The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1858-05-06
WAS THE MOON EVER A COMET,

According to M. Arago, the Arcal;ans
thought themselves of older date ,h.n ,Lo
moon. They maintained that their auces-
tors had inhabited this planet before it had
any satellite. Struck with tLis sinoular
opinion, some philosophers have imagined
that the moon was formerly a comet, which
IN performing its clliptical course round
tile sum- came into the niglLorhood of the
ear' and was drawni into revolution around
1t. Such change Of orbit is possible:
but evidently it could not have taken place
1t The comets pcrihcion distance had been
great. The comet must, therefore. have
passed very near the sun, and have experi.
enced an intense heat, capable of dissippa.
ting every trace of humidity. The almost
entr' absence of an atmosphere round the
moon' the scorehed appearance of its vast
mountains and deep valleys, and the few
plants that are seen, have been cited a.
proofs that the luminary was once comet
lh's reasoning is pronounced by NJ. Araoo
as founded upon the strangest confusion of
language.
The moon has indeed a scorcl,ed annear,
ance, it by that is meant that all narts Of
It's surface shows traces Of former volcanic
erupiions; but nothing in its aspect indi.
ca,es' at the present day, what temperature
the moon has heretofore been sul cted to
by tho action of the solar rays. These two
phenomena have no connection with ea.h
other. The volcanos of Ireland, of Mayen,s
Island, and of Kamschatka, show everv
year that the frost at the surface Of Tho
polar regions have no effect upon subterra.
neous matter, the chemical action Of Which
produces eruption. In all the multitude Of
bodies, Of various forms and degrees Of
brightness, which the spacious firmanept
displays, comets are the only ones which
are evidently and sensibly surrounded with
a gaseous envelope, of real atmospl,erf
This atmosphere may have been formed bv
the evaporation of matter which originally
existed in the nucleus, but it is always found
to accompany comet, and there would be-
no reason for its being separated from it.
whatever arrangement the comet might sx.
perience in the form and original position
of its orbit from an accidental attraction.
Thus the almost entire absence of all atmt a.
phere round the moon is rather against than
for the opinion that It was once a. comet.
A Southern gentleman. owned = ''Iia Slave
very intelligent fellow, who was a Uni
versalist. On one occasion he illustrated,
the intellectual character Of Lis tfeEgiojai In In
the following manner: ne.
A certain slave had obtained a ,iissisa
of the Babtists to preach. He was hosd;sH
forth in the presence of many ef hk soiSg;.
ed brethern at one time, when he. aunder-,
took TO describe the processo of Adam. 'SiYsaS,,
ton. Said he, "When God 'madsLAdsnY
he stood down, scraped 9llpfah'llttle y aHs Hat
it little, warmed it a 81 little INA hobshspd4
and squeezed It ID de right shapss INA aat I;
lean it up against the tsace to ary..Sd, s,gs,d
Top dare said our Universaiisss1sslsv:.
'you say dat are de fnstest man -Syya4smadSf
"saten r said ths sss sssss sf,sa %.
I .!",Den,n = said the otharas u & sletisss
what dat at fence come from slp.s,e Nd, nsaw
Hush !" said .ths preacher, .ttH tHosYAosG,
questions like dst wonid vet spip dp s.l l H ;Is s
in de world" ,yai.3@t, I,asas. ID, a,",s