The Westerly echo, & Pawcatuck advertiser. [volume] (Westerly, R.I.) 1854-1858, 1856-02-07
Che Desterlp Gsbc,
westerly, February =. 1856.
+" The World MOveS.o
AND
aGuck AIvaptisaP.

oo SV"'p'"o'h''y o'yN Wv N~'n "6S'
of the world, one Of the old Italian phil
osophers and astronomers, after having
clearly demonstrated, to himself at least,
that the generally received opinion in
regard to the solar system and plane
tary world was an erroneous one, had
the tsmerity to promulgate tho idea that,
instead of this little ball on which we
dwell being the center of creation around
which revolvs the sun and tho heavenly
bodies, it was, in fact, but very small
proportion of the works Of the Creating
Power, and that, instead of being cen
|, ter around which revolvsd all created
worlds, it was merely satellite and re-
volved around the sun, in company with
others Of equal, or greater, magnitude
and importance. For his unheard Of
anil, as was then thought, blasphsmous
doctrines he was summoned before the
ecclesiastical powers and commanded to
recant or suffer punishment commsn-
surate to the awful crime OF disseminat-
ing, or even believing, doctrine so
heretical. Alas, the old philosopher
was not quite equal to the work which
he had taken upon himself to perform
Under the fear of priestly ban and eccls-
siastical curse he faltercd and fell upon
t his knees while be admitted his theory
, to be wrong, and proclaimed his belief
that the globe was stationary with the
: sun and planets revolving around it.
e " But truth is mighty, and will prevail. "
: The old man, as he rose from his knees,
e rspented that he had prov'n false to 50
glorious doctrine, and exclaimed with
- an energy which only conscious right
q can give" 1t moves still :"
e Such is the inclination Of the human
: heart to darkness and deeds Of evil, tha,
J it is almost an invariable rule, that
every great new truth is given to the
d world with much labor and suffering to
tie discoverertof il. And ~as in the
r case of the italian pbilosePer, it is not
rare thing for that body calling itself
tho Christian Church, to Be quite as slow
e in the adopting Of such truths as for
1t others. When we see how exceed.
h ingly difficult it was to convince men in
'. !" relation to mere physical facts, is it ;
wonder that it is equally, or even more
so to convince them of moral evils which
ID have long been held among them a
st cherished institutions As the worl'
70 was slow to accept of facts and genuin,
- theories in relation to the physical ar
,e rangements of nature, so the advocate
is of moral truths should mo-. be discour
$ aged at the perversity of'ths huma'
: heart in not accepting of moral truths OF
If their early presentation. They shoul
8, " learn to labor and watt" comfortin
IN themselves with the assurance that tn
al time aciU come when those truths shal
IS be accepted, and men will marvel at tn
IL obtuseness Of their fathers in not at ono
adopting such palpable, self-eviden
propositions.
er As the moral and intellectual part {
DC man is slower of development than tn
~ ~. physical, so it is to be expected that tn
v world will be slower to receive and en-
1T, brace great moral and religious truth
ed even than it was to accept truths in rt
OK OK lation to physical nature.
,e, &c. But, like the stern cid lphilosophe
,at though they may be buffstsd and pors'
es cutcd for a season, and though the
hll hearts may often fail them, and they
wo We at times almost ready, like him, #
IN peace sake, to deny the truths whie
lat they have proclaimed, the lovers oftru'
Is should labor patiently on, remsmberir
in their hearts the shame and suffering
hin who, when brought to tho test, d
IN, MED his Master and afterwards wept bl
" ~ terly over hi recrcancy, and hopeful
~, exclaim--" The world does move yet
f. One or two instances in evidence th'
I'd the world does move-tbough slowl
a' II was but few years ago that it vi
90 .. considered great breach of dec0rum
neglect to pass the social bottle wh'
neighbors called one upon another
,es now, in this community, among wh
at ara nalled resneotahla people, il Msu