The Hourglass is an emblem of human life. Behold! How swiftly the sands run, and how rapidly our lives are drawing to a close. We cannot without astonishment behold the little particles which are contained in this machine, how they pass away almost imperceptibly (adj. impossible to perceive), and yet, to our surprise, in short space of an hour they are all exhausted. Thus wastes man! To-day, he puts forth the tender leaves of hope: to-morrow, blossoms, and bears his blushing honors thick upon him; the next day comes a frost, which nips the shoot, and when he thinks his greatness is still aspiring, he falls, like autumn leaves, to enrich our mother earth.