New-York daily tribune., 1859-01-03
FILTERS FROM iHE PEOPLE
.on,-,.p Use op THE MICROSCOPE.

nS-ER
go. q = fall Of excellent suggestions, anu pun
.holo.ome sricturee concerning the pOncy OF
So farm management, bpt there II one uah Oh
-, xbcb think may be proftably traced fur-
-, hs fonnd convenent-i refer TO the value
~ the microscope for agricultural and house-
- .,,noses The powers OF this invaluable instrd-
~,,b.ve lstterIy found new and important apph-
-, in the detection Of commercial adnteranohs
Ths e,teut 20 which articles Of traffic OF universal
and necessity are hsbitnay fslsifed BY dealers Is
h.,dIy dreamed Of by those who have PAID no a'ten
son 10 the subject From the groceries wnioh We
A.s,y Consume to the medicines which we use more
,.,eIv. from the apparel with which we cover our
hd;es 10 the paint with which we cover our houses,
=. are uerpetually embroiled in a petwork OF com
u.rcial mpOsitions. We are thus snoJec'ea 10
sooble calamity; cheated Of our money 10 sven the
Sornnes of sgindliDg traders, and deceived IN the
tb;pgs we buy; they have not the properties we as
Rss ~ them; they produce wrong effects, and We
a. moi only in purse and convenience, but often,
sIso in health and Ef.. The question now arises, no"
~, we TO be protected in this matter There are
ssveral modes Of treating the difficulty we are toh
Ri human nature is very depTayed, and the
Soctr;pe 10 dOubtless considerably more tban nan
t,pe. And no il IL said. that these graceess
cheats are 10 be told that their CO nduct wrcng--
noaland their transgressons are TO be Iald open 10
III the bsckDtse Of their tnptude. very wel'i God
sneed all earnest preachers; but this hos been already
az eaeetually done that ] question 1t you can NM
single one Of these delnqUents VINO dOss not ceary
- Ia, ma cour > il wrong and yet daily pursues Il
mn .treao against the whole current OF his conVc-
tops They know but they don't stop snf suspect,
n we continue 10 rely upon thls means OF ueiense oar
xbite lend will cODtI 10 be grOun0spafi our qdlhne
,,es,in. our ginger malze-moal end turrneIc; our
,uupd pepper buckvheat bran, and our coffee roast
beans ard clce0ry.
Again the politician comes to our rescue and ofiers
10 outlaw these di,creditabe procee1 e1ings ana de-
pet thenn
b., been long tried but experience proves that stat
utes upon the 1ject, matter how stringent, are
dead letter For how can lave ProteG, people Tn4 ho
not know when they ore violated! HOW can legisia-
tion guard from Imposition those who do not KNOW
wi en- taey eve imposed upon
Mo- the root Of this difficulty is 10 be sought in tbe
;onorance of the community Ignorance beng weak
ness know led dge.becomes power Every enlargement
f the limits of science furnishes the intelligent RASCAL
with pe " means Of swindling cre1ulous and unsus-
pectipg public; and 30 long as the people are heed
essy Indifferent stupidy bind IN these matters the
.emr,ation 10 practice upon them VIII be TOO great
and skilled successful roguery viii abound.
The means Of detecting aduterations are tTofold'
First, chen ca This has long been powerful lns,rn.
