The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-01-15

EUlllON-OA I
Professor Mtchell,s Lecture ON Astronomy.
THE ACADEMY OF MUSIC FILLED-0BJECT OF THE
COURsE-NTERESTING INTRODUCTORY SKETCH OF
THE PROGRESS OF ASTRONOMICAL SCIENCE ETC.
SO intelligent and apprecative audience last even
ing packed the Academy Of Music bore ample testimony
70 the good sense Of our New York public, crowds
within the walls have heretofore done TO its musical
taste Tcrpschorean ability and religious curiosity was
probably Of the largest audiences ever assembled in
New York on like occasion.
Mr.. LUTHER r. BRADnH introduced Professor Mitchell
by stating, briefly that probably no city in the world was
more interested in the progress Of astronomical science
than ours the project had been formed OF establish
ing in the Central Park observatory plan COM
mensurate with the extent Of the city and its population
To accomplish this deserving aim the present
Of lectures had been established and he felt proud in in
PRODUCING the lecturer gentleman Of such reputation
and distinction as Professor Mitchell, of the Cincinnati
observatory. ., ~. =aaa -
Professor MITCHELL acknowledged his gratefulness for
large attendance and his Of the obligations which
he had assumed. His theme was one which seldom
touched the heart Of the We look out upon the
bright and beautiful stars that m the concave Of the hea
yens; them in their wonderful consultations and
beauty; we behold them rising eliminating and setting
day and night we turn and behold the planetary orbs
pioLSo
gence and splendor day after day. and night after night
the moon exhibits to US her wondrous face and these
phenomena become SO familiar that We cease TO regard
them anything wonderful (Applause) But God has
placed in the heavens the burning orb Of night adorned
them with consultations of stars and written in hierogy
phcs the history Of his own being and Of the universe by
which surrounded Shall man fail 10 lift up his
face to his native homer Shall he grove beneath,
reaching in thought and action upward to God [?
Throughout all ages all nations, peoples and tongues
that have inhabited the earth, these investigations
have been going on and man, with his gigantic powers,
has stridden onward and upward and reasoned step
by STEP until finally looks out upon the universe
and behods the grandeur and symmetry and order and
perfection and beauty which regns throughout endowed
almost with the prescience of God. (Appaisc) The
leadng idea of his first lecture would he 10 show what
man had done and what remained 10 do in This in vest
CATION of the universe and after thus soaring he would
come down to ask them TO give their aid TO assist by
all mechanical appliances of science ingenuity and skill
to give necessary whereby this problem might
be carried forward that the results might be beneficial in
this century. (Applause) There were q number of
prominent phenomena Of the planets the moon and the
sun which most all had observed Year after year the
sun travelled the same Identical path among the fixed
stars This was one Of the earliest discoveries The
lunar solar movements, and diurna revolution Of the
stars and discoveries OF the old planets and their mo-
discoveries Of the primeva ages transmitted to postery
| We could calculate planetary con1guration which
must have been marked ,9Sl before the Christian
era, the translation OF the Egyptian herogyphics
correct and how much further they went back i. is i'm
possible to tell Having gathered these phenomena TO-,
gether, next came the questons-Does the moon move
10 uie sun ievovnsr ao 'ie neavehs s ~ o.ou VI,
are these appearances put OF tne senses II
was py no means s,ianse Una. y Par sa oeeh @ ae
ceveo a. tne e VI Mus d. iess ~ .e os.fe VI .'o u,i
ior .e ,uon was e 81 IT,, % o' @ v.e wo %
heard nm could TESTIFY Oh ms own knoweuse tnat the
eartn movea was uely @ mue n.s, 80 lar hs I'M snc
moon Was te % NV - VIC @ h anu y. y X
ps % W % tb % Vt Se aJotsd thc ,hnnr1 oS r. ,ho
@ oiue as 1 VI .'J , p'. 49,, l - 10 % ~ h, & hdi VI 10y ;
hd h'd b oiud 81 nan in ron honds h;ch o
was muossibIe to break But he found that the SUM-
,s w s nt ~ rsrniar and aneuv caroa ta .ha M conn,
o ,ht ,Se csrib s no, IN the centre He eyended the
ea 70 he of The moon and to extend
it To he planets and his was the beginning Of the disco
rary of ,ber novcments This was one Hundred vears
before the Christian era and three hundred wears after
him came Polemy, who gathered and wrote out the
benefit f oeeritv the discoveries of those before him
and his own which had been preserved by
the Arabs Through the Dark Ages with
The nbosonhv of Arsotle FOn the revival Of learnng
@ @ dnd n,rsnnc his studied for thirty vaars
and soon e of he circular motion of All The MIA
nets s ent awav and OF them all is left to the earth
bnt the moon a,one Conerncus still chung To the dea
that the planets we're revuiying in crour orbits How
was be To account for the earth revolving unenually(
| with the circle stu cugng to the heay enly motions con-.
e rv bec,me he,nea non comnlexjsy uutll il was he
iot of The rsaest oi modarn astroponers-,hai na.y
! canine - s,;;srt ~ -unsnid ibsbo an ia ,corkad
ssia., sa s, H. -, ,;,, 80 cessslassv and natientI,
,rs;r 10 commute fbs orbit ~ 10 ,n, -1Tr,
uyme, " ~ F,,,a ia ia,arn,,raS va tos ,,o o ,,, -
as ,S SVuu wv re @ s., oy o.5 S o
SIS but he cund the planet V breaking away and
away, 1h.,l ne a Woikeu 1q sIe'5 l niole ny ,s pon
sp1 ss, ahu t h , ~ ""s ,,, ~ .as woslu
prooaply 'he most ASTOUNDING negauvo discovery ever
thougu tne circular motion OF tne panets
ad neen peheveu LOT I'VE hnndred years. oa had never
created any sucn iaoto lie seized the eiipuc ofn WIN
tne TWO ioci ana .s the mystery was solved Applause
UP 10 tns time there had been no dim ity IN tracing the
course OF the planets. Now, the problem was-What s
the iaw governing this moonY Night not these planets
De lhked together py some oher motion! foowlpg ths
inv estgaon for twenty two years. he finally solved that
by consideration OF the periodic time and the distances,
and established the proportion correctly. l, was then
that he said, 81 Gun wait an hundred years for reader
IL ocu can Walt thousand 0b5crver.'' But he
was not satisfied yet What is it that keeps the