MENTALITY AND SPIRITUALITY 199 
From the earliest history down to the present 
day, there have been races and individuals who 
believed implicitly in the spirituality of plants. 
The old Greeks and Romans gave to the trees and 
plants the spirits of gods and men; and “many in 
more modern times have lavishly bestowed souls 
upon plants, as did Adamson, Bonnet, Hedwig, 
and Edward Smith. Martius and Fechner, in Ger- 
many, defended these views, and were very liberal 
in their supply of souls to plants...” Surely 
there is a suggestion of some existent truth, 
which should cause this universal interest and in- 
vestigation into the possibility of plant spirituality! 
Flowers appeal to the souls of men. A very 
beautiful orchid or rose, the rich perfume of the 
lily-of-the-valley, or the soft, delicate odour of the 
wood violet, each has a very direct appeal to the 
soul of man. Of course, there is a sensuous appeal 
_ —the rose and the orchid appeal to the sight, the 
lily-of-the-valley and the violet to the sense of 
smell—but the beauty and the perfume go deeper 
than the senses. There is a spiritual inspiration in 
the fairness and sweetness which drives out the un- 
beautiful, the gross, and the sordid from the soul; 
which unlifts the spirits with deep joy, with a 
delirious happiness at times, and arouses the highest 
and noblest impulses of men. And that which 
