Sense-Life and Sensibility 



woman confined to her narrow home circle, whilst 

 the free man (the animal) has to struggle for himself in 

 the world. The flower talks to her lady neighbours in 

 perfumes ; provides nourishment for the animal, bakes 

 bread and prepares vegetables for him. Her dearest 

 business is, however, at the time of flowering, when she 

 clothes herself beautifully, and in new and lovely apparel. 

 But, when the days of young love are over, she throws 

 aside her gay colours and frivolous stage (Flitter staaf), 

 and her first and only thoughts are directed to the care 

 of her young children" (I.e., p. 262)} 



The above translation is extremely free, but in truth 

 any literal interpretation would be too comic, and would 

 not give the reader any just idea of what is really a very 

 eloquent and interesting book. 



" Is it not absurd that a breadfruit with its thousand 

 years of age, huge growth of stem and branches, vigorous 

 development and carefully elaborate internal mechanism, 

 should stand lower in the scale of creation than the 

 minute rough little Polyp formed of the rudest material, 

 or the still more delicate Infusorian, which after the 

 briefest term of life is promptly returned to the slime 

 out of which it has just been fashioned." 



In plants we see that the ascent of sap, the complex 

 working up of food material, respiration and nourish- 

 ment are all actively at work. Why should nerves be 

 necessary if it is to have consciousness when it can 

 carry on all these complex processes without them ? 



Has it soul-strivings in its growth towards the light ? 

 Are we conscious of our own growth, over which we 

 have no control whatever ? 



In another specially notable passage he complains 

 that the world would be but a solitary place if plants 

 possess no souls, for emotion would be but sparingly 

 scattered over its surface. 



142 



