Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1868-09-22

war with long list OF heroes. Good men the'
were, and true, every one of them. When thei
llkenesses are hung in their places. go often tt
see them. Go with companions that you may
talk Of their gallant deeds and noble daring
their Christian virtues and manly graces Bu
when you feel that your good resolutions begin
to fail, 60 alone, and listen to those eloquent
mutes on canvass, and gather fresh resolution
and determined will, by gazing upon the pic
| lures OF jackson and Garland of Rodes. Crutch
field, and their fallen comrades
Strive in all things and at all times to be
right minded and as you are conducted along
those beautiful walks in the fields of physical
research, which modern investigation has made
SO lovely and instructive, guard against the Sc
ductlve arguments OF those authors who delight
to point out what they cali contradictions to
the Bible.
| My dear young friends, always remember
| that the author OF that Book Is nature God
that the revelations of SCIENCE and the state
| ments OF the Bible are both true, and that
truth cannot contradict itself.
Now, when you fancy you discover, as many
| say they do, discrepancies between science and
the Bible, be not last, as CoIenso and others
have been, to pronounce the Bible wrong
keep trOin presumptuous sins, and be firm In
the belief that the Bible is true-that science
Is true, and that If there be apparent discrep
fault OF either, but of yourself, their interpre-
ter. The records are right, but their interpre-
tatlon has, on many occasions, been wrong.
Oclence is progressive, and Tor its healthful
advancement speculation is often necessary
lhe boldness OF such speculation, uttered In
the shape of hypothesis, has sometimes startled
the world, and needessiy disturbed the minds
OF Christian people. sometimes the reading
OF the Bible has been wrong, and sometimes of
the volume ot nature, but In the end the dark
sayings OF each have been found to throw light
upon the other. Galhleo, in advance Of his
time, maintained that the earth turned on its
axis; and Mother Church in those days was
offended. She pronounced the doctrine DAM
nabe heresy, and required him to renounce it.
As ne signed the recantatlon and turned away,
he muttered Yea, remember, but it turns
for all that. - So, TOO, with the Nebulse hy-
pothesis, about which you are yet to learn, but
which some good men have been disposed to
regard as modern heresy because of it's au
thor. Recent discovery and scientific investi
cation are now presenting 1t IN g new light,
without In the least disturbing any religious be-
lief whatever.
First, hypothesis, then theory. then demon
stration-these are the steps by which the
science of astronomy has reached its present
advanced state At first, the hypothesis was
that the earth was the centre of universe; that
it stood still, aud that the heavens rolled round
it from East to West But discovery and re-
search soon CONVINCED astronomers that this
theory was not consistent with the results of
observation. Then, the theory was that the
heavens stood still, and that the earth turned
around daily on its axis from West to East
and annually, in orbitual revolution, round the
sun. Observation and research furnished data
by which the truth OF this theory, as far as it
goes, was demonstrated. Finally, it was dis
covered that the sup is moving through space
with the velocity OF cannon balls, carrying in
his train the earth and the whole retinue Of
planets, asteroids and satellites, and so hypoth-
esIs was brought to the dignity of a theory
which recOnclles all the known facts of the case
Though we may not claim that tha Nebulae
hypothesis has, as yet attained to the dignity
of theory nevertheless its plausibiIity ap-
pears TO be such as to bring it within the range
4E probability, and, therefore, it may or may
not have truth for its corner stone.
The Nebule hypothesis is the conception of
great French geometer named Lapace. This
hypothesis is more profound IN Its reach than
Newton laws, tor the Englishman with his
beautiful theory Of gravitation only dealt with
the aveny bodies as he found them The
Frenchman soaring beyond that, attempted to
deal with them from the beginning, to com
prehend chaos and to show how, when the
earth was without form aud vold, the various
physical processes took place by which the III
organic matter of the universe was condensed
into suns, aggregated Into planets, thrown OFT
and converted into satellites, sent wheeling on
their orbits about the sun, ami then turning On
their axis. In comparing these two phlloso
pliers, L speak Of their lntellects, not OF their
characters.
You know how all the planets revolve in the
xEa
direction opposite to the hands of watch,
and have their orbits nearly in the plane of the
sun 5 equator; that they also rotate on their
axes in the same direction, and that with the
single exception, perhaps, OF the two outside,
and most distant planets all their moons do the
same. They could not move as they do by any
chance for there Is no chance in nature. neither
In the heavens nor III the earth; m0revOr, ac-
cording to the doctrine OF chances, the odds
are mi!lous aud millions to one against such an
arrangement as that which We actually behold
among the planets as they move In their orbits.
1t is assumed, as our point OF departure that
this arrangement III the planetary world must
be according to design and In obedience to law.
Upon other assumptions equally plausible, Its
author founded his hypothesis, and then pro-
ceeded by analogy and illustration to develop
it, aud that with degree Of probability,
which, If 1t do not carry CONVICTION to our
minds, must at least challenge our respect and
| admiration. 1t assumes that in the begun
ming the earth, sun aud moon, with all the
! planets We're III gaseous state; that when
this was the case the planetary spaces were
filled by this rare and attenuated matter.
What are the reasons for these assumptions Z
Chemistry tells us thas all the matter OF which
this earth conslsts-the rocks, the metals and
the mountalns-ls is made from sixty one or sixty
two simple substances; that the greater part
Oh ali the solid matter IN the world Is gaseous
| that one half OF the earths crust consists of
oxygen alone, and that all the water in the sea
is composed of but two gases, and nothing else,
and that all the other substances known upon
the earth may, by heat, be either volatilized or
converted into fumes and vspors, as rare, light
and attenuated as the gases themselves. With
such materials, which the Frenchman called
nsbRlous, he, with his theory, filled the plane
| tary spaces. That this assumption may re-
ceiye from ysu its due weight, it is necessary to
state that we have recently discovered, and can
now prove almost that the nebule are of just
such materials as this hypothesis calls for
| AS this chaotic mass of matter 5egan-so
runs the hypotheslS-to radiate off its heat,
TOR the assumption is, land it is supported by
many analogles), that the centre OF our plane!
Is still In an lueandescent state-as, therefore,
this chaotic and highly heated mass began to
radlate off its heat and to cool, it began to con-
tract, and thus motion was generated from that
motion, the hypothesis derives the primun1
@aabi2e or the power which first gave the planets
the motion in their orbits.
Such, in brief are the assumptions of La