AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 83 



controlling tlie wliole; and in the machine, fingers remove the 

 printed paper from the press and fold it — they seem absolutely to 

 be thought-directed. I saw a small specimen of "Young America" 

 watching, puzzled, this most ingenious operation. It must think, 

 his face seemed to say. At last, the roll of paper giving out, the 

 fingers came forth to seize nothing, and the lad laughed aloud at 

 their stupid clutching at vacancy. He had, at last, caught the 

 idea of this thinking machine. 



Modern civilization rendered such a structure as the Crystal 

 Palace practicable. It was, as has been justly remarked of the 

 great London prototype, as much a piece of mechanism as any 

 .machine within it — its parts separately wrought out from model 

 and drawing, and put together with system, plan and order. The 

 chief material, glass, was but little known to the ancients, and less 

 used; and the idea of constructing a palace of such a fragile ma- 

 terial comes only in a time of peace, of law and order, and of civ- 

 ilization. The moral effect of such a structure is not to be lost 

 •sight of. 



Noticing the progress of public opinion in regard to the preser- 

 vation of public objects of art and nature, Mr. Babbage, speaking 

 of the introduction of water-fowl into the parks of London, says : 



"In former days if there had been water-fowl in our parks, some 

 such notice as this would have been placarded : — ' Whoever throws 

 stones at or frightens these birds, shall be prosecuted with the ut- 

 most severity of the law.' In the present day we read the much 

 more effective address — ' These birds are recommended to the pro- 

 tection of the public' Ttie advantage of action upon this prin- 

 ciple is not confined merely to its direct efficacy for purpose. A 

 still more important benefit remains latent — one which never ought 

 to be lost sight of in the administration of laws. It enlists public 

 opinion in favor of law and order." 



Prior to 1837, the British Museum was open to admission only 

 by tickets; and it was contended, that to open it to indiscriminate 

 entry, would expose the collections to injury and loss. The ex- 

 periment was tried of throwing it completely open during the 

 Easter holidays; when it was thronged to inconvenience; and yet 

 nothing was taken, and only a pane of glass accidentally broken 

 by the crush in the narrow part of a passage. 



