The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1855-08-16
" onder Of the atmosphere.

lhe atmosphere forms spherical Shell sur
rounding the earth TO depth which is un.
known TO us BY reason of It's growing lenuily
as ii is released from the pressure Of lis own
superincu mbent mass. It's upper surface
cannot be nearer TO us than fifty and can
scarcely be more than five hundred miles. 1t
surrounds US on all sides, yet we see il not:
il presses On US with load OF fifteen pounds
on every square inch or surface of our bodies,
or from seventy TO one hundred tons on us all,
yet we do not SO much as feel It's weight
Softer than the finest down, more impalpable
than the finest gossames, ii leaves the cob
web undsturbed d, and scarcely stirs tie slight
est flower that feeds on the dew il supplies !;
yet il bears the fleets OF nations on its wings
around the world, and crushes the mos, re-
frac,ory substances wih its weight. When
id motion its fotce is sufficient TO level the
most stately forests and stable buildings with
the earth; TO raise the waters of the ocean IN
TO ridges like mountains, and dash the strong.
est ships 10 pieces like toys. II warns aud
cools by turns the earth and the living crea.
lures that inhabi it. draws up vapors from
the sea and land retain them dissolved in il.
self or suspended in cislerns OF clsuds, and
throws them down again as rain or dew when
required. II bends the rays of the sun from
their path to give us the twilight oil evening
and of dawn; it dispeRes and refracts their
various tnts 10 5eautify the approach and re-
treat of the orb Of the day. But for the al
mosphere, sunshine would burst upon us and
fail us at once, and remove US from midnight
darkness TO the blaze of noon. We should
have no twilight TO soften and beauty the
landscape, no clouds 10 shade us from the
scorching heat; but the bald earth as il revol.
we'd on its axis, would turn lis tanned and
weathered front TO the foil and unmigated
rays Of the lord of day II affords the gas
which WHITES and warns our frames, and
receives into itself that which has been pol.
luted by use and is drawn of as oxious. 1t
feeds the flame OF life exactly as il does that
OF the fire; II is in both cases consumed aud
affords the food OF consumption in both ca
ses IL becomes combined with charcoal, which
requires it for combustion, aud is removed
be it when this is over.
"It is only The sirdling encircling air, says
writer in the North British Review, "that
flows above and around US that makes the
whole world kin. The caIbonic acid with
which 70 cay our breathing fills the air, TO-
morrow seeks lis way round The world The
date trees that grow around The falls Of the
/ Mile viii drink it in by their leaves The ce.
dars oI teaanon will take II to add 10 their
stature; lac cocoa nuts of Tabila will grow
rapidly upon it; and the palms aud bananas
of japan win change II into flowers The
oxygen we are breathing was distilled for US
some short Time ago by the magnoas of
Susquehanna and The great trees that skirt
the orinoco and the Amazon; the giant rhod-
odendroEs of The Himalays contributed to it,
and the roses and moriles of Cashmere, the
cinnamon trees of Ceylon. and, the forests
older than the food, buried deep in the heart
of Africa, fat behind The mountains of the
Moon. The rain we see decendins was
thawed for us outof the icebergs which have
watched the Polar star for sges; and the To-
tus lilies have soaked up from the Nile and
exhaled as vapor SHOWS that rested on The
submits Of the Alps"
"The atmosphere" rays Mann, (which
forms the ouier surface OF the habtable world
is vast reservoir into which the supply oil
food designed for living creatures is thrown /;
or, in one word, il is itself the food in its
simple form Of all living creatures. The an.
imal grnds down the fibre and tissue OF the
plant, or The nutritious store that has been
laid up within It's cells, and convsnls these
into the substance of which lis own organs
are composed. The plant acquires the or.
gans and nutritious store thus yielded up as
food to the animal from the invunerable air
surrounding il; but animals are furnished
with the means of IocomotIon and seizure
they can approach their food ald lay hold of
and swallow il; plants must await NIL their
food comes TO them. No solid particles find
access TO their frames, the restless ambient
air, which rushes past them loa LED with the
carbon, the hydrogen, the oxygen, the water,
everything they need in the shape of supplies,
is constantly a, hand 10 minister 10 their
wants, not only to afford them food in due
season, but in the shape or fashion in which
il alone can avail lhem.o