Alabama state intelligencer., 1831-07-02


 tive centre equal areas in equal times Who can witness such striking similarity prevailing among the celestial spheres and not see the traces of de- sign not the proofs of unity and wisdom Of desgnl But if there IS design, there must be a Designer; if there is skillful workmanship, there must be an ingenious Artist And who can help observing and admiring that simplicity of design, and that benerOece of design, which are to be seen in the works of the great Creatorl By the most simple means, the most important and benevolent purposes are answered. The agreeable altenations of day and night might be produced by the revolu- ton of the sun about the earth, or by the rotation of the earth about it's own axis. The latter is far the most simple method. It is the adopted; and as far as observations extend it is the adopt ed to produce the succession of day and night in all the planets. By a slight inclination of the earhs axis to the plane Of its orbit, as it is beautifully de- scribcd by Milton
 C He bid his angels turn asknnce
 The poles of earth twice ten degrees and more,
 From the sums axle'-
 provision is made for variety of seasons; and by merely preserving the axis always parallel to tself summer and winter return at their stated periods Without this permanent order of things, no expe- rience whatever could direct with respect to his future operations. But here again we something to distinguish the works of nature from the works o man. Man is continually changing his plans and proceedings but the operations of nature are uni form, and conducted according to fixed and esta- DSncQ laws. Here, uen, IS unOtiieT IoI the dUine origin of the universe.
 Whatever view, in short, take of the solar system, as it is called see proofs of the being, wisdom, and goodness of God. But it IS to the Armament of the fixed stars that we must carry our attention, if we wish to form any adequate con- captions of the extent of creation, of the power and greatness of the Creator. By the aid of the telescope the starry system appears to be without lmits and as the greater part of these twinkng bo- dies are not visible to the naked eye may be fairly concluded that they not made for our use or for the use of our system: that the distance of these stars is immeasurable and though the earth Is near 100000, 900 of miles nearer to them Tn one part of its orbit than in another, yet that their mag nitude and apparent distance are not m the least ai- fected by this change of the earth's place. As opaque bodies at such distance could not be seen by reflected light they must be regarded as bodies similar to our sun, and which appear small only from the vastness of their distance. Reasoning from analogy and from that uniformity prevailing in the parts of creation which subject to our exa- mination we conclude that bodies similar to our sun were created for similar purpose, that of npart- ing light and heat to the inhabitants of systems sur rounding them The whole universe, then we may conceive to be filled with intelligent beings enjoying the beneGcence of the great Creator, and admlrng his works Whata sublime spectacle Is thus presented 10 our view Thousands and thousands of suns scat tered all around us various and immense distances, attended by ten thousand times ten thousand worlds which are inhabited by innumerabe beings capable of endless progression in knowledge and happiness Another idea full of grandeur has been suggested by de la Lande, Herschel, and others. It is, that neither our sun nor any of the fixed stars at rest but that with all their retinue of planets and comets, they are moving through the reg ions ofspace, revov
 ing probably about distant centre. That centre may be revolving about another still more distant and that about another; and so on, to an unlimited extent. Should the astronomers of future ages, by the additional light of subsequent and accurate ob- servatons he able to ascertain the proper motion of that vast number of suns that compose only the sin gle nebup of which our sun, with all its apparatus of planets and comets forms so small part, the disco very would be of the most grand and sublime charac- ter Though the stars do not appear us to be aang- ed in the celestial regions in any regular and uniform manner, yet from the order of the soOr system, we may conclude that the stars are disposed m order and that there is some point in the universe from which an eye which could take in the whole range of creation would discover the most wise, harmo- | npus and beautiful arrangement. As the universe | is in the language of Addison, the work of infinite power, prompted by infinite goodness, and exertng itself in infinite space, where shall we presume | to fix its limits Here, if ever, we may give the reins to our imagination. Who, when struggling to form some conception of the vastness of creation, is not ready to exclaim, When consider thy hea- | vens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast ordained, Lord, what is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou regardest him!' But if this creation be thus vast and magnificent, and every part of ar ranged in the most wise and harmonious manner, how great and good must He be who formed the whole; how worthy of our homage adoration and praise
 But it is expected on this occ ccason that some answer will be given to the question: What is the object of the Lyceum! As far as I understand the nature and spirit of the American Lyceum, its great object is tO piy fn fhp rdinorv walks oflfe. It is to throw wide open the temple of science to all mankind. Her language to all is whosoever will. let him come and drink of the pure streams of knowledge. The means by which the society proposes to accomplish its object are various that they may be adapted to the various attainmens and pursuits of it's members. It proposes, that ndi- vduals associate themselves together to make re- searches into matters of science, and art, and era- ture and whatever may be of practical utility to knd and then to communicate to each other the result of these researches. The mere public exercises of the society commonly consist of lectures delivered, and dissertations read, and debates held, subjects previously assigned for Investigation The more private exercises are carried on by classes formed among the members, for the examination of particu- lar subjects, and for communicating to each other the results of their examinations. A class is formed for example, for the reading of history; different periods or different histories on the same period, are assigned to different individuals. They meet as often they choose to compare notes, to communi- cate their attainments, and to modify and combine the various results The same may be said classes in natural history, chemistry any branch of natural philosophy, any department in the wide circle of knowledge Here is the double pleasure of acquir- ing and communicating knowledge. And here is the mutual stimulus produced by the action and re- action of mind upon mind. Here the only competi- ton is for superior wisdom. There is probably no one subject which has attracted much of the at tenton of the societry, education; particularly common education, or that which IS adapted to the great mass of the community. And it must be al- lowed, that there is other topic if we except re-
 gon, on which the community ought to feel so deep an interest, and in which they have much at stake. Even in those older States of our Union, in which the schools supposed to have been the