agon,
who eats the sun, and leaves us in the dark until the blazing orb has
been mended. Numerous instances are ready to the memory of any one of
us, in illustration of the tendency existing among men to ascribe to
supernatural, fantastic causes, events wonderful only by their rarity.
All that we daily see differs from these things no more than inasmuch as
it is at the same time marvellous and common. We know very well that the
moon, seen once by all, would be regarded as an awful spectre: open only
to the occasional vision of a few men, no doubt she would be scouted by
a large party as a creation of their fancy altogether.

The list of facts that have been scouted in this way, corresponds pretty
exactly to the list of human discoveries, down to the recent
improvements in street lighting and steam locomotion. The knowledge of
the best of us is but a little light which shines in a great deal of
darkness. We are all of us more ignorant than wise. The proportion of
knowledge yet lying beyond the confines of our explorations, is as a
continent against a cabbage garden. Yet many thousands are contented to
believe, that in this little bit of garden lies our all, and to laugh at
every report made to the world by people who have ventured just to peep
over the paling. It is urged against inquiries into matters yet
mysterious--mysterious as all things look under the light of the first
dawn of knowledge--why should we pry into them, until we know that we
shall be benefited by the information we desire? All information is a
benefit. All knowledge is good. Is it for man to say, "What is the use
of seeing?"

We are in the present day upon the trace of a great many important facts
relating to the imponderable agencies employed in nature. Light, heat,
and electricity are no longer the simple matters, or effects of matter,
that they have aforetime seemed to be. New wonders point to more beyond.
In magnetism, the researches of Faraday, and others, are beginning to
open, in our own day, the Book of Nature, at a page of the very first
importance to the naturalist; but the contents of which until this time
have been wholly unsuspected. Behind a cloudy mass of fraud and folly,
while the clouds shift, we perceive a few dim stars, to guide us towards
the discovery of wondrous truths. There are such truths which will
hereafter illustrate the connection, in many ways still mysteries,
between the body of man and the surrounding world. Wonderful