Page images
PDF
EPUB

LIFE:

ITS

NATURE, VARIETIES, AND PHENOMENA.

ALSO,

TIMES AND SEASONS.

BY LEO. H. GRINDON,

LECTURER ON BOTANY AT THE ROYAL SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, MANCHESTER;
AUTHOR OF FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE,' THE SEXUALITY OF NATURE,'

ETC.

LONDON: WHITTAKER AND CO.

MANCHESTER:

FLETCHER AND TUBBS; DUNNILL AND PALMER.

1856.

270, a. 35.

PREFACE.

THE object of this work is two-fold. First, it is proposed to give a popular and succinct account of the phenomena which indicate the presence of that mysterious, sustaining force we denominate Life, or Vitality, and of the laws which appear to govern their manifestation ; secondly, will be considered, those Spiritual, or Emotional and Intellectual States, which collectively constitute the essential history of our temporal lives, rendering existence either pleasurable or painful. The enquiry will thus embrace all the most interesting and instructive subjects alike of physiology and psychology;-the constitution of external nature; the organization and functions of the bodies in which we dwell; the delights which attend the exercise of the intellect and the affections; the glory and loveliness of the works of God,-will all come under notice, and receive their fitting meed of illustration. Especially will the practical value and interest of life be pointed out; the unity and fine symmetry of the True, the Beautiful, and the Good; the poetry of common things,' and the intimate dependence of the whole upon Him in whom we live, and move, and have our being.' Man, as the noblest recipient, upon earth, of the divine life, will naturally be the principal object of consideration; not, however, the only one. Seeing that he is the Archetype of the entire system of living things, the principles of a true doctrine concerning him become the principles of Natural History in every one of its departments. Animals, plants, even

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

the inorganic world of minerals, will all, therefore, be taken account of, in so far as will be needful to the general purpose of the volume. To those who care for the illustration which physical science casts upon the science of mind, and upon the truths of Revelation, there will probably be much that is both novel and inviting. In fact, it has been sedulously aimed to shew how intimate and striking is the correlation of human knowledges, and how grand is the harmony of things natural and divine. There has been no hesitation in dealing with some of the most sacred of topics, when opportunity for illustrating them has arisen. The physical and the spiritual worlds are in such close connection, that to attempt to treat philosophically of either of them apart from the other, is to divorce what God has joined together. Though the authorized teacher of holy things undoubtedly has his special office, it is no invasion, therefore, of his prerogative to speak 'religiously' on themes so high and beautiful as the attestations of the divine love expressed in nature. Science without religion is empty and unvital. True wisdom, finding the whole world expressive of God, calls upon us to walk, at all times and in all places, in the worship and reverent contemplation of Him.

The views which are set forth possess few claims to originality. They are such as have been held by select thinkers in every age, though perhaps never before expressed connectedly, or in similar terms. Not that the book is a mere compilation of time-worn facts. Several of the chapters, such as those upon Rejuvenescence, and the Prefigurations of Nature, deal with subjects hitherto scarcely touched. Neither are the views here offered final, or binding on a single reader: they are offered as suggestions rather than doctrines. Certainly, most part of the work is written affirmatively, but this must be taken only as indicating earnestness of conviction; anything like dogmatizing is altogether disclaimed. They are views which have brought inexpressible happiness to the writer; and they are offered in the hope that, while they may render the strange mystery of life less perplexing, they will help to render others happy likewise.

That the book is in many respects greatly deficient, no one can become more conscious than the author is. It would be remarkable

were it otherwise, when the vast extent of the subject is considered, and the impossibility of compressing it into moderate limits. A large number of quotations will be found, ample reference being made to the authorities in all the more important of them, and the remainder acknowledged in the usual manner. The reader who is acquainted with the authors cited, will not regret to meet old friends; and to the younger student, they may be valuable as pointing to new sources of information. Inserted, as a considerable portion of them have been, purely from memory, exercised over a long and diversified course of reading, it has been impossible always to authenticate minutely. For the benefit of the younger reader, copious references to the literature of the subject are also introduced; the book forming, in this respect, a kind of index. Some subjects may seem to call for more lengthy treatment than they receive; but they are designedly curtailed, because already discussed, in extenso, by authors of repute. Such are Sleep, and the Brain. Imperfect remarks upon other topics are compensated in the Supplementary Notes.

Appended will be found an appropriate adjunct to the subject of Life, in the shape of a little essay on Times and Seasons.'

[ocr errors]
« PreviousContinue »