Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1856-09-03
omnlisbed his task of keeping an account of the

starry host was this: from the time the star
had seen was lost behind the middle thread un-
til on the morrow it returned into the same po-
sition again he had to mark sc, 400 even beats.
each one OF precisely the same length of the rest
his jerking finger, as it went round his face,
pointed to figures to shew that he was dong so.
Now every star in the heavens has its own in
dividual beat amongst these S6,400 at which 1t
ought to present itself behind the thread, proy-
ded it be one that has no motion among It's
brethren If on the other hand, it is wan
derer amongst them, then it takes some new
beat for its companion at each return. Suppose.
for instance, that had seen o second star, and
had carefully observed that it came to the half
way thread one hundred beats after the first one
and that on thelmorrow, looking again, had
found the second star was lost behind the thread
only ninety-eight beats after the first one, l
should then have known that the two had ap-
preached towards each other during the inter
val of the twenty -four hours or, in other words,
that one at least had moved. 1t is in this way
that the Magi, who are called astronomers,
s'knowing the laws of the stars" identify and
ascertain the doings of the heavenly bodies
They mark as fixed such Us return to the half
way thread punctually after each successive daily
interval, and they keep record OF the irregu-
larties Of such wanderers as do not, so that they
may find from it the exact paths in which they
are travelling The eartlrs steady revolution
upon its pivot-like central line affords them the
means of doing this. The accuracy of the count
of the recording slave is itself tested by this
movement; for there must never be either more
or less than &C. 400 beats between the successive
disappearance behind the thread OF some SO.
lected stars, chosen for reference on account Oh
their well-known freedom from vagrant habits.
Nothing can be conceived more grand than TINS
steady even whirl of the huge terrestrial sphere.
Since the Chaldean shepherds began to watch
the stars as we'll as their flocks, that whirl has
gone on day after day, but has never varied IN
its pace, even to the extent of q hundredth part
of second of time, in any proportional stage OF
the Journey By long and careful observation,
with the aid of the meridian thread and the Sc
conds' recording slave, no less than fifteen thou,
sand stars have been recorded as possessing fixed
and steady characters. In lS45 twelve were
known as cratic vagrants; and since then twen-
tv-eieht others have been added to the wander
ers' list. These, however, are almost as nothing
to the crowd that vet remains visible, but un-
distinguished in the celestial vault. AS many
as zoo. 900 of what are termed the first nine or
ders ofbrillancy are yet waiting to be marked
and named; and beyond these the telescope dis
Germs yet other myriads that millions would fail
to number. The shepherds of the stars" have
indeed flock that it will take them long to
count.
By the time had managed to comprehend
all these startling truths found that my sense
of awe was entirely transferredfrom the first OBJ
iect upon which it had been concentrated. 1t
henceforth deserted the slave to be fixed with
increased intensity upon the master. now I'M
derstood that the slave was nothing more than q
beautiful piece of mechanism, whose sole life was
mechanical law, and that the true genius OF the
lamp was the intelligent mind which had been
able to bend stubborn material to such won
drous results. AS l looked at my kind instruct
or, standing by my side SO quietly, unconscious
of his own dignity, while he was thus revealing
to me his intimacy with mighty secrets, and al
most making me for the time participator in
his magic power, became sensible of how much
is really involved in the quality which men g.
agree to call intellect Here was human crea'
AgHwith two hands and five senses like myself
and many millions of my compeers, who had put
together few pieces of brass, iron and glass, all
cf them materials with which we too have deal
incs every hour of our lives, in such way that
he could measure the universe number the stars,
and compass the forces with which Nature works
out all her majestic plans.