THE GREENWOOD TREE. 



IT is a common, not to say a vulgar error, to believe that 

 trees and plants grow out of the ground. And of course, 

 having thus begun by calling it bad names, I will not for 

 a moment insult the intelligence of my readers by sup- 

 posing them to share so foolish a delusion. I beg to 

 state from the outset that I write this article entirely 

 for the benefit of Other People. You and I, O pro- 

 verbially Candid and Intelligent One, it need hardly be 

 said, are better informed. But Other People fall into 

 such ridiculous blunders that it is just as well to put 

 them on their guard beforehand against the insidious 

 advance of false opinions. I have known otherwise good 

 and estimable men, indeed, who for lack of sound early 

 teaching on this point went to their graves with a 

 confirmed belief in the terrestrial origin of all earthly 

 vegetation. They were probably victims of what the 

 Church in its succinct way describes and denounces as 

 Invincible Ignorance. 



Now, the reason why these deluded creatures supposed 

 trees to grow out of the ground, instead of out of the air, 

 is probably only because they saw their roots there. 



I 



