ants upon plants, until a
structure is erected having its foundation upon the bottom of the ocean,
that finally reaches up until it rises above the surface of the water;
and here--after through years the water has brought sea-weed and drift
to decay and form soil, and the birds have brought seeds and
fertilization, and vegetable life is prospering--another animal called
man builds his home upon it. The material that the coral is formed of is
substantially the same as that we find in the minute shells of the
limestone rocks.

The great chalk cliffs that are found on the coasts of the English
channel are the work of a sea animal microscopic in size. At one time it
was a question among scientists how these chalk cliffs were formed, but
when the microscope was invented this mystery, as well as many others,
was solved. The chemical components of chalk are precisely the same as
those of limestone. The microscope shows that chalk is almost wholly a
product of very small organized shells. The animals who are the
architects of the chalk cliffs are called "foraminifera"--bearing shells
perforated with little holes. The chief difference between chalk and
limestone seems to be in the size of the shells of which they are
respectively made up and in the manner of the bonding of these shells
together. The shells in a lump of chalk are held much more loosely than
those in a lump of limestone. These intrepid workers are still actively
changing the structure of the bottoms of seas and oceans, and forming
new islands, which in turn become the substructure that supports new
life, animal and vegetable. And when we consider the great part
performed by these microscopic architects and builders it is not a
misnomer to speak of the building of a world.

CHAPTER III.

COAL.

Some time, long ago, some man made the discovery that what we now call
coal would burn and produce light and warmth. Who he was or how long ago
he lived we do not know, but as all earthly things have a beginning, we
know that such a man did live and that the discovery that coal would
burn was made. Coal, in the sense that we use the word here, is not
mentioned in the Scriptures. According to some authorities, coal was
used in England as early as the ninth century. It is recorded that in
1259 King Henry III. granted a privilege to certain parties to mine coal
at Newcastle. It is further stated that seven years after this time coal
became an article of export. In