Marvels of the Universe 



of aged snow ' in one hemisphere, the marvels of tropical liixuriance in another ; the serenity 

 of sunsets ; the subhmity of storms ; everything is bestowed in boundless profusion on the 

 scene of our existence ; we can conceive or desire nothing more exquisite or perfect than what is 

 round us every hour ; and our perceptions are so framed as to be consciously alive to all. The 

 provision made for our sensuous enjoyment is in overflowing abundance ; so is that for the other 

 elements of our complex nature. Who that has revelled in the opening ecstasies of a young 

 imagination, or the rich marvels of the world of Thought, does not confess that the Intelligence 

 has been dowered at least with as profuse a beneficence as the Senses ? Who that has truly tasted 

 and fathomed human Love in its dawning and crowning joys has not thanked God for a felicity 



which indeed ' passeth under- 

 standing.' If we had set our 

 fancy to picture a Creator occu- 

 pied solely in devising delight 

 for children whom He loved, 

 we could not conceive one 

 single element of bliss which is 

 not here." 



A friend of mine, on a 

 scientific mission some years 

 ago, to his great surprise met 

 an old French Abbe in one of 

 the most remote parts of the 

 Rocky Mountains, and could 

 not help showing his surprise. 

 The Abbe observed this, and 

 in the course of conversation 

 explained his presence in that 

 distant region. 



" You were." he said, " sur- 

 prised to find me here. The 

 fact is, that some months ago 

 I was very ill. My physicians 

 gave me up ; one morning I 

 seemed to faint, and thought 

 .ppear to irrigate that I was already in the arms 



of the Bon Dieii. I fancied 

 one of the angels came and asked me, ' Well, Monsieur I'Abbe, how did you like the 

 beautiful world you have just left ? ' And then it occurred to me that I, who had been 

 all my life preaching about Heaven, had seen almost nothing of the world in which I was living. 

 I determined, therefore, if it pleased Providence to spare me, to see something of this world ; 

 and so here I am.!' 



Few of us are free, however much we might wish it, to foUow the example of the worthy Abbe. 

 But although it may not be possible for us to reach the Rocky Mountains, there are other countries 

 nearer home which most of us might find time to visit. 



There is no single substance in Nature the properties of which are fully known to us. There is 

 no animal or plant which would not well repay, I do not say merely the attention of an hour, but 

 even the devotion of a lifetime. I often grieve to think how much happiness our fellow country- 

 men lose from their ignorance of science. Man, we know, is born to sorrow and suffering, but 

 he is not born to be dull, and no one with any knowledge of science could ever be. If any one is 



M.ARS. 

 The lines on the map represent the numerous canals which 

 the otherwise barren land of Mars. 



lliy Prof. Loisdl. 



