The Carolina Spartan. [volume] (Spartanburg, S.C.) 1852-1896, 1857-07-16

at one time extended over go deg, or two
whole signs of the zodiac. Ii certainly
| frightened men more than any other comet
| that is mentioned. The Christians associa.
ted it with the idea Of Turkish conquest,
and tho iuiallibe Pope himself confirmed
their fears, and made them a part of the
religion of the time, by ordering public
prayers, in which both the Turks and the
comet were 'pitclied into" lie. also di-
rected that the church bells should DO rung
at nooon, in order to remind people 10 re
cite these prayers, which was the origin of
the practice that still endures; so that when
the noon bells shall ring 10 day the reader
will be pleased to recollect Pope Calixtus,
the Turks, and the comet of 1856. We
don't know what effect all these doings had
on the comet, but the Turks didn't value
them a rush, for they went on, conquerng
and 10 conquer, and in n few years we find
them at Ouanto, in Italy, while the galeys
and light troops were moro than once seen
from the CamPdni!e Of st. Marks, in
Venice.
There was a brilliant comet in 1900,
which was called .SjgRor AStone by the
Italians, but is known as the comet OF bad
omen, rs lr was supposed to have caused the
storm in which Bartholomew Daz WAS lost.
Diaz was the. discoverer of the Cape of
Good Hope, several years before il was
doubled by Da CANA In 1900, when
Cabral sailed from Lisbon 10 the East, Daz
accompanied him, and was lost in a storm,
so that the comet had to bear the discredit
Of his death. Yet it would have been easy
to show that tho comet was Il benevolen,
4 hnroll e., al, IN 4
raj accidentally discovered Brazil, whicl,
event would have made America known TO
the world less than eighty years after the
death of Co!umbus's first voyage, had Co
lumbus never been born.
The comet Of 1905 was supposed 20 have
presaged the death of Philip |, son-in law
Of Ferdinand and Isabella. That of 1916
was connected with the death of Ferdinand
himself. Charles V, Philips son, is said 10
have been alarmed mt the appearance ofthe
comet Of 1856. Indeed these Castilian
monarchs appear TO have been rs forebod
ingly waited on by comets as the Maclvors
were by tho Bodach Glas. In 1858 a
comet made the passage of the perihelion
on the 10Th August, just six weeks before
Charles death. Some writer's have attribu-
ted Charles abdication to his dread Of a
comet, but we find no proof Of the story's
truth. Tho comets that led 10 that deed
were gout, weak knees, weaker stomach,
and that form of illness which some wit
has called complaint Of the chest-a
want of money. The imperial hog set up
hiS trough nj luste, and in that fine pen
lac stuffed ana swilled at such rate rs
made ii altogether unnecessary for even the
most malignant OF comets 10 concern itself
abou, the length OF his DAYS.
Many other "coincidences" OF this kind
might be mentioned, SO that when we re.
collect how superstilious and egotstical
men once were, 1t Is not strange that com
els should have been supposed to have some
conneXon with mundane affairs. Yet lit
tic thought should be sufficient to show that
a comet can hardly make lis appearance
without something of importance happen
ing at the same time Oh earth, and gener.
ally something Of q wicked or melancholy
nature which is 10 be passed 10 the com
els account. Men, indeed, have treated
comets As they have treated Satan, making
them the cause OF evils with which they
could have had no connoxiou, and which
have proceeded from that dark abvss. the
human heart-a t.sr more terrible thing
than any comet that has ever appeared
from the days Of Ogyges 10 The day, OF Lou
is Napoleon.
Russell, the traveller writing from Cairo
in November, 1929, said the Egyptians
think that the comet actually visible is tho
cause OF the violent earthquakes which We
have felt here ON the DIST Of August aud
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