New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-11-26
SCIENTIFIC LECTURES.

u
"o -. -. ,tvep before the American Institute this
s delivered by President Barnard, OF Columbia
to,e at sfelnway Hall last evening 10 large anu III
.ou,gont audience George w. Morgan presided az uo
Organ. The lecture. entitled The Microscope ana us
pcveatlons was listened to with great attention. 1ho
b,tions showing the wonderful powers Of the micro
scope by means OF calcium lights screens ana magic IAN
terns vera wen worthy Of the applause they received
Horace Greeley Chairman, introduced the speaker
nv saving that the people Of agrea Emporium VINO went
nightly to the Grande Duchess Humpty Dumpty' ana
other amusements, there that evening 10 DO III
structed well entertained by lecture on the micro
scope and revelations. Mr. Greeley then presented
the lecturer who was most cordially welcomed Pres
dent Barnard spoke as follows;
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: propose TO occupy your az,
enton for hour this evening with some account "
the construction and Of instrument which Pre-,
seuts one OF the most elicitous illustrations khoMt
the ingenious application OF theoI9G IL w Itself at
production Of practical result ana won rs ~ ~ the re-
the time one OF the most sgna trluinnS,i 10 the
demands of science Without any reference to the put
poses which It is intended. the mcfoscOPeb ndeT
standsi lis principles must at the same Dec4l s Ia %
with the essential laws Of the most ~ The marvellous
slcaI sceuces and with the properties VI 'n % ,lg1
medium through which we acquire aVst bfS ne ora
nDaeS And as il Is by taking advantage OF these
prOpertes that the instrument is lnuue 70 ts
0Cperes themselves that the difficulties arise when
embaTrass its construction, ana With Ha ~ rn%fecon
progress toward its present mgh 0esree VI poiiS''
iabOriOus and slow. . 49,, ..to,oo or os
Rut 1 is ILLUSTRATION OF Oplcd HNlOANVi VI
xavnTe of lie ingenious adaptation ofmeans toends
o. as moot of the exquisite perfection of mecAahlcu
art I'm our time that the microscope Is prncaly
estin n This were So should have no MICROSCOPE at
nresent worthy Of the name. Beautiful as Is he
,t orid inipcrecptble to ordinary vision, IL would
never have enlsed in the effort Tor us
orsevernc labors OF many able men or accOupnSneu
yss but for the that It's perfection was sought I8r
rot end but as means In le sUS r ~ ssSised
hi nature il but narrow range when our -
ssrscs enable us to grasp. II We look aDoau lrou ou
INF" s1Sce there is not Of the brilliant objects
ind a
psLed ly simple vision enables us TO form me Shgh,SsV
c1rcenfiu Their dimensions, their motions thelr us
fsWce he features OF their surfaces their ehNe0pIg
atmosphereSal these thinge are matters VI nIl' @
natural powors permit to discover nothing Whatever,
II not therefore, by any means surprising mat III sh
age when the telescope had not Deeh uIeaucu ~ Ia 80
Leayenly bodies should have been supposed 10 DC az
taebed to its surface like gems set ia a SySt soDT
III ike manner we attempt 70 survey oyeoVa vi 80 an
siderable dimensions the earths surface We Ieaen
very shortly The limit OF our powers IDOugh we oeen
the general outline Of mountain, We s@Seea
M tie detail form or its structure OI an eAtehue
lake or valley the sight tells US stin less And, though
is is the most perfect OF all senses, we very soon
aud that principal condition OF lts useluhess ID te
Ds o eSN ,NedeteIv before us in the most adyan-
tageous light and under the most favorable ercuin-
~ e ntcT,Paon which ssht can give which very
o v reebcd In the examination Of structure, in the
sfndy Of form In tho observation Of the movements and
SndRs arrSe al p6t at Which further progress
rested by the iuperieetion Of our powers More tna
thIs while thus yainy seeking to know something OF
the minute organization Of bodies large enough 10 Se
and examined In mass WITHOUT uilnCuity5
the new discovery that there exist many oees oI IN
order Of interest which, in their fuy developer popo
tons never attain magnitude sumceht 70 oetrsy eNSu
