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XIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



shall then have some faint notions of that glorious 

 Sun, which forms the centre of our system, the 

 source of light, heat, and life, round which every 

 body of our system revolves, according to certain 

 laws,_ so admirably demonstrated by Kepler. 



Science is greatly indebted to the immortal 

 Kepler for the discovery of the laws of planetary 

 proportionate velocity; a discovery which ranks 

 foremost among the proudest instances of human 

 intelligence. It proves, to the simplest under- 

 standing, that in the mechanism of our solar 

 system, to use the scientific words of Kepler, " the 

 forces at different distances are, inversely, as the 

 squares of those distances, and directly as the 

 quantity of matter in the agent;" or, in other 

 words, " the squares of the times of their revo- 

 lutions (of all the planets round the sun, and 

 satellites round their primaries) are in the pro- 

 portion to the cubes of their mean distance from 

 the sun." "This magnificent world-propelling 

 globe," says Sir John Herschel, " is not a mere 

 phantom, but a body having its own peculiar 

 structure and economy, as our telescopes inform 

 us. They show us dark spots on its surface, 

 which slowly change their places and forms, and 

 by attending to whose situation, at different times, 

 astronomers have ascertained that the sun re- 

 volves about an axis inclined to a constant angle 

 82° 40 7/ to the plane of the ecliptic, performing 

 one rotation in a period of twenty-five days, and 

 in the same direction with the diurnal rotation 

 of the earth ; that is, from west to east. Hence, 

 then, we have an analogy with our own globe; 

 the slower and more majestic movements only 

 corresponding Avith the greater dimensions of the 

 machinery, and impressing us with the prevalence 

 of similar mechanical laws, and of at least such 

 a community of nature as the existence of inertia, 

 and obedience to force may argue." 



The sun, by its motion on its axis, " agitates 

 the ethereal fluid in which it floats ;" hence Sir ' 

 John Herschel concludes that the sun's astonishing 

 motion must generate " a continual current of 

 electric matter, circulating in the sun's immediate 

 neighborhood." And " as electricity traversing 

 excessively rarefied air, or vapor, gives out light," 

 we can readily infer that " electric friction is the 

 source of those rapid waves, or undulations which 

 constitute that beautiful phenomenon" — • 



Fairest of beings ! first created light ! 



Prime cause of beauty ! — for from thee alone 



The sparkling gem, the vegetable race, 



The nobler worlds that live and breathe their charms, 



The lovely hues peculiar to each tribe, 



From this unfading source of splendor draw. 



In thy pure shrine, with transport I survey 



This firmament ; and these her rolling worlds, 



Their magnitude and motions. 



Light emanates from the sun, or rather from 

 its luminous undulating atmosphere, and is 

 transmitted to us in small particles, moving in 

 straight lines, and becoming luminous when they 

 enter our atmosphere. Newton deduced many 

 beautiful mathematical truths from this theory of 

 light, which seem to confirm the philosophers of 

 the present day — (among whom there still exist 

 many opinions on the nature of light) — in the 

 truth of his theory. The velocity of light has 

 been determined, by the nicest calculations, to be 

 192,000 miles in a second of time. Light, as we 



now all know, is a very important agent in 

 nature : — 



Behold the light emitted from the sun ! 

 What more familiar, and what more unknown ? 

 While by its spreading radiance it reveals 

 AH Nature's face, it still itself conceals. 

 See how each morn it does its beams displaj', 

 And on its golden wings brings back the day ! 

 How soon the effulgent emanations fly 

 Through the blue gulf of interposing sky ! 

 How soon their lustre all che region fills, 

 Smiles on the valleys and adorns the hills : 

 Millions of miles, so rapid is their race, 

 To cheer the earth, they in few minutes pass — 

 Amazing progress ! at its greatest stretch 

 What human mind can this swift motion reach ! 



COITFIEMATIOIT DAY.— 



A VILLAGE SKETCH. 



This is the day for a grand Confirmation! 

 It is a bright summer morning; and see yon 

 troops of village boys and girls come marching 

 into the town, headed hy the village clerk, or 

 schoolmaster. First one, then another of the 

 little regiments is seen advancing, from different 

 parts, towards the principal church. All are in 

 their best array. Their leader, with an air of 

 unusual solemn dignity, marches straight for- 

 ward, looking neither to the right hand nor to 

 the left, but sometimes casting a grave glance 

 behind at his followers. His suit of best black 

 adorns his sturdy person, and his lappels fly wide 

 in the breeze that meets him. 



His charge come on in garbs of many colors ; 

 — the damsels in green and scarlet petticoats; 

 stockings, white, black and grey; gowns of 

 white, bearing testimony to miry roads and pro- 

 voking brambles : gowns of cotton print of many 

 a dazzling flowery pattern ; gowns even of silk 

 in these luxurious days ; long, flying, pink sashes, 

 and pink, and yellow, and scarlet bunches in 

 bonnets of many a curious make. The lads stride 

 on, with slouching paces that have not been learn- 

 ed in drawing and assembly-rooms, but on the 

 barn-floor, beside the loaded waggon, on the 

 heathy sheep-walk, and in the deep fallow field. 

 They are gloriously robed in corduroy breeches, 

 blue worsted stockings, heavy-nailed ancle- boots, 

 green shag waistcoats, neck-handkerchiefs of red, 

 with long corners that flutter in the wind, and 

 coats shaped by some sempiternal tailor, Avhose 

 fashions know no change. 



Amid the bustling spruce inhabitants of the 

 town, their walk, their dress, their faces full of 

 ruddy health and sheepish simplicity, mark them 

 out as creatures almost of another tribe. -They 

 bring all the spirit of the village — of the solitary 

 farm — of the heaths and woods, and rarely fre- 

 quented fields along with them. You are carried 

 forcibly by your imagination, at the sight of them, 

 into cottage life, — into the habits and concerns 

 of the rural population. You feel what daily 

 anticipations — what talk — what an early rising, 

 and bustling preparation there has been in many a 

 lowly dwelling, in many an out-of-the-way ham- 

 let, for this great occasion. How the old people 

 have told over how it was when they went to be 

 confirmed. How the fond, simple mothers have 

 sent forth their sons and daughters; and given 

 them injunction on injunction ; and followed 

 them from their doors with eyes filled with tears 



