Kni/i/fioii of Societjf. 207 



meadow, even, is crowded with tvat^'cdies of ])lant-lit'e. We 

 forgive the survivors, if, indeed, we tluidv of what has oc- 

 curred, because we accept the entire absence of a moral 

 nature in vegetal life. But on the other hand we also find 

 in vegetal life some of the altruistic family virtues accom- 

 panying the selfish and egoistic virtues, of whicli the care 

 of offspring and the struggle to secure family survival, even 

 at the expense of vitality, as in the higher forms of life, is 

 to be noted as forming an important parallel to duty in 

 human life. 



What a wonderful presentation it would be, if we had, 

 arranged ])efore and around us, the seeds and new germs of 

 all vegetal life, so that we could note the ingenious and 

 nndtitiulinous devices by which they have been protected, 

 as if by a wise and tender care during growth and after, and 

 finally distributed in the way most likely to secure survival 

 and tiie perpetuation of their kind. A high degree of vegetal 

 societary life and action may be found in a field of wheat lo- 

 cated on. a rich soil. While each individual plant is engaged 

 in the serious business of drawing all possible nourishment 

 from the adjoining soil and in lifting its head as high and 

 as rapidly as its brethren, so as not to be overshadowed by 

 them, each meantime engaged in the important function of 

 reproduction, the whole held seems almost inclined to frolic 

 as the grain waves to and fro in the sunlight and the pass- 

 ing breeze. If the farmer has sown the seeds thickly, each 

 ])lant seems to understand that its duty is to expend its en- 

 ergies either on one stalk, or stem, or upon a very few of 

 them, the aim of each being to keep at least abreast with 

 all others in growth. If, however, the seed has been sparsely 

 sown, each individual ])lant seems to take note of the fact, 

 and, particularly where the soil is rich, it stools at the root 

 so as to occupy the space, sending up many stalks and pro- 

 ducing many heads full of kernels of wheat, all from the 

 same root originating in a single seed. In either case there 

 is a seeming recognition of associated fellows of its kind 

 and an almost intelligent accommodation of itself to its 

 societary conditions, in this and in other respects. In all 

 such cases of vegetal societary develo])ment and prosperit}^ 

 there has been great slaughter of vegetal life by the farmer, 

 who, putting in the plough, has turned over the sod and 

 ruthlessly destroyed the antecedent vegetal life, on the 

 decay of whicli the wheat builds its own prosperity. 



