would carry it in
no time. Only one doubt occurred, one staggering objection--he had no
carpetbag, no visible pockets, no hands, not so much as a mouth, to carry
a letter. But, after much thought and many experiments, we managed to meet
the conditions, and to fold up the letter in such invisible compact form
as he could carry in those invisible pockets of his, never wrought by
needle and thread--and it went like a charm.

I admire still more than the saw-mill the skill which, on the sea-shore,
makes the tides drive the wheels and grind corn, and which thus engages
the assistance of the moon, like a hired hand, to grind, and wind, and
pump, and saw, and split stone, and roll iron.

Now that is the wisdom of a man, in every instance of his labor, to hitch
his wagon to a star, and see his chore done by the gods themselves. That
is the way we are strong, by borrowing the might of the elements. The
forces of steam, gravity, galvanism, light, magnets, wind, fire, serve us
day by day, and cost us nothing.

Our astronomy is full of examples of calling in the aid of these
magnificent helpers. Thus, on a planet so small as ours, the want of an
adequate base for astronomical measurements is early felt; as, for
example, in detecting the parallax of a star. But the astronomer, having
by an observation fixed the place of a star, by so simple an expedient as
waiting six months, and then repeating his observation, contrived to put
the diameter of the earth's orbit, say two hundred millions of miles,
between his first observation and his second, and this line afforded him a
respectable base for his triangle.

All our arts aim to win this vantage. We cannot bring the heavenly powers
to us; but, if we will only choose our jobs in directions in which they
travel, they will undertake them with the greatest pleasure. It is a
peremptory rule with them, that _they never go out of their road_. We are
dapper little busybodies, and run this way and that way superserviceably;
but they swerve never from their fore-ordained paths--neither the sun, nor
the moon, nor a bubble of air, nor a mote of dust.

And as our handiworks borrow the elements, so all our social and political
action leans on principles. To accomplish anything excellent, the will
must work for catholic and universal ends. A puny creature, walled in on
every side, as Daniel wrote,--

Unless above himself he can
Erect himself, how poor a thing is man!

But when his