presence of the
Spirit that cutteth out rivers among the rocks, as He covers the
valleys with corn; and there, in its vanward place, and only there,
where nothing is withdrawn for it, nor hurt by it, and where nothing
can take part of its honour, nor usurp its throne, are its strength
and fairness, and price, and goodness in the sight of God to be truly
esteemed. The first time I saw the Soldanella Alpina, before spoken
of, it was growing of magnificent size on a sunny Alpine pasture,
among bleating of sheep, and lowing of cattle, associated with a
profusion of Geum Montanum, and Ranunculus Pyrenaeus. I noticed it only
because new to me--nor perceived any peculiar beauty in its cloven
flower. Some days after, I found it alone, among the rack of the
higher clouds, and howling of glacier winds; and, as I described it,
piercing through an edge of avalanche which in its retiring had left
the new ground brown and lifeless, and as if burnt by recent fire. The
plant was poor and feeble, and seemingly exhausted with its
efforts,--but it was then that I comprehended its ideal character, and
saw its noble function and order of glory among the constellations of
the earth.

56. GRASSES.--Minute, granular, feathery, or downy seed-vessels,
mingling quaint brown punctuation, and dusty tremors of dancing grain,
with the bloom of the nearer fields; and casting a gossamered grayness
and softness of plumy mist along their surfaces far away; mysterious
evermore, not only with dew in the morning, or mirage at noon, but
with the shaking threads of fine arborescence, each a little belfry of
grainbells, all a-chime.

57. Gather a single blade of grass, and examine for a minute quietly
its narrow sword-shaped strip of fluted green. Nothing, as it seems,
there of notable goodness or beauty. A very little strength and a very
little tallness, and a few delicate long lines meeting in a
point,--not a perfect point neither, but blunt and unfinished, by no
means a creditable or apparently much-cared-for example of Nature's
workmanship, made, only to be trodden on to-day, and to-morrow to be
cast into the oven,--and a little pale and hollow stalk, feeble and
flaccid, leading down to the dull brown fibres of roots. And yet,
think of it well, and judge whether, of all the gorgeous flowers that
beam in summer air, and of all strong and goodly trees, pleasant to
the eyes, or good for food,--stately palm and pine, strong ash and
oak, scented citron,