28 



KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



that such a place must have been provided 

 expressly for our habitation ? 



If, then, the discoveries of science disclose to us 

 in each planet, which, like our own, rolls in regu- 

 lated periods round the sun, provisions in all 

 respects similar — if they are proved to be similarly 

 built, ventilated, warmed, illuminated, and fur- 

 nished — supplied with the same alternations of 

 light and darkness, by the same expedient — with 

 the same pleasant succession of seasons— the same 

 diversity of climates — the same agreeable distri- 

 bution of land and water — can we doubt that such 

 structures have been provided as the abodes of 

 beings in all respects resembling ourselves ? The 

 strong presumption raised by such analogies is 

 converted into a moral certainty, when it is shown 

 from arguments of irresistible force that such 

 bodies are the creation of the same Hand that 

 raised the round world and launched it into space. 

 Such, then, is the nature of the evidence which 

 science offers on this interesting question. * * 



We must terminate our notice with a 

 popular description of 



THE EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE. 



The atmosphere which surrounds the earth is 

 an appendage which has an obvious and important 

 relation to the animal and vegetable kingdoms. 

 That respiratory beings depend on it for the main- 

 tenance of their vitality, is obvious. The mechan- 

 ical and chemical function of the breathing organs 

 is expressly adapted to it. Its relation to vegetable 

 life is not less important. 



But besides these qualities, without which life 

 would become extinct on the surface of the globe, 

 the atmosphere administers to our convenience and 

 pleasures in other ways. It is the medium by 

 which sound is transmitted; and as the apparatus of 

 the lungs is adapted to operate chemically upon it, 

 so as to impart to the blood the principle by which 

 that fluid sustains life, so the exquisite mechanism 

 of the ear is constituted to receive the effects of 

 its pulsations and convey them to the sensorium 

 to produce the perception of sound. Again, the 

 mechanism of the organs of voice is adapted to 

 impress on the atmosphere those pulsations, and 

 thereby to convey its intonations to the corres- 

 pondingly susceptible organisation of the ear. 

 Without the atmosphere, therefore, even supposing 

 we could live in its absence, however perfect might 

 be our organs of speech and hearing, we should 

 possess them in vain. Voice we might have, but 

 no word could we utter; listeners we might be, 

 but no sound could we hear ; endowed with the 

 full powers of hearing and speaking, we should 

 nevertheless be deaf and dumb. 



Another important manner in which the atmos- 

 phere administers to our convenience is by diffusing 

 in an agreeable manner the solar light, and miti- 

 gating its intensity. In this respect, the atmos- 

 phere may be considered as performing, in regard 

 to the sun, what the imperfect transparency of a 

 ground-glass shade performs for the glare of the 

 lamp. In the absence of an atmosphere, the light 

 of the sun would only illuminate objects on which 

 its direct rays would fall ; we should have no other 

 degrees of light but the glare of intense sunshine, 

 or the most impenetrable darkness. Shade, there 

 would be none ; the apartment whose casement 

 did not face the sun, at the mid-day would be as 



at midnight. The presence of a mass of air ex- 

 tending from the surface of the earth upwards to a 

 height of more than forty miles, becomes strongly 

 illuminated by the sun. This air reflects the solar 

 light on every object exposed to it ; and as it 

 spreads over every part of the earth's surface, it 

 conveys with it the reflected, but greatly mitigated 

 light of the sun. 



When the evening sun withdraws its light, the 

 atmosphere, continuing to be illuminated by its 

 beams, supplies the gradual declining twilight, 

 which terminates in the shade of night. Before 

 it rises, in like manner, the atmosphere is the 

 herald of its coming, and prepares us for its splen- 

 dor by the grey dawn and increasing intensity of 

 morning twilight. In the absence of an atmos- 

 phere, the moment of sunset would be marked 

 by an abrupt and instantaneous transition from 

 the blaze of solar light to the most impenetrable 

 darkness ; and, for the same reason, the morning 

 would be characterised by an equally abrupt change 

 from absolute darkness to broad, unmitigated sun- 

 shine. 



Buds and Blossoms. A Collection: of 

 Pretty Story Books. R. Groombridge 

 and Sons. 



Under this modest title, we have three 

 distinct packets of popular little books (six 

 in each packet) ; all admirably adapted for 

 distribution amongst young people. 



The tales and stories are of moderate 

 length, are very nicely written, and have a 

 pleasing moral attached to them, — each 

 packet being complete in itself, and encased 

 in a very pretty envelope. When we say 

 that the cost of each collection of six books 

 is — sixpence, we exhaust all the rhetoric left 

 us. 



Now is the time to be generous, and to do 

 good on an extensive scale. A complete 

 juvenile library may be had for eighteen- 

 pence ! What child would be a dunce ? 



Beauty and the Beast. An Entertain- 

 ment for Young People. By Miss 

 Corner. Dean and Son. 



This is the first of a series of " Little Plays 

 for Little Actors,"— Miss Julia Corner 

 playing the part of dramatic manager. Let 

 us hear what she says in her programme : — 



I am convinced, from experience as well as 

 reflection, that the performances I advocate are 

 calculated to do good rather than harm. Children 

 want to be amused; and I believe that amuse- 

 ment is beneficial to them, provided it has no 

 bad tendency. I also believe that a very impor- 

 tant part of education consists in promoting inno- 

 cent and agreeable occupation for leisure hours, 

 in order to prevent any disposition to indolence, 

 either of mind or body. With these views and 

 opinions, I offer my little plays as a pastime for 

 the approaching holidays; and I sincerely hope 

 they may prove the means of furnishing enter- 

 tainment for many of my young friends in the 

 long evenings. 



Excellently well spoken, fair Julia; and 



