108 THE ORIGIN OP CREATION. 



Strange to say, granite when examined by a microscope, is 

 found, by Dr. Sorby, to have minute cells filled with water, a 

 most emphatic demonstralion that it has been formed by the 

 medium of water; yet this has been explained away on the 

 ground that it is condensed steam, or vapour, which was 

 present during its formation. How steam could exist where 

 every substance (as believed) was in a molten state, and 

 confined to the interior of the earth, is more than any one could 

 imagine possible. 



If we except the atmosphere, there is nothing so abundant 

 on this earth as water ; for the oceans are larger than the con- 

 tinents, and the land even abounds in lakes, and rivers, while 

 the atmosphere itself is continually pouring down deluges of 

 rain. What is this wonderful element, arid how is it produced? 



Natural Philosophers, tell us it is composed of oxygen and 

 hydrogen eight parts of oxygen, to one of hydrogen and that 

 with these gases ".artificial" water can be easily manufactured in 

 a laboratory. They also tell us that the most powerful combus- 

 tion, is produced by a combination of the same gases in different 

 proportions. 



Agreeably with our atornagnetic system, we prefer to use 

 simpler language and say : Water is the result of the simplest 

 combination, next to air. of the two classes of matter in the 

 form of gases. Moreover, because these gases can be made on a 

 small scale only by a certain chemical process, our teachers 

 would have us believe, that they are not to be found naturally 

 in sufficient abundance ,in the atmosphere ; and consequently, 

 that rain is not formed by their combination in it. But they 

 forget, or rather they do not perceive, that the earth itself is a 

 vast laboratory, where hundreds of nature's gases, of every 



