Altlioitgli the siiliject, ~rliich 1 Itnvc sclrctctl for lily i i t l t l ~i ~~~ is neccsiiirily ~o~iic\.itiit t~cltniciil, it occurrcci to nio that. the ~~r o i ) l c n ~ of flower coloiir is of gcncrnl intcwst, niid th pist. of wlint 1 liii-c to say is n contribiitiou to tlic iilis\.t*r to tlic qitcst~ioii : IYhy tire sollie flowcrs Dluc iin(1 otlicrs, contiiining tlic siiliic' jiigineiit, rcd ! 'Iu the iutcrests, too, of nicnilJcrs of this iiutIiciicc wlio iirc not orgiinic cltcniists I propose to iillo\r. the sl~okcn to diverge froni tlrc written word, iind I slliill siiiiplc csperiniiqp.
I n every coiirit ry i i n t l tliroiiglioitt tlic ngcs emotions 1ii:ve been stirrrtl iintl citriosky iironsctl Iiy the displiiy of coloitr in niitiirc, ]Jilt it is p ~r l t i i p ~ not, gcncriilly rciilized [hiit tho rcittly iiviiili~l~ilit~ of iirtificiiil coloiiriiig niiittctrs siiitiiltl~~ for every kind of titictoriiil j)iir~)ose, froin lloot, ptili.4 to finger-~~iiils~ is ii conipiiriiti~riy recent clc~cloptii~~it. rcitd of tlic iilicicnt Tyriiin piirplc, the pitrple of kings, iind of tlic red cosiiictic pigincuts of niiti'i.s of the Orinoco, so rare thiit t,l~cy were itsctl iis tlrc liiisis of esclliingc ; in coiitriist, ut, tlic prcwnt tinir (ly~..i of id1 sliiitles inny IN intlulgctl i n to ill1 vstcnt ~* o n t ~i ) l l t ~t l ccrtiiiiily Iiy indi~idititl coitriigc, tihstv, iintl disiwtion, 1)iit. Iiiirtlly iit iill by liuiititt,ions of pime or socicil statits. I t rnrty he tliilt this " frccdotii of tlie Iiiics " Iiiis I)ecn enjoyed for so I~ricf ii periotl t l t i i t a stiitc of eqiiililiriuiii hiis not yet hccn reiiclicd, iititl IVC iiri: not nsiiig o w privileges i n titis Iitiitt(1r either iis fiilly iis possilile or :IS wiscly iis posililt~. I t is not, Iio~vcv~~r, for iiii organic eliciiiist to tlisciiss silcll ~I ~o I ) I ~I I ~* iis tliiit of ~~i i i ~~i i l i ~i ~ ~i~rtoriiil COII-ser.iitisni 011 the 011c l t i i ~~t l , or to n t t c ~i ~p t iili cstiiniitc of t hi! icsthctic \*iiliie of tbt: filni-fir11 iiiiigiiziiic cover on tlic otlicr.