Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1840-02-14


accuracy, so that for ages past, and for
ages to come, the almanac discloscs their
movements with as exact accuracy as the
clock tells of time. What chance it was
that checked their flight, and by rcvolu
ton of force wheeled them round in their
elliptic carccr--or why, the coniripctal
power exhausted, they did not fall back
with accelerated momentum, into the hor-
rblc crater whence they sprung--or
where that mass may be, which could fur
nish matter of which to make the uni
verse, and sustain reaction of sending it
out that mighty cannon, whose shots arc
suns and worlds; our philosophers have
not vet discovered. But it 50 happens
they were exploded, aud as yet they have
not fallen back.
And now leaving the suns and orbs,
and other systems, We descend to trace
the history Of our own mother earth,
whom we meet rocking from her recent
explosion, her waves of fire tossing and
raging, which, as they cooled, crustcd
and stood upright as a heap, and became
the perpetual hills and everlasting noun
tains. The wcighticr masses sunk down
wards towards the centre, with lighter and
lighter dcpositcs above, leaving the crust,
when pulvcriAet, for tallow ground and
harvcsts.
As vet, however, the earth was with
out form and void, and a hidcous make
ness spread over its late burning surface
when, strange to tell, grass and trees
sprang mp and BEGAN to ornament the
hills and carpet the valcys-and hard
on The footsteps of this wonder trodanoth-
Or: the waters tcemed with organic life,
which dashed with oar the plant wave,
and sportod in the dccp-and suddenly
the hills sent down to the valleys, and the
valleys sent back to the hills, the bleating
Of locl,, aud herds, while the groves sent
forth the Joyous notes oi birds and in
sccts. All these, in grand concert, burst
out upon the silence Of nature, and all,
as they needed, waited on almighty
chance, who gave them their meat in due
season.
The organization of this delighted choir
was sucl, as demanded respiration, and
the flowing of a warm blood, Tor which
an elastic atmosphere was needed; and
ii Happened, as TIC earth cooled and con-
soidatcd, that several cases escaped from
confinement, so exactly Of the same spc-
ciGc gravity, and blessed with such social
and friendly dispositions, that they agreed
to exist IN partnership, and to surround
the earth, and most bcncvoently to VOL
untcer their aid for respiration. Each,
alone, deadly to life, but united, its sus-
tanning power.
This world of breathing animation,
rose up with optics, camcra-0ascura in the
head, to pencil inside the images of Oh
ccts witnout-Whcn, 10 ! the orb of day,
when he fed from his heated prison forgot
not in his panic to. take with him stores OF
light, manufactured for immediate use,
which ever since, he has been pouring out
neXhaustcd, in marvellous abundance.
Light, so doXtcrously compounded OF
seven colors, as to be colorlcss, and we'll
adapted to the vision.
But, amid this cxubcrancc of animated
being, there was not man to TIL the
ground, or admire the beauties Of nature.
Behold, then, another wondcr-tllc iortll-
itous concoursc of atoms, before the earth
so cooled as to stop fermentation, pro-
duced a. human skeleton, around which
with kind affinity, came the sincws anc
muscles, and took their place. The lung:
for breathing, and the arteries and veins tC
carry around the vital nuid, offered THEN
aid, and were accepted. The novou.
systcm--scmi-animal, scmi-spirtual--
took its middle place, as arbitrator be-
tween the soul and body. And to cove
what otherwise had been unsightly, kline
nature provided a blanket, and with kline
sympathy threw its velvet covering Owe
the whole. The eye, too, lit itself "
accidentally, Just at the moment it wa
wanted, and the socket stood cXcavate,
for its reception, and the mucus warm +
make itcasy, and the ligamentto tie it in
The mouth opened at the right time t,
prevent sullocation, and in the right plac
for speech, and ornamentcd with doubl
rows of ivory for mastication. Will
Natures self, with pencil dipped in TIN
colors Of heaven, stood by, well please
to put on her beauteous Workmanship, tn
finish of the sparkling eye, and rosy heel,
and ruby lip. All this, however, La
constituted only beauteous animal, hu
for the glorious accident of a machine 70
thinking, which Happened to pass tina
way, and consented to make an expert
mcnt of its powers in the upper depart
ment of this marvellous product ofchancC
1t took its place, and swung the pendulum
and has continued to 90 with surprisin