2 NATURAL HISTORY READER. 



3- All, why 



Should Ave, in the world's riper years, neglect 



God's ancient sanctuaries, and adore 



Only among the crowd, and under roofs 



That our frail hands have raised ? Let me, at least. 



Here, in the shadow of this aged wood, 



Offer one hymn — thrice happy, if it find 



Acceptance in His ear. 



Bryant. 



THE PRIDE OF NEW ENGLAND. 



1. Above all the trees of the New World, the elm de- 

 serves to be considered the sovereign tree of New England. 

 It is abundant both in field and forest, and forms the most 

 remarkable feature in our. cleared and cultivated grounds. 

 Though the elm is found in almost all parts of the. coun- 

 try, in no other is it so conspicuous as in the Northeastern 

 States, where, from the earliest settlement of the country, 

 it has been planted as a shade-tree, and has been valued as 

 an ornament above the proudest importations from a foreign 

 clime. It is the most remarkable of the drooping trees ex- 

 cept the willow, which it surpasses in stateliness and in the 

 variety of its growth. 



2. When I look upon a noble elm, though I feel no dis- 

 position to condemn the studies of those wdio examine its 

 flowers and fruit with the scrutinizing eye of science, or the 

 calculations of those who consider only its practical use, it 

 is to me an object of pleasing veneration. I look upon it 

 as the embodiment of some benign intention of Providence, 

 who has adapted it in numerous ways to the wants of his 

 creatures. While admiring its grace and majesty, I think 

 of the great amount of human happiness and of comfort to 

 the inferior animals of which it has been the blessed in- 



