The Fly
Insights into the miracles of creation
- Chapter 4 -
THE FLY AS LIFEGUARD TO MAN.
March 16, 1842
We have learned this little animal's one purpose for the negative pole, but that is not the only purpose for that pole. There are still a number of secondary purposes arranged as a householder arranges tasks for his servants, in that secondary tasks are used in addition to the primary task, so that his movements and time are fully occupied. Therefore, before we proceed to another of the main tasks of this little animal, let us acquaint ourselves with a few more of his secondary tasks.
2
As you know, My dear little ones, in the summer it can be quite troublesome to you when there are so many flies in the room bothering you, especially when they are quite persistent. For this action, none of you should scold this little animal, for on just such a day it performs a very important little secondary task, indeed a most useful task to man and domestic animals. You would like to know what this secondary task consists of! Be patient, first a little remembrance - then we will have the answer.
3
Understand, My dear little children, on such a very warm summer's day, especially when the barometer is very low, countless milliards and milliards of little atomic animals are born out of the low lying ether nto the atmospheric air, which is the reason why you ften see the air a dense blue, so dense that it is difficult to see areas only a few hours distant.
4
If you then take a breath, several trillion of these little atomic animals take the opportunity to march into you. Even though they are so small that you would not even notice billions of them in a heap, the several decillions, which a man sometimes inhales during such a day, do amount to something quite significant, and - since these life forms are quite dangerous to the human body - could be enough to take a man's natural life. The dangerous nature of these little animals to the human body is close to that which is commonly called prussic acid.
5
Now we understand this, but we still don't know what that has to do with our fly. This is one of the previously mentioned little secondary tasks of the fly, which we will get to right after the following explanations.
6
You see, that portion of the 'atomic creatures' that a person inhales is not the most dangerous to his health, because the oxygen-poor blood, i.e. oxygen poor due to the atmospheric conditions, readily and beneficially absorbs that part. It is quite a different matter with those that settle themselves on the outer skin, and especially at those places where the pores of the skin are mostly open.
7
When these animalcules enter the pores, in contrast to the ones inhaled, they take on a positive character As long as the outer pole is in balance with the inner pole, as it is in moderate temperatures, there is no danger, but if the outer pole exceeds the inner pole only by one part in a million, then there is already a great danger to man's life, since there could develop a pole reversal in him, which would be as beneficial as if someone stuck himself with a needle freshly dipped in prussic acid.
8
If the outer pole would suddenly over-balance the inner, negative pole, by one part in a hundred, then there could occur a visible electrical discharge, which would, in a few moments, turn his body into a handful of foulsmelling ashes.
9
In the first case, look to the plagues; these are nothing but such consequences. The second instance, referred to as spontaneous combustion does not happen very often, but is not completely unknown or unheard of, especially in the more southern lands.
10
Now that we know this, let us look to our little household helpers and observe them at their work.
11
See, our little fly has a pair of eyes, which, for this creature, are so large that they make up nearly one seventh of his body! Each eye is not only a single eye, but is made up of more than a thousand tiny eyes. These tiny eyes are aligned as orderly as the cells of a honeycomb, each one pointed, like a cone, towards a single focal point and, in this way, serve the creature as, what you would call, an indescribably strong microscope with which the fly can see every single one of those previously mentioned atomic creatures.
12
Furthermore, the fly's stomach is so arranged that these creatures are its primary food source. When a fly notices a large cluster of these animacule on a person's skin, it flies to the food source and isn't easily distracted until it has consumed its entire find.
13
Besides the eyes, this animal also has a pair of little feelers, which serve in place of a nose. Since it can use its eyes for only short distances, these feelers often serve the fly for very long distances. Yes, I tell you, there are some flies that can smell, with these feelers, a good-tasting nourishment that is miles away.
14
No, My dear little children, here again we have one of the miracles of this little animal or, as previously mentioned, a secondary purpose of its being!
15
Isn't this quite a useful service by this little animal?! Yes, I tell you, - and mark this well! - If at any place, especially in the summer time, this little creature suddenly disappears; you can take that as a certain sign that My chastening rod is not too far away.
16
As we reveal this secondary service, there are still other, more beneficial, services that this little creature performs.
17
If you wanted to learn all of the services, I would have to dictate to you for several years. And, of this one thing, you can be sure - everything that exists, including the fly, is there not for one, but for a thousand good purposes.
18
To refrain from stretching this out too long, and before we change over to the creature's positive pole, I want to disclose two more similarly useful secondary purposes in support of this, My revelation, - and so let us again leave it for today.