The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1866-11-18

Both OF these bOards have well paid secretaries
and clerks, and ought to be ablo to transact
their own business L9ssead Of paying out the
public money in presents to private indi-
viduals.
PROFESSOR L0oMIs-IGsaRAST DISTRACTION
AND SPURIOUS SCIENCE.--~proffssor LOOMS, Of
Yale College has the reputation OF being
learned in the ways Of the heavenly bodies,
and, az student Of the stars, can hardly be ex-
pected to have as much knowledge of worldly
affairs as falls 10 the lot OF men of less ire
mendous intellect. He who gives up his life
to a pursui, like astronomy can be excused for
some small lapses In life, and the world attrib-
utes ii to something else than stupidity II a
philosopher cannot always tell al moments
notice whether or no he has eaten his dinner
Thus LOOMS might write himself down an ass
in fifty letters TO the daily papers and show
himself as ignorant az u Fejce Of the ordinary
decencies Of allusion and all could be charged
to his preoccupation with those lofty pursuits
In connection with which his name Ia most
tends to know what is true and false beneath
the moon as well a. above it ne must be judged
in another way and according to his preten-
sions Professor LOOMS puts himself forward as
other than an astronomer in his published de-
clarAtion that 'the telegram in the HERALD,
purporting to have come from Greenwich Is
evidently spurious" Here we have new
Illustration of the old truth that the mere
theorist- tho man who will turn AL things IN
heaven or earth inside out and upside down to
establish some small notion Of his own
is at once tho most intractable and
ridiculous Of humsn boobies, We had taken
care In the matter OF news-for which
the world OF readers ard especially the world
of science should have been grateful to us.
Aware that, in case the mcteoric shower was
seen here, it would be question Of great inter-
est whether or not il was seen simultaneously
in Europe, we arranged beforehand the settle
ment of the question and instructed our London
respondent to pat himself en- rapport with
scientific men there and telegraph US If the
shower was observed. This we did in simple
discharge Of our function OF furnishing news,
and we published exclusively the facts OF the
observation on the other sidc. Oiher papers
are content 10 wait for news like this by steamer.
And this il one OF the rewards Of our enterprise.
1t suits a small biunderer like this LOOMS TO
have thecry-to have to argue that there was
no appearance Of the shower in Europe, and 80
he declares at once that the news is spurious;
and yet one Of bis reasons for arguing that the
shower could not have occurred in Europe is
ths:-if il had occurred, sit would have been
announced to US by telegraph This is the
and intensity Of LOOMS studies. They have
damaged his intellect. We have been the sub
ject Of indiscriminate abuse for many years
because we have furnished the public
with news in advance OF our so-caled con-
tempOraries. The abuse has originated
with the publishers Of other journals jealous
Of our success, and has generally circulated
among the minimizing multitude where men
and women retail to one another what is re- l
tailed to them. In such an atmosphere we
expect to hear just such ntterances rs this of
Professor LOOMS but when men with some
reputation In the learned world give them
selves up to such contemplate calnmnies--
when an astronomer cannot appreciate an even
moderate piece of newspaper enterprise, and
calls thing swindlins merely because he does
not understand it, il looks very much rs If
education and high position did not necessarily
involve any Improvement in either manners or
morals. In from ton to twelve days after the
date Of our telegram we shall hear from
Europe by steamer of the observation OF the
meteors there and win then be able to see
whether this ignorant man Of learning will
properly acknowledge that The telegram which
we alone Of all American papers gave 10 the
people was not evidently spurious"