Familiar Talks on Science: World-Building and Life; Earth, Air and Water.

Copyright, 1899, BY FORDS, HOWARD & HULBERT. THE MERSHON COMPANY PRESS, RAHWAY, N. J.


Dear Reader: Please look through this Introduction before beginning with the regular chapters. It is always well to know the object, aim, and mode of treatment of a book before reading it, so as to be able to look at it from the author's view-point.
First: A word about the title— Nature's Miracles. Some may claim that it is unscientific to speak of the operations of nature as miracles. But the point of the title lies in the paradox of finding so many wonderful things—as wonderful as any miracle that was ever recorded—subservient to the rule of law.
But, you say, a miracle does not come under any rule of law.
Ah! are you sure of that? It is true that we may not understand the law that the so-called miracle comes under, but the Author of all natural law does. We do not pretend to dispute but that the Power that made nature's laws can change them if He sees fit; but we cannot believe that He will ever see fit. It would destroy all order and harmony, all advancement in science and knowledge of God's works, not to be able to rely implicitly upon the laws of nature as consistent and continuous.
In putting out these little volumes, it is not to be understood that the subjects treated will be more than touched upon, at the most salient points. To do much more would require volumes of immense size, and life would be too short for me to write or for you to read them.
Again: these volumes are familiar talks. The Author wishes to sit down with you—so to speak—and not hold you at arm's length.
It will be his aim to use the language of common life and to avoid all technical names so far as possible, or, when they are necessary, to explain their meaning. The object is to reach the thousands of readers who have not and cannot have the advantages of a scientific education, but who can by this means get at least a rudimentary idea of some of the natural laws with which they are coming in contact every hour, and through which the inner man has constant communication with the outer world. It may be, too, that many young students will be helped by these plain general views of topics which their text-books will give them in detail.