The Carolina Spartan. [volume] (Spartanburg, S.C.) 1852-1896, 1856-05-15
THE GREAT COMET.

lhe London correspondent of the Ma.
tional lntelligencer furnishes the following
historical accoun, Of the great come, short
ly expected TO make its appearance:
Astronomers tell us, with confidence
which they, more than any other class of
men. have right to entertain, that this
planet on which we live and run our little
race is in the near neighborhood, astro.
nomically speaking. of the comet which
our forefathers Of remote and still remo,er
generations looked at with strong eruo,ions
and strange fears-,he former no doubt
stronger !han ours will be when the wan.
tlerer comes once more into our view; ms
for The latter, they, as well as the wonder
and the awe which our ancestors felt, will
be immeasurably less. But we shall con-
template the path Of this cratic stranger
strcwn with Interests 10 which the men of
old were blind. We have intellectual
pleasures of comparison and social ones Of
progress which are Ear more valuable than
all the emotions which formerly accompa-
MED the advent Of rare natural objects.
.; course nothing is knona Of the move
ments Of this comet before the reriod OF
authentic history But since that time the
laws OF science have been furnishing to
successive generations gradually increas-
ing and less iall'ble memory for the past
and testimony that puts 10 shame the
uncertainty OF tradition and the incorrect
and obscure records Of carly history. The
! remo,est notice Of this comet is in A. d.
0S3, but the tradition is Of doubtful auihori.
! "; but, if it be authentic, who were the
men who then saw what we are abou. TO
see! There WAS Akbsr abou; 10 Issue from
the gates Of Damascus at the head of his
mighty host. Did he take it for n sign of
encouragement or warning? There were
+ The Saracens sweeping like whirlwind
/ through Mauritania and terrifying the Ro.
man Colonies. Was the comet m inviting
or lettering messenger TO them! How did
/ the strange star look from northern seas
/ and wIldernesses- from the wild forest in
Ireland, or from the tossing seas of Scot
/ land, or 10 the pious builders of abbeys and
/ churches in England! The next appearance
was in 905. What then did the celestial
( stranger find tie condition of this little
/ speck of creation, and how changed from
( his last visit Alfred the Great had lived
and died, human history had been enrich.
( ell forever, and blaze Of light spread over
Tue path OF human life brighter and more
enduring than even the etfulgence OF the
heavenly visitor. Dunstan, the priest, had
lived and died, and lIis successor assumed
his place, in The very wear Of The comets
advent The Danish raven had winged its
way TO the shores of Britain, and the in
haO'ianIs suffered under the panic and mis-
cry OF Danish ncursions. Tho comet might
well appear sign of wrath and Il messen
ger OF disaster. When the comet announ
ced Itself IN ! 2Gi the world WAS ringing will
the fame OF Ziugis Khan, who had died
seven years before. The East was thrown
open to the Imagination and, in a grea
measure, to the exploration Of the Westerr
world, and III this very year China becam.
known 20 Europe as reality. The worlc
was IN commoiion, and the rso OF the OF
toman Empire was at hand. The chnrcl
was very active in Euope and the life o
the Church was the life of society at lha
time. The authority of Aristotle was tot
tcrlng in ,he schools Of Europe; the uni
versity Of Oxford was rising in Encland
Science was progressing in quiet wa,
r IN monkiSh retreats, while schoolmen wer
wrangling about words. The Wizard
Michael Scott, more mathematician an,
/ scholar however, than sorcerer, wa
t one of the star.g .gazers OF that day, an,
so was Roger Bacon. The comet shcne o,
= the cradle Of Duns Scotus; the principles c
: commerce were beginning TO be inquire,
] into by the people of England. strif
S was raging between the King Of Englsnt
Q (uenry lII.) and the BaroDs, OF whcl
Louis the Ninth OF France was the arbitrs
\ tor; but, in spite Of oil mediation. Le &C