The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1849-08-23
THE HUNGARIAN MEETING
BosToS, Aug. 20, lS49.
A NEW IDEA.

new idea is more of rarity now "a days than
a new book; ay, than big and voluminous new
book. Messrs. Crosby & Nichols have just issued
little book-a book, the whole contents of which
would not occupy more than two columns of the
Republic, ''minion type, solid, and which yet con-
tains not only new but a very grand idea. There
readers who will pronounce il fanciful,
but others will in the airy scaffodng IL presents
the means of climbing to sublime CONCENTRATIONS OF
truth, rather what the reason readily accepts OF
as likely Ia be truth.
The brochure, which would introduce 10 your
readers Is entitled 'The Stars and the Earth, or
Thoughts upon Space, Time, and Eternity. From
the third London edition. The writer bases his
speculations that we'll known proposition, that
luminous body, arising at a certain distance from
observer, cannot be perceived in the very same
instant of time in which il becomes luminous; but
that period of time, although infinitely short,
passes through the space between the object and our
eyes. For instance as light travels only two hun
dred and thirteen thousand miles in a second, and
the moon is 240 900 miles distant follows that
the moon rises above the horizon a second and a
quarter before II becomes visible to The sun of
our system being ninety-iv millions OF miles dis
ant, about eight minutes elapse after the first ray
from the outermost edge of is disk reaches above
the horizon before IL passes into our eyes IL re-
quires ffty-two minutes for the light from the pa
net Jupiter TO reach us, and two hours for that from
Uranus. For the light from the fixed stars 10 reach
us il requires a much longer period. ray Of light
requires, before il reaches the earth from star of
the first magnitude, from three 10 twelve years; and
from one of the seventh magnitude, $50 years; and
from one of the twelfth magnitude, 1000 years.
Thus see the star in Ccntaur az IL was three
years ago; Vega, as IL was about twelve years ago
and star of the twelfth magnitude a. Il shone four
thousand years ago!
Having presented these admitted propositions, the
writer proceeds logically evolve inference, one
of the most sublime, and at the same time most in
teligiblc, among the gucsses of sciene. Promising
from the familiar illustration of the electric tee-
graph, that il does not contradict the laws OF thought
.lI h. IlgTf
from place 10 another with speed far surprising
the rapidity of light, hc says
g. now continue in the suppostion that have
hitherto made myself perfectly understood by the
reader; that the idea OF possibility which have laid
down, has little to do with dreams il has, ON
the other side, with the question Of practcdbiiity
With this idea, we may maintain that IL is possible
II not in contradiction 10 the laws Of thought
that a man may travel To a star in a given time
and that he may effect this, provided with pow.
crfu telescope Ia be able 10 overcome every
given distance, and every light and shadow in the
object to be examined With this supposition, and
with the aid of a knowledge Of the position and
distance Of every given fixed star, TO be at
tanned by the study Of astronomy IL will be pos
sible To recall scnsibly 10 very eyes actual
and true representation of every moment of histo-
ry that has passed. II, for instance, wish 10 SEQ
Luther before the council at Worms must trans
| port ourselves in second 10 fixed star, from
which the light requires about three hundred years
Tor much the more or lcss) in order 10 reach the
earth. Thence the earth will appear in the same
state, and with the same persons moving upon H.
as il actually was at the time Of the reformation.
"To the view Of an observer from another fixed
star, our Saviour appears now upon earth perform
ing his miracles and ascending into heaven; and
| thus every moment which has passed during the
lapse of centuries, down 90 the present time, may
| be actually recalled 80 10 be present.
Thus the universe encloses the pictures Of tn,
| past, like indcstructble and incorrupubl,
record, containing the purest and clcarest truth
And sound propagates itself in the air wave after
wave, and the stroke of the bell the of th,
| cannon is heard only by those who stand nearest
| in the same moment when the clappcr strikes the
| bell or the powder cxpodes, but each more distan
| spectator remarks still greater interval between
| the light and the sound, until the human " M
longer able TO perceive the sound account Of III,
| distance; or, 20 take a still clearer example, a.
| thunder and lightning are in reality simultaneous
but in the storm the distant thunder follows at tn,
| interval Of some minutes after the fash-so, II
like manner, according 10 our ideas, the pictures
of every occurrence propagate themselves into tn
distant ether, upon the wings OF the ray OF light
and, although they become weaker and smaller
yet in immeasurable distance they still have colo
and form; and, every thing possessing color anC
form is visible, must these pictures also be saiC
TO be visible, however impossible Il may be for thu
| human eye 10 perceive IL.
Thus that record which spreads itself out furthc
and further in the universe by the vibration Of thu
light, really and actually exists and is visible bu
| TO eyes more powerful than those of man.
"The pictures of all secret deeds which have eve
| been transacted remain indissolublc and indclibl
forever, reaching from sun beyond another
Not only upon the floor of the chamber is the blood
spot OF murder indelibly fixed but the deed glance
further and further into the spacious heaven
| 'At TINS moment Is seen, in one of the stars, tn
image OF me cradle from which Casper Hauser wa
takcn' 70 he enclosed in living tomb for 70 man,
years IN another star gances the fash Of the sio
which killed Charles XII But what need is Their
TO refer To individual nstanccs9 II would be cas-,
20 carry out TO the smallest details; but we loay
this to the fancy OF the reader, and only request tina
he will not scorn these images ss childish
GAS we imagined an observer from a star of IN
twelfth magnitude capable Of approaching IN
earth in an hour, we will now once more srppos