10 



spring from law, and not from caprice or blind chance, has 

 had a benificent influence upon the world. It is a discovery 

 of great interest to all in every condition in life. The obser- 

 vance of the growth of a plant as it gradually emerges from 

 the embrace of the parent germ in the earth, and lifts itself up 

 under the control of law, into the air and sunshine, is well 

 calculated to fill the mind not only with astonishment, but 

 with delight. The growth of a plant is not a miracle, it is 

 not in any sense supernatural, and the deep mystery which 

 formerly hung like a cloud over the movements in plant life 

 has been cleared away, and the chemistry of the changes of 

 molecules of matter in the formation of vegetable cells is now 

 clearly understood. We no longer are under the control of 

 terrors and delusions ; science has pointed out that we live 

 under the reign of law, that there is order in the universe of 

 matter and mind, that God himself is the author and sustainer 

 of law, and that he does not govern the world by special inter- 

 ferences or by supreme conceit. As farmers, we understand, 

 that in emergencies, we are expected to lielp ourselves. In 

 its agricultural aspects as well as in all others, the cradle 

 epoch of the world's history has passed away, ignorance with 

 evils so great as to render rural life a burden has been sup- 

 planted by the great facts of science and art. 



HOME LIFE IN A FORMER AGE. 



Probably no one of the industrial classes has been more 

 beneficently influenced in their domestic or home life, by 

 scientific knowledge, than farmers. This subject is exceed- 

 ingly interesting, made so from a knowledge of the wonderful 

 changes which have occurred in the past century, changes 

 which have produced a complete revolution in all domestic 



