The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1866-05-03

conpanied by New Guinea, Borneo, Jaw
and the Philippines. At the same time
the gray country of a sia is unrolled, anC
extends to the white steppes of the pole
Africa then comes in view, divided by
its milky way of sand To the norti
of the great Sahara, appears little
green spot torn in all directions and ful
of ramitications, this is the Mediter
renean; above which those who have
| good eyesioht will discern little, and al
most invisible, France G. Then the dry
/ land will appear. and the great dark spo
/ of the Atlantic will follow the same re.
volvino course The Selinites who
carelessly contemplate in tranquil nights
the green and gray divisions of the earth
/ will have no idea of the contest in which
! the distant tuationalites are involved.
The earth is permanent clock to the
! inhabitants of the moon. and this IS not
| its least utility By reason of its invari
BILE movements, the fixed points which
mark the different longitudes will be the
hours on the meridian of the moon
Each country of the globe has its pc
| culiar aspect, and may serve for q point
/ of departure
The phases the earth presents to the
moon will in the same manner serve as
an almanac. and we may believe they
! form its chief foundation. These phases
are Elementary to those which the
| moon presents to us; when 1T is full
moon to us. it is new earth to the Selin-
ties and when they give us new moon
we offer them a full earth. No recipro-
city can he more perfect and constant
But the phases of the earth differ es-
sentially from thos., of the moon, mas
much as their intensity. not their magni
tude, changes perpetually. This phenO
menon is very terrestrial. and we may
he sure the Selintes have judged MS
by it long ago While with them all is
calm. identical, constant. with us every
thing changes Besides the different
lus;er of different parts of the terrestrial
spheres-green continents, blue seas,
yellow deserts, white poles and gray
lands-our atmosphere is in perpetual
commotion. One day 1t is covered with
clouds. and transmits to the moon uni
form white light; the day alter it is OF
lirnpin transparency. and allows the so
lar light to fall upon absorbent green
surfaces. All of sudden it will be va
ried with fioculent mountains and varied
mosaics Thus the light the Selinites
receive from the earth-the light which
we call 'sashy," and which we only per-
ceive in the moons early days-varies
continually in intensity.
This mobility, this perpetual variation
in the aspect Of the earth, will have
made the Selinites believe that the earth
is uninhabited. But on what grounds
would they form opinions unfavorable to
its habitability They live on solid
and staple sphere. and can see nothing
like it on earth. Can any rational crea-
ture live upon that permanent atmos
pheric layer which covers all the earth
A Selinite who fell into it would be
drowned. Can it be on that sheet OF
green that washes the earth? Can it be
on those clouds that appear and disap-
pear hundred times day :? And then
tie earth turns with such velocity, 1T is
subject to so much elemental instability!
Moreover, can we believe that its inhabi-
tants are people without weight. preserv-
ing, no one knows how, mean position
between the fixed and mobile elements
How can such existences be believed
i Cosmos.