THE BEAUTIFUL LAUD EE. 
6l 
real treasures of the frog-pond, but it is surely 
insight enough to dispel the dark shadowings 
which at first repelled us from its banks. The 
gloom and death have passed away, like the fog 
that often obscures its surface when morning 
stands jocund on the misty mountain-top. 
“ Our study of the algae has taken the scales 
from our eyes and lifted a burden of dread from 
the mind. The scene that brooded so drearily 
before i:he eyes of youth, and dwelt so darkly 
in memory, is transfigured. It no longer ex¬ 
hales only poison and death, but is seen to 
have a wealth of gems and benevolent possi¬ 
bilities. 
“ Should we turn from the mysteries of crea¬ 
tion hidden among the slimy deposits beneath the 
waters, and give a few moments to a closer in¬ 
spection of the mosses and lichens, a new world 
of beauty and wonder would be opened to our 
vision. One who has not studied them cannot 
have any just conception of the marvels exist¬ 
ing in these humble and obscure forms of veg¬ 
etable life. Found everywhere, and forming the 
lowest order of dry-land plant life, they are 
nevertheless endowed with singular elements of 
growth and beauties of form and coloring. But 
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