12 OUR WOODLAND TREES. 
cent in the scale of vegetation, through a grada~ 
tion of varying beauty. Beauty, indeed, meets us 
everywhere. If from the empurpled hillsides, rising 
from our moorlands, we descend to the golden 
mazes of gorse in the plains below, and pass 
thence into the deep, soft shade of the woodland, 
we shall meet the graceful forms of clustering 
ferns, scent the sweet perfume of the honeysuckle, 
admire the glossy green of trailing ivy around 
the small forms of modest shrubs, and thence by 
sweet gradation within the woodland shade, look 
higher and higher, until we have comprehended 
how much of beauty and grace, of vigour and 
stability is embodied in the perfection of a Tree. 
But this beauty and this grace—this vigour 
and this stability—qualities which place Trees in 
the order of excellence far above all other growths 
within the vegetable kingdom—are results which, 
in their full perfection, can never be manifested 
within less than the life of a generation, whilst 
oftentimes a period for the fulfilment of this 
beautiful purpose is required of longer duration 
than the life of many a nation. Yet the wise 
Giver of all good things has so beautifully ad- 
