Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1869-08-12

Such an eclipse ofthe
sun as occurred yesterday woula once have
suspended all duties, all happiness, and
have sent the population OF the world
rushing about in panic for sopne place
Of doubtful security or to their temples
with dispairing cries to their gods. These
events were TO them full only OF direful
promise and destruction. But now how
different. As scierce advanced step by
step, as knowledg e increased. these fear
full mysteries were resolved into plain and
orderly facts. The comet is no longer the
fiery messenger ofvengeance--thc eclipse
no longer a devouring destruction.
How we wonder now at the fear it once
inspired. The alminac prepared before the
new year begins cody tells the Number o,
eclipses for the year 10 come, how many
pOi the sun and now many Of the moon
just the honr, and the instant when each
of them will occur, just the places on the
earih's surface where they will be visible
knowledge has made these once myster>
ious afid terrible events the most matter
of fact occurrences. Here where al, Tor so
!ong time, seemed To be disorder and
arrangement and subject To chance there
Is found to be the most accurately estab>
ished order and Iermanancy. The great
Creator is found 10 have arranged all these
wonderful movements with the utmost
Licety and securely. More than ever is
the wisdom, power and 5enevulcnce o
God displayed. Increased confidence is
FELT in the stability of his creation.
But in another sense how has the in>
creased knowledge of science increased
our peace. Look for moment al the ex>
tent and grandeur as displayed in the
prosecution of scientific investigation,
Cnce the earth was thought 10 be the cen
ter of the universe. the largest of created
things and that around which tire heavens
as g. eat canopy set with the moon and
sun and stars, revolved. Now we End our
world to be but one of several and that
among the least of the number revolving
about the sun as center. OF the eight
planets OF our system we find but two
smaller than The earth aud one ihou>
sand times larger while the sun is vastly
larger than all combined. These bodies
once supposed to be mere ornaments sci
some distance above us in the sky, are
now known to be great worlds with their
days and nights and months and years
and seasons and moons and eclipses and
comets and clouds and rain and snow
similar to our own earth. And can VIC sup
pose that on these great and glorious worlds
there are nc intelligent beings, no nations
with their great industries, no ships for
their oceans, no animals, no great and
marvellous history, 40 heroes and renown>
ed scholars and statesmen? Oh, when we
contemplate these great orlds and their
possible history, their nations and iheir
character-when we think Of how much
grander is their sky than ours with theiI
various moons and their magnificent rings
that their hours are like our days in length
their days like our months, their year:
like our generations, single year on one
of those globes eqIaling 81 of our puuy
yearS-when we rem cmber how mucl
more exalted in intelligence and charac.
ter may be the Inhabitants of these world.
how little and iLsis niiicanl does the eartl
with all of its great oceans and continent.
and its nations appear. We are goiD;
around the sun in constant fight will
worlds among which we would not be Wis
able st the distance they arc from US.
But we go one step further. Welool
at the sun the center of our system. w,
fluid that II too is in ceascless motion
around some great orbit, carrying earth
aud its fellow planets with It. and W,
find that our mighty and glorious sun i
bat one OF great family of suns number
ing many mlllions--one OF small dimen
sions when compared with others an,
that this great system OF suns, each tn
1
own, greater in size and number in man,
instances than our own, are circlIng il
their flight of countless ages around SOM
glorious central point in the universe.
And now as we reflect that these sun
shining by the million through the bound
less space of the heavens a.e each til
center of a reinue of worlds speedin
their yearly revolutions around it. Som
Of these suns many thousand times large
than our own and lighting up and sustain
lug globes to which our earth would bs
but as grain Of sand to a mountain
when we contemplate all this as the re
vealed truth of modern astronomy, to sa
nothing OF the vast fields Of Nebule tina
appear to our mightiest telescopes for be
yond our system Of suns-when, | say
we think of all this how exalted are on
ideas of that being who made them an
set them In motion and controls them b.
his laws. How incor ceivably great
God in power and wisdom. What dis
plays arc here of his glory! How worth
is he to be king-how impossible that b
should not be supreme. How saiisfyin
to the soul, how full of security, is I'll
thought of being subject of such Kin
the inhabitant of such an empire. Her
must ever be life, development, new dis
plays of glory and beauty from age to ag
Here is indeed an almighty arp TO su'
tain and here too is boundless scene {
glory for the contemplation of ipmorti
powers. How well does the language {
Isaiah suit this thougLt--"Lift up your eye
on high, and behold who hath create
T these things, that brIngeth out their no
by number; he calleth Them all by name
by the greatness of his might, for that |
: is strong in power; not one faileth- VIII
sayest thou, o Jacob, and speakest
Israel; my way is hid from the Lord, an