THE FARMER AT HOME. 395 



at first milky, but soon deposits a white powder, which is known by 

 the name of starch. 



STARS, FIXED. The universe, so far as human observation has 

 extended, consists of infinite or boundless space, in which are number- 

 less fixed stars, of the nature, bulk, and properties of the sun ; but 

 because they are at such immense distances from the earth, they ap- 

 pear to our eyes only as so many beautiful shining points. They are 

 called fixed stars, because they do not change, like the planets, their 

 relative position ; and they are distinguish >r l from the planets by their 

 twinkling light. It is supposed that the fixed stars have primary and 

 secondary planets revolving round them ; as the planets of our system 

 revolve round the sun. Were the sun so far from us as these stars 

 are, it would doubtless appear as they now do. It is certain that they 

 do not reflect the sun's light as do the planets ; for their distance is so 

 great that they would not, in that case, be visible. All the fixed stars, 

 with the exception of the polar or north star, notwithstanding they do 

 not change their relative position, appear to have a motion like the 

 sun and moon, rising in the east, increasing in altitude until they ap- 

 proach the meridian, and declining to the western horizon, where they 

 disappear. This apparent motion is caused by the revolution of the 

 earth on its axis from w r est to east. 



The immovable appearance of the polar star, is occasioned by the 

 axis of the earth pointing directly to it. Its elevation above the hori- 

 zon of any place, is always equal to the latitude of that place, or its 

 nearest distance to the equator. The number of fixed stars visible to 

 the naked eye, in either hemisphere, is not more than a thousand. 

 They seem indeed to be innumerable, when, in a clear winter's even- 

 ing, we turn our eyes towards the heavens. But by looking atten- 

 tively, we shall find that most of those bright spots, which appeared 

 to be stars, vanish from our view. This illusion is owing to the twink- 

 ling light with which the fixed stars are seen ; and, to our viewing 

 them confusedly, and not reducing them to any order. 



STATURE. The height of an animal. It is a known fact, that 

 people in younger life are taller in the morning than at night, owing 

 to the pressure of the upper parts in the daytime while the person is 

 in an upright posture, on the cartilages between the vertebre of the 

 neck and back ; which cartilages, by their spring, resume their tone 

 and former dimensions in the horizonal position of the body during 

 sleep ; the incumbent weight or pressure being, for that interval, and 

 during that posture, removed. But it is not so with the aged : the car- 

 tilages in them are grown dry, and thin, and springless ; by reason 

 whereof their stature will constantly continue at the lowest pitch. 

 And as the interstices of the vertebre are consequently enlarged, the 

 head, by its weight, will moreover naturally fall forward, and a bend- 

 ing in the ba,ck ensue. Hen se old persons are never so tall as they 

 were in their prime. 



