The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-10-02
MICROSCOPIC PHENOMENA.
FROM sHAw's NATURE DISPLAYED.

FROM SHAW Dl5PLAiEB'
What we have already considered makes but
a small portion Of the wonders which are un-
folded TO us by the microscope This instru-
ment has introduced US TO a new world of veg
etables and animals, and demonstrated that
there are equal order and harmony in the mites
construction, as IN that of the whale or elephant
The only difference is, our weakness of sight
prevents our penetrating into the nature and or
ganizaton Of small bodies, which often escape
our eyes, and can be perceived only by the as
sistance Of glasses, which teach that the
smallest objects wholly unknown to our fore
fathers have extension, parts, and well-orga
nlZed form. The mention OF some examples
will lead US 10 acknowledge the power, wisdom,
and goodness Of that Deity who affords unto all
existence and happiness.
Grams Of sand appear Of the same form 10
the naked eye, but seen through microscope
exhibit different shapes and sizes gobular,
square, conica and mostly irregular and, what
IS more surprising, in their cavities have been
| found by the microscope, insects OF various
kinds In decayed cheese multltudes OF lit
Tie worms, called mites, which, to the naked
! eye, appear like shapeless and confused moving
l'parlicles, but the microscope prove them OF
a very singular and curious figure. They
have eyes, mouth, feet and a transparent body,
| furnished with long hair in the form of prckles.
The mouldy substance on damp bodies exhi-
bits region OF minute plants Sometimes IL
appears forest OF trees, whose branches leaves,
flowers, and fruits, are clearly distinguished
Some OF the flowers have long, white, pa
rent stalks and the buds, before they open, are
little green balls which become white. The
particles of dust the wings of the butterfly
prove, by the microscope, to be beautiful and
we'll arranged little feathers
| In dawn of every variegated dye
Shines, hutering soft, the gaudy butterfly
That Eowder which thy spelling hand dIs'ains,
The form OF quills and painted pumes contains
Not courts do more magnlfcence express,
| In all their blaze of gems and pomp Of dress.
| by the same instrument the surface OF our
skin has scales resembling those Of fish; but so
| minute, that single gain would cover 250
and single scale covers 500 pores, whence is
sues the nsensble perspiration necessary to
| health consequently, single grain OF sand
can cover $4,000 pores of the human body.
| The microscope displays, in each object,
thousand others which escaped recognition, in
each OF which others remain unseen, which
even the microscope can never bring TO view.
| W hat wonders should we see, could we contn-
ually improve those glasses invented TO assist
our sight! Imagination may, in some measure,
supply the defect of our eyes, and serve as a
mental microscope, to represent, in each atom,
thousands of new and invisible worlds.
In contemplating the works of God, the et
fects OF his wisdom and goodness ev-
IDENTITY displayed in the spiders web, as in those
laws which connect the sun and his cIrcumre-
volving planets The microscope discovers in
immature, new worlds, which ought TO excite
mans wonder, and urge him to religious reve-
renee. Persons deprived of opportunity to ex
anime the curious objects displayed by the mi
croscope, will be glad to know what has been
seen by Others and what themselves may con
template with delight.
The MOSES and grass with which the earth
is covered, with carpet, are composed of
many threads and small PARTICLES into which
they are divisible The PARTICLES of water are
so small, that millions of animalcules NAV be
suspended on the point of needle; how many,
then, must there be in the rivers and seas. From
lighted candle here issue, in one minute, more
particles OF light than there are grains of sand
in the whole earth how vast, then, the number
that flow IN day, or year. a century, from
that immense body, the sun How indefinitely
small must those particles of odorferous bodies
be, which affect large spaces for DAYS and
even weeks, without any sensible loss of their
weight
Let us pass to the animated creation. In
summers evening the air swarms with living
creatures. Each drop of stagnant water con
tains little world of animated beings. Each
leaf OF tree is a colony of insects every plant,
every flower, affords food for millions of crea
lures. Who but must have seen the nnumera-
lected In the compass OF few yards What
prodlgious shoals must there be over the whole
earth--ln the immense expanse of the atmos-
phere! How many millions of smaller insects
and worms crawl on the ground, or live beneath
its surface
The artificial convex will reveal
The forms dimnutive that each conceal
Some minute, that TO the one extreme
The mite a vast leviathan would seem;
That yet of organs, functions sense partake
Equal with ANIMALS of larger make
In curious limbs and clothing they surpass
BY far the comeicst of the bulky mass
A world of beauties that, through all their frame
Creations grandest miracles proclaim.
BROWNE
Did not experiments and observations by the
microscope prove the fact, il would be incredible
that there are animals million times smaller
than grain Of sand; vet endowed with organs
of nutrition, motion, &c There are shell-hsh
so small, that even through a microscope they
appear scarcely larger than grain of wheat
and these are living animals. enclosed in hard
houses. How inconceivaby fine are the spiders
threads as thousands would scarcely be as thick
as common sewing silk. How small is the mite
and yet this almost Imperceptlble atom, seen
through microscope, is hairy animal perfect
~ ITS limbs, active IN It's motions, OF regular
form, full OF life and sensibllity and provided
with all requisite organs. Though scarcely visi-
bic TO us, II - made up of parts infinitely smaller
than the whole. How minute, then, must be-
the PARTICLES Of those fluids which circulate
through the veins of such anlmaIcules
DIET OF THE ANcrENrs.-The difference be-
tween the diet of the anclents and that of Us
moderns is very striking. The ancient Greeks
and Romans used no alcoholic liquor it being
unknown TO them; nor coffee nor tea nor cho-
coate. nor sugar, nor even butter; for Gaen
informs us he had seen butter but once in his
life 'Thpu upra iunnronf of ,hn nr.ator ,,,,,