The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1886-12-04
Nature the Great Teacher.

In his new book, 'Nature's Teachings,
the Rev. J. G. Wood has discussed a sub
lect not before handled at length. Its OBJ
ject is to show how mans implements and
mechanical devices have been anticipated
in nature. He asserts that there is no in
vention of man which is not anticipated,
that all his mechanical devices have been
used in nature for countless centuries. He
claims that the great discoverers of the
future will be those who carefully study
the natural world.
| The burr stones of mills are copy of
moiar teeth. The hoofs of horse are
made of parallel plates like i ca snring-
The finest file made by man is rough
affair when compared with Dutch rush
used by cabinet makers. The jaws of the
turtle and tortoise are natural scissors
Rodents have chisel teeth, and hippopotami
have adj teeth, which are constantly re-
paired as they are worn. The carpenters
plane is anticipated by the jaws of bee.
The woodpecker has powerful little ham
mer, The diving bell only initiates the
work of the water spider. This insect, al
though as easily drowned as any other,
spends great part of its life under water
Having constructed a'small cell under the
water, it clasps bubble of air between its
last pair of legs, and dives down to the
entrance of its cell, into which the bubble
is put. A proportionate amount of water
is thus displaced, and when all of it is ex-
PEELED, the little animal takes up its abode
in this subaqueous retreat.
In laying its eggs on the water, the gnat
combines them in mass shape somewhat
like lifeboat. 1t is impossible to sink it
without tearing it to pieces. The iron
mast of modern ship is strengthened by
deep ribs running along its interior. A
porcupine quill is strengthened by similar
ribs. When engineers found that hollor-
beams were stronger than solid ones; szs,so
only discovered principle which had been
alton of man. A wheat straw, if solid,
could not support heavy head, The
bones of the higher animals, if solid, would
have to be great deal heavier to bear the
weight which they have to support. The
framework of ship resembles the skeleton
of herring, and he who would improve
aerial navigation might study the skeleton
Of bird with advantage. Palissy made
careful study of the shells by the seaside,
in order to learn the best method of forti-
| flying town.
The ship worm feeds on wood, and
gradually tunnels It's way through any SUBJ
merged timber 1t also lines its burrow
with hard, shelly coating. Brunei, tax
ing hint from this, was the first to succeed
in subaquatic tunaeling. The Eddystone
Lighthouse is built on the plan of tree
trunk, and fastened to the rock in manner
somewhat similar to the way tree is fas-
tened to the soil. 1t is supposed that the
first idea of suspension bridge was sug-
ested by the creepers of tropical forest.
Mr. Wood gives an interesting account
of the origin of the plan for the Crystal
Palace. Mr. Paxton, gardener, having
noticed the structure Of the great leaves Of
the Victoria Regia, plant which had been
introdseed into England few years pre-
vious, struck the plan of copying in iron
the ribs of the leaf and filing the remain
ing space which corresponds to the cellular
portions of the leaf, with glass. Thus, by
copying nature, an obscure gardener became
Sir Joseph Paxton, the great architect