Let us tions not thought of before. What are the most perfect statues in comparison of a single animal, an insect, a worm? Nature is able of herself, to produce the greatest master-pieces; whereas art borrows from it all that it has of the beautiful. It has nothing of its own; and nature has the first right over every thing. Let us add to this, how much less durable the works of art are, than those of nature! When the former have been long destroyed, the others still subsist in all their primitive beauty. How superior is the interior construction of the productions of nature to all the works of men! Compare, for example, the most ingenious machine to the mechanism of animals, and you will be struck with admiration at the sight of the miracles of nature, whilst the masterpiece of art will appear a mere bauble. only consider ourselves with attention. The perfect and regular construction of our muscles and arteries; the wonderful circulation of the blood in our veins; the variety and number of movements in our limbs; what proofs of the magnificence of God's works! and how poor and trifling, in comparison, are the productions of man! It would be easy to pursue these remarks, if what has been said was not more than sufficient, to teach us the just value of the works of nature. It is true, that self-love carries us so far, that we are but too apt to prefer our own works to all others; and our taste is so depraved, that we look on every thing with disdain and indifference, in which the industry of man has no share. Both these prove our ignorance and ingratitude. Can we be so unjust, as to set less value on a watch, admirably finished by a great artist, than on a ball of snow, made up by a child? In thus robbing the ingenious workman of the honour due to him, should we not prove at the same time our ignorance and folly? That is exactly our case, when we do not properly distinguish between the works of nature and those of art. It is true, that we ought not to despise the productions of art, for they also have their value; but, on the other hand, it would be absurd to consider them as equal, and still more so, to prefer them to the works of nature. God made his works so perfect, that through them we might acknowledge his power, wisdom, and goodness. Let us fulfil this great duty, and never give up the contemplation of nature, nor forget the effect such researches ought to have upon us. Let the study of nature be our delight, because it will teach us more and more to know the Creator and Ruler of the world, and will continually excite in us a desire to arrive one day at a perfect knowledge of his works. JUNE II. LEAVES OF TREES. THE leaves of trees form one of the great beauties of nature. Our impatience to see them buď in spring, and our joy when they at last appear, prove sufficiently that they are the ornaments of our gardens, fields, and woods. How great the pleasure we enjoy in the hot summer days from the refreshing coolness of their delightful shade. Yet, after all, this is certainly the least of the advantages which accrue to us from the foliage of trees: We need only consider the wonderful construction of leaves, to be convinced that they were designed for much more important purposes. Each leaf has certain vessels, which, being pressed close at the end, or in the stalk, extend themselves like ibs within the leaf, and branch out in a thousand ways. There are no leaves without extreme fine vessels, and an astonishing number of pores. For example, it has been observed, that in a sort of box-tree, called Palma cereris, there are above an hundred and seventy-two thousand pores on one single side of the leaf. In the open air, the leaves turn their upper side towards the sky, and the under towards the earth, or towards the inside of the plant. To what purpose would this particular arrangement of the leaves be, if they were of no other use but to adorn trees, and to procure us shade? Most certainly the Creator had something much more important in view. The nourishment of plants proceeds directly from the leaves their pores serve to suck in the moisture or the juices of the atmosphere, and to communicate them afterwards to the whole plant. What wisdom is there in this organization! By these means the plants in dry weather run no risk of wanting nourishment. They receive abundance of refreshing dew, which, falling from the upper leaves, waters those under them, and thus none of this nourishing juice is lost. And as plants perspire greatly, as many experiments shew us, the leaves appear to be the principal organs of this important perspiration. They serve also to introduce into the plant the air it requires. They appear even to contribute to the preservation of the bud which is to shoot the following year for the eye of the bud is already under the leaf: Undoubtedly it is guarded and preserved by them, at the same time that the quantity of juice, where the leaf joins to the plant, also serves to preserve it. This is the reason, that many trees wither and : die when their leaves are gathered. It sometimes happens to the mulberry tree, when it is stripped without proper caution to feed silk worms. This is also the reason that grapes do not ripen, when the vine loses its leaves in summer. Another remark may be made on this subject, which very much opens to us the manner of the plant's growth: The under side of the leaves, always turned towards the ground, is generally of a paler and less bright colour; it is more rough and spongy than the upper side. Here again we discover the wisest purposes: The side of the leaf next the ground is rougher, and consequently more full of pores, in order to suck in so much the better what dew rises from the earth, and to distribute it afterwards over the rest of the plant in more abundance. The leaves then turn on the side that can best receive the nutritive moisture: and this is the reason that the leaves of some plants incline very low down. If we observe trees growing on a steep hill, we shall see that their leaves do not take a horizontal direction, but evidently a perpendicular one; which proves that the leaves draw towards the side where there is most moisture. These reflections may make us consider the leaves of the trees hereafter, in a different light from what we have hitherto done. If we did not know the inimitable art of their construction, nor the important purpose of their existence, it would not be wonderful, that we should see them with neglect and indifference. But when we know that each leaf is an effect of the Divine Power, and an organ of fruitfulness, it would be unpardonable to see them with inattention. They ought naturally to lead us to the following useful reflections: Every thing, even the very smallest object in nature, has been planned with wisdom by the Crea tor. There is not a single leaf that is a mere ornament, and of no use. It contributes its share towards the fertility and support of the vegetable kingdom. If each leaf then is a work of Divine Power, what a multitude of wonders does not a single tree present to us? The faculties of our minds cannot reach to the bottom of one only, and the smallest leaf might afford subject for redection all our lives. ག་མར་་ར་ར་པཎ “ས JUNE III. THE REVIVING POWER OF THE SUN. I MYSELF feel this beneficent power. As soon as the sun rises over my head, it fills my soul with serenity and joy. Its splendour and warmth inspire me with spirit and activity, sufficient to fulfil the duties of life and to enjoy society. The involuntary indolence and lowness, which made me inactive in winter, are by degrees vanished. I breathe more freely, and I employ myself with more pleasure. How can it be otherwise, when I am witness to the universal joy which the sun communicates to the world, and every where perceive its enlivening powers? It animates and revives all creatures with its benign influence. Millions of shining insects awake, sport, and bask in its rays. The birds salute it with their melody. Every thing that breathes rejoices in it, and we every where trace its happy effects. It causes the sap to rise and circulate through trees, plants, and vegetables. It causes the leaves and blossoms to shoot. It forms the fruit, then ripens it, and gives it colour. It sheds life and light throughout all nature. It is the source of that warmth, with |