The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1869-09-21

Sustains, and is the Life of all that lives.
Nature is but the name for an eject,
| Whose Cause is God He feeds the secret fire,
| By which the mighty process is maintained,
| Who sleeps not, is not weary; in whose sight
| Slow circling agents transient days /;
| Whose work is without labor; whose designs
No faw deforms, no difficulty thwarts;
And whose bene6cence charge exhausts.
| Comper.
AS all these varied, important and
unerring movements and processes are
the result of Deity acting Immediately
upon matter which does not possess SEN
sation, so instinct in animals OF Deity
acting through sentient matter. No
other adequate cause can be assigned
for the phenomena presented by it. 1t
is manifestly not the result OF educatlon,
of tradition, or Of reason. 1t is true
and certain in its adaptation of means
to ends. Each kind of insects deposits
| its eggs On such plants Or substances rs
will nourish its young. Although man
may deceive animals by mixing poison
with their food or drink, which disguis-
es it, yet, in state of nature, animals
never eat too much, nor partake of that
which would injure them, although such
Instinct is perfect in its Offices
When uninfuenced by human distur
Dances, it never runs into excess. It
never falls short of it's full requirements.
It does not vary, it has not varied, to
improve, increase or diminish, from
| generation to generation, through the
entire period Of authentic history. 'The
bee of modern times forms the cells of
its hive exactly Of the same shape as
the bee of the remotest antiquity each
species of birds builds its nest after the
same unalterable pattern, and sings the
same invariable melody Cavallo's
Philosophy.
Now, the keenest powers OF hum an
intelligence, aided by the highest and
most reverential conceptions of delega-
ted agencies, have never been able to
assign any adequate cause for these
multiplied and complicated instincts,
but the immediate action of Deity thro'
or upon sentient matter.
AS ell His operations are the simplest
possible adaptations Of means to ends,
and with Him is one eternal He just
supplies the present felt want of animals
like the daily bread to the hungry,
obedient soul, without imparting to
them any foreknowledge Of results or
consequences. The bee when forming
it's cell, or the bird when building its
nest or setting or its eggs, is only graf
flying thereby felt present want, and
possesses no more object or design in
such processes than the pea fowl, when
eating it's food, has a design to paint it
self with those bright figures of une-
qualled regularity and beauty on the
ends of it's long feathers. We see the
same principle manifest in children
they eat in order to supply present
felt want, and not in order to live, or to
grow or to become strong and useful,
or with any ulterior object whatever.
The bee forms its cell to crafty
want with which Deity impresses it and
which can in no other way be gratified.
The bird feels an unrest from the same
Source, which cannot be removed ex-
cept by certain actions which result in
gathering suitable materials. and plac-
ing them in position to form its nest.
1t sits on its eggs, and cannot feel at
rest away from them any length Of time
until the peeping of the young bird or
chicken gives it feeling of liberty to
withdraw. Then round of new occu
pations commences, all induced by cor>
responding influences.
The newly-born lamb feels want
which leads to activity and motion, and
moves about it's dam, uneasy and rest
less, but without any design or knowl-
edge of what it is searching for, until it
finds it's natural food, when soon its
want is supplied, and it is at rest for
time.
A belief has long attended my mind
that all these processes and many 9th
of ci ilor oho Oft no1l lo1 ipo
are the result of the immediate impress
of Deity, without any prospective OBJ
| ject, design or result being entertained
by the recipient of the impression This
is all they require for their reproduc-
tion, comfort, and self preservation in
its widest Specification which extends
to the offsr ring. Hence, animals are
not furnished with capacity to receive
more extended impressions. When the
sportsman's deadly gun is aimed at a
doe, whose little fawns, which are de-
pendent on her for sustenance, are play
ing around her, she possesses no capac-
| ity by which she could be impressed
with sense Of the existing danger; her
sight and hearing, which are wisely Civ
en- her for this purpose, and are ordina.
rily sufficient, entirely failing her now,
through the superiority of the powers
of reason arrryed against her. This is
all in wisdom. Compensations for this
want Of capacity are more than counter
| balanced.
No impression can be interpreted or
| revelation made to any sentient exist
ence Of more advanced intelligence or
a higher and purer spiritual character,
than corresponds with the capacity or
endowment possed 10y the recipient to
interpret them. Hence, the higher, pu-
rer, more intelligent, expanded and ad.
vanced the recipient Of al impression or
revelation may be, the more pure, ex-
panded, elevated and Divine will the in
| terpretation be which he will be able to
give.
| AS before remarked, beasts and birds
| in their wild or natural state, although