The southern press., 1851-06-04
the success has been greater, but there is moth
ing as yet to encourage the Bonapartists.
w. b,
Mechanism, No. 1.
BY JOSIAH HoLBRooK.

L
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 vast idea subject
inexhaustibly rich, inexpressbly beautiful, and
! illimitably useful A telescope and microsco-
pic view of the subject is Indispensable even to
limited comprehension of it. The mechanism
| OF the heavens is so vast as to require tele-
scope even to get glimpse of it, The work Of
intusora, or microscopic animals, is wholly be-
yond the power of the naked eye. Vegetable
mechanism, in thousands offQrms, is inexpres-
sibly minute and beautiful When viewed by a
powerful microscope. Within square inch
ofsurface Uncertain leaves ofplants, microscope
has shown hundred and seventy thousand
openings or mouths for receiving carbonic acid
gas from the air, to form the substance Of the
plant-an important fact for farmers.
The animated universe, or living moving
things, exhibit mechanism inexpressbly varied,
rich, and beautiful, both in their forms and
motions. A fish never moves fin, bird a
wing, centipede foot, quadruped limb, or
human being finger, without an exhibition of
some principle or form of mechanism. The
infinitely varied forms Of natural objects, EN-
bracing animal, vegetable, and mineral crea-
human being within the period of the longest
natural life Able Hauy, of France, spent his
whole life on the subject Of crystallography-
the forms and relations Of mineral substances.
The most finished human architect, either in
ancient or mo1ern times, though producing
works to be admired through ages, is mere
point, well nigh dark speck, when compared
with the Great Architect of the Universe.
When compared with the vastness, the rich
ness the beauty, the subimity, the glory of the
architecture of the heavens and of the earth
the orbits of the planets and the structure of
leaves, and the microscopic work of insects, hu-
man architecture is poor indeed.
While mechanism, in the broadcast sense Of
the word, has stretch too far, and 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 seven years old. The most i'm
portant element is the most simple object of
human observations simple three-sided figure,
or equilateral triangle. Such figure every
pupil in any school of five or five hundred
scholars may form, at least approximate, any
moment when the opportunity should be affor-
ded by their Teacher, simply by placing before
them states and pencils, with permission to use
them Several of these figures combined ex-
hibit the mechanism of the snow fake Com
bined in different form, they show the crystal
of the diamond, of gold, of iron, of lead, and of
nearly hundred forms of mineral crystals.
The next most mple figue, the square, is the
next most rich and varied in its combinations.
For human mechanism, it is even more mpor.
tant than the triangle, and scarcely less within
the skill of the child
BY ashort 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
primary instruction of every pupil the moment
he enters school.