, 1876-04-23
4 Deiuslon Exposed by the NIcroa
6CUNBa

4 Deiusion Exposed by tha ziIcros
| scope. -.-'.
Let Us instance noble service rendazed ou1
common humanity By the microscope. ~
How often. like some spectacular scenea In
drama, do ne find in the pages OF the Old World
history passages Of deep pathoa aud ferca pas-
sion, aud both, alas occurring as the offspring
of religious superstition. So there were mir
aculous apparitious OF blood, one while in rain.
from the Heavens. and again in spots in tbs
dwellings, OF God and OF NEIL OF course thesa
were portents OF most dire significance. The re-
ciral is too long, for even in Christian chronicles
!: covers d thousand years. In 1852, shocking to
tell, while mlaistering at the altar OF his church
ut Bolsena, q Bohemian priest was seized with
tiation OF the wafer which he had just conse-
Grated. Horrihed at his own guilt, the celebrsnt
Of the mass behsld drops OF blood cozing from
the sancti6ed Host All were awe-Btricken at
the miracle, and the Church instituted in COM
memotat1ou the fenst Of Corpus Christi. Such
Wa5 the pious legend.
In the fourteenth century, when Heinrich von
KnloA had destroyed the village and church ,ot
Wlnach, as II to show that Heaven MAS panied
ut the HacrlleSe, e'ght days afterHard the Host
drous OF blood
Near tho close Of that fourteenth century sp-
pearcd Raphael, q wonderful man, with genius
sublime. with passions grovsling, and ulthat 4
tci1ElouSueSS tIat I4aoo MN teel aQQ pass 1Q1
deFout- In the now celebrated stauze Of
Raphael IN the Vatican is that miracle Of thu
painters genius ~ 'Muacolo di Bo!seua.". In
exhibition at each feast OF Corpus Christi inteu.
s'ded the Church's conception Of the so-calIed
miracle which confirmed the faith Of the Bohs-.
mlan priest, Untappily the bloody portent ra-
turned the Host Was again spotted with CORA
The zeal OF tho ecclesiassica became insane, for
horrible to re>ate, thirty eight innocent 1eFs
were burned At the stake For uhat7 For
No ~ ft1n IfFE AZ fkA
Host until 1t bled!
In 1874 the "hlue Moelles :" was mortified viii
min OF Supernatural blood aud again in 1873
thse unnatural gore fell from Heaven. And now
Enrenberg takes The matter in hand for sober
investigation, and the microscope alone il 70
determine for the superstitiona Of men. This
great man dlssipated the miracle entirely By ex-
citing wonder il another direction, for be IN.
nounced that these bloody rain- drops we're con-
posed Of real living organisms, but so minute
billions OF them to make one cubic inch.
Thus the microscope has done away with thess
grim portents Of = Thousand years. This red
Snow and bloody slime have now their distinctive
place and name among organic things They 40
microscopic vegetables -uniceilular plants. II
the Arctic regions Capt, Ross found this uooriln-
soned Snow extending in masses Of miles: 10
brought some bome4 and the able botanist b.
Brown pronounced it Aigaruu, genus. 1t is euf.
loas to notice the controversy Of 80 many aat
after while ali came back to the judgment Of
brown; and AgA1ah. the able German algo1ogst
gave this, tho lowliest Of the algn, the Dana
Pr0ctocoocss nirafis.
But about the drops Of bloodl This also the
microscope has determined to be sn alga, and
bears the name given 1t by Agardh, Fd1nafa0
crue7'te: It's structure iB even simpler than ths1
of an oidiurn- The name, though not romantic.
.s slgnihcant- Palmella, means vihration os
quiyerinR. and is here suggestive Of that he
mulous movement Of which great ciot Of coag-
ulated blood j. capable. The entire rsms 'nd..
sases the algn1dcaoce OF quive1ing gore. ~
England tie popular name Of this tungoui
slime Is ''go1y de,o," It occurs as shining f9a
h!ms Or thicklah blood-red Stains on damp VALE
of cellars Beng upcel1ular plant. when the ce!n
IRE mature there is = flowing together ing
siscoua masses. which look aud feel unpleaeanaI
Ike ciotted blood: Presenting also this adoecs
II gore, though not so decidedly, is tho ha7~
nococcus sanguiaeus OF Agardh. Thou8n
moist to the touch, this has not the gelatn9u1
character Of pamela; hence the bloody ma1
non il not so yivid.-Proc Samuel Locsa0oo&
n Hdrpers Magazine for Aay.