New-York tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1841-1842, 1841-12-28
Reported fer the New York Tribune.
Dr.. Lardner'S Fourth Lecture,
POPULAR PALACES.
Second Series.

mean. OF intellectual food has marked is provision
b the same conditions those which prescribe
the labor Of our bodies namely that they are On
to be acquired by our individual industry No"
BIZ pursuing the same course with reference to ms
fact as TO the other, we shall find that tho same
economy i, observable through all the arrange
ruents of God, in interpreting the phenomena Of
nature. When question arises as TO any matter
Sc e,.o, a. ,earancc. what is more common than
,to ,b.eryation-Ma,t not believe the evidence Of
s,, senses And yet there Is no evidence 50 ial-
laeiou,. nor do any witnesses require such strict
,ro,.exs p,ina,icn as these very senses Its true
that in some particular applications Of them TIE
testimony they give must pass, as testimony
ordinarily passes in our courts Of justice--for
What it appears 10 declare. But in any case Of
doubt, requiring particular examination, the senses
are Of all The most ialHble Witnesses. l propose
in commencing this evening to call attention 70 a
few examples of the rery ia!;acics Of which these
senses are continually guilty; and the most strS-
ing, and those which IN most minds produce the
e,ec,esl inorcdulity are the! Appearances Of the
heavenly bodies when they r},c set. fop are
pi f,miha, with Tie rising and setting Of the Sun
You all know that the impression produced OF
,be mud is that Of pm extremely large orb-an Oh
gee, odsiou,ly larger than the appearance sf the
same sun presents when it is in the more elevated
PORTIONS OF the armament. Now there is nothing
mon rrrla.n than tbat the real magnitude whicl
tina Sun and loon present the eye when near
The horizon is, BOT to say not greater, out, if you
push me- 10 the strict limits Of truth, is il fact APP
rarcnry loss than when they are higher in the fir
Ir4,meni. arn quite PREPARED to meet the excla
nation, which he's been made thousand times be
r. What. tell me that arn not 10 believe the
evidence of my own eyes? Do YOU tell nc that !
do not see that the Moon is larger when it is
the horizon than when higher in The heavensF
dc tell you sand think that | can soon con
vince YOU of it, or "a, least enable yos to convince
yourselves, which is still better.
Now in the first place, il you please, will pui
h. lore you the evidence of The fact that these ysi
ole objects do not appear to the eye larger When
iISL az llit tAt'i EhtI
in the armament. After you are satisfied of th,
nationally and intellectually convinccd-it vii.
Icmain behind to accouutfo for the impression pro
duced on the niad, for there can be no doubt that
this Is larger in the former case than the latter
Now the way in which it can be shown thpt this Is
not the fact is very simple. Astronomical instru-
ments are furnished with means for measuring tie
appearance which celestial objects have to the eye.
At present will only state what these means are,
as ! shall hereafter have occasion to speak of them
morc rninutely When YOU look through tele.
scope you see visible circle called the feld 81
rtc@--thc portion of the heavens which the tele-
p;,c enables US to see Nsw in an Astronomical
telescope tic intention of which is not merely to
crafty curiosity, by showing celestial bodies more
plainly to the observer, there certain means
provided to measure the apparent .iae of the hca
venly bodies. There are certain wires or hairs
extended across the field Of view, and appearing
like fine, black, parallel lines these moveab,
by scriews which curry them up and down parable
to each other. By this screw, which is called the
Screv and OF which | shall hereattc
have more to say, when we bring into the field
OF view the sun or Moon, by raising one of the
wires so that it shall just touch the upper edge
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