"It's a steady life of doing good to everybody that you have ever led, sir. It was a lonely life once, no doubt. I was dazed when she married you. But, eh, master; I have that to think about, and that to pray for, that a'most makes me believe in anything happening to you for good, when so much is asked for, day and night, in my own prayer."
"Put us into it; let me and mine be in Jenifer's prayer," he said, and passed on.
TO BE CONTINUED.
From The Month.
PROPOSED SUBSTITUTES FOR THE STEAM-ENGINE.
The present year has been remarkable for the large number of machines invented for the purpose of superseding steam, in at least some of its lighter tasks. Many of these are due to French engineers; being further proofs, if any were required, of the great activity now displayed in France in all matters of mechanical invention.
Two of these new engines are especially interesting as illustrating that all-important law in modern physics, the correlation or convertibility of forces. By this is meant that the forces of inanimate nature, such as light, heat, electricity--nay, even the muscular and nerve forces of living beings--have such a mutual dependence and connection that each one is only produced or called into action by another, and only ceases to be manifest when it has given birth to a fresh force in its turn. Thus motion (in the [{30}] shape of friction) produces heat, electricity, or light; heat produces light or electricity; electricity, magnetism; and so on in an endless chain, which links together all the phenomena of this visible universe.
As a metaphysical principle, this is as old as Aristotle, and may be found dimly foreshadowed in the forcible lines of Lucretius:
"--Pereunt imbres, ubi eos pater aether
In gremium matris terrai praecipitavit;
At nitidae surgunt fruges, ramique virescunt,
Arboribus crescunt ipsae, fetuque gravautur,
Hinc alitar porro nostrum genus atque ferarum.
* * * * * *
Haud igitur penitus pereunt quaecumque videntur,
Quando aliud ex alio reflcit natura, nec ullam
Rem gigni patitur, nisi morte adjuta aliena." [Footnote 8]
[Footnote 8: Lucret. lib. i. 250-65.]