The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-07-05
LESSONS IN LOW LIFE

UESSUNG LIN LUW LIFE
THOUGHTS SUGGESTED ey AN Hout
SPENT IN THE OPEN AIR.
Natures Wonderful Handiwork as Seen Ii
tho Lowiiest Of Her CreatIons-Nothing
However Insigniacant II May Appear
Exists without q Purpose.
Who has not wondered at the beauty O.
blue violet blossoming in all its perfec
I tion under a burdock leaff Moralists hav,
spoken Of 10 as the symbol Of modesty and
of humility, but the real point Is that her,
is perfection in low life. The clover lea
is another sample of the ground kissing
sort Did you ever lie down In the spring
under an apple tree and reach out you
hands to see how many beautiful things
you could ,reachf don't doubt you found
10 or 10 sorts of leaves and several Aowers
all varying in shape and color. Some ons
says 1t took 10, 600 years for man to create
the contents Of carpenters tool chest
How long did nature work ut these types
Of leaves and flowers-each one model IN
Its way and no two alikea Now lay your
clover leaves side by side and see how each
one has its own individuality-no two ex
actly alike Every square yard of vegeta
tion is universe of thought. We have
not yet gone far enough in our investiga,
tions to be able to understand even the col
oring matter or the circulation Of our bean
tiful violet.
am deeply interested in high life--in
that world that rings and scars; the clouds
whose shadows sweep my earth couch; the
stars that carry thought till it is lost in
tangled skeins of eternity; but 1t is so dear
ly restful to get down here to the delicate,
gentle, measurable low life Of flowers and
leaves You must bring your magnifying
glass with you and, IL you have one, a mi,
croscope, for we do not get down even by
STOPPING and sharp peering to the very low
est OF living organism. There Is plant
life on plant life, exquisitely beautiful,
and more that is parasitic and destructive
Do you see this little reddish leaf, with ir.
regular FLASHES Of color7 1t is made so by
another plant organism that has settled
down to eat at its expense. Air plants are
never quite air plants, big OF little. But
you have only half the history of your yard
plot by examining vegetable life. The won
der Of wonders is this vast number and
numberless sorts of tiny creatures that
crawl, fly and jump about your resting
place It will not do to be too sensitive
and imaginative, or you will be compelled
to leave your study.
How Is it possible for complete muscu.
lar and nervous organism to be packed
away into the size of half pins head
Yet this leaf isrovered with a colony, not
one OF which is half that measure They
run with a speed that would hundred
times distance any race horse of a compar
alive size. The mystery of their organism
is greatest, however, in the minute brain
How do they know that / am n danger to
themf Why shall they run or leap so
quickly II point finger toward thems
What sort of emotion is it that stirs them,
What sort Of thought behind the emotion;
Is it possible for them to comprehend theii
relation to other things as dor Certainly
they know how to find their natural food
Certainly III they cannot get their first
choice they can adapt themselves to u new
food. They can love, and they can fear
1t explains Eothing to say they act by in.
stinct, for instinct is an acquired power
1t is defined by science MS result of the
thinking and emotions of ancestors. Are
we to suppose that thinking went on brave
ly and sufficiently in the past in these mi
mute herds, and that 1t is now lost-that
they are only acting on the acquisitions OF
their predecessors?
This certainly explains nothing, for it is
quite as hard to understand how these min
ute specks used to think as to comprehend
their thinking now. But they really are
arguing good deal still, as you will find
out II you will be patient enough to watch
them closely. | have seen an earthworin
deliberately change its hold on stick from
the middle to the end, SO as to draw it into
Its hole lengthwise Those ants that crawl
about everywhere are all moving logically,
as you will see If you will observe them
long enough. No one goes about at ran
dom. So you can see that in your square
yard there Is n deal Of thinking going on
in fact, it is pretty much solid square yard
of intelligence.
Vegetable life at the lowest is cell; so is
animal life, and science shows us no differ
ence. How curious 1t is to see this common
life branch out into two distinct kingdoms
Really plant acts good deal az animals
act only it is rooted. 1t is stationary ami
NAL Watch this bit Of .a-1eguminous
climber. IL you had never seen seed cleft
and a stalk rise from 1t, and that stalk take
hold of its neighbor and climb up and
reach away for air and sunshine, you would
say when you first did see one SO acting
that 1t was conscious intelligence. But
here there is SO much of what, In woman,
we would call tact that 1t Is impossible to
avoid the feeling that thought and purpose
are in all things. The way the leaves lie
and the peculiar manner in which each one
conducts itself toward another are all intel
ligent.
Now we find our own happiest relation
to all things about us. ] lay my head on a
pillow Of moss. Nothing could be softer
Dandelions and violets stand about and
seem to be walking through the grass.
Ants climb the hollow columns OF stalks
In green and gold and go aloft to spy out
the land. Bees come to gather nectar and
pollen. Every sense is delicately fed Sweet
odors and sweet sounds rest me. The faint,
floating perfumes from everywhere, going
everywhere, touch my brain and soothe me
am convinced that no one should live in
doors Apple petals SLIT down on my face
Why not live here forevera But were to
stay, nothing else would stay. The whole
scene changes. Life on my yard square Is
panorama New insects constantly go as
they came. Not violet is two days Old
Mary E. Spencer in St. Louis Globe Demo.
orat,
Two Men.
Little Burleigh, not yet years old, has
the usual childish habit of talking to him