The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1855-10-11

Know, that IN mouefn umos tne laws VI uu-
ture have been revealed with a ILLNESS, siid
defined with precision, unparalleled at any
former period. 1t is equally well known,
that these discoveries have been used, with
prodigious effect, in all the arts, except as-
riculture, to which they are applicable. The
facts and figures, which mark some of the
capital points Of this progress, will not be
inappropriate; for Irepeat, that science stands
ready TO do for you all that she has done and
is doing for others.
A single steam engine now carries al the
rate OF five hundred mile a day, the same
quantity Of goods which, forty years ago, 1t
required seven hundred aud forty horses 10
haul at the rate of fifteen miles day.
In the business of weaving one man now
does with ease, what il taxed The hard labor
of twelve hundred TO perform before the in
vention of the power loom. Fsaaf
All sorts of manufactures are carried on in
ways SO much superior to those which were
used, even one generation ago, that goods of
every description are furnished to the con-
sumer very much cheaper, and many of
them at less than one tenth of their former
price and this, although the demand has
been enormously increased, and The profits
of The manufacture are much greater than
ever. r
Macaulay says that in the reign Of Charles
If-not farther back than twice the length of
an OLD mans life-a letter sent by mail from
LoEdon to one of the midland counties of
England, where it would 60 now, in four or
five hours; was as long in reaching its deslI-
nation as 1t would be at this day in going
from London TO the interior of Kentucky.
A man may star, from here, cross the AT.
lantic, visit every capital city in Europe, and
return home again, in less time than used to
be required for trip 10 81. Louis.
The means by which those who ego down
10 the great sea in ships" have brought their
art to its present stale: is an illustration, as
striking as any that could be given, of the
practical use which has been made Of scien-
tific discoveries. II is an old tradition, that
the first idea of navigation was suggested TO
the mind of an ingenious savage, by seeing
a hollow reed, which had been split longi-
tudinally, floating on the water. He took
the hint and made himself what, in western
phrase, would be called "dug out.s In
process of time oars were added. Then came
a more complicated vessel, with sails TO
move, and rudder to guide her. In this, a
bold navigator would venture from heaGland
to hsadland, keeping one eye carefully on
shore and the other one on the clouds. AT
length they learned, from the old Chaldean
shepherds, how to steer By the stars. With
this little knowledge of astronomy they went
far away from land, though ii became Who'll.
ly useless just at the time il was most need
ed--when the skies were over-clouded and
the tempest came out on the deep. Naviga-
tion stood still at that point for thousands OF
years, because it was believed (as some
farmers now believe of their art,) that it was
already TOO perfec! 10 be improved. But see
what modern discoveries have brought il 10.
The mariner now leaves the port of his de-
parlure, with serene and steady confidence
in his resources. Astronomy, natural philos-
ophy, optics, magnetism-the whole circle
of The physical sciences-and numerous in
struments, contrived with the most exquisite
mechanical skill, are all al his command
He can measure his rate of sailing exactly,
aud knows the course he is on with absolute
certainty When he Is thousand miles oui,
if he doubts the accuracy OF his reckoning;
he is able 10 correct it. He lifts 10 his eye d
tube, fitted with glasses, through which he
can see far out into ilImiiabs space--many
millions of miles beyond the reach of his
unassisted vision. He ascertains the relative
position of come awful distant world and
thence, with the help of his chronometer and
his nautical almanac, he calculates his lon
aitude. Another observation with different
instrument upon another celestial body gives
him the means of finding his distance from
the equator. Combining these two results,
he puts his finger upon a spot in The chart,
and says, with undoubsng confidence, III
am precisely there" Geography tells him
where TO steer his vessel for the port of her
destination. and how TO avoid all the dan.
gers that lie between. He holds her head
to the true course, and iearlessly stretches
away over The dark blue waters, and they
bear him onward like tho horse that know
eth his rider When 10 this lie added the pow
er of steam to rropel him, il may we'll be
said tha, he has conquered both wind and
wave. Fire may consume bis vessel. or an
iceberg may shatter it; but the ordinary
periIs Of the sea are reduced almost to noth.
ing.
Our al-wise Creator has endowed us with
no faculty in vain. He permits us to eiscov-
or no useless truth. Some, which appeared
the most unpromising and barren, have
borne the richest fruit. A nameless philoso.
pher, somewhat more than three thousand
years ago, was handling Q piece of amber,
called in bis language slactron. He saw, that
when IL was briskly rubbed, Il bad the pow
er of attracting and holding to il certain light
substances. He thought il was eudued with