Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1855-01-19
II "

TIE PLrxALIrY Of W~oRLDs-wIrH AN INTRO
pccTIoY, By EDWARD HIrcucOcK, ID. D. Pub
lished By Gould & Lincoln, Boston. lReeeived
from Mr.. Jas. Woodliouse.J
This prore.sadlr orudite production was published
ANONYMOUSLY, in London, shout a year ago. Since
then "speculations on the stars" have agitatcd the
public mind and filed the English periodicals with
contentious articles. Blackwood's Magazine attri-
bn,es the work 20 the Rev. Dr.. Whcwel, Master OF
Trinity College, and its authorship has not been re-
pudiated by that learned gentleman. Or. Whewel
attempts, 10 ~disprovs the plurality Of worids-to
"cisar away the inhabitants from the starry uni
ver.s.-lud sets forth Ingenious arguments t" show
thu, in ,ome instances i, 10 Gil IN possidlHy IA well rs
Ell inproGolity that the planets should be Inhabited
globes. Indeed be would put out the stars altogether,
quite 90 away with them, thar our earth might have
the solitary honor of shining alone, the one world
cared for b. the Creator. True, the Doctor gracious.
j. gives us Mars and Venus ont of tho countless shin
Ing wonders of the solar system, and leavee us at lib
sr.y to conjecture that they nay be placed i'll the fir
nsu,su; for some other object than to play the part
OF brillian, spcnglos. Whu, u shallow narrowing
down OF tie purposes, and Omnipo;ence Of the great
Architect Of the Universe! What IN insignificant
Enc.ana.netre-Insasuring o: his mighty works.
w -u e obtAhli'H ltNNA 'HS' "y
render maG
10 d.. Whowei' argument, that the temperatures
ara atmospheric o: certain of the planets are such as
70 prevent the existence of Intellectual beings how
simple ia thereby! Could not that Divine Being who
fitted men for the temperatures aud atmospheres OF
this e~acth-who made the Ash 10 live in the water
the worms md moles to exist in the close earth-the
birds to Nv in air.-crea,e organic beings adapted
to tho temperatures and atmospheres OF the worlds Id
which they wero to dwel1 What q doubling of Gods
ylSicieucy to think otherwise!
To the plea that revealed religion is i'll danger
through O belief in the plurality OF worlds-that the
Lords descending upon this earth proves that II II
the specie! object Of Divine cure-that the great doc
trines of salvation aud redemption are overthrow by
tina existence of many worlds, the answer is still very
simple. If tho sins Of men required that the Lord
should appear in bodily Shape upon those other
earths, 10. their redemption, what argument eau be
offered against his descent Why may not they also
possess an inspired Word! Why may not sacred
commandments have been given to them also, will
tho blessed promises and the knowledge Of the iif,
~hereafterl That our Saviour makes no mention o.
these worlds, 10 no argument against their existence
unless it can be made m argument to disprove every
modern discovery Of science which he did not pro-
claim! The Lord told no; his disciples that there
was GA undiscovered hemisphere on the very globe
which they inhabited; vet that hemisphere existed
and there His gospel was devou.ly to be preached.
Or. Whewoli can never have peruscd n volume ell
titled "Earths Of the Universe" with its large test
mouv tha. the heavenly bodies are inhabited worlds
. work written BY a man as renowned for his philoso
ohio and scientific knowledge, Us for his great piety
DR.. WhewelPs essay has called forth an answe
from the celebrated astronomer, Sir David Brewster
from which we extract the following striking and clio
ousnt passage Wo think it will curry conviction t.
a hundred rational minds, for every one that DR.
Whewelrs abs,.uss nud complicated arguments vii
eause TO doubt:
Those uaceniul minds tina. can be brought to be
l;eve that ,.e earth i, the only inhabited body in thu
universe, will have 40 difficulty in conceiving that !
also might have been without inhabitants. Nay, u
such mirds are imbued with geological truth, they
must Gdiuit that for millions OF years the earth wa
without inhabi.ents: and hence we are led 10 the eX
t.aora:aary result, that for millions of years ther,
WIS no, IN intelligent creature III the vas doin:nion'
of :!e universal King; and thnt before the formation
Of the prrtozoic strata, there was neither II plnut mol
an animal Throughout the iutnity ct space: During
this long period Of universal death, when Nature her
self was aslecp-ihe SUP, with his magnificent atten
dauts-,he planets, with their faithful sattel!ltes-;h!
p,ars in tho binary systens-,he solar system itself
were performing their daily, their annual, aud thri
secular movements unseen, UNDECIDED, and fulfilling
no purpose tina; human reason eau conceive; lamp
M-h:inr nothing - fires euiiny nothing water
queuchingn othinS-clnWls screening notlnng-breez
Us tanning no,aing-and everything around, mountain
and valley, bill and dale, earth and ocean, all meaning
nothing.
Tho stars
Did w; nder darAlng in the eternal space.
To our apprehension, such n condition OF the eara
O: The solar sys:nnn, and OF tive s,Icrrnl universe
would b. tho same Ms that of our own globe II Nil II
,.Icis nt war and of commerce We're traverslnE II
seas with empty Cabins aud ireightless holds; n II a
The railways GA its surface We're i'll iul activity Will
GU; passengers aud goods; and all our machlnof
b.,;inu the air and g~uashtns their iron teeth withol
work performed. y house without tenants a GU
withou. citizens, present 70 orr minds tiie same lu'
rs a planet without life, aud 4 universe without lh'
h,,n,s. Why the house wis built, why the city ":
founded, WHY the planet was made. and why the un
verse was or. sted. it would be difficult even TO COZ
;rc:urc. Equally great would be the difficulty wei
The planets shapeless Jumps OF matter, pnIsed III elhc
a,d 's,il, nnd 1notionless IA the grave. But when "
consider them as chiselled spheres, and teeln!nS VII
!au.aAu;c beauty, md in full mechanical aeuvi
performing their appointed m"t'"ns win such mn
crious precision ,lal. their t!nys and IEr!r years nev,
err n SECOND OF timo i'll hundreds "t centuries, thed
Scui,y OF believing them 10 be without lite Is, II po
s;b!e, immeasurahly Increased. locomotive any VI
material globe. whether n gigantic clod siumoerihs
SINCE. or O noblc planet equipped like our own, III
du.y performing it's appointed task, to have no hVl
occapants, or not iu u state Of preparation 10 recol'
,har,, seem. to us one Of those notions which cou
D. Edr5Jr"d only In al lii-eduoatee anu niIosa M '
minds niiui without faith and without nope; Gu!
Conceive u ;ghpie universe of moving ana reVni'n
worlds In such a category, indicates, in our apprene
s;oo, q miod dead 10 feeling and shorn OF reason.
PARr.H AND orB.K PEscILISas BY KIRwAS.
Published b. Harper s. Brothers, New York. IN
ccived from Harold Il Murray.l
The movs de plume of krwun has received
chief popularity through the writer's efforts to &
fowh the dangers OF Popery i'll the Uuited States.
Several of tho articles contained in the present W
urue have already Lad q wide circulation under an
tLer form. They retho writer's personal cxperien
of peculiar providcncos" as he terms them. II
narratives ore literal facts, not fiction founded ON fas