I received my first lesson in botany from a student by the name of
Griswold, who is now County Judge of the County of Waukesha,
Wisconsin. In the University he was often laughed at on account of his
anxiety to instruct others, and his frequently saying with fine
emphasis, "Imparting instruction is my greatest enjoyment." One
memorable day in June, when I was standing on the stone steps of the
north dormitory, Mr. Griswold joined me and at once began to teach. He
reached up, plucked a flower from an overspreading branch of a locust
tree, and, handing it to me, said, "Muir, do you know what family this
tree belongs to?"
"No," I said, "I don't know anything about botany."
"Well, no matter," said he, "what is it like?"
"It's like a pea flower," I replied.
"That's right. You're right," he said, "it belongs to the Pea Family."
"But how can that be," I objected, "when the pea is a weak, clinging,
straggling herb, and the locust a big, thorny hardwood tree?"
"Yes, that is true," he replied, "as to the difference in size, but it
is also true that in all their essential characters they are alike,
and therefore they must belong to one and the same family.
Pages:
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261