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In a mixed assemblage I cannot go into many instances, to show the great and 
important effect upon the constitution of men and women of certain organs 
or parts of their bodies, which might be considered unnecessary at first sight. 
But, then, there is another reason. Suppose these organs are not highly de- 
veloped ; it does not therefore follow that they are not necessary. It was 
Hunter, I think, who said that a duck had a foot adapted for swimming or 
for walking, but that it was not a good instrument for either purpose. But 
I think it is. It is unquestionably a good paddle ; and I only wonder that it 
has never yet been adopted among our means of naval propulsion 
Mr. Reddie. — It has often been tried and patented. 
The Chairman. — Yes ; but we have never yet succeeded with it satis- 
factorily. Notice the style of architecture in a foreign country or age, or the 
style of painting of particular artists. A connoisseur is enabled to determine 
that a particular picture is the work of Michael Angelo, of Raphael, or of 
Correggio from certain peculiarities which run through the works of each 
artist. It may not be irreverent for us to suppose that Cod has so created 
all things, and so impressed upon them certain characters, which may 
appear to us to be wholly useless and unnecessary, in order that His creatures 
should know that they are the works of one architect, of one designer ; and 
surely, if they serve no other purpose, they accomplish a highly important 
work in connection with the history of man’s knowledge of his Creator. 
But for these things we might suppose different architects having the power 
of creating ; but for these things we should not have our greatest and 
strongest argument in favour of all these being the creatures of one author. 
But that is not the only point which we have to consider : we are gauging 
these things by our own views of utility. But why was it necessary that 
man’s mind should be able to distinguish ail the beautiful and gorgeous 
colours of nature, — that which adds so much to man’s enjoyment, and is 
the great charm of our paintings ? Why was man possessed of that power to 
perceive such an infinity of beauty, where we cannot trace the slightest neces- 
sity or utility for it ? Why might not all men have been born colour-blind, 
and, except for the enjoyment of the beauties of nature, been quite as well 
adapted to do all the work which God sets man to do here ? This is the 
more striking a question, when we consider the extraordinary fact that men 
who are born colour-blind go on for years and years without knowing it, until 
some striking fact communicates to them the knowledge that they do not see 
the colours that their friends in general do. I have one friend who never 
discovered that he was colour-blind until he was taught drawing at school. 
He went through the work of drawing in pencil and in Indian ink quite 
well ; but when a landscape subject was given him to paint, he astonished 
the master by painting, what should have been an intensely blue sky, a 
very bright vermilion : he did not know the difference between the two. 
Another friend of mine was intended to be an artist, but it was discovered 
that he could not paint. He then went to one of the first oculists of the day, 
and asked him how far his colour-blindness extended. It was found that he 
could not distinguish any shades of blue or green from scarlet and pink. I 
