The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1850-11-24
Astronomy and the Bible.

SECOND LECTURE OF PROFESSOR MITCHELL.
Professor Mitchell delivered thssecond Of his series
oflectures on Biblical astronomy In the Hope Chapel
on Friday evening before highly respectable audience
ofwhom many were ladies. After few introductory
remarks he said the object Of the lecture was to
tain II there any parallel or coincidence. between
the system Of astronomy Of the present day and that
laid down In the Bible The lecturer then proceeded
to discuss the origin Of system and said there
was one theory which traces it's origin to the nsbu-
lous condition Of all the matter which fills the uni
verse, but II has fallen into hands who have
not dealt justly with It, Admitting II TO be
true, u has been 80 departed from, and the devis
ton at apy time has been slight, that IL s
until you travel onward that ytu perceive you
have left the right line, and have entirely absn-
doned IL. lie would not say that this theory was
absolstey true but he would explain It, and leave his
hearers to judge for themselves OF it's correctness
w nS ,t ,ne ,ssissoePe directed 10 the My way
posed entirely OF stars. IL take greater poser
and apply 1t, And what appear to be hay spots to
TO the eye thousands and tens Of thousands of gsn
ing suns. AZ We sweep on, we hnd these suns scst-
objects OF different character which, With the high
est telescope power that have the OF apply
ing present nothing but round and haEy discs sfsht
These are called planetary nebue. n carrying
researches further End objects not formed In this
manner We find masses scattered over the heavens
we find sreaks Of nebulsr light resolving into stars
The OF these Is go great that Sir Ohm Here bel
found himself bewildered among them. After while.
he found objects visible to the max. eye which with
all the power he could apply, would not change their
character and appearance. lie went further. and at
length be found among those curious objects. with
halo Of harry light around it. II occurred TO him
that this ON mis- en- plain the mystery what Is the
atmosphere by which this object 10 surrounded,
he inquired, Can IL be a sun, bat an imperfect
that this object was In imperfect stage OF for
nation. The lecturer then stated the results to
which Sir John Herschsle arrived asd then proceeded
20 our system, the only about which he said We
have any absolute knosl-dge The Protsssar then
explained at length the theory OF KIRK wood in regard
to the formation and motion Of the planets All the
matter composing this system under the seton Of
sraviiation according TO bis theory. will assume
ing the thich..t 1.-THE particles were kept asunisr
by heat Its form would remain unchanged; but H. in
the process Of ages the hsstshould be expended BY
radiation and the body should rotate its axis
Its centrifugal force would heave up masses In the
neighborhood Of the equator, and the masses thus
Is those which governed the primitive body and
tate In the same manner, and form rings when
thee thee are tnro-n on they are IN n.bu.r s'nd,G ION
united Irrents the features that they would present
clear, that there IL not one chance In . hun.
dred million that the organization OF the uni.
Of certainty, that Il is Of divine origin when Lord
Ross telegraph was FIRST applied the confidence OF
the world in this theory shaken, and for time
u seemed ss II 1t would be abandoned but it's truth,
70 great extent vas confirmed BY discoveries made
In the United States, by very plain and un-
to ssceTiss how the period Of the rotation Of the
earth Its axis related TO the rotation OF Mars
and Venus, and Jupiter, their axes IBxplslss u.
Now how IL possible that Mars on the one side, and
Venus the other, have any influence on the ro-
tston Of the earth on It's axis fsradorcsi IS II may
sppesr, they have such an inauence, and they have
not fKsrlsr's Law be true they have this influence;
but again II has not. How 10 this Inconsistency to be
reconciles' Suppose there are three Wheels within
each other-esch revolving Independent Of the
other. Suppose that We stop them for the time
being, and bring them so closely together that
they viii touoh-then set them In motion again,
separately The periods Of their revolutions Will OF
course depend upon the bulk Of each, and having
ascertained the velocity Of their respective rotation
the rule viii exist for ever III there time when
Mars and Venus and the earth, ring Of matter,
they must mutually influence each other sccsrdine
to the quantity Of matter which they contain Nov,
ton. The subjects contained In the Arst chapter Of
Gspssis ere the nes Simealt Of any that have svsr