LESSONS WITH PLANTS 99 



in a tangible, practical way the universal struggle for 

 existence, the effort to do things well, which is the first 

 condition of all success in life. It has seemed from the 

 sustained interest and enthusiasm of the children that 

 they feel this truth instinctively. Here is no mere book 

 and word lesson the relation of which to success in life few 

 children can adequately appreciate. It is a mastery of the 

 real forces of nature. They must use the sun's heat and 

 light, the air, water, and earth, and it is a natural step from 

 such a lesson to think, " If I can do this well, I can suc- 

 ceed in life itself." 



Of all the wonderful things in the wonderful universe of God, 

 nothing seems to me more surprising than the planting of a seed 

 ill the black earth and the result thereof. Take a poppy seed, for 

 instance : it lies in your palm, the merest atom of matter, hardly 

 visible, a speck, a pin's point in bulk, but within it is imprisoned a 

 spirit of beauty ineffable, which will break its bonds and emerge from 

 the dark ground and blossom in a splendor so dazzling as to baffle 

 all powers of description. The Genie in the Arabian tale is not half 

 so astonishing. Celia Thaxter, An Island Garden, p. 3. 



On the mental side, in training the powers of observa- 

 tion, the child sees the wonderful life story of his plant 

 — from seed through root, stem, leaf, and flower to seed 

 again — unfold under the closest daily scrutiny of which 

 he is capable. Not all the books nor all the plants in the 

 world could teach him so much as just this one plant so 

 closely associated with his own thinking, feeling, willing, 

 and doing. Ability to think for himself, reason, and experi- 

 ment will be cultivated with every step. All the power 

 gained stands naturally related to everything he may do 

 in life. To throw about his plant those conditions that 



