52 GRASS. 



GRASS. 



" And God said, Let the earth briog forth grass."— Gen. i. 11. 



The Mosaic history of the creation is very concise, 

 just giving a general account of the order in which its 

 different parts were called into existence. And it is a 

 most remarkable fact, that modern discoveries in geol- 

 ogy, far from supplanting this history, are a very strong 

 confirmation of it. Geologists are now satisfied that 

 plants were called into existence long before the crea- 

 tion of animals, and that, of all animals, man appears 

 the last in the list of created beings. Both plants and 

 the inferior animals are found imbedded in rocks of 

 secondary formation ; but no instance appears of the 

 inhumation of a human being in one of these rocks. 

 From this and from other circumstances, it seems that 

 mighty convulsions shook the earth, and swept off and 

 buried its inhabitants, while man was yet primitive 

 dust. 



It is not now our design to prove the truth of this 

 ancient history ; but, like the good people of Connecti- 

 cut, when they adopted the divine law as their code, 

 we will be ruled by this until we find a better. 



Grass, according to this history, stands first in the 

 list of vegetable creation. Grass was called forth be- 

 fore animals had existence ; and most of the land ani- 

 mals must have perished without it. This was at first 

 their only food ; and this, at the present time, is the 

 most important of vegetable creation. In ancient times, 

 grain was not in use. We have reason to suppose that 

 for ages the human race was fed from milk, from the 

 flesh of other animals, from the herbs of the field, and 

 from the spontaneous fruits of the garden. 



Figs alone would sustain life ; and, growing without 

 culture, they would naturally constitute the principal 

 food. Grain, then, is a mere luxury, and might be 



