70 LOCUSTS AND WILD HONEY 



yet reached the condition of the cooling and amelio- 

 rating rains, while in Mars vapor appears to be pre- 

 cipitated only in the form of snow; he is probahly 

 past the period of the summer shower. There 

 are clouds and vapors in the sun itself, — clouds of 

 flaming hydrogen and metallic vapors, and a rain 

 every drop of which is a burning or molten meteor. 

 Our earth itself has doubtless passed through the 

 period of the fiery and consuming rains. Mr. Proc- 

 tor thinks there may have been a time when its 

 showers were downpourings of " muriatic, nitric, and 

 sulphuric acid, not only intensely hot, but fiercely 

 burning through their chemical activity." Think 

 of a dew that would blister and destroy like the 

 oil of vitriol ! but that period is far behind us now. 

 When this fearful fever was past and the earth be- 

 gan to "sweat;" when these soft, delicious drops 

 began to come down, or this impalpable rain of the 

 cloudless nights to fall, — the period of organic life 

 was inaugurated. Then there was hope and a prom- 

 ise of the future. The first rain was the turning- 

 point, the spell was broken, relief was at hand. 

 Then the blazing furies of the fore world began to 

 give place to the gentler divinities of later times. 



The first water, — how much it means ! Seven 

 tenths of man himself is water. Seven tenths of the 

 human race rained down but yesterday ! It is much 

 more probable that Alexander will flow out of a bung- 

 hole than that any part of his remains will ever stop 

 one. Our life is indeed a vapor, a breath, a little 

 moisture condensed upon the pane. We carry our- 



