Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1857-05-08
TIE WILMINGTON JOURNAL,
- 1Isz-mINaToN. n q. aoNDAY. NAY 4, 1851.
Cummings and Comets.

derng, dissipated planets, with long and tails
hairy fellows, as their name imphes-very gassy'
also indeed some assert that they are all gas ike
unto ranting politicians, political Parsons-dema'
gogues on an extensive scale, plausible, but BY no
means strengthy, eccentric in their orbits, without
weight of character or gravity OF department. mol al
all related to the " solid men, eff any known and
established world-poo fellows, with no satellites
OF sycophantic secondary globes sometimes going so
near to the sun as to endanger their boards, and
then running off into space beyond sight or calcuia
tion,-members of the solar system, with private no
tions of their own which they keep TO themselves
Such are comets. .....-
Now, for our own part, we have not even speak
ing acquaintance with comets we have always trea
ted them with respect the most distant-neVer
coming within few millions of miles OF them we
have carefully avoided any reflections upon 'neif
private characters and therefore feel tne greatest
surprise that any comet should take 1t INTO lis heao
mr. tail az the case may be, to run a muck against
4bis ouiet unoffendng old earth of ours. We can.
mt see why any comet should enter into conspra-
ov with Dr. Cummings, of London, to pitch into US
On the 18th of next June. We cannot see what
prudge any comet can have against the globe that
we ;nhabit that it should be seized with insane
desire 10 butt its head against her terrestrial
stomach and midr.f We have never heard OF any
hard words having passed between the parheS' ana
we take it especially hard, that the reverend Dr.
should aid and abet instigate and excite the comet
unknown to the commission of the threatened assault
and battery Why should the Doctor take sides with
the comet? What is he to gain by desertng the
catse of the earth and turning second-boitle holder
trainer as were 10 the long tailed visitant what
can have made the man so ferocious? To be sure
he turned sort Of Know Nothing couple OF years
ago, and wrote long letter in which be predicted
that the Pone and the wild Irish would play the
deuce generally unless somebody cut Oh their coat
tails and great toes, but surely the idea OF mounting
astride of a comets tail, and knocking US all to
smash is rather desperate expedientto be resorted
to for the prevention of the other dreaded consum'
nation.
Cannot something be done with the comet, or lis
friend, the Dr.? Is there chance for our obtaining
a short respite? Does nobody know Cummings, and
will nobody beg him to say word or two in our ia
Vor? 1t is hard case, for unfortunately the world
is not prepared to wind up-we should all ike 10
square up and pay up before winding up but NOBODY
can do so between now and the 18th OF next month
1t can't be did.
There is one little, trembling hope left. The com
cts head is said to be very soft and the Dr. is much
softer than his heart. They may end old mother
earth too hard for them. This world of ours is
right hard customer, as many ambitious youth has
had reason TO acknowledge. The very atmosphere OF
the ca rh is said 10 be much harder than the head OF
the comet--much more solid, and the light headed
youngster may find out that ii has caught TARTAR
Like unto man missing his lick and striking his
fist against hr ok wall it may bark the knuckles of
it's bead- may scalp itself, may dislocate its tall
it may hurt it's own feelings it may cripple itself
generally, and be made to feel cheap, torn up in its
mind, foolish, backed down and ACKNOWLEDGMENT
sucking comet, and there will be sympathy for it.
Think of that DR.. Cummings, and take care of your
Quixotic Protege.
But there is horrible suspicion behind. The
comet is said TO be composed of very atenuated gas
ses. The atmosphere of the earth is also composed
of gasses. Gases have chemical affinity for each
other, and who knows what fusion - may take
lace! Our atmosphere, instead OF defending us,
ay act like Louis Phlippe's troops, and faternze u
with the revolutionary outside party and out OF that
fusion an infammabe gas may arise that will 60 off
like fash on coming in contact with anything like
fire. Wouldn't it be advisable to put out all the
fires, extingush the lights, eat cold vctuals, go to
bed at dark, and lock up the locofoco matches for
couple Of weeks before and after the visit Of the COM
et-that is, if we survive so long.
But we are threatened in another and totally diff
ferent way. Some folks say that the comet is the
occasion of tie late Spring That instead of burn
ing US up it is going TO freeze out. Its tail is
composed of volatile ether, and will CONCEAL even
drummond lights and other evidences of combustion,
causing them to stand stiff pokers, which is ght
full 10 think of, Some Russian explorers once started
overland to the North pole. In the course OF their
suddenly the thermometer fell from the mild point Of
AZ degrees below zero until presently it became Sc
verely cold and a phenomenon was presented-a
very strange one at that The blaze stood right
straight in its tracks without Pickering or waving
They touched it with their hands and it was frozen
hard, some Of them broke off pieces and essayed tC
eat it. 1t tasted pretty we'll, with sort of cayenne
pepperish favour Luckily they took the hint in
time and merely tasted it, Some put pieces in their
pockets by way of curiosity, and forget ii for some
time until it was brought TO their minds in a rather
unpleasant way. One night they had all gone ASLEEP
the weather moderated-the chunks of solid fame
in their pockets thawed out ard set fire to their gar
ments, coming near consuming the bodies and bones
oyer'coas and breeches OF eleven sleeping Russians
Such the terrible prospects before u.s. such arr
be tates with which we are threatened by DR.. Cum
mings and his private and personal comet. We have
felt bad about it for sometime, and had intended *
have given both of them piece of our mind, Blu
have been preventing from devoting to it the prope
attention bY the mere sublGnarv topics of public