that link of the chain which connects man with 

 the rock will have a deeper interest than the 

 mere examination of any mechanism, however 

 curious, could inspire : for the announcement 

 that man is formed from the dust of the earth 

 has a deep truth in it which modern science 

 alone can fully appreciate. It is from this dust, 

 that, after the various chemical combinations 

 effected in the cells and vessels of plants and the 

 inferior animals, man derives his corporeal frame, 

 and is, in fact, as far as that portion of his nature 

 is concerned, part and parcel of the earth he 

 moves on ; the first step, therefore, in this extra- 

 ordinary metamorphosis well deserves a careful 

 examination. 



