New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-11-27
SCIENCE AND REVELATION
81 PR0F O NJ MrTCHFL- OF CINCIyyATI
L.


course Was delivered ca Monday evening. Pre-
vious to entering upon the consideration OF the
topic assigned foT the evening. the Lecturer, in
reply to questions which had been pat to him, ex
planned his former remarks in regard TO the near.
est apparent position to which the Moon had been
brought by tie Telescope He had stated that,
with masnityil power Of 1000, the Moon ap-
peared az a40 miles distant, and had been under.
stood as expressing the opinion, that this was as
near as it was practicable to bring that planet.
On this point be cited the assertion of German
Astronomer whose name we did not catch that
the best magnifying power ever used for actual
observations was not above 500, and that in order
TO see inhabitants on the Moons surface a power
Of 10000 would be requisite. The magnifying
pow r of the Telescope be explained as lying en-.
tirely in the eye-piece which could be made of
any form or OF any desired power, but the diff
Guilty was, that all the impertections OF the object
glass and all the impurities of the atmosphere,
are magnifed by it so that with high power it is
impossible to see anything. With power of
GOO the Lecturer had occasionally been able to
see for q few moments with one of 500, some
times for half hour; but in an ordinary state of
the atmosphere, 500 times was as much as objects
could be magnifed with distinctness From this
cause the difficulty in the way of closer obserya
ton Of the Loon arises. The speaker then direct
ed his attention to those questions which had
been announced as the subject of discussion for
that evening. He held in his hand book the
most wonderful ever produced in this world-a
book Of the greatest pretensions and Of most ex-
traordinary character This book, itself, teach
eg US that the God who built the universe
and figured the Earth was its author that He
dictated it to his servants and that by many hands
during period of thousand of years, His
thoughts and communications were written. This
book processes to give an account of the origin of
our Earth and the order of It's creation, and though
the imDartlng information on the subject OF natur
al science is not its main object it is an incidental
one The writers who penned this volume, wrote
three thousand years ago before the light OF sci
ence had dawned upon the world. They did not
refuse to draw their illustrations from objects
about them, with which they and their first read
ers were familiar Have they refrained from Civ
ing their own notions instead OF the revelations OF
the Divine mind Let US, said the speaker, APP
proach the subject with all due reverence. There
is one chapter said he, which is filled with the
most astonishing inquiries put by the LORD HIM
sell from the NplrlN luu TO JOD 10 snow his lllu
bility to comprehend the Divine power and WIS
dom The Professor then read the thirty-eghth
chapter of Job and remarked that 1t was Impor-
tant TO bear in mind IN considering 1t that 1t was
written three thousand years ago when the mind
OF man was dark on all the subjects which SCI
ence, then unborn, has since enlightened. 1t was
also important to remember that it was an ex-
tremely difficult matter to ask abstruse questions
upon any scientific subject with which the ques
toner himself was unacquainted; if any one, lg
uorant of mathematics, mechanics or astronomy
should attempt to ask difficult question OF an
expert in either OF those sciences he would be
quite as likely to put perfectly simple or
eAsy INQUIRY all questions being alike dit
fcuIt to him Now if these iuterrogatories
are found to be of the most profound ma
ture. those which the mind oil man has never
been able to reply to, and all OF them grouped to.
gether, the fact is most extraordinary iact and
one which would indicate Intelligence In the
author far above that OF any human beng. The
first inquiry respects the construction OF the earth
- W here W as thou when ! laid the foundation OF
the earth declare, ii thou hast understanding
w no hath laid the measures Thereon, tthou know
est or WHO hath stretched the Zine upon 1t
IV1aeupon are the foundations there0f taSteRed
or " no laid the corner stone thereotF' Has any
man been able to answer these queries What
retains the earth in her positioul The limit to
which we have arrived toward the explanation IS
the discovery Of certain Law called gravltatlOn.
y
as the continued and uniform exercise OF the Di-
vine will The second mterrogatOry IS respecting
the limits of the sea and the operations OF the
clouds The powerof the sea has been witnessed
by those who have rode lis waves III storms or
seen the ashings OF tempests upon the rocky
coasts W 9 see it heayed to and fro in tides, bat
feel secure that its operations are confined within
certain limits What is it that holds 1t, them
Were its specific gravity changed 1t might sweep
over the highest mountain tops, Ii the Atlantic
could be transferred to Saturnlt would not occupy
the same relation to that planet II does to ours :
its comparative weight would be changed and It's
operation Of totally different character. W hat
is the nature of this fundamental principle which
thus keeps the sea within its bounds Hast thou
commanded the morning since thy days, andcaused
the day-gpring to know his place In this Sd ques
ton the Almighty asks Job 70 explain the reason
Of the earths stable uniform and most unaccolnt
able rotation. This for two thousand years has
not varied the ne-hundredth part Of a second, as
is proved by the revolutions OF the moon which
are measured by the earth's rotation as a unit
The lecturer here briefly alluded to the results
which would follow from any disturbance Of this
uniform motion. But this stability is promised TO
be perpetual and is the stated recurrence of day
and night is even made the symbol OF stability.
The passage 1t is turned as clay TO the seal
and they stand as garment, Professor NJ ex-
blamed as referring to the atmosphere, which by
absorbing and refracting the light, produced the
twilight. W here IS the way where the light
dweeth and as for darkness whore is the place
thereof that thou shouldst take it to the bound
thereof, and that thou shouldst know the paths to
the house thereof Knowest thou it because
thou was there born or because the number of
thy days is great Z" The nature or the source Of
Light is as inexplicabe now as az the period OF
these interrogatories. Ii we adopt the naturalist
theory we are at once surrounded by difficulties.
What is the material which in such infinite pro-
fusion and with such almost infinite speed IS dart
ed through space Ana what IS the po"e:f, ~! ~
which it is propelled with such enormous raPldity
through vast distances, without inhicting PAIN
upon the eye by its contact If We adopt the
aIndulatory theory, the subject is equally incom-
urehersibie What is the fluid which must per
lations transmitted almost instantaneopsly and II
ri ,.i lines Why does not this fluid obstrqet the
motions OF the heavenly bodies But il the na-
ture of Light is undetermined its sources are no
less So Let rs take one OF the rays winch strl1e
! o,d f4;ptl,- we gaZp upon the