ON THE GENERAL DIFFUSION OF KNOWLEDGE. 



objects may be accurately depicted on the re 

 tina, that the ball of the eye may be easily 

 turned in every direction, and that we may enjoy 

 all the entertainments of vision.* If an atmo 

 sphere is thrown around the earth, it is for the 

 purpose of attempering the rays of the sun, giv 

 ing a lucid brightness to every part of the hea 

 vens, producing the morning and evening twi 

 light, promoting evaporation and the respiration 

 of animals, and causing the earth to bring forth 

 abundance of food, by means of the rains and 

 dews ; all which effects produce happiness in a 

 thousand different ways to every sentient being. 

 If this atmosphere presses our bodies with a 

 weight of thirty thousand pounds, it is in order to 

 counterpoise the internal pressure of the circu 

 lating fluids, and to preserve the vessels and 

 animal functions in due tone and vigour, without 

 which pressure the elastic fluids in the finer ves 

 sels would inevitably burst them, and the spark 

 of life be quickly extinguished. Thousands of 

 examples of this description, illustrative of divine 

 benevolence, might be selected from every part 

 of the material system connected with our world, 

 all of which would demonstrate that the commu 

 nication of enjoyment is the great end of all the 

 contrivances ofinfinite wisdom. 



As an evidence of the care of the Creator to pro 

 mote our enjoyment, the following instance may be 

 selected in regard to the?mwcto?oftheeye. Nothing 

 ran be more manifestly an evidence of contrivance 



Fig. 1. 



and design, and at the same time of benevolent in 

 tention, than these muscles, which are admirably 

 Adapted to move the ball of the eye in every direc 

 tion, upwards, downwards, to the right nand, to the 

 left, and in whatever direction we please, so as to 

 preserve that parallelism of the eye which is neces 

 sary to distinct vision. In fig. l . is exhibited the eye 

 ball with its muscles; a, is&quot; the optic nerve; 6, the 

 rnusculus trochlearis, which turns the pupil down 

 wards and outwards, and enables the ball of the eye 

 to roll about at pleasure ; c, is part of the osfrontis, 

 to which the trochlea or pulley is fixed, through 

 which d, the tendon of the trochlearis, passes ; e,is 

 the attolens oculi t &amp;gt;r laising up the globe of the eye ; 



There is a striking display of benevolence yj 

 the gratification afforded to our different senses. 

 As the eye is constructed of the most delicate 

 substances, and is one of the most admirable 

 pieces of mechanism connected with our frame, 

 so the Creator lias arranged the world in such a 

 manner as to afford it the most varied and de 

 lightful gratification. By means of the solar 

 light, which is exactly adapted to the structure 

 of this organ, thousands of objects of diversified 

 beauty and sublimity are presented to the view. 

 It opens before us the mountains, the vales, the 

 woods, the lawns, the brooks and rivers, the fer 

 tile plains and flowery fields, adorned with every 

 hue, the expanse of the ocean and the glories 

 of the firmament. And as the eye would be 

 dazzled, were a deep red colour or a brilliant 

 white to be spread over the face of nature, the 

 divine goodness has clothed the heavens with 

 blue and the earth with green, the two colours 

 which are the least fatiguing and the most pleas 

 ing to the organs of sight, and at the same time 

 one of these colours is diversified by a thousand 

 delicate shades which produce a delightful variety 

 upon the landscape of the world. The ear is cu 

 riously constructed for the perception of sounds, 

 which the atmosphere is fitted to convey ; and 

 what a variety of pleasing sensations are pro- 



n, the depressor cculi, for pulling the globe of the 

 eye down ; /. adductor oculi, for turning the eye 

 towards the nose ; g; abductor oculi, for moving the 

 globe of the eye outwards, to the right or left; h, 

 oUiquus inferior, for drawing the globe of the eye 

 forwards, inwards, and downwards ; i, part of the 

 Fig. 2. 



superior maxillary bone, to which it is fixed ; k, ttie 

 eyeball. Fig. 2. represents the same muscles in a 

 different point of view, where the same letters refer 

 to the same muscles. 



All these opposite and antagonist muscles pre 

 serve a nice equilibrium, which is effected partly by 

 their equality of strength, partly by their peculiar 

 origin, and partly by the natural posture of the body 

 and the eye, by which means the eye can be turned 

 instantaneously towards any object, preserved in 

 perfect steadiness, and prevented from rolling aboirt 

 in hideous contortions. This is only one ontofa 

 hundred instances in relation to the eye, in which 

 the same benevolent design is displayed. 