mentality for the exposure Of this class of frauds But
its applicatiOn is limited; there are many when IL
cannot detect. Perhaps the most extensive and per-
picious sdueTatiCDs among food but 1t so nap
pens that organic substances generally are OF such
remarkable composition 10 elude chemical tests 10
very great degree. Organic substances are Innumera
be- but they mainly consist OF only three OF onr eie
ueIts Organic bodies do not depend upon chemical
compositions simply, but rather las IL supposedl upon
An inf.ite variation and compexy Of grouping their
atoms Many organic substances ore OF absolutely
identical composition though With diverse properties
Analysis may give the result with several dhsr-
ent bodies ID other instances the distinctions are SO
fugitive as to annoy and hoppe the most skiful
chemical worker For example, the Chancellor OF the
English Exchequer stated In the BRUSH Ssrliainent,
sbce 1851 that e8rred and able colnmttee Oh cnem-
irs and sceutifc men had declared II utterly mpos'
sbe 10 detect the adueration OF coffee by chlccory
They were indistiDguishabe-n tests known would
ferye 20 discriminate them. ,
We were thus on the eve of breaking down IN the
er, IN ,too the progress of this kbavery. The com
mupity was helpless and imposture dedant. But the
resources of science were by no Dleabs exhausted
ether and material weapons were stil stored IN her
amory ready when the pressure OF emergency AZ
rived The microscope was appealed to, It's powers
were brous to bear, and even scientific men them
selves were astonshed at the renSe OF capaOil-
tiles and applications Of the lnssrnment-Ims
perfect adequacy 10 the demsnds OF the occasion.
Although organic substances have such SIN
yular identity Of composition, and are so exceed.
ingly evanescent in properties, yet 1t was found
that in minute structure, in fine microscopic con-
texture they all possessed marvellous individual
ity Each had its peculiar style ot tissue, its marks
and signatures and unmistakable means OF iden-
tfcaton. This is most wonderful. Leaving the Vlsl-
bic world disclosed to the natural eye; the w"rsl,
AZ mankind has known il from the beginning, anu de-
scendng by this mysterious ladder Of hight down INTO
the regions of uttermost tenurty the realm OF
infnitesimas and epitomized nothlngs, we nave yet
entered a new universe, and find even here the or
Vanizing and orderly hand of God; the universe
is duplicated, and the afiiuence of beauty and the
wealth of wonders unioded to our gaze are as varied
aud exhaustless and surprising as the more familiar
panorama of the upper creation wbach lies WITHIN the
scale of unassisted sense.
Take for example, starch. This ts substance uni
versally difiused in the vegetable kingdom, large
constituent of all seeds, and difused through varons
parts Of psute 1t forms the chief portion of all our
vegetable foods-of potatoes roots and the grams
from which we derive bread, the stah of life. Now,
starch whether procured from corn or wheat or rice,
from arlow-rOot potato tubers or pith of palm is
white powder familiar to all, with the same general
properties and aspects, that II is impossible by any
Ordinary 10 detect their interInixtures. But
when apply the mlcroscope, we find that starch Is
no longer indefinite and indisnguishabe mass, but
IL is at once seen to consist OF separate lndiVdual
grains each kind having its peculiar features OF phys
oguomy which are no more 10 be mistaken OF con-
founded than the various kinds IN a drove OF
mixed animals, OF the different species of trees in
a miscellaneous forest. In size, figure, tran. d.
cency, structure markings, aggregation, cellular
investment and tissue connections they have q
diversity and distirctness by which they may be
easily ard positively identified. We need no more
mistake wheat granues for maize, or those Of potato
for sago than we may coniound horses with oxen, or
ems with pines. The aduteraton OF the dearer forms
of aripaceous matter with the cheaper is much prac
Goed, and with great impunity, so far as chemistry Is
concerned, which discrmlnstes among them IN only
very partial and unsatisfactory way But II is
quickly accomplished Dy the microscope. Inc reNela-
tons Of the instrument infabei and thus science
puts power in the hands Of intelligence TO defeat and
expose impudebt and prosperous rascsty.
The thing was tried out admirably, in London. A
commission appointed and accomplished mi.
croscopst and good chemist DIR. Hassal, was pie ed
at the head Of II. He commenced the examnatiou Of
articles Of food purchased of the city deal,rs
An extensive and shameless system of sophsticatcns
was at once revealed covering almost the whole
ground Of the peoples daily necessares of lite. But
the simple discovery Of this scheme of frauds Of t
te unless turned to public They must ne
pnhhshed with the names Of parties innlca ata1 But