Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1876-06-08
EDUCATIONAL COLUMN.
BY J. +. LANGENBAUGH.
MYTHOLOGY


The mythology of a nation was
:lothing more nor less than the whole
body of its traditions respecting its
gods and fabulous heroes. Accept
ing this definition as satisfactory, it
becomes evident that each nation OF
antiquity had its national mythol-
ogy, though some exhibited far more
originality, borrowing less material
from the source OF primal traditions,
and from foreign myths. These ia
bles and aIlegories were contrived by
poets and bards, Legislators and phil
osophers. by personifying virtues and
vices, moral and religious affections,
and by deifying ancient heroes. The
first persons who reduced their myth
ology to kind OF system were the
pagan priests, especially those OF
Egypt, who performed the services OF
religion in an unknown tongue. and
gave instruction i'm the form of allie
gories, so as to conceal religious
truths. As soon as the authentic ira
dition of the origin of the universe
was lost or adulterated by the inyen-
tions of men, then the fables OF myth
ology prevailed. There is something
in common, with great diversities, in
the systems of Egypt. China, Hindo-
stan, Persia, Chaldae, Assyria, Phe-
nicia, Greece, Rome and Scandinavia
cRYsTALLIZATIoN.
1st. The innate principles Of crys-
tallization, by which bodies in pass
ing from the fluid or aeriform state
to the solid condition assume, spon-
taneously, peculiar and well defined
geometrical forms, are as yet mys-
teries TO men of science. Very little
/ is known as to the force which causes
crystallization, beyond the fact that
electricity and light both accelerate
it; and that distinctive crystalline
forms are produced by the operation
of chemical affinity in the transition
from the fluid to the solid state.
2d. A substance that is not soluble
into fuidity cannot, Of course, assume
a crystalline form, as the first essen
tial for that process is lacking. Sd.
The ordinary method of artificial
crystallization is as follows: The
solid is dissolved in boiling water or
other solvent, till no more of the sub
stance can be retained in solution at
the temperature at which ii is heated.
As the fluid cools. solid matter is de-
posted, because the liquid cannot re-
tain it in dissolved state when the
temperature is reduced.
For this purpose the solution must
be set aside in an eyaporating dish,
the inner surface of which should be
slightly rough-a condition which
promotes crystallization, by affording
a nucleus for the formation of a crys-
tai. Ungiazed porcelain is therefore
most suitable. When all the crystals
are deposited, the remaining liquor
should be heated until pellicle
forms on its surface, when il may be
set aside, and fresh crop OF crystals
will be afforded. Large and perfect
crystals are best obtained by select
ing a good crystal out OF the first
liquor, and suspending it in the sec
ond after evaporation. BY this means,
crystals OF considerable size and typi-
cal form may be obtained.
Answer to A. Y's question: 1st. Sci
ence has made such progress, and
common sense has so far kept pace
with il, that the old idea that this
was the only inhabited sphere in the
universe is now completely explod-
ed. There is no reason TO believe
that our planet is the only one in our
solar system which is devoted TO USE
ful career; nor is there any ground
for imagining that our SUMS the on
ly one, of the myriad of suns we see
every night, which gives light, and
heat and happiness to human crea-
lures. On the contrary, the supreme
wisdom Of the Deity affords a fair
presumption that this little planet of
ours is but grain OF sand among the
worlds which have been created for
His glory, and that each planet after
its peculiar kind is fitted for the hab-
itation OF creatures whose praises
are due to Him for their existence.
Moons appear to be an exception,
Judging from our own, for that is
known 10 be wholly destitute of an
atmosphere and water. As it is also
of volcanic origin, and fully disfig-
ured by vast mountains and bottom
less hollows. I'd. There are as yet no
lenses powerful enough to perceive
animal life in the atm0sph@e sur
rounding other planets 3D.. The cen
ter OF the earth is supposed 10 be
molten mass having an intensity OF
heat scarcely conceivable by US.
The mean result OF a number OF ex
periments gives an increase OF one
degree OF Fahrenheit for every fif-
teen yards of vertical desc Mt. after
passing the stratum of constant tenn
perature. Admitting this rate OF in
crease, and that ii is continued to the
ter, the latter's temperature will
be expressed by $500 degrees OF
Wedgewood's pyrometer. The tenn
perature of 100 degrees of Wedge
} wood, which is sufficient to fuse the
lavas and the greater part OF known
rocks. would be found at the depth
of 125 miles. Some geologists, how
ever, hold that the phenomena war
} rants the conclusion that the mean
thickness of the solid crust of the
earth does not exceed sixty miles.
The phenomena of volcanoes, hot
springs and earthquakes can only be
explained on the hypothesis that the
nucleus of the earth still remains in a
state Of fnsion, and that the harden
ing of the exterior crust still pro-
ceeds, though at an extreme slow
rate.
The city of Rome for some eight
centuries was the center Of all histo-
ry. the imperial arbiter of the worlds
destinies It's sword conquered al
most every kingdom ard nation; its
/, senators gave the law to hundreds OF
,,,;ll;1,e. ifc cifizanc OruapizQd di-