The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1880-04-18
ON THE STUDY OF NATURE
No. II.
BY GAsKELL

1 Mountains rear their somber, VIII
: and terribly gigantic forms on high
, as in derision of the puny efforts o
! man. Their summit, pierce The
) clouds and the gazar, on their heights
= can see the lightning dart zigzag, OF
in broad sheets of fame from out the
murky atmosphere far below. He
stands above the clouds. in bright sun
shine, while below far down, the
reeking elements send down Their
torrents TO the thirsty earth. The
thunderbolt is beneath his feet and the
deafening crash ofelementsis fataoms
down.
How filed the heart with awe
While witnessing such a scene as this.
it willingly acknowledges the power
of God. Is it not displayed beneath
him Does he not hear his majestic
voice in the loud echoing OF heavens
artillery? Cannot he see the burning
lightning obedient to his will2
How wild the scenery OF a noun
tain range Confusion seems to
reign, yet how grand! The very Wild
mesa is its characterization is its
grandeur. Rock is thrown on rock,
pile reared on pile, until its msgni
tude is vast and its sublimity terrific.
Far down the dark raviue descends a
sparkling rivulet, joyous and free,
singing merrily TO the bushes that
fringe it's banks on either hand. a
vast precipice is before it and the rlll
is frightened at its profundity. No
time for lengthy hesitation, for It's
eddies are swift and fatal; with wild
leap it descends, strikes and Is lashed
into foam by the violent conclusion,
and it again glides on. It is not Lost
by its great decent, but to again
regain the height it sprang from Is no
longer possible. 1t is go in life-a
precipice is before us and we perceive
it not. Impatient OF restraint We
break from those who would stay our
mad career and leap from the bec.'lng
cliff. Years may atone for THAI ne
mad act, but an eternity cannot re-
store to ua the virgin freshness OF the
heart. Innocence is gone and though
restitution is made, the heart feels Its
weakness, all the more plainly by
reason Of that one misstep.
Boundless is the power Of God. The
vast mountains will exist through
time. Mans efforts are perishable,
but the rugged mountain brow, on |
which God has impressed his hand.
endures for myriats of ages I'M
changed. The pyramids. the most
enduring of all mans Insane work, |
are pigmy efforts, to the vast effects OF
one single throe OF nature. Vast
heaps are thrown together by one
CONFUSION, such as man could never
rear. The earth is girded by chain |
of mountains, as by q zone. In
Europe they are found; IN Asia they
pierce the heavens, rising above the |
clouds to where it is impossible for |
nan TO live; in Africa they exist and
in America they traverse the length
Of the land.
Seek you for beauty and sublimity,
grandeur and awe-inspiring vastness?
Ii 30 ascend some giant OF nature and
scan The scenery below. Above you
the heavens, around you eternal
snow, beneath you thousands OF is-N
thomz is the yaWning chssm and
deep, dark abyss. The precipioe ls
beside YOU where one false step would |
preoipilate you into eternity. Around
you, on every hand is grandeur, sub.
Unity and death. The last trace OF
vegetation is far below and around Is
ice and Sow and wild desolation.
Is not nature worthy of apprecia-
ton? Nature ia the eternal spirit OF
termination aud life. 1t begets all
our ioys, all our happiness and all We |
have. Without it We would have no |
existence, and without existence, no |
iov, God is merciful but does man |
strive 10 be worthy? Does he by his
actions convey to our minds the idea
of thankful, rational belngY a
noble soul can see beauties IN all
created matter. The most repulsive,
or vicious of the animal creation has
its part to play IN tie drama OF life:
The instincts of the brute were placed
in its organization by higher power
than ours, and it but acts out lts
nature when it destroys brother. 1t
is a blessing peculiar to nature that
the most poisonous, the most danger
ous reptiles, or animals, have some
enemy to destroy their offspring; for
we're they allowed to indulge IN pro
creation without any such restraint
upon their increase, this earth would
become uninhabitsble. Thus we see
in the providence of God We are all
made ID be dependent upon one
another. We might perchance exist
we're we wrecked on some lone island,
far withoutth confines OF civilization,
but not without being dependent upon
nature, or God. If nature is bounti-
full in the production of fruit and
beast we can live, but if it is barren,
sterile rock, where nsught but naked
desolation meets the eye, and the
boundless ocean ia the distant horizon,
then would we say, 1--WE perish"
The contemplation of nature IS
grand, ennobling study, for we must
90 beyond present objects and &C
knowledge Col, as the great Framer;
and can see the various workings OF
nature, yet must We go beyond that
nature in our researches and acknow
ledge there is q something superior to
nature, which guides all her move
menls aud directs the times and
seasons We cannot see how per-
son blessed With reason and judge
ment can asy that nature is God.
Nature is ike some vast machine and
in order to keep that machine IN
working condition aud constantly
employed, it needs some genius, or
master spirit to keep each part in
repair and continuous movement.
That directing agent must be God,
and therefore they fall far short Of
reality, who worship nature as God.
But, they say, there might be un-
changeable laws in nature, which
] causes, by equilibrious aud procrea-
tive principles, the whole to replenish
] such parts as may be detective, and
by such means constantly preserve ar
equipoise of powers and of labors, by
a succession of changes. A revolu
ton of particles, ever preserve suffi
y. cheney of force for the purposes o
: nature. Even admitting this We MAJ
ask, what power gave life to those law
, and caused them to remain I'm
? changeably active in performance
!, their labors2 The answer can b