Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1854-06-26
For the Grant County Herald.
Astronomical.

/ >~S
Astronomical.
s'Truth crushed to earth will rise again.o
Mr.. Editor: In my former commune
cation it was not my design to arouse
Mr.. Shaw's combatiyeness, but to elicit
truth, by calling his attention to some of
his Astronomical or Astro-M eteorologi-
cal errors or miscalculations. | had no.
lped, by so doing, to have induced him to
correct some of his more glaring miscal-
EQUATIONS, and incorrect statements there
by undeceiving that portion of your rea-
ders, who had not the leisure to inyesti-
gate the subject for themselves. But
no, Mr.. Editor, instead of correcting
his errors, or, like rational and scien-
tific man, reasonably and candidly dem
frustrating to the public the truth Of his
statements and the falsitysof mine. he
has condescended to buffoonery ard rssli-
Guile, and endeavored by bullying to
trample down everything that appears
like opposition, or that does not blindly
acquiesce in or yield implicit obedience
to his superstitions and limited notions
and perceptions. But, Mr.. Editor, as
long as such palpable errors are being
crowded, as truths, upon an unsuspect-
ing community, mig pen shall not remain
quiet, till they are exposed and correct
ed or demonstrated to be false. $50
Mr.. Philomath the Sun enters the Con-
stellation Gemini On the 2lst of June
does he? are you sure Of it ?' Yes,
Mr.. Shaw, am sure Of it, and | defy
you to falsify my statements /; SO to your
prayers as quick as you please, the
sooner the better. s'Facts are stubborn
things" and although this Globe has not
"rolled out of its course" yet it has
been moving backwards, and this back
ward movement is called the procession
of the Equinoxes, which amounts annu-
ALLY to about so" Of degree. Now
this retrograde movement of the equi-
noxes produces corresponding foracar,l
movement Of the stars, which amounts
to IL in II 2-3 years to whole sign
in 2l4O years-and to complete revo-
luton in about $4,000 years. This is
the apparent forward movement of the
stars with respect to the signs, for " the
same signs always keep in the same
points of the ecliptic, without regard to
the place of the Consultations, hence,
those stars which in the infancy of AS
troncmy were in the sign Ares, we now
find in Taurus and so on.'' Pisces is
now the first in order of the IL Constel-
lations of the Zodiac, and the ''leader of
the Celestial Hosts" therefore Gemini
lis now the fourth constellation, which
THE sun enters on the 2lst of june
These are facts, Mr.. Sliaw's bombaslic
statements TO the ontrary notwithstand-
ling. am aware of the retrograde move
ments of the planets, but none are ret
degrading so fast or so effectually as Mr.
Shaw. Truly "long experience" has
made him anything but a "sage." Had
| the time could point out other opal
Ipable" errors and absurdities he has
made in his "ProcticaI" application Of a
subject lis evidently knows SO little a
bout. Before Mr.. Shaw gives any fur
Their advice he would do we'll to with
draw himself from public view until he
can be little more correct in his COM
Imunications. My fences have been
made with diligence and care, founded
on facts and observation, and supported
by such eminent practical Astronomers
as Eihu Burritt, Thomas Dick, and VIM.
and John Herschel.
O.. G. PHILoMArH.