Sense-Life and Sensibility 
woman confined to her narrow home circle, whilst 
the free man (the animal) has to struggle for himself in 
the world. The flower talks to her lady neighbours in 
perfumes ; provides nourishment for the animal, bakes 
bread and prepares vegetables for him. Her dearest 
business is, however, at the time of flowering, when she 
clothes herself beautifully, and in new and lovely apparel. 
But, when the days of young love are over, she throws 
aside her gay colours and frivolous stage (Fi:terstaat), 
and her first and only thoughts are directed to the care 
of her young children” (Ac., p. 262).? 
The above translation is extremely free, but in truth 
any literal interpretation would be too comic, and would 
not give the reader any just idea of what is really a very 
eloquent and interesting book. 
“Ts it not absurd that a breadfruit with its thousand 
years of age, huge growth of stem and branches, vigorous 
development and carefully elaborate internal mechanism, 
should stand lower in the scale of creation than the 
minute rough little Polyp formed of the rudest material, 
or the still more delicate Infusorian, which after the 
briefest term of life is promptly returned to the slime 
out of which it has just been fashioned.” 
In plants we see that the ascent of sap, the complex 
working up of food material, respiration and nourish- 
ment are all actively at work. Why should nerves be 
necessary if it is to have consciousness when it can 
carry on all these complex processes without them ? 
Has it soul-strivings in its growth towards the light ? 
Are we conscious of our own growth, over which we 
have no control whatever ? 
In another specially notable passage he complains 
that the world would be but a solitary place if plants 
possess no souls, for emotion would be but sparingly 
scattered over its surface. 
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