THE BEAUTIFUL LADDER. 
lOI 
their place of habitation, they have ample room 
for their amazing activities. Darting and dan¬ 
cing, rolling and crawling, a perfect maze of 
movement and motion, yet there is no clash 
nor collision as they pass their allotted exist¬ 
ence and fulfil the grand purpose of their Crea¬ 
tor. They feed and multiply, enjoy and die; 
and, living or dying, work out the sovereign 
will and benevolent designs of Infinite Good¬ 
ness. Each is a wonder in itself, and all 
together form a picture of life that baffles the 
imagination. 
“The first impression coming to every one 
when the hidden life of a drop of water is first 
beheld is that of profound astonishment. It is 
entirely new and unexpected—a world of life 
where none was thought to have existence, and 
of forms and habits that have no parallels in 
the circle of visible natural history. It is so 
minute as to be put wholly beyond the limits 
of vision, and so numerous as to baffle compu¬ 
tation. As, when looking into a glass, we do 
not see our real self, but only an exact counter¬ 
feit presentment, so we see not the living infini¬ 
tesimal life here, but only an image magnified 
and remagnified until the perfect similitude is 
