The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1862-12-20

ruby gems. "Jam lato tuogcnt in PALM
lite gemme" And now the tree is all
nblOOm aud the air is rich with fragrance.
The deep green leaflets, and the flowers
delicately tinted with pink and violet,
present exquisite contrasts Of COLOR
These beau iful flOwrets are petfumed
and rOsc-colOred prophecies Of delicious
fruit: verDal promises Of autumnal pay.
ment How many wonders lie locked in
this single organism! The vegetable in
stincts and chemical changes which ena-
ble the kernel TO burst its stony easement
at the proper moment; the microscopic
! revcalInent Of the future tree in the ger
minating seed the unerring assimilation
Of tit aliment; the growth in strictcSt
accordance with mathematical laws; the
balance and proportion Of limbs; the ar
terial circulation in seeming violation Of
the laws Of gravitation the respiratory
system, with its inverse human analogicS !;
! the conditions Of repoSe and activity; its
electrical phenomena the formation Of
flowers Olat beautiful modification Of
leaves" which GOethe's genius taught
us); the mysteries Of qualification; the
marvellous chemical powers which can
dccompOse earth, air, and light, and
transmute them into solid fibre, leaves,
bark, fruit, color and beauty-these are
but brief illusions to some of those aston
i>bIDcnts which the growth Of Ne 1s-~-L-
I tree cxcltcS. The vegetable world is Gu !
Of these beautiful SurpriSeS-indeed, ev.
erywherc through the realms OF nature,
these wOndrouS exhibitions OF Divine
wisdom strike the eye Of the obServant
student Science finds constant delight
in the detection of these exquisite beau
tics and adaptations Daily
miracles cease TO surprise us Ifa peotie
should gcru mate aud become n tree, or If
the peach stone should, in disregard of
the ordinary process of iruitagc, suddenly
clothe itself with its luscious covering,
the world would be astonished at the nov
Ell phenomenon but such arc tame won.
derS, compared with the common facts
Of vegetable life. What profound know.
ledge Of chemistry the peach tree has -
1t never fails in its solvents. never tsakeS
false combinations, never seeks hurtful
nutriment. In the corridors Of the earth,
i'll the unseen chambers of the air, in the
heart Of the sunbeam, lie the forces and
the food from which this organism derives
its life. How accurate its acquaintance
with the seasons! 1t never Oulragcs the
laws Of climate, never blooms in winter.
never sheds its foliage in summer. 1t
must, however, be confessed, that it some
times trusts to the sunny receptions OF
spring, and takes q fatal south side
view"
How large its relations to all organic
nature! With peach-lrec for premise,
the present constitution Of the universe
is logical necessity. Change the ele.
mentS of light, air; or soil, after the laws
Of climate, vary the forces of gravitation,
and the tree dies. 1t can Subsist only
under present conditions.
What an atfectionate qualification oil
our sense Of the beautiful the peach tree
affords !-ungraceful and lcaflcSs stocks
would Subscrve all the purposes of prac
tlcal utility. The peach would taste lust
as sweet without its painted beauty. The
symmetry Of form, the blush upon the
fruit, the cOloring beyond the reach Of
Italian art, could only have been given to
satisfy our perceptions Of beauty. Ma
ture is ornate. She does not study severe
simplicity. She everywhere displays the
noble utility" Of beauty. She creates
lovelineSS even where man is not present
to enjoy its delights. Gray perceived
this obvious fact but failed to recognize
the general law. The desert rose which
bushes unseen, and the myriad forms of
! beauty which the dark unfathomed caves
of ocean bear, are but atteStations Of ma.
lures universal preference for grace and
( symmetry. Flowers seem created almost
solely for the qualification of mans ns.
thetic taste. Beauty exists everywhere.
Sometimes it invests utility with its
charms sometimes it appears without
any Interior object, from diSinterestel
desire to please. How many qualities Of
every natural object answer to no end
hut the pleasure of the cye Assuredlv
every Rejecting mind must feel grateful
for this divine munitcence Of delights.
Who has not been soothcd to repoSe, or
stirred to gentle meditations, by the soft
music OF the leaves? The ,ancientS. who
viewed everything with the eve of poeSy,
hut RCIS tIAo OCCu tTuuSIOTtll-
ed into trees, and that their leafy fingers
still touched the Tyre To Eolian melodies.
Our incredulOus age will scarcely believe
thus poetic conceit. Yet there is no one
but has felt the charm Of this sylvan min.
strelSy. 1t is another proof of the large
and loving provision which our creator
has made, even in the smallest matters,
for the varied qualification of our senses.
Through all the domains of nature
countless evidences Of Divine regard chal.
lenge our gratitude. do not envy him
who is insensibc to all these tokens OF
Fatherly kindness Mcrcies imply thanks.
giving, and ingratitudc is impicty. Nor
can in the presence and contemplation
OF the numberleSS proofs of the existence
Of God which external nature presents,
comprehend the possibility of atheism. =
1t is phenomenon past solution. Dis.
belief is the height of credulity. TO deny
the Divine entity is to credit a thousand
inpossibiites. SccpticiSm is unreaSon.
1t requires you to believe that inanimate
matter can accomplish the work of an in.
telligent Creator; that all the beauty and
adaptations of the natural world, which
the utmost reach Of human genius cannot
fully comprehend, and which only infinite
knowledge and power could create, are
the result of accidental combination OF
inert atoms. If this illogical theory were
true, it would be cold and cherries be.
lief II everything is the result of natu-
raj appetenciCS of matter, then man is alb
solved from all moral responsibility, and
is deprived Of the consultations of that I'M
faltering trust which sustains the Chris
tian in the trials Of life, and of that rev.
crcnt gratitude which the loving kindness
ola Heavenly Father cannot fail to in,
spirc. Our genial faith is far better than
this frigid philosophy. Our belief which
cheers the heart with sublime encourage
ments, and satisfies the aspirations Of an
immortal nature, rests upon the triple
pillars Of reason, science and revelation.
IS. WaterhOuse.