32 HIDDEN BEAUTIES OF NATURE 



intelligence the gift of our good Creator to con- 

 struct a microscope that will add more than a thou- 

 sand-fold to our power of viewing the minute things 

 of creation. 



Yet, with our most powerful telescopes, we fail, 

 apparently, to alter the distance between us and the 

 nearest fixed stars ; and with our microscopes we fail 

 to exhaust the design and the symmetry in a humble 

 diatom (see chapter on 'Diatoms'). It is perfectly 

 clear, then, that the powers of the eye and of the mind 

 were intended to be used intelligently. And how can 

 they be put to a better purpose than in searching for 

 those wonders which God has created, and in which 

 He has shown such infinite skill and power ? And 

 are we not also in duty bound to make known to 

 others these evidences of the creative power of God, 

 so that He may be glorified in His works? 



In addition to the microscope, other requisites will 

 help to unfold the hidden beauties of Nature. But 

 these are of a less expensive character. For cliff or 

 quarry work, a good hammer, a strong bag, a pen- 

 knife, and a cheap pocket lens will suffice (see chapter 

 on ' A Seaside Ramble '). Some of the most lovely 

 fossil sponges I ever saw were taken from a block of 

 chalk with a penknife and patiently cleaned, and the 

 textures of surpassing beauty exposed to view with 

 the aid of a brush. The treasures of our museums of 

 Natural History are a standing argument in favour 

 of making collections for purposes of study, and are, 

 in the main, the result of individual effort. In our 



