Philosophy of Botany. 293 



Thus the floods of ideas will swell and sink as long as the 

 deeds of men make history. 



At the Tennessee Centennial in 1897 I attended the Liberal 

 Congress of Religions and joined in the Lord's Prayer with the 

 Hindoo, Parsee, Mohammedan, and Jew. I felt deeply im- 

 pressed by the simple service, but from the absence of the 

 ministry I became aware that the morning star of the union of 

 religions, was, for this latitude, yet below the horizon of sec- 

 tarian strife. 



Constitutions of minds and ways of life dififer amongst men 

 immensely. The increasing acceptance of demonstrable facts 

 ma}^ gradually effect a better understanding, and ultimately 

 reconcile the still invincible adherents to tradition. The frame 

 of mind which prompted my philosophy has come to me by 

 wav of my professional calling, and my early acquired habit 

 of pursuing botanical studies, by which 1 learned to look, not 

 only to the flowery side of things, but also to their roots and 

 fruits, and which removed me more or less from the fictitious 

 aspirations and pretensions of society. 



My travels had no semblance with the rambles of the roam- 

 ing nomad, who prostrated himself before the phantom of the 

 burning bush and recei\'ed a mission for conquest. 



"My path was lighted by a milder sun ; it led over humming 

 and blooming meadows to the silent forest, where a friendly 

 Dryad received me into her shade, inviting to musing repose. 

 She interpreted to me the sounds of the rustling leaves, the 

 chirping of the cicada, the melody of the sweet songsters, and 

 enjoined me to search and reason. 



Was kann der Mensch im Leben mehr gewinnen 



Als class sich Gott Natur ihm offenbare? — Goethe. 



Life's greatest glory is that mind 

 In Nature God revealed may find. 



As in a dream it came to my thoughts that the charming 

 picture spread Ijefore me was the effect of the alternation of 

 light and color, and that no object could be visible unless it 

 cast a shadow; that all evils that oppress earthly life are the 

 necessary consequences of individualization and differentia- 

 tion in the organic world ; imperfection to be the condition 



