The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-10-10
WASHINGTON CITY, SUNDAY, OCTOBER TO- 1855


ed the official astronomer Of the Union and he does
enghten me- think they must be pronounced sOlvent
There ssght want Of generosity manifested In the form
Of questioning to which Cousin ALA subjected She
may have been perfectly correct In saying that comets do
go out Of solar system but she therefore, to
be compelled to tell srs they 60 TO- what brings them
back il would be quite enough for her 10 assert and
II posibe to demonstrates her belief Of the fact without
being compelled to explain the process Of the fact
cannot make watch. but can tell when 1t b
do not know As blade Of grass grows but know ii
does grow. Sometimes think there Is literal truth in
tho Divine declaration that .4a flesh Is grass for
hare wouIdbe philosophers who only required
a warm day to change them into bunehes OF hay The
questions propounded BY the young gentlemen SAVIOR
good deal Of the sin which distinguishes older scientific
authorities sciolists and much given TO
dognatism Science should never recognise nnslity,
except God and it should always be ready 10 utter
al don't know as ''I know Every hour
pesay tribunal s deciding what must cannot be the
power nature of mystery whose shadows cannot be
guaged by our known laws We have to-day prime
elements more positive forces. Of the infinite
known to US than fathers had and yet have not
penetrated the Of that mighty orb Of the
wonderful Sometimes the hidden fire breaks out Of
some mountain top and all our poor dwellings
thrown, our fields which had mapped out arc
heimed and lost and the very rocks Of which had
said ther eternal ed by the boiling torrent and
borne far away Then we TO construct new houses
and fresh life begins.
Now, / have my own opinion about the comet but
beg say at tho outset not prepared defend It
for the simple that If knew much any
living docs it would be simply nothing, far the
nature and of these strange cleaning visants are
concerned Cousin Alias theory is good and defen-
sibe any other, and much beautiful than
he Ia
which the hand of God hus through the beautiful fab
ric Of his universe il may be flaming reservoir
cling dispense each little world like its due
proportion of that subtle fluid But have quito too
long held back Cousin Alias letter. Here it is
DO Comets go out OF our Solar Systeml
This wave Of thought comes rippIng up from the
sunny land from noble Tennessee majestic
member of Union which stands pre- eminent in tho
sisterhood of States, penned by of her humbest
daughters seated in the vneclad portco yester-
day evening. conversing with friend, The mellow
beams stealing through the leaves sofening
and subdung thoughts with their gentIe influences
when, happening to look westward, behold comet
had no sooner espe it than with that nqusve nature
which women are said to inherit wished to see more Of
IT. Acting from this impulse went into my and
wrote note to the faculty Of college requesting the
loan OF their telescope My messenger returned In
minutes with the desired instrument but had not I'm
ished my observations when second messenger arrived
with compliments and card, which written
the question which hesis this communication. re-
turnsd my compliments and card with the word yes
Again the messenger back with statement drawn
up by the committee parporting that the simple arms
ton was not sufficient II they 90 out, wrote they,
whore do they go to and what brings them back
With electric velocity Newton sublime theory of gayi
ty flashed through my mind, and wrote They go to
other systems and brought back by the force of gayi
taton' Before sending this. however, reflected
rnent and auizzed the messenger. 1t that the
students on learning that Miss L. had sent for the tele
scope to view the comet, had met in solid concave-
both societies. hundred and fifty in ALTO PROFOUND
the above grave question hundred and fifty sons of
science oil aspiring to Greek Latin, and Hebrew and
all ready, perhaps with a conflicting theory Truly
had gotten myself into beautiful ENHANCEMENT and
felt very much as Noahs dove must have felt when
rst sent out to spy land and determined forthwith to
seek shelter under the protecting Of the Middle
Aged Man. and through him. enlightenment from the
| thinking world.
sMy theory which to me Is very simple and plain,
and which may may not be correct Is submitted with
all due reverence for the learned believe that every
visible star in the vast concave and countless millions
more which invisible, by the aid Of the most
powerful telescopes all centres TO other systems
grand and magnificent own-attended with their
Accompaniment sSc1uuy piaucls,
volying rolling turning and performing their opera
tions with that order method precision and eIactness
known only the machinery of the Great Architect
And II IL be true as learned astronomers teach
u.s. that all these systems tending towards reyov
ing about centre In Infinite space, then may
not con,etsthese visitors which dart In and out OF
system in all directions after cycles and after
short periods Of time then flying of into regions
known aud returning stated intervals not they
be the links in the great chain Of innity uniting system
to syste thus forming grand and harmonious whole,
at once glorious and sublime the Supreme Builder
May not comets perform this important function mid the
rolling spheres and still be governed by the laws of
krayitaton II tho above visionary win not
some one in the metropolitan world please out to
the inquiring public the philosophy Of tho matter
A short chapter the nature and movements OF
comets generally Is most earnestly solicited by your hum
BILE correspondent COUSIN ALA
Two things only remain for me 10 suggest and hope
my fair correspondent will accept them sufficient
answer TO her quesoners The first is to impress upon
the reader that when ALA speaks Of "grayy,' II is
with reference It's ultimate In the centre of the
central SUM- around which all the grand silent march Of
stars and systems revolye Her argument Is that some
where outside OF system there exists gravitatng
force which attracts and repcs these flaming bodies that
are moro sonsitive 70 that occult attraction than is
earth than ordinary planets So that, threading
in and out amongst systems. when visible to US
amongst planets the comet Is oompensating power
stcd sor . wise purpose which We can only guess at