Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1855-02-02
MISC EhI.tN Y.



10y PROFESSOR JOHN fHu-NlN' s. d. ; c., "e'
The term Astronomy is derived from two
Latin words, Astro, star, and oRomy, Il
science and literally means the science of
the star. q 1t is science" to quote our
friend Dick (who was no relation at all Of
Big Dick, though the latter occasionally
caused individuals to see stars) (which has,
in all ages engaged thoattcnton of the poet,
the philosopher and the divine, and been the
subject of their study and admiration"
By the wondrous discoveries OF the I'M
proved telescopes ot modern times, we asccr-
tam that upwards ol several hundred millions
OF stars exist that are invisible to the naked
cye--thc nearest of winch Is millions of mil
lions Of miles from the Earth and as we
have every reason TO suppose that every one
OF this inconccivablc number OF worlds is peo-
pied like our own,--a Consideration of this
TACT. ana that we are undouhtedlyas superior
| to these beings as we are to the rest OF man
klnd.-ls calculated to Ill the mind of the
American with due sense of his own i'm
pof.2nce IN the scoie OF animated creation
SOC in the Heavens in n clnudless r;,Lt l. W.
sun sbinirr mon H. o,.r cnr.;Ii,5om.' ,,; r a.
lrht of its own martnrncturc and ne !,
would he absurd Ia sunnoso its li,bt and boat
were made To he difFusad Gn. notb;n,r - ~
nrasumad G,rtbrr tbot eacL su, ILL., ~ IL
ban Is nrny;dod VII, ,anaai nr ~ i;t,iu oiu
cI;rLers Il, tbo v,a,, or iiano4 i.t1, Lt.tt0
sLin;n,, brt r,ohlv h., i,s roano,oJ /; ~
to ms in,isible IL tIis on;n;or No 90 1aI az
oIso L, ro,.oi,,,, fron, Nv ~ isu I.
inc our own SnlSr systo,n ~ -"
Tm sor,p SysTry is 80 co,,od NOT hooo,so
wo LoIiora - =, ba ,b "oS 80
IN evis,onca brt rron, to oetn, III 'he h.hu
Snn ,,o Ia+;n a,,,n c pa, VouE, ~, .no
,ve reoJ of Sn Srn;th I;torniI,. - "o. mus
san Of OlJ Smi,hN On a cl1so ls :,o
of tbo JJan,ons o
.t,,.s ,hinb sL; n;t .i Te' oiiiIiano a.
o"','o WIN " s'c"uy hSnt, (dl1-
5i 'eiinS .ioni tnoso WhiGh surround them,
,ihi "niol, arc Iin"Ss '"lhkilhg Ike dew-drop
~ vi =" .uou.noel-N me- ana winch, moreover, do
C ~, 'he same relative dis
i.on, 'iiI STARS near Whlch they are first
Sis'o'ereu. Sn,'n r IL nese are the planets Of the
" ac,,i;ni, .i'l'n W. ndNe no ight OF their
s;Ia ;n w" "m''" w LaICl' on Which we re-
60 A. ""ioi snine Dy lght reflected
around u tI,,s, uh,-"hd winch regularly move
and throuoh diifertnInq nqlneront intervals of time
to the time of a gentleman nomisna space. Up
who Hourishcd about the middle of Tho Tc,
teenth Century. il was sunnosod b,, a,r
stupid ancestors that the Earth was the
center of all creation. bcinc n large fat body
resting on a rock, which re.tcd ON another
rock and so on "ell the wav down - and
/ that the sun, planets and immovablo stars ali
revolved about it once in twenty-four hours
This reminds us of the simplicity Of n child
VIC once saw in railroad-car. who fanr;ad
itself perfectly stationary. and thnnrht rho
fences, houses and fields were tearinr mast II
at tho rate Of thirty miles an hour and
uokinc out its head. to see whore an, oor,b
they went to, had its Lat--a very nicc ono
with pink ribbons-knockcd off and irrecnv.
erablv lost. But Cooeruic,s. N,bn was =,
son Of Daniel Pcrnicus, of the firm of Pernicus
/ 4 Co., wool-dealers. and who was named Cn
Pcrnicus, out Of respect to his fathers part
ners) soon set this matter to rights, and
started the idea of the present Solar System,
which, greatly improved since his day, is oc-
casonally called the Copcrnican system BY
this system we learn that the Sum is stationed
at one focus mot hocus, as it is rendered
without authority, by the philosopher Par
tington) Of an cliipsc, where it SLOWLY grinds
on !orsvar about it's oun axis, vh'lo the
planets, turning about their axes, rcyolve in
elllptlcal orbits Of various dimensions and
different planes Of inclination around it.
The demonstration OF this system in ali its
perfection was left to Isaac Newton, an Ing
/ lish Philosopher, whc, Reelng an apple
tumble down from tree, was led to thin;
/ 'uslSNH WIN oucll S4dNltN llldl ne ufully