The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1874-05-07

VCdlS W us CTcculOilS WHICH
and in these revelations the microscope serve
not only to turn aside the attacks of infidelity
but causes them to be directed against its owl
weak armor; for by the assistance OF this IN
strrlment we are enabled to follow the design
of divinity into worlds of creations so infnitel,
small that man himself, compared to them, i
/ world in magnitude and construction. Ye
in these simple and apparently unimportan
organizations, we find the workings OF Divine
benevolence as visibly stamped as ON the starr!
vault, glittering in the adamantine brillianc,
OF its rolling worlds. Here is impressed in ou
minds with new force the harmony OF Nature
with Revelation, and the truthfulness OF thu
teaching, "a sparrow shall not fall to the grount
without our Father" The microscope places
us in the midst of a world which, before its dis
covery, was invisible, and without the assis
lance of which would ever have remained clos
ed to our eyes.
| Far as our assisted sight may pierce into th
world all is instinct with life, clothedin strange
and curious forms, and replete with harmony
skill and wise design. Here our discoveries
terminate, not for want of unknown fields tx
explore but because our sight grows dim, anc
no further means are at our disposal for dispel
| ling the darkness which gradually enshrouds
| the surrounding regions Of infinitude.
| By means Of this instrument we learn that
J OUR accumulated mountains and extensive
! plains are composed Of the shells OF myriads OF
minute animals, which ages ago sported in the
| full activity of life; that the rocks quarried
! from these mountains OF accumulated shells,
form the basis Of the solid and costly structures
| OF our stately cities.
| Here let us change the scene q little, and
4 from the contemplation Of the mountains and
valleys glance into the water, which forms a.
bout two-thirds of the entire bulk Of our earth.
Let us take drop of this clear and liquid fluid,
place it under the object-glass of a powerful
| microscope. What visions OF grandeur are sud-
denly opened up to our view ! The drop of
water is suddenly transformed into vast ocean,
! teenling with life; curious forms are seen,
| sporting at will through its waters. apparently
! enjoying the rich endoWments of life.
The microscope is also powerful auxiliary
to the slIful Psychologist in his researches into
the hidden mysteries OF the vital system, and
by this means, within few years, much val
liable information has gained in regard to the
curious processes Of life, and the organization
and wondrous mechanism OF the human body.
BY means Of this instrument, one Of the pro
ducts of man Is inventive genius, he is now en-
abled to gaze into the wonderful and mysteri-
GUS picture of his own creation and develop
ment out of the small particle Of primeval
plasm. He finds, in his retrospective survey,
that at a period in the early history of his de-
velopment, he consists of but a congeries of
cells, each of which has an Independent eXis-
tence of its own going still further back, he
finds that all Of them have their origin in the
subdivision OF one primary cell, which is the
first defined product of the generative art.
lie finds that by means of the various chan
ges and evolutions which take place in these
cells, are formed the different tissues, blood
vessels, nerves and organs, which collectively
constitute the complex system of man.
By means of the microscope we are now en-
abled to witness the marvellous spectacle OF the
movement of$he blood in the capillary vessels
OF the frogs foot, and thus verify by ocular
demonstration the doctrine of the passages OF
the blood from the srnallestarteries to the small
lest veins, which had been propounded as IA
tional probability by the immortal Harvey.
Bat the fertile fields Of knowledge openedu up
by the microscope in the history of the devel-
opment of man leads the inquiring mind OF the
Psychologist to proceed a step further in his in
vestigatiOns, and he plrsues the like research
es into the history of the development Of other
living beings, and is soon led to the conclusion
that the same is true of them also; every ami
mial, every plant, and in fact every organized
thing in existence, has the messstarting point
in the single prlmeval cell; and it is thus in
pursuing, by means of'the microscope. the his
tory of the organic germ from the most SIM
pie form of life to the most complex and intri
cate organism OF man, that the psychologist is
led to his grandest conception Of Che unity and
all comprehensive nature of the Almighty.
How A TEACHER STOPPED A TRAIN.-On
Monday of last week, says the Albany Argus,
there was an occurrence on the Harlem EXten-
sion Railroad that is worth recounting. About
nine in the morning of that day serious col
lison-a collision between a girl and train of
cars-was avoided in very singular and daring
way. The girl is school teacher, and she was
on her way to school. The train was from
Chatham, on its way to Rutland. Both met on
the trestle-work, near Brainards station. The
girl stood still, while the alarmed engineer
whistled down brakes; and managed to stop
the train only when his engine was within ten
feet of the obstruction The trestle-work is
thirty six feet high, and bears only one course
Of ties and only one track S'Nhat do you
meaL-do you want to be killed." inquired
tue engineer. 81 CAN'T sud the girl, ''l'm
late" ''Step aside, Them" and she stepped
aside, outside the track and on the edge of the
ties. But the space was too narrow; the engine
wheels could not clear her expanded Skirts
Her next plan was to sit down, with her legs
dangling beneath the ties, but thus the hoops
spread all the wider. Provoking delay for the
engineer, humiliating failure and posture for
the school marm s'Hold on,'' said she, ''Ill
fix it;'' and then gathering up her limbs and
her skirts, she stretched herself at full length
upon the outer edge of the ties, seized under
meath with one hand the string piece to which
the rail is spiked and coolly babe the train pass
on. In a minute the train passed over the pros
trate form without jar or jolt, and the next in
slant the girl was on her feet fastening toward
her expectant pupils, before whom she was de-
| termined to be on ''tme, though she disar-
ranged Il dozen railroad time tables.
A Doc CHARMED BY A SNAKE-'The At