Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1854-07-22
NATIONAL INTELLIGENCER.
NOTES ON NEW BOOKS.

been the "creed OF the philosopher and the hop
of the christian " that any attempt at this late da
to call it in question might well be expected pre-
woke at once surprise and distrust. And it woul
surely be not uninstructive commentary on th
selfconceited infallibity of human knowledge if i
should now be deemed as irrational and heretRa
to doubt the doctrine as it once was to believe it
Yet SO firmly has the opinion been established il
the popular mind that we are instnctively tempteC
TO exclaim with Beatrice, in the divine Vision .
Dante, as she rebukes the presumption of those VIII
desert the " known track of sage philosophy ;"
$50 much the restless eagerness to shine,
And love of singuarity, prevail
Yet this, offensive as it is, proyokes
Heavens anger less than when the Book of God
Is forced to yield to mans authority,
Or from its straightness warp'd."
The belief in more worlds than one is not only
the eredence of the modern philosopher and chris
tian but appears also among the speculaons of the
earliest sages Plato expatiates on the idea in his
Tineus and elsewhere, employing language which
has incorporated itself into the commonest parlance
of the present day, and which has to greater OF
less degree tinctured the calmest statements of al
who have subsequently held similar opinion; fol
1t seems to have been the destiny of this wonderful
to adumbrae, were from the broad mirror Of
his large mind the shadows at least of those rational
ideas which he able fully to body forth in scen-
ti6c expression.
But the philosophy ofGreece was in all this but the
reflex of her poesy for in tho orphic Hymns learn
from plutarch this doctrine embalmed in strains
sublime in poetry the teachings of Plato the Di
vne' in philosophy.
In later times the lustrious Kepler that happy gues
of Science well as its martyr evolved from his
teeming brain that waking dream of his "inspired fam
cy the Sonium AsrOnoniicun, he entities it,
Economical dream concerning the and its inhabt-
ants with the diversity of its light and days. and
corning other phenomena Of this kind" Though KEEP
Ter chose to present his views respecting plurality of
worlds under the guise of dream it is evident that he
did not deem it all dream" but it left for Huy
gems first to reduce his visions from the airy realms of
fancy to the calm region Of the philosophical
Thee Cosoheoros of this celebrated man, the contem
porry of Newton and the dscoverer Of the ring and
tetes Of Saturn written in the ripe old age of its
author and not published until after his death, he
having earnestly besough his brother give it to the
world in order that his lowmen Sir David Brewster
thinks might derive the pleasure that he had from
viewing the planets the seat Of intellectual life. His
work is written in Latin and is pronounced by Sir David
to be "ddactic and dspassonate in its views and
guments but he mistakes respecting the photographed
history of this interesting treatise when he asserts that
it has never been translated into English An English
translation published in London in the year 1893
There are also two editions in French.
But to Fontenelle the " petcoat philosopher as he
has been CONTEMPORARY called must be ascrbed the
honor of first popuarizng the doctrine His lively book
entitled Conversations the Plurality of Worlds was
published early 1886, few years before the
tse of Christian Huygens. We think Sir David Brewster
greatly overrates the value Of this work certainly
written with great "vivacity and humor," but that it
evinces sufficient knowledge of astronomy may, We
think, be safely questioned We have been dis
posed believe that Fontenelle had any serious
object in the composition Of his book than the exhibition
Of his prghtiness and that of the charming Mar
choness to whom he ascrbes complimentary part in
mis- high argument. These Conversations however
read with unexamped avidity, Sir David Brew
informs u.s. and speedily translated into all the
languages Of the continent, while fewer than three
English ranslations published in London, one
which had through six editions as early as 1877
Bot Sir David is again mistaken when he declares tina
though hundred and sxtyseven years have elapsed
since the publication of Fontenee's volume, attemp
has been made during that long period either to rdcu
controvert the fascinating doctrines which it taught
To say nothing Of the many o5r dicta which lie scat
tered through the theological writings Of the last
~, and which discredit where they do presume
eonfute the assumptions of the astronomers hav
before work Of singular learning and Of equally sin
guar preension, written expressly to rdicule and con
overt" the popularity received opinion this subject
aud is little remarkable that it bears the
title that which has been chosen Tin way calculated
Sir David Brewster charges, to deceive the pubc)
the azonymous author Of the work at the head Of thi
article, and which is now introduced to the America
public by the commendatory notice Of DR.. Hitchcock
and, what is more, the two works seem to have bee
alike occasioned by the Astronomical Lectures Of Dl
Chalmers, of which they speak in similar, if not equa
apprehension In this earlier work find the theor
Of plurality Of worlds secuted in the
pressve Of contempt the writer scrupling term
che true sublime Of astronomical nonsense; !"
sumption only false but hazardous "apagan fable
"a theory fit only for the nursery, speculation tbs
might adorn the pages Of CULVER and embellish tn
wonderful achievements Of the renowned and humoror
Don Quxote =; "the ebullition and phantom OF the im
ginaton &c. If Sir David Brewster feels constrains
to complain that the anonymous author of the wor
which he reviews has sought bring into contempt Il
grand discoveries in sidereal astronomy" what must
think Of this predecessor in Astronomical uubeef wi
makes light Of the STAR azers, with their shi
pamphlets" who waste their time Gin measuring
Bishop Horne says the tail of comet only surpr
and terrify mankind by formidable range Of ciphers
fore When we first heard that this new treatise
the Plurality Of Worlds" was ascribed to the pen
William Whewe and that it written in confutati
Of the received opinion this point, said to
selves here, suppose is another book written to
firm the witty remark Of Sydney Smith, at the expense
lnn~ ,nI IL.