Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1915-04-03
EVERYDAY MIRACLES

written Specially for The Bulletin.)
One of the most renowned citizens
wrote an interesting and Informing
little book called THE Science of Com
mon Things. He also edited book
along similar lines to which he gave
the title. Things Not Generally
Known
Looking through the latter volume,
one cannot fail to be impressed by the
wonders of the commonest things
about about us on this earth. Were
we not so familiar with them, we
would continually exclaim, as men in
all ages have done at anything out OF
the ordinary, "a miracle!"
Taking an instance at random; Mr.
Wells has called our attention to
something OF which we rarely think
/. Q. the power of the human eye.
For example, grain of gold dust
Of the aneness of but 1-1125th. of an
inch, may be discerned by the naked
eye in common daylight.
Experiments have proven that ar
object can be seen when % fathoms
below the oceans. surface;-a fathom
Is a nautical measure of six feet.
During the March gale of last veal
we were forcibly impressed by the
power of the wind, as We saw roofs
blown from house and similar manifes-
tations. This book of Mr.. Wells as
of the Atlantic 10 estimated to be fully
three tons per square foot!
Some Of our travellers who have Wis
tied Egypt and other ancient lands
emphasize the facts demonstrated by
the pictures which we stay-at-homez
haye seen, of the enormous blocks
used in the building Of the pyramids,
the ancient temples in Nineveh, and
elsewhere. We are assured by this
book that there is every probability
that, destitute as they were Of COM
plicated machinery, the ancients were
able to raise these enormous stones
simply by the system which they had
discovered, of placing common wood
en- rollers under them. Common roll
ers and slips Of wood made possible
such building operations that the
world has never since ceased to Won
der!
Take, too, that never-eeasins source
of anazement, the construction of the
human body.
In the skeleton there are about zoe
bones, yet they can be classified in
three divisions, each perfectly adapted
to the uses to which it is put.
They are the long and round-as the
bones of the; upper extremities-the
broad and flat-as the bones of the
skull-and the short and square-as
vertebral column.
The long bones are perfectly adapted
for motion, the fiat for protection and
the square for motion combined with
strength. A wonderfully constructed
mechanism, the body; yet who ever
pauses to reflect upon it's marvels?
Is So often during this winter we have
looked out in the morning, to find the
ground covered with snow. Or posi-
bly, we have been detained out late al
night and have shivered as we have
entered the snug, steam heated house
and thought of the poor and homeless
and unprotected, during the winters
cold. We have read of unfortunates
being found by the roadside, frozen, te
death.
tetAll snow is snow to us, unthinking
yet we are told in this little book that
WREN thermometer is plunged ir
STOW to the depth of a decimetre
4about four inches) sometimes as
much as nine degrees Of heat greater
than that at the surface is marked
This sets us thinking of stories we
have read, of sheep and other ami
mails being lost in storms, yet being
kept from freezing by the very warmth
of the snow which overwhelmed them
This, doubtless, is what the Bible
Il
snow like WOOL
Reference was made before to Z
grain of gold as visible to the naked
eve. We are told that such grair
of precious metal may be beaten ou
yet the leaf remains so compact a.
not to transmit the rays of light
Some of our farmers and others keel
bees and fancy they know much abou
their habits and ways. Yet is is SAFE
to guess that few, of them ever stoI
to consider that the bees cell is no
only the strongest but the most con
vcnient forn and figure that can b.
devised.
Eminent smathematicians, Reaunur
KONG, Kirby, Spence, Lord Brousham
discussed this point, invariably com
ing back to the decision that the bee!
method could not be improved upon
the hexaedrof1 OF six-angIed figure, i.
the strongest and most convenient, {
wonderful fact. And what lis equal.
remarkable, so do the little creatures
work that the middle of every cell
on one side, is directly opposite tt
the point where the three partitions
meet on the opposite side! Yet "tht
fool says in his heart, There is ne
God'i"
Not only the little bee shows US {
daily miracle. but science has, dem
onstrated that the spider is capable o.
teaching us an amazing wonder.
Leuwenhock has computed that on
hundred Of. the threads Of a full growl
spider are not equal to the diametel
of the hair from a.. mans beard. Con
sequent1y, if the threads and hair bt
both round, ten thousand such threads
are not bigger than such a hair!
And so it goes! Miracle after mir
acle might be cited. Yet there ar,
still those blind-in their own concei
who declare they will not believe!
..---------.-----.- ,
Only yesterday, as was lookin.
over my school Ovid, something di
rected my attention to the brief sketcl
of the life of the poet who has caused
anguish to SO many thousands O.
students fitted to claim, with Shake
speare. that they knew little Latin
and less Greek" Something causes
duce such vital change in the heart
such a. deepening of ones spirituality
such quickening Of religious power
that we know that we have become ;
more worthy son of God than we eve