Up: Glassmaking
Reminiscences
9 of 123
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light and preserving warmth; it carries the eye of the astronomer to the
remotest regions of space; through the lenses of the microscope it develops
new worlds of vitality, which, without its help, must have been but
imperfectly known; it renews the sight of the old, and assists in the
curiosity of the young; it empowers the mariner to descry distant ships,
and trace far off shores; the watchman on the cliff to detect the operations
of hostile fleets and midnight contrabandists, and the lounger in the opera
to make the tour of the circles from his stall; it preserves the light of
the beacon from the rush of the tempest, and softens the flame of the lamp
upon our tables; it supplies the revel with those charming vessels in whose
bright depths we enjoy the color as well as the flavor of our wine; it
protects the dial whose movements it reveals; it enables the student to
penetrate the wonders of nature, and the beauty to survey the marvels of
her person; it reflects, magnifies, and diminishes; as a medium of light and
observation its uses are without limit, and as an article of mere
embellishment, there is no form into which it may not be moulded, or no object
of luxury to which it may not be adapted."
In contrast with the foregoing, we will make
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