their existence TO ordinary vision, and Of wch Whon
artificial helps we could never know ANYTHING at al
And yet, IL easily be made to appear that OF
She knowledge which we may be able to attain OF THU
T s T G9Ss qs a Geha IT, eJSs pfSe am
grafton OF the sqRS SI s 9I s Ts
upon principles TO great extent empirical 1t becom
ing every day and more clear that the causes OF all
Eyinotc diseases are to sought IN excessively minute
and widely scattered organisms. which TO ordinary
further remarked Just true of the diseases OF plants
of animals The potato rot the cotton rust the
put OF wheat and the wasting OF the Yne are just as
certainly the product Of mscroeope fungi as the nder
pest the epidemic among sik-worms, or the cholera
To the study objects Of this kind the microscope is
mat We owe the knowledge that such things exist
But suppOsng 20 have been otherwise possessed OF SO
much knowledge 1t IS sun true that Eith9nt thS msu-
ment could know nothing beyond We could know
nOthRg OF their modes OF deyeiopmen tne e0naiuons
favorable 10 their multiplication, tne mahheF OI
their diffusion, or the means best adapted 20 pre-
This signal exainpe OF the Of the microscope
I mention first because Of the magnitude Of lts I'M
The application Of the instrument to the study OF disease
generally and especially ;tomorbd anatomy mas long
rendered TO the healing art that in the words OF an emf
sased structure placed under microscope VIII tell more
In minute to the experienced eye than could be as
eerained by long examination OF the mass VI oseso ID
To the progress OF knowledge in animal and vegetable
physiology, the microscope has made invaluable cont
buttons Il has made II possible TO detect nature in the
transformations winch concerned in
the development and growth Of the living organism 1t
has demonstrated that all forms OF organic life, however
complicated originate In the same simple form, the pri
nlordal cell and built up only by the multiplication
and aggregation Of cells essentially similar however ap
complex organism, however 1t may possess aggregate
individuality, has nevertheless multiple and complex
e each cell in tho aggregate being gifted with
Independent and distinct life Of its 1t has revealed
the existence Of vast groups OF organisms vegetable ana
OF the single cell, yet winch swarm IN all the
waters OF the earth, and have in time past ex-
lsteQ numbers, that their
at this time FORM 10 the almost complete excursion OF
every other MATERIAL the substance OF great geological
deposits hundreds Of feet IN depth, and thousands Of
square miles In horizontal extent IL mas ieyealeu IN
these organisms degree Of varied beauty and symmetry
pcuOus Of the works Of nature The exquisite patterns
scupurcd the surfaces OF the sicious shells by
which large class OF these minute objects are protected
rival the most ingenious gures e1ecuted D the engine
lathe. And the elegant forms and graceful movements
higher Order-fOTms and movements which have 10
catalogues In the world OF life with which ord
@raon and new surprise These things furnish to the
observer who TO the study pTepossessed with the
parts has been called into being with exclusive reference
70 exigencies Of the human race, and with other
ents OF man. material for profound reflection. And the
pride of sesnficieDcy with which he has been accus
universe cannot fail receive from the contemplation
OF these marveously fashioned and wonderfully lovely
Of Invisible life, shock than is felt even
when he learns through the telescope how palry position
the great earth itself which he inhabts occupies in the
ber From both these widely opposite revelations he learns
his comparative unimpOrtance. and both at the
emotions Of admiration and wonder OF which he is capa
bic. But IT, in view Of the grandeur Of the vast celestial
the sublime which Is wanting he turns his atten-
ton the infinitely minute, there is doubt that the
awaken exceeds UNNECESSARILY anything which Is excited
by the grandest Of the truths which astronomy dis
objects OF astronomy vast, the space they occupy
vaster stu IL is difficult 10 nv our conceptions TO