Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1838-08-23
M RsCeEEaalcOy,S.

VIII prnbably moi only be disposed tn .b,c..
| ne useiul light" bur also tn believe ,l,a, i;
was Horaa'ncd' for that purpoSc:--,Ilnl ..lc
'esseIsi!Sht was made to rule the night n,
c'r'uiniy as the greater light was made To
rule u,e day
Laplace, however, docs no; asscn, ~ ,l,;.
hrlict lie observes, that "souc p,,,;s,ns
"i linai causes have imagined that The moon
was given To the earth la afford IirL duri,n
the night" hu' Inc remarks thai this c;,,,un,
br So,lor thai we are often deprived. -, ,,,s.
same Iime of the liah, OF rI, sun np,l ,I,c
moon; and he poinis uut how the monr
fully VS. ~ ~ ''"''S ;
'Ihst the lish, of tho moon affords 10 n
e'f'otH I, eftent. Il supplement to the linh, of
The sun. will hardly he denied. Icwc,,L n
man 10 {" condition in u!,icl, Inc uscs :,r,;r;
ci"l liehi scantily only, or not 1t all. there
can he no doubt that the uoo,,;,,l, n;.,h,-
arc ior hun very important addition 10 tbc
time Of daylight. And ms Il small nrnnur.
'"' only "t The whole nuuuhcr OF ni:. his are
without some purlinn of mnoulin,,, lbe far,
t'la' sometimes both luutiarirs are inyi,i
n'e very little dinini>hrs ,lr. vaIu. n( ,i;s
ii"!a9tagc Why we have no. more ,ooon
l'sht,Elihcr in duration or in uuanri,v. i
Il" 'hihify which philosopher ..ou!I hard
Iy he lenp'cd TO enter uron. by anv sn,.
cess vg,ich has attended rrry,,n, ,nccuI,.
'ions Of IL similar nnrurc. u by shnni,I No.,
The moon be ten times rs I,roo rs .ho ;si
why ahoult! MOI the puris of n,n's rvc h,.
zen 'lines as large as it i, so as tn receive
more, 81 the light which does arrive, We
q" hohconccive That our inability To answer
the iayerGmeSiiou prevents our knowin-,i,,,
the eyesMas made tor seeing: nor docs oIr
'pabllisy to answer the former Iis,urb orr
persuSsiou tha, The moon was mod,. ,on; -
night tlf,Un the earth.
htlNace suggests thai If the mnon had
'ce'fAtacee' at u certain distance hcyond the
cattIlGttA ould hive rcvoivcd al.uui the s,,n
!" sahi' 'iin" rs the earth does. and
we. MSu,ssk ntSe always presented to us n full
l,,s ~ y. l,ssen
~ ~ Srsif.1cs us tar from us a. Il really
Is. ami WOO Id therefore other ,hin-s rc.,,;,,
itigsunch..nsert. have nnl, been ouc-si,
teehth "a large To Iflc eve =. our ,o,,, r.,,,
moon. We shall ,m dwell ~, the d;sc,.
sion Of this su.ars.ion. G,r rho r.,s,.,, $780,,
intlna,ed. Bun we nav ,h..ryo ,,,.., -
S"rila system as LapIar" pr,no.cs II i. rn,
yo proved, we b"Iirvc. rlot tl,. ,r,,,,',,.
'nenl would b. stable un,!rr Tie ;pD,c, ,r ,c
TIC "is''iro'nS forces. And we moy oiI
'lal such AN ,rraugcmru, in vhic,, ,;,o
h'"''oii Oh one body has II co.Drdfsyir rcc.,
e"ce 10 NV" others, rs ill.. n,rii,n of thr
moon "n this hypothesis wnuia h.,.. >, ..,o
sun and The earth neither n,,,,n ic;a,
h"rdinatc 10 the other. is cnu,rrr, IN ,i,..
"''"e KNOWN anhi"@T of cn>n,icaI phr-
nnmena, and therefore HIS no claim In o,,r
HS a.
= In iurnimg our consideration ~ ,Lr
>h!e'iitcs OF The other planets Of oursy.,r,u
there Is one fact which i,nm,.!iaIcly :r,c.,.
our a'eniinn:. tie nunilcr of such at,,nJ,u,
h"dles appears 10 increase n. we nrorcnd
:" p'hnciS farther amd farther from The SIM
S"ch III l';iSl i '!iC general rule. Ncrcur,
anu venus, III" planets ucarcst the sun
nave no such ailcnInuiS: The E.or.I, has nnc
Mars, indeed. who is still further. removed
mas none; nor have tiI,. minor pI,un,,
Juno, FcsIa. Ceres. P:l!aS: So rha, ,n, rulo
Is Only approximately verified Bur .Jupj-
ttr' "'io Is az hive Times Tie carI!i's hisiunrr
mas iour satellites: and Saturn who is oroiu
~ adistanrc nearly twice rs great. has sr
ven, brsidrS thai mos. cxir.diunry pI,r,om-
choh MS rin@. which. for purpnScs of ;Iu
niInh'Ion Is equivalent To many thousuud
satellites. Oh Uranus il is dilicuI, t,s,c,k
Tor ms great distance renders IL alurost i'm
possible 'o observe III" smaller circ,,,u.,an
ces oi his condition. II dnrs no. ap,.aar NJ
all prnbahlc that he has a rinn like S.;turu.
bui ne has at least five satellites which nr,.
NiSini" 10 It's, at the ruOrnnus ,Iisrancr Of
nine hundred millions of miles: and we he.
licve thai the aSrruDnmcr will hardly deny
that he may possibly have thousands of
smaller ones cirri.!n'in~ ahout him.
bu' leaving conjecture. and taking only
The asccrtaln"d cases Of Venus. the Earth
Jupiter, and Saturn. we conceive thai ),
P'r'"h VI common understanding will n
strongly Impressed with the persuasion tim,
the saicliitcs are placed in ric system with
Il view 10 compensate the diminished iirht
oi inc sun at greater distances. The s,ual-
Ter planets. Juno, Ncs,a, Ceres, and Palms
diner from the resi- in so mary ways. and
snS""Si SO many conlcciurcS of reasons for
snch dhlcrencrs, that We should Utmost cy-
Pec' 10 iin'i then exceptions to such a rule
Mdrs Is Il more obvious exception. Some
persons might conjecture from his ease. thai
me arrangement itself. like other uSrCuI
arrangements has hecn br ,ught about by
some wlder Law which we have NOT y.t die
iccieh. But whether ar uOt wc entertain
sucii guess, (i can he nothino morc.) we
see ~ other parts of creation so many OK
anreS OF apparent exceptions in rules.
"n"h are afterwards found TO he exclaimed.
or provided for by particular conrrrvancc
that no one. familiar with such contcnp,a.
tiohs' viii, by one anomaly, he driven from
the persuasion that this cud which the ar
engagements "f the satellites seem sui,cd ,c
answer is really one Of the ends of their
creation.