38 WILD SCENES AND SONG-BIKDS. 



Since Jubal's pipe awakened the young echo, so have the 

 sage poets sung. 



The poets 1 Who were the poets ? The kings of mind 1 

 Always their white swift feet have led the van of science, 

 and the quick flash of their luminous eyes has startled the 

 darkness of caverns where treasures were, and showed to 

 the gaping crowd the heaps of gems 1 



It is their mission to discover. They leave to those who 

 follow them now, to drag the riches forth to day, classify, 

 name, arrange, and add to the treasury of general science. 



In many a measured legend and guise of graphic allegory, 

 they have said, and sung that harmony, order was the su- 

 preme law of God's created universe the highest revelation 

 of himself the garment that we know him by, woofed of stars 

 and clouds, colored by the many tints of the moon and sun, 

 when they play on these, or on the shining earth, with her 

 waters, mountains, trees, and herbs, and myriad forms that 

 creep, and walk, and run, and fly, and swim many and di- 

 vers a life and will to each, yet all softly and sweetly 

 blending in those mellow hues which make it beautiful when 

 seen from heaven worthy to robe the limbs of Infinite 

 might. 



"Well then, if the laws of gradation be necessary to these 

 harmonies, and as applied to organization and form, consist- 

 ent with them, must not the same law apply to all forms of 

 animal life, when introduced into these grades of organized 

 matter ? 



One general principle, animal life, must animate them all. 

 Why are they differently organized ? Why are they not each 

 after the same structure, size, and shape ? 



The harmonious diversity of creation requires it should be 

 so. The principle of life, passing into this variety of struc- 

 ture, gives this required diversity of result. Though the 

 principle be the same, the machine acted upon is different 

 in the higher forms of organization, the principle of life is 

 active : in the lower, passive. 



