Principles of Physics or Natural Philosophy, 1861, Image 37

20 The birth development & death of lakes “ meadows of forests “ mtns [mountains] of canons of gls [glaciers] of [rivers] “ [seas] “ islands All physical phenomena when followed up are found [created] & growing in God. Robin [here] [yet] & [tinkling] water, [much] sweeter than [ ] or [ ] squirrel. I’m out of the can [canyon] [more] in the high clean mtns [mountains] not far from L Ten [Lake Tenaya] [Bryanthus] grows here & fairest of Eriogonum [ ] & purple grasses so airy light but sunshine expresses itself here [ ] [speaks] mostly in pine trees dripping with [pine], I have set fire to a great [feet] log & it is giving a whole avalanche of light. The moon & sky & all the rocks are bright & clean. I’m breathing the granite again. The mtns [mountains] are getting back into my blood & town stupidity is leaving my feet & knees what granules of light are trees pitch pine logs. How clean & sweet smelling is all the [maple]. The optic nerve proceeding from the brain spreads itself out into a fine sheet of nerves filaments upon which the image is thrown by the lenses of the eye each of the nerves filaments upon which the image is cast convey an idea of the character of the point of the picture which is in contact with it. The brain by experience becomes able to interpret these impressions correctly but an inexperienced child grasps at the stars and tries to blow the moon out. A feverish condition of the system gives rise to many strange symptoms by misinterpreting the the impressions of the sensual organs. A gorged blood vessels for instance causes pain in the fingers, ringing in the ears and light to the eyes. The moon is said to appear larger when near the horizon an account of our [comparing] its distance with the [objects] distances of objects known to us when it rises we imagine it heaven because no object is at hand with whose distance we may compare.https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/jmn-ppnp/1036/thumbnail.jp