SCIENCE 
IS 
KNOWLEDGE. 
KNOWLEDGE 
IS 
POWER. 
A PRACTICAL JOURNAL OF 
FfOME ARTS 
Vol. V. 
NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER, 1882. 
No. 9. 
A Story oi the Sea. 
N a brown rock off 
the seashore a beau- 
tiful sea anemone 
had planted herself. 
She was very deli- 
cate and lovely, 
and when fully 
opened resembled 
not a little the gor- 
geous flower called 
the night-blooming 
cereus, only that instead of yellow she 
was tinted with shades of the tenderest 
apricot color, almost approaching to 
pink. As the movement of the water 
swayed her transparent petals from side 
to side, she looked like some strange 
ethereal flower, and very exquisite. 
So thought a humble black king-crab, 
who lay in a nook amongst the rocks on 
the sand beneath her. He could see her 
every morning as he went out for his 
breakfast, and longed that he might go 
up and speak to her. 
" I wonder if she would think me very 
impertinent if I went and talked to her ? 
I'll try anyway." And he marched 
along, with his heavy armor apparently 
weighing him down at every other step. 
Soon he raised himself, and, touching 
one of her petal-like arms very gently, 
said— 
"Beautiful Actinia! -may a humble 
shell-fish venture to address you? " 
" Who are you ? " said she (for sea-ane- 
mones have no eyes, though they can 
enjoy light, like other flowers). 
" Only a king-crab." he answered, very 
meekly, for he felt so black, and hard, 
and ugly compared to her, that in his 
humility he almost doubted if she would 
notice him. 
"Oh, indeed! " she replied. "Well, it 
is a comfort to have some one at any rate 
to speak to ; for really, what with having 
to shut up on account of the low tide half 
one's time, and, when the water does 
cover me and I am fit to be seen, being 
deprived of all society, my time and 
beauty are entirely wasted, and I lead the 
life of a stone ! " 
" I am truly sorry to hear how dull you 
