New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-07-10
The Plurality of Worlds.

The Plurality of Worlds
Sir David Brewster's reply to Prof. Whewell :
on the Plurality Of Worlds has been published
in London A correspondent of the New York
Tribune says; Z" 1t is more imaginative than ]
scientific The author is not merely positive
philosopher he thinks that things may exist
which do not furnish evidence for mathematical
demonstration Else indeed, what is the use of c
the faculty of Belief" Here is suggestive
paragraph 49,.
sTo assume that the inhabitants of the plan
cts must necessarily be either men or any thing
resembling them, is to have q low opinion OF
that infinite skill which has produced such
variety in the form and structure and functions
of vegetable and animal life. In the various
races of man which occupy our globe, there is
not the same variety which is exhibited in the
brutes that perish. Although the noble Anglo
Saxon stands in striking contrast with the
Negro, and the lofty Patagonian with the dimin-
utive Esquimaux, yet in their general form and
structure they are essentially the same in their
physical and in their mental powers. But when
we look into the world of instinct and survey the
infinitely varied forms which people the earth,
the ocean and the air--when we range with the
naturalist's eye from the element to the worm
from the leviathan to the infusoria--ant from
, the eagle to the ephemeron-wh beauty Of |
- ~, ~ - ,,;or-i r., all +basa
e. 80 r. Mani have bpen riven in
= place Of instinct, and ANIMALS the most hostile
to man, and the most alien to his habits, might
e nave peen ms 1fleno anu MS au1ll'arJ' III pi"'o
of his enemy and his prey
eff we carry our scrutiny deeper into nature,
o and survey the lntinlty OF regions OF lie Whch
s the microscope discloses, ana II we cGhslaer
q what other breathing worlds lie far beyond
e even Its reach, we may tAeh conpreheho the
e variety OF intellectual NE Win WhlCh our o"
% planets and those Of other systems may be peo.
IS pied Is it necessary that an immortal soul
A. should be hung upon skeleton OF oone, or I'M
to prisoned in cage OF cartilage ana OF SKIN
Must 1t see with TWO eyes anu near WIN t"o
ears, ana touch with ten nhSeF8' anu FeSe VI d
- duality OF Ambs
!" g May 1t not reside IN PoiyPhemus WIN one
10 eyeball, or in an Argus with hundred May
= it not reign IN the glanttorms OF the lltans anu
~ direct the hundred hands OF Brareus ba'
- setting aside the ungalnty creations Oh lnythoo
u gy, how many probable forms are there Oh
beauty, ana actlTlty' anu s'rength' "h.ell eHSn
~, the painter, the sculptor ana 1he PoeG coulu
~ assign 10 the physical casket IN "nch the ul!
ne mond spirit may be lnclosea nc" many Possl-
y Die forms are there' oeyona te,r iitsenlloii'
~ which eye hath not seen nor the heaF' ot man
~, =" conceived
80 The author Of the essay has replied IN a dlh-
= lorue on fine same subject in which he saws he
u -. 3o,,,, +l,o lao+r;no of q ,,pro1itv nj
Az
lSO worlds, but only pFoposca W suo" thdV t"t
~, notion had been taken up on lhsulcleho gfouhos
ny and that the most recent astronomical dlscoye
~ rios mint the other way
~ --EHH=
- WILD NAN OF AFRIcA.-There is another in
VI bobitont If the woods by the Gaboon River
sn' more to he feared than the African boa it j
~ the wild man of the wOods-not the ourang
the w ~ o4nsi1a and readv IN attack man. TIL
bones of his extremties are longer than thOs
10 ~ ~, riinoyy sizad finn CROWN man bav
oyorinpd tham here and while contemplatin
No sl,n11 the laws and their terrible appa
rich rntns rcallv Sxnerienced a sort of shudderng
ung The canine teeth are upwards of two inche
hat inr4 and Of nronortiouate bulk There is
and r;d7a rInninG from the TOP eff the nose back
Iva ,goTds ovpr rho crown of the head to this a
and fvad muscle. bv which the living amin,
t to draws hack wards and forwards most fright,
e of crast of stiff hairs: when enraged. or propo
men ing to inAict injury, he erects them and draw
cal the rest forwards over his large eyes, and
ruff - 800 L;doo,o va1ls at +he same fine
stem NM: ooon,o ~ intimidote him Som
e or .;, ~ 7dI,n,cos Win bou,hs If trees broke
tires r s +bo rrrnnsa of concealnu his annroa,
1rce ~ ottnn, ond suddenly orosns the less of
He i II,,a bn;nr byings him instantly to Il
d, in ,,rannd hreas Mis- bones by blows of his mig
her - arr1s and hnnds and tears the flesh by
'hese ,anstrona tooth The native huntsman w
the ooe in search or meets with him while purs
come ing less formidable animals, has learned tn
nds; tb ofest 1yav ia enpope is to act quite on
cult. IaFons;,a. ~ 1at tho monster draw near VIII
pro- No viii ;nn3ediatcv seize the end of the muz
y, to IF tha onn ready cooked and presentedO
tween his teeth Instantly 1t must be d