The mountain sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1844-1853, 1851-02-13


more and more ellipticaI, while, from the
same cause, that of the other becomes
more and more circular, in consequence
of which motions, the period of one is
lengthening, while that of the other is
shortening. This oscillation requires more
than 10000 years for its completion.
The sun has what is called a "proper
notion, 4. e., the sun, with all lis depen-
dent household, is sweeping through space
at the rate of 422 900 miles per day or
nearly half its own diameter. Il is sup.
posed by some good astronomers that all
the stars have a similar movement; all re-
volying together in the plane Of the milky
way, about some common centre; that the
orbit described by ON sun-in his grand
march IS SO large, that this incOnceivably
rapid motion continued for years, forms
practically a straight line; in other words.
the orbit Is 50 large that the arc of il des-
cribed since this motion was first observed,
Is so short in comparison with the whole
orbit, as 10 seem 10 be no arc al all. At
least, no instruments are, as yet, accurate
enough to detect and measure its rate of
deviation from a straight line. Herschell
intlmates that the element of the orbit
may perhaps be determined after 80 or 40
years observation with the incest instru-
ments. Of course, many millions of years
must pass ere this vast circuit can be falv
described by the sun.
We grant there is some little conjecture
attached to this last illustration, which be-
longs not TO any of the previous ones; and
yet it IS 50 much in keeping with those
demonstrated facts, that it can hardly be
called improbable:
Although these periods are inconceivably
long, still they are none the less periods.
They are as truly periods, as If they were
completed IN one day or one hour. The
fact that our life is short in comparison
and that we cannot in our best estates,
have any adequate conception of them, is
no more Of an objection TO their existence
than it is an objection to the length OF
Neptune's period, that insects die after a
few hours existence, and without any ade-
quate conception of an hundred and sixty
four years existence.
From the movements Of the heavenly
bodies through 4 certa in part of their or
bits or OF their oscillations, science deter
mines with the greatest exactness the fact
that, after certain point in departure is
gained, the body will infallablv return to
its former condition and place. On It's
faithfully returning and thus neutralizing
the per,urbatlons caused by its departure.
the harmony and stability of the whole
system depend.
Now mark the conclusion. For the
same good reason that we say the earth
could not have been made and set rotating
merely to cause fifty or hundred days,
or was not set revolving round the sun TO
cause only one or two years, or perhaps
only small part of one year-tor these
good reasons do we say these unmeasured
and almost immeasurable periods were
intended by the Creator TO be described,
gone through with, and doubtless many
times repeated, ere the great chrouometer
runs down.
Our ideas Of the perfection of his work
manship are shocked by any other conclu-
sion. Our minds refuse to admit the idea
of a period of an orbit, or an oscillation
only partially completed. In the language
of Professor Mitchell, we say: The Gu
tire system forms one grand, complicated
piece of celestial machinery: circle within
circle, wheel within wheel, cycle within
cycle; revolution so swift as 10 be compile
ted Ia 4 few hours-movements so slow
that their mighty periods are only COM
pleted by millions of years. Are we to
believe that the Divine Architect construct
ed this admirably adjusted system to wear
out and fall to ruins, even before one single
revolution of It's complex scheme of wheels
had been performed At the end of
vast period amounting to many millions
of wears, the entire range of huctuation
will have been accomplished the entire
system, planets, orbits, inclinations, eccen-
tricities, perihelia and nodes will have
gained their original values and places,
and the great bell of eternity viii then
sound-ONE !"
G,ul al SupdoWn.-It IS well known
to our readers that il is the practice 10 give
morning and evening gun at the military
station at West Point, The reports of which,