40 
THE PLANT WORLD. 
having its own type of beauty, for the beauty which they have 
alone. While I am to a very considerable extent a utilitarian, 
I shall still feel that the perfection of utilitarianism includes the 
beautiful. A thing is useful through its beauty, in adding to the 
attractiveness of the landscape, and of the surroundings of the 
place in which we live. 
Further, we should preserve as far as possible the original 
plants of the country, in order that we shall not disturb too greatly 
the other living things in the great biological kingdom. The 
extinction of a single plant may mean the driving out of certain 
attractive birds which feed upon the seeds of the exterminated 
plant. If we should allow the wild flowers to be indiscriminately 
exterminated we should at the same time drive out a host of birds 
dependent directly or indirectly upon them. 
I think we may appeal also to a higher reason for the conserva¬ 
tion of the wild plants, and that is the scientific interest which 
every one of scientific training has in these plants. Year by year 
the community is becoming more and more interested in scientific 
matters and it is not too much to hope that the point of view of 
the scientific men may eventually become the point of view of the 
community in general; and therefore we may make the appeal 
of the scientific interest that these plants have, and for this reason 
insist upon their preservation. 
I wish also to speak of the duty we owe to those who come after 
us. We find the world containing certain beautiful and interest¬ 
ing plants. We should not exterminate these, but permit them to 
live so that those who follow us may find them still growing 
where they can be enjoyed. Posterity has claims upon us and 
we have no right to treat the plants of the world as though no 
others were to follow us. 
I am sometimes met with the statement that very few plants 
are in danger of extermination, and I am glad to say that this 
is true, and there are very many places where perhaps no plants 
are in danger of extermination. Yet it is true that here and there 
particular plants are seriously in danger. A few examples from 
my own experience may be helpful at this time. 
In Colorado, near Pike’s Peak, are some very beautiful canyons. 
