The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1874-05-06
How Grace TranSmuteS.
Take an ounce of the BLACKLIST slim

nearsa manufacturing towh.g>That
cline we shall find in most cases CON-
posed of clay Tor ick-dust, which is
burnt clay,) mixed with SCOT, a little
sand and water.
Let US suppose that this ounce of
mud is left in perfect rest, and that its
elements gather together, like to like.
so that these atoms may get into the
closest relations possible. Let the
clay begin. Kidding itself Of all tor
eign substance, it gradually becomes
white earth, already very beautiful,
and fit, with the help of congealing
fire, to be made into finest porcelain,
and to be kept in kings palaces. But
such artificial consistence is now its
best. Leave it still quite to follow its
own instinct Of unity, aud it becomes
not only white, but clear, not only
clear, but hard; not only clear aud
hard, but 50 set that it can deal with
light in wonderful way, and gather
out ofiuhe 1oseliest rays only; refd-
sing the rest. We call it then a sap.
phire.
Such being the consumption of the
clay, we give similar permission Of
quiet to the sand. 1t also becomes,
first white earth, then proceeds to
grow clear and hard, land at last arran
ges itself into mysterious, infinitely
parallel lines, which have the power of
rejecting, not merely the blue rays,
but the blue, green, purple, and red
rays, in the greatest beauty in which
they can be seen through any hard ma
terial whatever. We call it an opal.
In next order the SCOT sets to work.
1t can,ot make itself .white at first,
but instead Of being discouraged, it
tries harder and harder, and comes out
clear at last, and the hardest thing in
the world; and, for the blackness that
it had, obtains in exchange the power
Of rejecting all the rays of the sun at
once, in the widest blazs that any
solid thing can shoot. We cai1ft tliein
d diamond. : -rrr
3, Last of&al, sthe.-awater purifes or
unitcs itself, contented enough if it only
reaches the form Of dewdrop; but if we
insist on its proceeding to a more per
feet cousistence it crystalizes into the
shape of a star.
And for the ounce of slime which we
had = we have sapphire, an opal
and diamond, set in the midst of d
star of snow.
If such beautiful and ,glerious traEs-
70, nations can take place in mere mat
ter, through the ordinary operations of
the law which Cod has appointed,
what will the Transformation be in man,
who has a soul and an intellect as we'll
asa body, and on whose behalf God
has interposed, and will yet iuterpose,
in so mighty and marvellous a manner I
How Birds LEARN TO SING AND
BuILD.-What is instiuct7 It is the
"faculty OF performing complex acts
absolutely without instruction or PIE
viously acquired knowledge" Instinct.
then, would euable animals to per-
perform spontaneously acts which, in
the case Of man, pres.ppose ratiocina-
ton, or a logical train of thought. But
when we test the observed facts which
are usually put forward to prove the
power of instinct, it is found that they
are seldom conclusive. 1t was on such
grounds that the songs of birds were
taken to be innate, albeit very ready
experiment would have shown that
they result from the education they re.
ceive. During the last century Bar.
rington brought UP some liunets, taket
from nest in the company Of larks d
sundry varieties, and found that every
one of the linnets adopted completely
the song of the master set over him
so that now these linnets-larks by
naturalization form company apar
when placed among birds of their owl
species. Even the nightingale, whose
native song is SO sweet, exhibits unde1
domestication, a considerable readi
ness to initiate other singing BIRDS
The song of the bird is, therefore, de-
termined by its education; and TIN
same thing must be true as to mes
building. A bird brought up in a Gag
does not construct the nest peculiar t,
; its species. In vain will you suppl.
all the necessary material. The birt
, will employ them without skill, ant
will oftentimes even renounce all pur
pose Of sbdildiug apythiog like Arrest
, Does not this vol known fact prov
, that, instead Of being guided By in
stinct, the bird learus how to construc
his nest, just as a man learns how t
build house.
LOOK BEFORE You LEAP.-Bottle
bury, Of Camden, will never dive int
creek to save another woman fror