The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-04-15
The MieroscOpe-Wenders Which Ii
Discovers.

children and youth, and with little II any
| further practical purpose. But this time
has passed, and the microscope Is now
firmly established as one of the most elh-
cient instrumentalities In any thing IKE
| liberal culture. In fact, the flood OF lght
which 1t throws upon physical science Is
probably greater than all that we derive
I from other sources. In the departments OF
botany, geology, mineralogy, chemistry,
the practice of medicine, this instrument is
now altogether indispensable 1t reveals
secrets, which but for its aid would remain
forever hidden from human observation.
As a means of instruction the field OF
knowledge which 1t opens before us can
not be bounded or described; and for this
reason il is especially adapted to enlarge
the ideas of children and youth, inspire
| thought, and develop spirit of inquiry
| Two or three dollars will buy microscope
sufficient for the purposes of ordinary OBJ
servation, so that it Is within the reach OF
all. But if the purchasers purse and tastes
incline him to something more expensive,
he can crafty his ambition all through
scale of prices which runs up to 81, 200 or
$1,000. We can imagine that it would be
very gratifying to possess so high priced
instrument as the last named, with all of
the little accessories needed for perfect
work; but it is quite as gratifying to know
that for general and ordinary purposes,
little, simple instrument costing from
81. 80 to S25 will answer quite as well.
Only professional micrOscopists or wealthy
amateurs need to indulge in the luxury OF
a 81 800 instrument. One of these cheap
instruments should find place in every
intelligent household, where parents are
anxious that their children shall neglect
no attainable means for culture and
limproyement. With a little in
struetion-and there are books
not costing over 80 cents to 81, from
which it may be obtained-boys and girls
will readily learn to work with one OF
the simpler forms of this instrument.
ANY one can prepare objects for inspec-
ton, and they are everywhere. In the
summertime every drop of stagnant
ditch water teens with life. The wing,
eve. or foot of fly is a subject fora world
of study. A human hair assumes the
proportions of a crowbar; the horns OF
caterpillar become as large as walking
cane. and armed with barbs like fish
hook; in fact, there is no end to the great
variety of objects, and they exist all
around us.
But our purpose at this time was more
particularly to speak of a few OF the rev.
eIations of the microscope, some of which
are quite recent. Mr.. Nobert, of Pomer-
ania. has ruled series of lines on glass
which have attracted much attention from
their exquisite fineness. There are nine
teen of these bands of lines, the cOarsest of
which are separated by the II, ,OO0th part
of an English inch. The finest band has
1000 separate lines to the inch! This
T extreme fineness is quite incomprehensi-
BILE if we try to think about or understand
1oli hot thnU haN0 hpan
resolved by DIR. j. J. Woodward, of the
Army Medical Museum at Washington.
, To do this, of course the highest magnify
ing power is required, as well as great ex-
f perience and care in the working of the
, instrument. Another instance seems to
, border upon the marvellous. 1t is called
, "Webb's Test" 1t is simply the writing
on glass of the Lords Prayers" but it is
. so extremely fine and small that il is esti-
mated that the Bible, in characters of like
size. could be written eight times in the
space of one square ihch!-and there
> would be still room to write the Lord S
; PRAYER 2. 1000 or 5000 times in the surplus
) room. How this writing is done, and how
, Nobert's lines are ruled, are secrets with the
gentlemen who have produced them. but
, the microscope brings out the fact beyond
; dispute, and the method of measurement
+ known fact that chalk is an aggregation OF
microscopic shells. The old cretaceous
, seas were fairly alive with these little ami
mals-soft and gelatinous, and inclosed in
beautiful shelly cases. They were con-
; stantly dying and sinking to the bottom,
! where in time they hardened into the sub
stance known as chalk. They were so ex-
. tremeIy small that millions of their shells
) are contained within piece of chalk one
half an inch square. The microscope
! brings them out in such plain view that
they have been classified in genera and
sneeies. A species of rock is found near
, Richmond, Va, which is made up Of the
. siliceous shells of animalcule which lived
millions of years ago. Take cubic inch
. of this rock and there's millions in it'' OF
!, these silicious shells. They are so hard,
. were so perfectly formed and remain SO
q indestructible, that white heat has no eff
. feet in destroying them. Under magni-
: fying power by no means the highest
E these shells become very beautiful and in
teresting objects. We occasionally read
of the sSred snoW," which is found in
northern latitudes. For long time this
redness was supposed to be due to animal
culae. but more recent investigation proves
that the celoring matter is minute vege-
fable Animal substances were found assO-
= ciated with it,, and hence for long time il
: was deemed to be animal matter; but the
: microscope has settled the question. 1t is
{ fullv proven that low animal, as we'll as
: vegetable, organisms are constantly float
: inc in the air as far north as man has yet
! set foot, and the probability Is that they
/. exist everywhere on the globe. Quite ar
= interesting fact has been recently states
= in regard TO snowiiakes. They settle up
| lxy n a
= ance mass of pure white crystals, but they
are the 'sscavengers of the atmosphere
: They absorb into their porous substance
the particles of dust which are constantly
: floating in the air, study of which hG
u revealed facts of much interest. In droI
. of water obtained from a single flake o.
:, snow-under a magnifying power OF %.
q djameters-were found "pieces of coal
y FRAGMENTS of cloth, grains of starch, sandy
u NATTER" together with a promiscuous 10
/ of other trash, not q particle Of which
y ssexceeded in diameter .0003 of an inch
!. These investigations showed the presenc'
+ of little nuggets of iron-impalpable dust
II which one might breathe with imPunity-
e but which, under high magnifying power
: gave evidence of having been in state
l. fusion, Every probably due to some mas
I of meteoric iron rendered incandescent
and melteu Dy ir1cIOU Will Oui deiHOe
T. phere." In the great Arctic snow field
dust has been collected, which contain
not only iron, but nickel, carbon, phos
a phoFus, cobalt, etc. A German investigs
~ tor has arranged upon glass slide, TX
~ inches in size, collection of diatoms-
" class of siliceous animalcules, which ar
= believed to be of vegetable origin-whlc
o a. is for sale by most of the dealers in mic mlcrt
=. sccpic wares. 1t comprises about oOO m in
"a diyiduals, showing specimens OF 81
~ !. species and seventeen genera. The prlc
p of this little piece of glass, an inch l wld
ne and three inches long, with lts 3OO lttl
le specimens, is only the trifie OF $40; put
ze the reader thinks that is too much, lt
A \, him try and produce one for himself:
~ ~ These statements might be multiple
OF almost indefinitely, but they are suffieier
3 to show that we are surrounded by woi
r ders. of which we could have no concel
q ton whatever without the aid of the m
1 e croscope. "The very dust on which "
~ ~ tread was once alive" and If we examir
" " IL as closely as we may to-day, we sha
GU find that much of it is living yet, and tina
0" living or dead, it is wonderful and beaut
f,I Revond Observation-Disclosures late