58 THE FLOWERS

of outshining and surpassing each other in
those qualities which you esteem admirable
in a human creature. Of the sinfulness of
these feelings, my dear daughters,’ I con-
tinued, “I need not speak ; but on their folly
I will enlarge, inasmuch as it seems that you
are not aware of this folly. The Almighty
is not so partial a Parent that he has not be-
stowed some beautiful and excellent quality
on each of his children. Look at the flowers
in that blooming parterre which extends itself
beneath the window: amongst these, some
attract the eye from a distance, some shed
powerful odours in the air, some are endowed
with healing qualities, some retire from the
view, and are only admirable when closely in-
spected ; some excel in only one point, some
in several, some in every quality attributable
to the vegetable creation ; but all are so ex-
quisite in their way, so perfect in their con-
formation and their internal construction, that
the utmost art of man would endeavour in
vain to imitate the simplest, the most humble
flower amongst them. Go forth into the
forest, and observe the leaves of the trees ;
compare them one with another ; remark the
delicacy of their texture, the infinite variety