Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1860-01-28
Lac cAsE 81 eALlLEo.

LGuNJ Ey11AAl4l W -
and results
THE CASE or CALICO.
Our next illustration of opposition to
Discovery, is connected with name ia
miliar to every reading school boy. You
anticipate me and know that am about TO
mention GaliIeo-that noble Floreutine,
who is known TO the world, both as an IN
yentor and as discoverer. Tempting as
are the incidents of the life of Calico, we
must avoid them here, and cieave most
closely to our text. When % years OF
age, Calico occupied the Chair of Mathc-
lnatics in the University of Pisa. Here he
gave himself to the study of the laws OF
motion, and by real experiments, demon
strated that all bodies, whatever be their
nature, are all equally affected by gray
ity, and that if the spaces through which
they descend in equal times are differ
ent, this depends on the unequal resls-
lance opposed to them in the air, accor-
ding to their different volumes! This
discovery. demonstrated before immense
assemblies at Pisa, awakened strong en-
thusiasm among the people. But the
men of science ut Pisa, were so enragcd
bv this new doctrine that they beset Cali
leo with annOyanccs and prosecutions, I'M
til they drove him from the University and
from the city. Heis, however, now but, run
ming with the footman; he is destined to
''contend with Misses" Taking advantage
of IL hint from a Dutchman, Calico in
vented the telescope, and applied it to the
observation of the DEMONSTRATIONS dis
coveries replaying the ingenuity and indus
try of the astronomer. lie discovers that
the moon is not sclf-luminous, regular
and untarniShed orb, but body, shining
with reflected light, and exhibiting irregu-
larities of shape and surface. He also dis
covers the four satellites of Jupiter-the pc
culiar structure of Saturn-the phases of
Venus-the Solar spots aud their ceasleSs
motion-the movement of the atmosphere
of our earth with the globe itselt-the
Milky Way, and the Nebulae. Ere this po-
sition of superior knowledge, Calico fur
nished full confirmation of the Coperni-
clan theory. And now the Florentine as
tronomer knew too much for his compan-
ions and for his age. Envy hurls her shaft
at him. His discoveries were all said to
be empty dreams. He is talked against,
and ecclesiastics try to preach him down.
Ere 1916 Gulileo is cited to appear at
Rome, before an ecclesiastical assembly,
nominated by the Pope, and consisting OF
seven Cardinals. This Church Court ar
rived at the following conclusions: "To
maintain that the Sun is placed immovea-
BILE in the centre of the world, is an oPin-
ion absurd in itself, false in philosophy and
formally hereticNl because 1t is directly
contrary TO the scriptures. To maintain
that the earth is not placed in the centre
of tho world-that it is not immoveable-
that it has even daily motion of rota-
ton, is also an absurd proposition, false in
philosophy, and AT least erroneous in
point of faith"
BY this tribunal he was interdictcd from
teaching his astronomical doctrines, and
also from avowing them. In 1888 Calico
was summoned for the second time to APP
pear before the InQuisition. During the
Is years which had elapsed since the in
terdictment already named, he occupied
himself in collecting proofs of the motion
of the earth and of the condition of the
heavens, according to his own theory
These proofs were published in 1923, and
their publication was the occasion of Cali
leo's second appearance in the city of the
seven hills. Bowed down by the intirmities
of three score and ten years, and by the
burden of disease, he left Florence for
Rome. lie appeared before tue Iuquisition
and was finally summoned to receive in
substance, the following sentences. He
was required first to make this declaration:
l allure, curse and detest the error and
heresy of the motion of the earth. Sec
ondly, To promise that he would never
more say or assert anything, verbally or
in writing, importing that the Sun is the
centre of the world and immoveGble, and
that the earth is not the centre of the
world and immOveablc. Thirdly, His
works, containg his astronomical theories,
were prohibited. Fourthly, He was con-
dcmned to suffer imprisonment for an in
definite period, detcrminnble at the pleas
ure of the InqusitiOn, and to recite over
once week, during those years, the seven
Penitcntial Psalms. do not know wheth-
or the Psalms were rccitcd, but history
tells us that the imprisonment was intlict-
ed. 1t is also said that he (Galileo) could
not command an entirely still tongue. He
had abjurcd his astronomical doctrine,
meekly upon his knees. And report hath
it that us the astronomer rose from the
ground, he said in his silyery Italian
tongue, SIT moves Notwithstanding
like the old man for that abjuration of the
abjuration One could wish that the
patriarch in science had allowed him
self to be slain, rather than renounce
what he knew to be truth. Perhaps,
however. martyrdom is too much to ex-
peer from an old man in such a case. In
the absence of this, however, we glory in
that indignant whisper-"It moves not
withstanding." 1t is like a sun beam
piercing q dense cloud, and forming q
golden edifice in the dark mass Of vapor.
1t is like spring of water opening, by
force of its own upward pressure, ths
earth above it, and securing for itself an
outlet 1t is like the unfolding of the leaf
and the opening of a bud, before the win
ter is over and gone by the power of the
vital juices of the plant and tree. "H
mOres nohrihstdndiag." The Cardinalsand
the Pope were spinning around with the
earth, while they denied her motion, and
could their sentence have arrested its
course, they would have been cast from
our sphere at an angle which would have
I,Ct A. a.;
dust atoms for ever and ever-a meet pun
ishment this for obstinate immovabililies.