Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1860-02-16
COMMUNICATIONS,
For the Gdzette.l
The Adaptation of the Physical World
to the Necessities OF Man.



Man is born into the world helpless lie
is possessed Of a material or cUrpUreal body,
which has been beautifully designated " the
house we live in" This physical frame is
subject to many wants, the first Of which
seems to be food or alimcnt for the sustenance
of the human animal. This Nature has kind
ly provided for him. Of that kind and quality
best adapted to the support Of his frail but
at the same time " Ieurtully and wonderfully
made" body. All animals, man excepted are
provided bv Nature with an external protec
ton against the nclemency Of the seasons.
lie alone is left to provide and fashion for
himself this indispensable covering, from the
suitable material with which the world around
him abounds. Here are called into exercise
those faculties or intellectual powers with
which he has been endowed by the wise Au
thor OF his existence, and which so emlnenty
distinguish and elevate him above the brute
creation, and qualify him :" to have dominion
over the fish Of the sea, and over the fowls Of
the air, and over every living thing that creep
eth upon the EARTH" Man, then, seeks in the
resources Of his own mind for those supplies
which Nature gratuitously bestOws upon other
animals; hence we find the savage, in order
to defend his body against the rlgors OF an
inhOsptable cline, Stays the wild beast Of tn
forest and approprlates its furrct skin LJ his
own behoof lie constructs .gaa. the rude
and untashionCd matter whiun surrounds hIm
a simple shelter from the genial atmos-
phere-a tenement little better, perhaps, than
the den Of The wild wolf, yet, even in its sim
plicity, displaying evidence of inventive fac
ulties never exhibited by the brute creature
His every work bears the impress Of mind
lie adapts his clothing and habitatiOE to the
vicisstudes of the climate IN which he dWeits.
The native of hyperborCan regions wraps ms
body in the furs of the bear, the ermlne, and
others Of the untamed deDizens of his trigid
home. lie constructs his domcil of the su
perabundant ice and snow Of the wIntry waste.
The philosopher will tell you that no other
material would better suhserve the purpose
than these apparently incongruous substances.
The uncvilized inter-tropical tribes Of the
earth find shelter from the vertical rays Of the
burning sun beneath the impervious shade Of
the superintendent vegetation OF their tOrrd
cline. Their scanty clothing is woven from
the fibre of the many textile plants which
grow spontaneously from the soil, spun from
the tilamentUuS cocoon of the si!kWOrm, or
ingeniously wrought from the brilliantly col
ored plumes Of the birds that sport among the
dense foliage Of the great forests. Their
homes, too, are simple and fragile. A tent of
cloth, easily erected and quickly struck and
removed, forms a suitable shelter to people
of a rowing and unsettled habit, as are many
Of the nations Of this part Of the globe Their
structures of more substantial kind are built
of the bamboo, or other light materials, and
we might here remark that the architecture OF
the nations of the torrid zone, even Of those
most advanced in civilization, partakes of the
conformation Of the tent Of the nomadlc tribes.
The adaptation Of the food which the all
wise Creator has provided for the sustenance
of man, to the circumstances by which he
is surrounded, is a subject worthy OF our pro-
found admiration The inhabitant OF the
frozen zones, where vegetation is sparse and
the fruits and cereals of more temperate lands
are not produced, is abundantly provided with
animal food from the sea and the land, and
that TOO of a quality which, although entirely
unpalatable to the people of warm countries,
is wisely adapted to support his physical syS'
TEN against the rigors OF his lnhoSpItable
cline. The animals Of these zones are unable
to endure the heat of more temperate regions,
and by this characteristic of their nature they
are prevented from migrating from their lo-
cation, and thus leaving their lord and mas
ter" destitute of support. Although left thus
totally dependent upon the bountes Of nature
for the supply of his necessities, and placed
in circumstances under which he can do moth
ing for his sustenance by the cultivation OF
the earth, we believe that he suffers less des
titution of food than those frequently do who
enjoy many apparent advantages IN this point
of view. The man of the torrid regions Of
the earth finds a provision made for his wants
differing in quality from that of his brother
of the higher latitudes, yet equally fitted tor
the support of his physical system. Fruits
of every hue and flavor present themselves TO
crafty his appetite. The orange the llme' ile
the banana, the tamarind, the date, the pine
apple, the cocoa nut, and hundreds OF varIe-
ties of which we do not even know the names,
are lavished upon him in every forest, all ad
mirably adapted to nourish and nyigorate his
body to endure the oppressive heat of this
cline of the sun"
But enough; we will not tire your readers
with anything further. Suffice it to say that
all these wise and benevolent adaptations of