American telegraph., 1851-05-23

MECHANISM, No. by JOSIAH HoLBRooK.
Simplicity and vastness mark the works Of
God These are especially the strong features
in the mechanism of the Universe. The term
mechanism, in the largest and minutest sense Of
the word, presents a vast idea-a subject inex-
haustibly rich, inexpressibly beautiful, and IL
limitaby useful A telescope and microscopic
view Of the subject is indispensable even to q
limited comprehension Of it,. The mechanism
Oh the heavens is SO vast as to require tele-
scope even TO get glimpse of it. The work Of
iniusoria, OF microscopic animals, is wholly be-
| yond the power Of the naked eye Inexpressi-
bly, minute is vegetable mechanism, in thou
sands of forms, and beautiful when viewed by I
a powerful microscope. Within q square inch
of surface in certain leaves of plants, a micro :
scope has shown a hundred and seventy thou
sand openings or mouths for receiving carbonic
acid gas from the air, to form the substance Of
the plant-an important fact for farmers. g
The animated universe, or living, moving
things, exhibit mechanism inexpressibly varied,
rich and beautiful both in their forms and mo-
tions. A fish never moves fin, bird wing,
centipede foot, a quadruped limb, or g.
human being finger, without an exhibition of
some principle or form of mechanism. The,
infinitely varied forms of natural objects, en-,
bracng animal, vegetable, and mineral crsa-
ton, are far beyond the comprehension Of any
human being within the period of the longest
natural life. Able Hauy, of France, spent his
whole life on the subject Of crystallognphy--,
the forms and relations of mineral substances,
The most finished human architect, either in
ancient or modern times, though producing
works to be admired through ages, is a5mere'
point, well-nigh dark spcck, when compared
with the great Architect of the universe. When
compared with the vastness, the richness, tho,
Al Al IL &c H.
lecture Of the heavens and Of the earth-the
orbits of the planets and the structure of leaves,
and microscopic work of insects--human archi-
lecture is poor indeed. ..
While mechanism, in the broadest sense Of
the word, has stretch TOO far, and a division
too minute, for any human power, during any
human life, to comprehend the elements Of the
whole are entirely within the reach Of the child
of FIVE, or even Of three, years old. The most
important element is the most simple object Of
human observation-a simple three-sided figure,
or equilateral triangle. Such figure every
pupil in any school of five or five hundred scho-
lars may form, at least approximate, any mo-
ment when the opportunity should be afforded
by their teacher, simply by placing before them
states and pencils, with permission to use them.
Several of these figures combined exhibit the
snowflake. Combined in different form, they
show the crystal of the diamond, of gold, Or
iron, of lead, and Of nearly o hundred forms of
mineral crystals.
The next most simple figure, the square, is
the next most rich and varied in its combina-
tions For human mechanism, it is even more
important than the triangle, and scarcely less
within the skill of the child
BY short series of short articles on the sub
ject of mechanism, an attempt will be made to
show the Importance to every human being of
familiar acquaintance with its elements, and its
entire fitness for practical exercises in the pri,
mary instruction of every pupil the moment he
enters q school,