Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1922-12-28
COMMON CLAY

The following article by Mrs. Car
RE V. Snyder was read at the farm
ers' institute at Chesterhill Nov.
%:
Common Clay: Meaning the soft
plastic earth; also the bodily or
earthly nature of man.
Now we find that the subject as
related to soft plastic earth is
being studied extensively by our ag-
ricultural class. And they tell us
that widely as the various soils diff
fer in composition, almost all Of
them are capable under favorable
climatic conditions of sustaining
life-either plant or animal. And
with the demands of an ever-in-
creasing population, many of our
best minds are striving to make not
only the garden spots of earth still
more productive, but are through
irrigation literally bringing the
desert to blossom as the. rose. Men
are giving OF their time, talent, and
money. that the teeming multitudes
may receive their daily bread.
But in meeting this huge demand
common clay has not fulfilled its
destiny. Rapidly our forests are
disappearing, and the On-coming
generations must be supplied with
homes. In response from quarry
and clay bank comes material from
which are fashioned beautiful
homes, cathedrals, school and office
buildings,-imposing structures OF
brick, concrete and tile. From an
cient Egyptian days down to our
npocou< firno tho nntfor hoo c,,Uv,1;od
us with kitchen utensils-crocks,
jars, bowls. and even our most cher
ished table china. Beautiful vases,
and urns in the hands
OF skillful decorators become works
Of art. All these owe their exist
ence to common clay.
And. over and above all is man,
to himself all this in
animate material. And he too is
common clay. We read that away
back in the days of creation, from
the dust of the earth God fashioned
man. When we observe the regu-
larity of the rising and setting of
the sun, the coming and going OF
the seasons, bringing with them in
orderly arrangement seed time and
when we stand at
night and gaze at the star-decked
sky-the same stars at which our
first forefathers gazed when the
world was young,-dO we not feel
how immeasurably small and in
significant is man as compared with
the infinite? How faulty then must
be the deductions of earth-bound
man.
Tc - - ho x,ovAoroN ~ %ho% x,vo
vicw life from such different an
gles? Some of us see the origin of
man back In. the garden of Eden. |
Created in the image OF God and
given dominion by Him over the
earth and lower creation. Others
zee him through claw of selection"
survival of the fittest," rising |
Irom a mere atom or single cell, by
slow and painful degrees up to his
present station. But however we
may differ upon this subject, we
and common ground as to the ma
.erial composition of man. Scien-
lists agree that upon analysis of
he human body they find identical |
" the same elements as are found
n the soils, and nothing more. So
t is evident that that which dis
,inguishes man from other clay, lies
lot in the composition of the body, |
)ut in the force that animates him
that strange. mysterious, intangi-
Die something we call life.
A certain primary physiology has
'or its title 1.-THE house 1 live in,
.hus making distinction between
he real self and the home 1t occu-
lies, the body OF clay.
N the lnmnafn account f1f nrAa-I