The semi-weekly mountain Democrat., 1860-09-19

hack Such amusements diminish the
'ctivity Of the mind. Too much fatigue
'xhAusts tho animal spirits, as too much
Ood blunts the finer faculties; but else.
where he allows his philosopher an occa-
| |thnal slight inebriation AN amusement
Which was very prevalent among our
'octs formerly. Seneca concludes admi-
ably; Whatever be the amusements
YOU choose, return not slowly from those
'fthe body to the mind, exercise the latter
light and day, The mind Is nourished at
cheap rate; neither cold nor heat, nor
,gc ITSELF can interrupt this exercise.
Give, therefore, all your cares to pos
session which ameliOratcs even in its old
lgc.
IAN ingenious writeFShas observed,
that n garden just accommodates itself to
the pcrambulatiQps ofa scholar who would
perhaps rather wish his walks abridged
than extended Thtre is a good charac-
tcriStic account of the node which the
iteraG take exercise, in Pope's letters.
like poor squirrel, np continually in
mntiOpa indeed, but it is about cage Of
three tSet; my little excursions are like
'hcSe of Shopkccpcr, who walks every
'hV n mihe. two before his own door,
hut minds his own business all the while
\ turn or two in garden will often very
happily close fine period, mature an
unripcnrd Thought, raise up fiesh asSoci,
ationS, when the mind like the body, be-
comes rigid by preserving tie sam pos.
turr. Button often quilted the apartment
he studied in, which was placed in the
midst Of his garden, for a walk IN it Eve.
lyn loved books aud n garden"
sSS&S
TnI RrM MorloN OF TIE SrN.-One OF
the last ui0mphS Of astronomy is the dis.
covcry Of the tranSlatory motion Of the
solar system. II we are walking from one
grove of trees TO another, the trees we are
approaching will seem to draw more close
" together, or Subtend smaller angles to
the eye. BY numerous and very delicate
observations Of the stars, il is found that
those in the constellation " Hercules" ap-
pear to reccdo from each other, while
those in the exactly opposite portion Of
the heavens appear to be drawing more
closely together. From these changes in
the apparent position Of the stars, the in.
ference is irresistible that we, and, OF
course, the sun and all the solar system,
are sweeping through space in the dircc.
ton of the constellation "Ilcrculcs. "
The exact point in the heavens tow ards
which we are moving has been calculated
from observations of 100 stars, TO be 25y
degrees and minutes, Right Ascension,
"a degrees and 80 minutes, North Dcclen.
sion, but il is understood that this is liabl,
to prove slightly erroneous on further Oh
scrvation. The great problem on which
astronomers are now engaged is to aScer
tain whether this motion is in straight
line, OF whether the sun is revolving in n
great orbit about soMS Immensely distant
center. Already, observations seem to in.
dicatc that the motion is in a curve, and
that the center will be found in the vicin
ity Of the Plriadcs." The velocity O
this motion, and the inconceivablc length
of time in which single revolution vii
bO accomplished, have not yet been osccr
taincd, and they will no doubt be subject.
Of Investigation for future generations. -
Sufficient, however, is already known to
justify the assertion that the whole past
history Of the human race tillS but an in
considerable fraction in this long year.