to witness. 



A Dream — yet not a Dream. 



In one of the recent numbers of Parley's 

 Cabinet Library, entitled ^^ Enterprise, In- 

 dustry and Art of Man,^' says the National 

 Gazette, the author furnishes us with a pre- 

 face in the form of a dream. It appears to 

 us to be hit off with great felicity, and taken 

 in connexion with the contents of the book, 

 is in a high degree significant and striking. 

 The preface is as follows ; 



" I was dozing by my evening fire-side, 

 when one of those hasty visions passed be- 

 fore my mind, which sometimes seem to re- 

 veal the contents of volumes in the space of 

 a few seconds. It appeared as if every arti- 

 cle in the room became suddenly animated 

 with life, and endowed with the gift of 

 speech: and that each one came forward to 

 solicit my attention and beseech me to write 

 its life and adventures. 



"The portly piano, advancing with a sort 

 of elephantine step, informed me that its 

 rosewood covering was violently torn from 

 its birthplace in the forests of Brazil; its 

 massive legs of pine grew in the wilds ot 

 Maine; the iron which formed its frame was 

 dug from a mine in Sweden ; its strings were 

 fabricated in Rouen ; the brazen rods of the 

 pedals were made of copper from Cornwall, 

 mixed with silver from the mines of Potosi ; 

 the covering of the keys was formed of the 



