Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1856-01-11
philosophical.
TRANSFORMATIONS AND PROPER
TIES OF MATTER.
BY JOHN F. aEARY, N. B.

3
The varied capabilities of matter to
mould and adapt itself, to be moulded /
and adapted to the infinite and wonder
Gus forms, appliances and creations which
spring in rapid and ceaseless protuslon
from the mysterious labratory OF nature,
may well claim the frequent and close at
tention of the medical philosopher. To
him, in an especial manner, mature is
the kindest mother still - 1t is only from
her teeming and ever-open bosom he can
reasonably hope to draw the nourishIng
and wholesome food which shall support
and strengthen his professional existence,
and enable him to minister life and vigor |
to those who must interrogate him as the
priest who always stands before her al
tars. Her overt and palpable phenome-
ma force themselves upon the observation
of the most needless, whilst her private
workings and hidden wonders reveal
themselves only to patient toiland search
ing scrutiny-aided by the incest and
most ingenious mechanical adjuvants-to
frequent and numerous experiments,
whose failure and unexpected results
often discourage the most persevering,
and check the most indomitable. But
those silent and unseen laws which bring
about these wondrous results, are equally
hidden from the mental vision of the sage
whose mind is wearied and body wasted
in labor, in watching, in fasting at the feet
of his goddess as from him who
"Whistled as he went for thought
Still, under the guidance of these unseen
and inscrutable laws, which battle human
genius, matter visibly yields with sur
prising ease and elasticity to wind itself
into a planet, to congestitself into chain
of mountains, TO organize itself to an ell
ephant, refine itself to a diamond and re-
duce itself to the primary atom that is
only revealed to the curious scrutiny o.
the microscope! Wherever we turn, Of
whatever we investigate, through thu
wide domain of the material universe
these restless, ceaseless changes meet on
eyes and challenge our unbounded ad
= mirationi
Does the earth heave and roar beneat
: your feet,-shake continent and swa
' low cities into its yawning abyss, doe
d the restless ocean roll its pillows to til
h stars and settle down into a tranquil cali
does the sun pour down his scorchin
rays AMI call the invisible vapors to til
skies,-do the clouds gather into dar
restless masses,-does the electric fas
blaze from their bosom,-the thundt
crash and ''terrify the nations" do tt
:. rains descend in torrents,-does the ha
sow the land with evanescent grain
=. crops-do the snow-fakes glide upon IL
=, air and veil the sun till the fields hay
~ put on their wedding garment for glol
p and for beauty all is but matter a
10 Stunning different forms, preparing to- a
re complish new misunderstanding, fe
d menting, dividing, combining, attractin
i repelling, dissolving to liquid forms,
a. crystalizing to adamantl
p That Mighty Alchemist, the Geni
ii of matter, is at work in his Labrador
- presiding over his furnace I Shall we
of at his feel, watch few of his expe.
m ments and receive a few of the gre
CHI acts which fly, like scintillations. fro
n every touch of his anvil and every stir
NJ his crucible +? He is demonstrating gre
as truths for the good of the human famil
ii. Sitting then at the feet of our Arc
at didascalus, we see that under his ha
matter yielding an unhesitating obedier
becomes the creature of his will, and Il
D. whether it should be his pleasure S
re- should form granite bouIders, coal-fel
Z or sandstone, earth, water, or fire, il
sr- donei Whether a ray of light sh
TX, gleam, or fixed star become a way-ms
10 in the heavens for ever, whether an oce
Oh shall shut in the solid globe, or the pois
lot drop glisten on the sting of an inse
SIX she is still obedient, plastic, all-sufficiel
IN Whether he desire a comet to blaze a
lr- traverse the universe, to return after +
Use lapse of ten thousand centuries, the oy,
ne TO burst from its mystic cell and grow
zee to philosopher or a hero, or daisy
u gem the turf, she, the great and prol
'P- parent Of all things, is his humble S
oe want So that whether. observe m
eat ter as a whole or in part, in masses s
- fclent to compose worlds, or in prim;
ie- atoms, we see the same great laws II
me direct and determine the action of e,
rs individual particle to accomplish its n
sion with undertaking exactness ;
promptitude
And when this great Master Spi