The Mirror of Nature; A Book of Instruction and Entertainment

The Mirror of Nature; A Book of Instruction and Entertainment





General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1849 Original Publisher: Thomas, Cowperthwait Subjects: Natural history Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: 3. THE HOUSE-KEEPER. . Another image in the mirror of Nature: the image of a good house-keeper, presents itself to us in Water. Without water the whole surface of the earth would soon become a waste, like the African deserts in the dry season of the year; all vegetation would wither, all animals perish. But like a careful mother, who visits, without ceasing, all parts of her house, now the cellar, now the upper store-rooms, in order to provide for her household whatever they need, -- so Water flows in brooks and rivers down into the sea, thence ascends after a space into the air as vapor, divides itself into the drops of the dew, pours down its blessing in rain upon the thirsty land, collects itself on the cool mountains or on the wooded hills, in springs and brooks, and again distributing its gifts as it passes, runs into the sea. Water follows the miner into his mines, the crystal-digger upon his bald mountain heights; for just as air penetrates water and mingles with it, so water, in an airy form, penetrates the atmosphere and gives drink to Alpine plants and mosses in such fulness that the midday sun can scarcely drink up the pearly drops. There only, where no weed flourishes, and no thirsty life can be supported, on the cold heights, which only aeronauts and bold mountain travellers reach, does water appear to be relieved of its maternal cares, there water hardly comes; there it is that the air is more void of water than elsewhere. As in a mother's lap, the tenderest and finest creatures are kept and hidden in the water, the poly...









List Price: $ 36.74



Price: $ 36.74









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