The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1862-02-14
MisteIaneons.
Marvels Of Man.

| While the gastric juice has mild, bland,
sweetish taste, it possesses the power Of dis.
solving the hardest food that can bc swal-
lowed-it has NO influence whatever on tho
soft and delicate libres Of the living stomach,
nor has It any upon tho living hand, but at
tho moment of death II begins to eat them
away with tho power Of the strongest acids.
There Is dust on the sea, on land, in the
valley and on the mountain.top; there Is
dust always and every where; the atmos.
phcrc is lull of tit pcnetrates the noisome
dungeon. and visits the deepest, darkest
caves of tho earth no palace door can shut
It out, no drawer No secret as to escape Its
presence every breath Of wind dashes 1t up.
on the eye, and yet that eye is not blinded
because there is fountain Of the blandest
fluid in nature inccssantly cmptying itsolf
upon tho cyelid, which spreads itself over
the surface Of tho ball at every winking, and
washes every atom Of dust away. But this
liquid, so well adapted to the eye, itself, has
some acridity, which, under certain circum.
stances, becomes 80 decided as to become
scaldins to the skin, and would rot away the
eyclids, were 1t not that along the edges oi
them there are little oil manufactures, which
spread over their surface coating rs imper.
vious to the liquids necessary for keeping the
cyc.bali washed clean Us the best yarDish is
impervious to water.
Tho breath which leaves the lungs has
been 80 perfectly divcstcd Of its lie.givins
properties that to re-breathe 1t, unmixcd
with other air. the moment II escapes from
tho mouth, would cause immediate death by
suirocation, while, if 1t hovercd about us, q
moro or less destructive influence over health
and life would be occasioned; but 1t Is made
of nature 50 much lighter than the common
air that the moment 1t leaves the lips and
nostrils 1t ascends to the higher regions above
the breathing point, there to DO rectiied,
renovated and sent back again rcplete with
purity and life. How rapidly 1t ascends is
beautifully illustrated any frosty morning
But foul and deadly as expired mir i', Ma
ture, wisely economical in all her works and
ways, turns 1t to good account in Its out
ward passage through the organs Of voice,
and makes it the whisper Of love, the soft
words of affection, the tender tones OF human
sympathy, the sweetest strains Of ravishing
music, the persuasive eloquencc Of the fin
ished orator.
If well.mado man be extended on tho
ground, his arms ut right angles with his
body, a circle, making tho navel its centre,
will just take in the finger ends and feet.
The distance from stop to toe" Is precise
ly the same as that between tho tips Of the
fingers when the arms are extended.
The length Of the body is just six timcs
that Of tho loot while the distance from
the edge of the hair on the forehead to the
end Of tho chin is one. o.tenth Of the length Of
the whole stature. .E
OF tho sixty-two primary elements known
in mature. only eighteen arc found in the hu-
man body, and Of these seven arc metallis.
Iron is found In the blood, phosphorus In the
brain, limestone in the bile. lime in the boncs,
dust and ashes in all Not only these eigh.
teen human elements, but the whole sixty.
two, Of which the universe Is made, have
their essential basis in the four substances
oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen and carbon, rep
resentine the moro familiar names Of fire,
water, saltpetrc and charcoal; and such Is
man, the lord Of earth spark OF fro, q
drop Of water. q grain OF gunpowder. an
atom Of charcoal! But looking at him in
another direction, these elements shadow
forth tho higher slcmentsof adivincr nature.
Of an immortal existence. In that part is
the calorie, which speaks Of irrcpresible GO
tivi.y; in that drop Is the water, which
speaks Of purity; In that grain is the force
BY which he subduos all things to himsalf.
makes the wide creation the supplisr Of his
wants, and tho ssrvitor Of bic pleasure; while
in that atom Of charcoal there ID the dia-