The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-05-25
A SEED MIRACLE.
lessons From Tiny Begonia Seed
70 al Tor, 20 Nnt

Lessons From Tiny Begonia Seed
It's Relation to Nature.
Lying on my desk as I write. there
is something that appears SO insignifi-
cant that it is doubtful if one person
in thousand would notice it at all,
and so uninteresting that not one in
ten thousand would be sufficiently at
tracted by it to give five minutes
quiet thought to it's mystery, and yet
! / doubt if in the whole realm of SEEM
ingly ihanimate things there is an
other quite SO wonderful. Tt is not
larger than grain of sand SO plenti-
full that you can buy a hundred for a
dime, but in it there is a chemical lab
oratory, a food magazine, a gallery
of art, a parable that epitomizes in its
story the method of the activities of
all the mightiest forces that sway the
universe.
But it must be allowed to tell it's
story in its own way, it will tolerate
no upsetting of it's plans; you might
form committee of all the scientists
in all the world, and they might dis
sect and analyze it-seek it's ultimate
atom with the microscope, and yet the
truth would hide itself away from
them, while a child that cannot think
at all may fling 1t in a wayside corner
and 50 start into activities all the
wonderful springs of beauty that
dwell in it,
Directly it is put into the proper
place at the proper time, it establishes
a distinct and direct connection with
the fires that burn nearly hundred
iJoc D,1t oil tbn
of sunlight are not needed in it's work;
50 it uses its, shelly covering to filter
them, separating from the mass the
energies it can use. AT first the light
lis not helpful; it only needs the heat
rays to quicken the dormant heart
and as they find their way into the
center of the tiny mass, there is stir
ring of the life within But the new
activity must be also helped by the
gases that form water; SO it has skill
in itself to draw them from 1.-THE near
by earth, and still it's complex nature
demands other sustenance, and selects
1T with marvellous care from the solid
land The little spark of life within
can choose from sun and land and
water all it needs, and leave the rest
alone 1t is a complex chemical or
ganism and surpasses any mechanism
ever made by the skill of man.
But it is more than that; other
things are needed to perfect it's pur-
poses, and thee it has within ITSELF as
soon as the life in it is active. Like
all other life it must have food suit
ably to itself. This does not exist in !,
any of the powers it has already used;
so the life principle when it organic
ed this marvel, wrapped up it's secret |
in covering of chemical substances
that can be found nowhere outside in
similar combination 1t knew just
what it wanted for the growing life,
and planned before the season of its
growth, so that failure should be i'm
possible through it's own neglect. |
There might be other reasons for dis
aster and death, but not because its |
own plans were imperfect.
The work that it had planned for it |
self was not Of the sort that the world /
values overmuch, not one-half so |
much as it ought. 1t was simply that |
it might increase the beauty of the |
earth, and no artist in color or in |