Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1850-11-22

treasured discoveries Of his whole life
held up to the dersion of an ignoran,
multitude, his enlightened faith branded
as impiety. and his self-denying benevo.
lence ridiculed as the quackery of a
charlatan, his noble spirit was at FIRST
overwhelmed, and the most fearful doubts
of himself, of mankind, and even oil
Providence itself. rushed upon his mind.
AT first he hoped that the Frauenbergians,
the children OF his adoption, 10 whose
comfort and happines he had devoted
himself for fifty years, would cut short
the disgracelul scene. But alas! he saw
his defamers welcomed with applause
by those on whom he had conferred so
many benefits. The trial was too much
Tor his failing strength, and, worn out by
the emotion and fatigue of the preceding
night, and by the labor of the morning,
he sunk exhausted to the ground. Then
for the first time did the ungrateful null
titude recognise their benefactor-the
name of Copernicus flew from lip to
lip--they heard that he had come that
very morning to the town in order TO
relieve their distress--in moment tho
current of popular feeling was turned,
their ingratiiude was quickly changed to
remorse-the cowd dispersed the actors,
and assembled anxiously around the a.
slronomer. He had only strength left
to call for litter, and was conveyed
back TO Wernica in dying state. lie
fingered, however, still for five days
day of trial and anxiety during which
the lamp of genius and Of faith still shed
its halo around the dying man. On the
day succeeding his visi. 10 Fraacnberg, a
letter from Rheticus confirmed the sinis-
ter predictions OF the Bishop Of Culm:
thrice had the students of the University
made an attempt TO invade the printing
Office whence the truth was about to is
sue forth. Even this very morning.
wrote his friend, 'a party of mad men
tried TO set fire to it. have assembled
all our friends in the building, and we
never quit our posts either day or night,
guarding the entrance, and keeping watch
over the workmen. The printers per-
form their work with one hand, while
they hold a pistol in the other. If we
can stand our ground for two days, thy
book is saved; let only ten copies be
struck off. and nothing will any longer
be able to destroy it. But if either to-
day or tomorrow our enemies should
succeed in getting the upper hand
Rhelicus left the sentence unfinished,
but Copernicus supplied the want-he
knew how much depended upon this
moment. Onthe third day another mes
senger made his appearance, and he, too,
was the bearer of evil tidings. "A COM
positor, gained over by our enemies, has
delivered into their hands the manuscript
of the book, and it has. been burned in
the public square. Happily the impress
sion was complete, and we are now put
ting it into press; but popula: tumult
might yet ruin all!'
Such was the state Of suspense which
the grca, Copernicus passed the closing
days OF his existence. Life was ebbing
fast, aud the torpor of death had already
begun 10 steal over his faculties, when a
horseman gallored up TO the door in
GREATNESS haste, and springing from his
horse, FASTENED into the house of the
dying astronomer. A volume, whose
leaves were still damp, was treasured in
his bosom--it was the chsf-d eucre of
Copcflicus: this messenger was the
bode of victory!
The spark Of life, SO nearly exhausted,
seemed TO be rekindled for moment in
the breast-of the dying man: he raised
himself in his bed, grasped the book in
his feeble hand, and glanced at lis con-
tents with his dim, expiring eye. A
smile lighted up his features; the book
fell from his grasp, and, clasping his
hands together, he exclaimed, lord, let
thy servantnow depart in peace!' Hard
ly had he uttered these words before his
spirit fled from earth to return to the God
who gave it. II was the morning of the
23d Of May-day had not yet dawned-
Heaven was still lighted up with stars
the earth was fragrant with flowers all
nature seemed to sympathize with the
great revealer Of her laws-and soon the
sun, rising above the horizon, shed his
earliest and purest ray on the still, cold
brow Of the departed, and seemed in his
turn to say, The king of creation gives
the kiss o. peace, for thou hast been the
first to replace him on his .hrone.'
Persecution followed Copernicus even
in the grave. The court Of Rome re-
piled to his dedication by condemning his
book; but the book was the instrument
Of his own revenge by enlightening the
court of Rome herself, which at last re-
cognized, although too late, the faith and
the genius of the astronomer of Wernica.
Prussia, with the ingraiitude of con-
queror, has converted the observatory OF
Copernicus into prison, and is now
ALLOWING his dwelling house to crumble
into RUNS. But Poland, his native land,
has collected some of her last 0boles to
raise a monument to his memory al
Cracow, and to erect statue of him in
Warsaw. This statue is from the hand
of the great sculptor, Thorwaldsen.
Dobbs says the first time girl kissed
him, he felt as if he was sliding down a