nourishment of a tree is deposited upon its extreme branches.

But why is man's head thus covered with hair? For precisely the same reason that a house is thatched -to keep the inmates warm. We might add, also, to give beauty to the edifice.

The BRAIN is the great organ upon which the health, the welfare, and the happiness of the system depends. The skull, therefore, may be regarded as analogous to the "strong box," the iron chest in which the merchant keeps his treasure. There is no point at which the brain can be touched to its injury, without first doing violence to the skull. Even the spinal cord runs down the back through a tunnel or tube, formed in a number of strong bones, so closely and firmly jointed together, that they are commonly termed "the backbone."

Look at the EYE-BROWS. What purpose do they fulfil? Precisely that of a shed, or arch placed over a window to shelter it from rain. But for the eye-brows the perspiration would frequently run from the brow into the eyes, and obscure the sight; a man walking in a shower of rain would scarcely be able to see; and a mariner in a storm would find a double difficulty in braving the tempest.

Now we come to the EYE, which is the window of the soul's abode-and what a window! How curiously constructed how wisely guarded! In the eye-lashes, as well as the eye-brows, we see the hair fulfilling a useful purpose, differing from any already described. The eye-lashes serve to keep cold winds, dust, and too bright sun, from injuring or entering the windows of the body. When we walk against the east wind, we bring the tips of our eye-lashes together, and in that way exclude the cold air from the surface of the eye;

and in the same manner, we exclude the dust and modify the light. The eye-lashes, therefore, are like so many sentries, constantly moving to and fro, protecting a most important organ from injury. The eye-lids

are the shutters by which the windows are opened and closed. But they also cleanse the eye, keeping it bright and moist. There are, moreover, in the lids of each eye or window, little glands, or springs, by which a clear fluid is formed and supplied for cleansing the eye. The eye is placed in a socket of the skull, in which it has free motion, turning right or left, up or down, to serve the purpose of the inhabitant of the dwelling. Now think for a few moments upon the wonderful struc-ture of those windows of the body. Can you fancy in the walls of your house a window which protects itself, cleanses itself, and turns in any direction at the mere will of the tenant; and when that tenant is oppressed by excess of light, draws its own curtain, and gives him ease; and when he falls asleep, closes its own shutters, and protects itself from the cold and dust of night, and the instant he awakes in the morning, opens, cleanses itself with a fluid which it has prepared during the night, and kept in readiness; and repeats this routine of duty day after day for half a century without becoming impaired? Such, nevertheless, is the wonderful structure of the window of the body-the eye.

The NOSE is given us for two purposes-to enable us to respire and to smell. As odours arise from the surface of the earth, the cup or funnel of the nose is turned down to meet them. In the nostrils hair again serves a useful purpose. It not only warms the air which enters the nostrils, but it springs out from all sides, and forms an intersecting net, closing the nostrils against dust, and the intrusion of small insects. If by any means, as

when taking a sharp sniff, foreign matter enters the nostrils, the nose is armed with a set of nerves, which communicate the fact to certain muscles, and the organs of respiration unite with those muscles to expel the intruding substances. In this action, the diaphragm, or the muscle, which divides the abdomen from the chest, is pressed down, the lungs are filled with air, the passage by which that air would otherwise escape. through the mouth, is closed up, and then all at once, with considerable force, the air is pressed through the nostrils to free them from the annoying substance. So great is the force with which this action takes place, that the passage into the mouth is generally pushed open occasioning the person in whom the action takes place, to cry "'tsha!" and thus is formed what is termed a sneeze. As with the eye, so with the noseinnumerable nerves are distributed over the living membrane, and these nerves are connected with larger nerves passing to the brain, through which everything relating to the sense of smell is communicated.

The nose acts like a custom-house officer to the system. It is highly sensitive to the odour of most poisonous substances. To be

"led by the nose," has hitherto been used as a phrase of reproach. But to have a good nose, and to follow its guidance is one of the safest and shortest ways to the enjoyment of health.

The MOUTH answers the fourfold purpose of the organ of taste, of sound, of mastication and of breathing. In all of these operations, except in breathing, the various parts of the mouth are engaged. In eating we use the lips, the tongue, and the teeth. The teeth serve the purpose of grinding the food, the tongue turns it during the process of grinding, and delivers it

up to the throat for the purposes of the stomach, when sufficiently masticated. The lips serve to confine the food in the mouth, and assist in swallowing it, and there are glands underneath the tongue, and in the sides of the mouth, which pour in a fluid to moisten the food. And so watchful are those glands of their duty that the mere imagination frequently causes them to act. Their fluid is required to modify the intensity of different flavours and condiments in which man, with his love of eating, will indulge.

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In speaking, we use the lips, the teeth, the tongue; and the chest supplies air, which, being controlled in its emission, by a delicate apparatus at the mouth of the wind-pipe, causes the various sounds which we have arranged into speech, and by which under certain laws, we are enabled to understand each other's wants, participate in each other's emotions, express our loves, our hopes, our fears, and glean those facts, the accumulation of which constitutes knowledge, enhances the happiness of man, and elevates him, in its ultimate results above the lower creatures to which the blessing of speech is denied.

The curious structure of the TONGUE, and the organs of speech, would fill a very interesting volume. The tongue is unfortunately much abused, not only by those who utter foul words, and convert the blessing of speech, which should improve and refine, into a source of wicked and profane language; but it constantly remonstrates against the abuse of food, and the use of things which are not only unnecessary for the good of our bodies but prejudicial to their health. When the body is sufficiently fed, the tongue ceases its relish, and derives no more satisfaction from eating; but man contrives a variety of inventions to whip the tongue up to an unnatural performance of its duty, and thus we not only overeat, but eat things that have

no more business in our stomach, than have the stones that we walk upon. Can we wonder, then, that disease is so prevalent, and that death calls for many of us so soon.

The EAR, which is taught to delight in sweet sounds, and in pure language, is a better servant of the master soul than one which delights not in music, and which listens, with approbation or indifference, to the oaths of the profane. The eye which rejoices in the beauties of nature, and in scenes of domestic happiness and love is a more faithful servant than one that delights in witnessing scenes of revelry, dissipation and strife. The nose which esteems the sweet odour of flowers, or the life-giving freshness of the pure air, is more dutiful to his master than one that rejects not the polluted atmosphere of neglected dwellings. The mouth which thirsts for morbid gratification of taste is more worthless than one which is contented with wholesome viands, and ruled by the proper instincts of its duty.

With regard to the mechanism of motion, let us take the case of a man, who is walking a crowded thoroughfare. * He walks along in a given direc

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tion. But for the

act of volition in the mind, not a muscle would stir. The eye is watching his footsteps. There is a stone in his path, the eye informs the mind, the mind communicates with the brain, and the nerves stimulate the muscles of the leg to lift the foot a little higher, or turn it on one side, and the stone is avoided. The eye alights on a familiar face, and the mind remem bers that the eye has seen that face before. The man goes on thinking of the circumstances under which he saw that person, and partially forgets his walk, and the direction of his steps. But the nerves of volition and motion unite to keep the muscles up to their work, and he walks on without having occasion to think continu