April 24, 1888 Mary Montgomery, Goldens Bridge, Westchester

Lewis Carroll’s Microscope

“Carroll had a lifelong interest in the natural world and made frequent visits to Oxford University Museum of Natural History, where he saw the dodo skeleton – still on display – that inspired the Wonderland character. He was also fascinated by the latest technology and scientific methods. This is his microscope, which he used to examine speciments, such as amoebas, other protozoa, and insect larvae. He wrote to his sister Elizabeth that ‘this is a most interesting sight, as the creatures are most conveniently transparent, and you see all kinds of organs jumping about like a complicated piece of machinery… Everyhing goes on at railway speed, so I suppose they must be some of those insects that only live a day or two, and try to make the most of it.” 

1.  Several of us are sitting in profile on the college lawn that leads down to the river. Joining our voices one by one, we sing in perfect harmony, “Helplessly Hoping,” by Crosby, Stills, and Nash. I rarely hear music in my dreams the way I do in waking life, but our music here is crystal clear, and sung all the way though - the entire song, from beginning to end.