The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-08-29

above the horizon shed their sweet influence the East
Lyra sparkled the zenith; Andr0meda vailed her
newly discovered glores from the naked eye in the
South the steady pointers, far beneath the Pole looked
meeky up from the depths Of the North TO their Sove
reige.
Such was the glorious spectacle entered the train
AS we proceeded the ma apP,oacn o. l"gn became
soften the smaller stars ike little children went hrst 10
rest the sister beams OF the Peades soon melted together
but the bright consultations Of the West and North
manned unchanged. Steadily the wopdrous TRANSPORTATION
went on Hands or angels hidden from mortal eyes shi
dissolved into The gories Of the dawn The blue SKY
turned more softly gray the great watch stars shut
stresks Of purple soon bushed along sky the whole
celestial filled with the nhowing tides Of the
morning light, which came pouring down from above in
great ocean radiance; till at length reashed
the Blue Hills, flash OF purple tire azed out from above
the horizon and turned the dewy teardrops Of tower and
leaf into rubes and diamonds 10 lew seconds, tho
everlasting gates the morning thrown wide open,
and the lord Of day arrayed in gores too severoor the
gaze OF man, began his course.
do wonder at the superstition Of the ancient Ma
eians who in the morning Of the world went up TO tho
s tops Of Central Asia and ignorant Of nc true God
nlied with amazement when told that IN this en-
ghtened age, and in the heart Of the Christian world
there are persons who witness this daily manifesto
ton OF the power and wisdom OF the Creator and yet say
In their hearts, "There is no God -
Numerous are the heavenly bodies visible ID the naked
yc and glorious as are their manifestations it 10 probable
that Ia our own system there great numbers yet
Huyghens announced the discovery OF satellite OF
Saturn, and expressed the opinion that the planets
number OF twelve composed the whole Of cur planetary
system. In I729 astronomical writer exercised the
opinion that there might be other bodies in sysem,
but that the limit Of telescope had been reached
and no further discoveries were likely to be made. (Me
moirs of A. s., vol Ill, 2752 The orbit OF one comet
the power Of the telescope has been indefinitely increased
two primary planets Of the first Glass; ten satellites,
forty three small planes revolving between Mars
and Jupiter have been discovered, the orbits Of six Or
hundred comets Of brief period have been
northumberland it has been computed that hundreds o.
my Our
system. There Is to think tina. Ell the pri
mary planets which revolve about the sru have been
discovered. An indefinite increase in tie nber o.
asteroids may be anticipated while outside OF Neptune,
between and the fixed star snppesing
attraction OF the to prevail through half the distance
there is room for ten more primary planets succeeding
each other at distances increasing in geome:rcal
the perturbatons of Neptune shall have been accu-
rately observed and with maps Of the heavens, OF
which the smallest elecopic stars laid down. may
be discovered much sooner
But ii is when turn our observation and our
thoughts from our own system to the systems which
lie beyond 1t In the heavenly spaces that ap-
poach more adequate conception of the vasness Of
creation All analogy teaches US that tie sun which
gives light to Is but OF these countless stellar
fires which deck the armament and that every gilt
terng star in that shifting most is the centre Of system
as vast ana as full Of supoona.e unaries as our own
OF these suns-cenires Of planetary
visible To * naked eye millions discovered by
the telescope Sir John Herschei n the account Of hs
operations at the Cape or Cool Hope, (p 38 calculates
that about i've and half millions OF stars visible
enough 70 be distinctly counted twenty foot reflector
In both hemspheres He adds that the actual number
is much greater there be httc doubt" His illus
ious father estimated that i25 900 stars
passed through the field OF h forty foot reflector 81
quarter OF hour This would give II 90 for the
entire circuit Of the heavens, single telescope
and u lis estimate was made under tho assumptiorl
tina. the nebue were masses Of luminous matter yet
condensed into suns.
