MAY XXI.

Description of the Beauties of Spring.

NOTHING is more worthy of admiration than the revolutions effected throughout all nature by the influence of the spring. As autumn declines, every valley, every meadow, and every grove, presents us with an image of death: and in winter nature is entirely divested of beauty; every animal is sorrowful, the inhabitants of the groves hide themselves and are silent; the earth becomes desert, and all nature seems to suffer a state of torpor and insensibility. However, at this very time she is working in secret, though we are ignorant of the happy principle which is preparing her renovation. Life returns to animate afresh the benumbed body, and every thing prepares for a similar restoration. In trees alone, what a multitude of changes take place. At first the sap, which during the winter had entirely abandoned the trunk and branches, slowly rises in the small vessels by means which we cannot discover: it soon penetrates the buds, which disclose a thousand wonders; the leaves with their beautiful green; the branches, which are to shoot between the unfolded leaves, with new buds attached to them, and full of invisible leaves; the multitude of flowers, with the sweet exhalations which scent the air; in these blossoms fruit, and in those fruits the seeds of an infinite number of other trees.

The brightness of the sun rejoices the soul, and the activity of nature in the plants which surround us is highly pleasing. Every field delights with its beauties and pleases with its grateful fragrance, and every bird pours forth its varied melody. How cheerful are the notes of the linnet as it flutters from branch to branch, as if to attract our regard! The lark joyfully soars aloft, and hails the day and the

coming spring with her melodious strains. The cattle express the vigour and joy which animate them; and the fish in the rivers, which during winter were torpid and lay at the bottom of the water, now rise to the surface, and express their vivacity by a thousand playful sallies.

How is it possible that we can so often see all these objects without experiencing the most profound admiration and reverence for the infinite Being whose power is so gloriously manifested? Never should we breathe the pure air of spring without such feelings being awakened; let us never contemplate a tree in leaf, a field waving with corn, a flowery mead, a majestic forest, or beautiful garden, without reflecting that it is God who has given us the shade of the trees, and the beauty and fragrance of the flowers; that it is He who clothes the woods and the meadows with the verdure which delights and refreshes; and that He, by whose will and power we exist, has given to every creature life, and all the happiness they enjoy. As nature feels the influence of spring, so the true Christian feels ecstatic bliss, when after having hidden his face for a while, his God approaches and breathes into his soul the happy testimony of his grace and salvation.

MAY XXII.

Language of Animals.

MAN may be considered as the only animal which enjoys the gift of speech; and in this his superiority over other animals is most especially manifested. By means of speech he extends his empire over all na ture, and raises himself towards his Divine Author, whom he contemplates, obeys, and adores. By the faculty of speech he is enabled to make known his

wants to others, and to render them subservient to his interest. All animals, except man, are deprived of this faculty, because they are destitute of that reason by which we are enabled to acquire languages, and to know the use of speech. But as animals pos sess the power of expressing their wants and feelings by natural signs, and certain sounds or cries, we must allow them a sort of language, though very inferior, formed entirely from the diversity of the tones which they utter.

To form a just idea of this, no very laborious researches or profound investigations are necessary; it will be sufficient to observe the animals which daily come under our notice, and with which we live in familiar intercourse. Let us examine the hen and her chickens; when she has found any thing she calls and invites them to partake of it; they understand her call, and instantly come. If they lose sight of her their plaintive cries express their distress, and the desire they have for her guardian presence. Observe the different cries of the cock when a stranger or a dog advances, or when some bird of prey hovers near; or when he calls to or answers his hens. Hear the lamentable cries of the turkey, and see the young brood instantly hide themselves; the mother anxiously looks upward, and what has she discovered? a black point that we can scarcely distinguish; and this is a bird of prey, which could not escape the vigilance and piercing eyes of the mother carefully watching for her flock. The enemy disappears, and the hen utters an exulting cry; her anxiety ceases, aud the young ones again joyfully assemble round their mother.

The cries of the dog are very various, copious, and expressive: who can witness without emotion the joy which this faithful animal expresses at the return of his master? He leaps, dances, runs about him with eagerness; now stops and eyes him with most earnest regard, full of tenderness and affection; approaches,

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licks, and caresses him repeatedly; then again renews his frolicsome gambols, disappears, returns, assumes a variety of sportful attitudes, barks, and declares his joy by a thousand playful gestures. How different are these joyful sounds from those which he utters at night upon the approach of a thief! If we follow a hound or a pointer, how different will be their cries and their motions, according to what they wish to express, and how significant are the movements of their ears and tails!

This may afford us another opportunity of admiring the wisdom of the Supreme Being, who has thus manifested to all creatures his tender cares, by giving them power to express by sounds their feelings and their wants. From their peculiar organisation it is impossible for them to utter the language of man; but though destitute of that qualification, they are, through the mercy of God, enabled to communicate their sensations to one another, and even to man himself. They possess the faculty of producing and varying a certain number of sounds; and the structure of their organs is such, that each species has peculiar tones by which it conveys its meaning, with as much perfection as their nature and the end for which they are created requires.

How superior then is man to other animals by his powers of speech! Their language consists in the utterance of imperfect sounds; they are incapable of combining and comparing ideas, and their knowledge of external objects is very limited. Whilst man possesses faculties which enable him to ascend from particulars to general notions, and to separate the object from the qualities which distinguish it; and having obtained this knowledge, he is enabled through his powers of speech to convey it to other individuals. Let us then pour forth the tribute of our praise to the Almighty for the superiority of our nature, and the great faculties he has bestowed upon us; never forgetting that the most grateful incense which ascends

to Heaven is the prayers of the afflicted for those that comfort them; and the blessings of the ignorant who have been rescued from the bondage of darkness, and restored to the cheerful precincts of day by the superior intelligence of a fellow-being who has devoted his days to the cultivation of his mind and the improvement of his heart.

MAY XXIII.

Number and Magnitude of Creatures upon the Earth.

"THE works of the Lord are vast and numerous;' we should have acknowledged this if we had only known those which the earth contains; for how immense is this globe, the abode of so many nations differing from each other! and how many solitudes and deserts are still uninhabited by man! What is still more striking is, that the solid earth does not occupy near so much space as the water; and if the earth itself is an example of the greatness of the works of God, how much more so is that diversity of creatures which it contains!

We find innumerable species of stones, minerals, and metals, concealed in the bosom of the earth; whilst an astonishing variety of trees, plants, herbs, and fruits, adorn its surface. Notwithstanding all the care which has been taken to observe and classify their different species, the work is still far from being completed. Let us next consider the extreme diversity of living creatures which offers itself to our attention! How great the disproportion between the eagle and the fly, the whale and the gudgeon, the elephant and the mouse! and yet the interval which separates them is filled up with living creatures. The various species of animals approach each other so nearly that it is sometimes difficult to distinguish