Weekly Trinity journal., 1872-05-11
a SPONGE, AND WHAT II Is.

What is a sponge made Off" sale
George, gasping, snufliing and winking
under his Croton bath.
Now listen, little George, and l vii
tell you what sponge is.
The sponge that washes your face was
brought up from the bottom of the ocean
and was part of II living animal. For a
long time sponges were supposed so be
plants. Messrs. Agassiz and Gould, in
1913, called them SO /; but latter observa-
tions have decided them to be animals ;
and they are placed in the class Protoza,
the class most resembling plants.
When first found in the water, their
appearance is very different from what
you now see. This is the skeleton only,
the part corresponding to our bones.
When this was a complete, living thing,
deep deep under the ocean, it was cov-
cred all over the outside, and filed in ev-
substance, something like the white of an
egg, and this was like our flesh. 1t was
fastened tightly to rock, and its color
was a dull, blush black on the upper
side, and dirty white below. 1t was for
merly supposed to be plant, because it
was always fast in one place but for
other seasons, it is decidedly an animal.
All through this mass is regular circu-
lation, like our blood and food. 1t has
been seen to absorb nutritious matter
that is to eat, or rather to drink. You
see all over its surface orifces or holes ;
these communicate with each other
throughout. Into the largest of these,
called pores, the sea water is constantly
entering, and out of the small ends, call
ed vents, it is regularly spouted out and
it doubtless finds in the sea-water minute
animals, which serve it for food, and in
crease its bulk.
And this strange animal produces 9TH
ers like itself. | will tell you how: From
the soft part little globule is seen to
float off, and after floating about while
very briskly here and there, ms il looking
for place, it tastens itself to some rock. .
Next, gradually, begins to be seen the
more solid skeleton, (what we have here, }
the soft part increases, and so it grows {:
not very slowly either, for the divers
find it at the end of three years large
enough to bring away.
To get these sponges from the bottom
OF the ocean furnishes occupation for n
great number Of people. One thousand
men are busy in the Grecan Archipelngo
alone ; and thousands besides, with many
hundred boats, are engage d in the Gulf
of Machri, on the Barbary coast, so that
in many villages there from May to Sep
tember 0he best diving time,) only old
men, women and children can be found
The finest kind is brought from the
-Egean Sea. AT daylight there in the
Summer time, when the water is pleas
ant-for it requires smooth water--the
boats, each with six or eight men, and
proceed to where the water is eight or
ten, or even thirty fathoms deep for
those found in shallow water are very in
ferior.
Here they stop, and the divers prepare
to descend. Each one puts hoop around
his neck, and to this fastens II bag, in
which the sponges are put as they are
gathered, In very deep water the diver
uses rope, with heavy stone to it. He
sinks the stone to the spot he intends to
reach. and this holds the rope steady,
which he uses to assist himself in coming
up again TO the surface.
After being busy thus till noon, they
return to some of those pleasant little
hooks which abound on the shores Of the
Archipelago, to prepare what they have
gathered it for sale.
The first thing is to press out the soft
part of the animal and then to bleach the
remainder in the sun so they beat them
and stamp on them, and trample them
till there is no more life left. The skele-
ton part is then washed and spread in the
sun until it is quite clean, and grows TO
be this dull, yellowsh color. Then it is
packed in bags and sent to market for
sae-sent to all parts of Asia, Europe
and America, and used mostly for wash
ing purposes. - Presbyterian.