These stupenaous calculations, however, form but the
frs, column OF the inventory of the Fans
white specbs visible eve TO Inc naked eye OF 81
practsed observer in different parts OF the heavens
Under high magnify several thousands OF such
spots visbie-no longer however, white
but many Of them resolved by powerful telescopes into
vast sgeregaons OF stars each OF which with
prety be compared with the milky way. Many Of these
nebue however. resisted the power OF Sr VIM. Her
sehcls great reflector and were accord agly still REL
condemned into suns This, till few years per
baps the prevailing opinion, and the nebuar theory sc
large space In modern astronomical science But With
the rcrase OF instrumental power, under the
mighty grasp OF Lord Rosses gigantic reflector and tne
great reiraeors at Pukova and Cambridge the most r
receivable Of these rebule have given say and the
ter o. inion now is that every OF them galaxy
liz our milk way, composed Of millions OF Inl
olher words brought to the bewilderng concu
son that thousands Of these misty specks the greater
100 ans PC seen By the naked eye are not each
universes OF unaPpreciable magnitude (iumboldt Cos
mos I'LL ~. The mind sinks overpoweret by the con
temptation We repeat the words, but they longe d
convey distinct idess TO the understanding.
But these conclusions, however vast their eonprehen
sion, carry but another step forward the realms %
sideIesl astronomy. A proper motion space OF our
sun and the liked stars as We cali them has long been
being more apparent The great Improvement ia as.ra
menB Of measurement within tho last generation nos|
only established the existence Of this motion, bat has
pointed 10 the region IN the starry vault around which,
our whole solar and stellar system with its myriad
OF attendant planetary worlds appears TO perform
outside OIL the system which belong and 10 which,
our sun Is but star Ike Aidebaran or Sirius the diff
Of which spot the heavens-constute each a distlnct|
family Of uDiverses, must, following guide oil
sSsy aa, ~ ,e 70 eses Of them ..o beyond =. tag
tens, great revolution comprchending the whole wheI
the same course OF araiogica reasoning would lead
SUI further onward aud tn the last analysis require us
10 assume anscendenal connection between ali thcseI
mighty sysems-a universe OF universcs crciug round
IN the nnny ofspace and preserving It's equilibrium by
The laws OF mutual attraction which bind the 10
worlds together.
may be thought that conceptions ike these are cal
culacd rather 10 dcprcss than elevate scale cd
being that banshed as he Is by these CONCENTRATIONS I'd
a corner OF creston and there reduced to an!
atom man sinks Into nothngness In this in I
unity OF worlds. But a second thought corrccts}
| the impression. These vast cont mplatons are we'll
tslculsted 70 inspire awe, but not abasemsnt Mind
and matter incommensurabe. An Immortal
iou even while clothed In thin muddy vesture OF de
cay s In the eye OF God and reason purer essenco|
than the brightest lights the depths Of heaven
The organized human eye, instinct with lie aud soul
which gazing hIough the telescope travels up 70 ths
blaze forth into galaxy vast ours stands higher I'D
the o. der Of being than all that host Of umnarics Thc
Intellect OF Newton, which discovered the law that hold
the revolving worlds together. nobler york Of Cod
than universe Of univeres Of unthinkDs matter.
fstill ueadng the lolcst paths Of analogy adopS
the suppcstion--to the grateful supposion-I
that the countless planetary worlds which attend these
countless the abodes Of rational beings like
instead OF bringing back this exalted conce ptiou
feeling OF iesgnincance The indy our race
but poor atoms In the innniy OF being regard H.
on the contrary, glory Of hum nature, thai
belongs TO q hmily which can number %
rational natures Ike itself In the order q being they
may stand beneath Us, they may above hi
may well be content with his place who made little
, lower than the tngesr
Finally, my friends believe there Is no contcmp atiou
better adapted 10 awaken devout OF thl
heavenly bodies; branch Of natural science which,
bears clearer testimony to the power and wisdom o God
tban that 10 which you this day temple
The heart OF the ancient world, with all the prevailing
ignorance OF the true nature and motions Of the heavenly
orbs, rcgousy impressed by their survey. TherI
Is passage In OF those admirable Philosophical
treaises OF Cicero composed In the decline Of hfe
soiace under domestic bereavement and patriotic
at the In pending commissions OF the state in which
quoting from lost work Of Aristotle be treats ths
tosic In which almost puts 10 shame tho teach
| ings 0, Christian WISDOM
Praeciare ergo As,oteles "s essentu iy1rn qni su}
terra semper habavissent bonis illurbus domicil