Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1871-01-10
OF THE PLANETS.


beds, snow-lines, &c, have been ac-
curately observed and even mapped.
Well, why mott Was this earth,
only, created for a purpose Why
not Mercury and Venus also equally
as well adapted for animal life as
the earth And likewise Saturn,
Herschel and Neptune?
1t is supposed by men claiming to
be wise in such matters, that those
nearest the sun receive an amount of
heat from the sun sufficient to de-
stroy all animal life, and that those
farthest removed are too cold for
such existence, at all events, Of such
animal life as that existing on the
earth. Underlying such opinions is
the'notion that all the planets receive
their light and heat by direct emana-
tons from the sun, I'm degrees pro-
portioned to the squares of their dis
tances." Now, has it ever been es-
tablished that the sun does send out
light and heat to his numerous fam
lily? Nay, may not the notion be
ranked with the olG-time notion re-
speeding the stability of the earth
and the revolving labor Of the sun,
moon and stars? The ancients took
it for granted that the sun travelled
round the earth and we, that the
sun sends off rays Of light and par
ticles of heat for the benefit, at least,
of the earth and its inhabitants. We
smile at the crude notions of the an
clients, though they were in intellect
equal to ourselves ; and, no doubt, in
a few centuries, oar descendants will
laugh at our ignorance, notwithstand-
ing our nineteenth century" pride.
If light and heat are thrown off by
the sun, OF course their density will
be in proportion to the distances
from the sun. But is that the fact |?
This is assumed, bat is it true? 1t
is not true with regard to the partic-
ular conditions of the earth. If it
were true, the mountain top should
be at least as warm and as light as
the low lands But the degrees of
light and heat can be measured by
the density and rarity of the earth's
atmosphere and this, as a rule, may
be determined by hparness to, or dis
tance from, the earth. 1t is not con-
tended that these, especially heat,
are governed, absolutely, in all cases,
by this rule. There are sufficient
disturbing causes in the air currents,
to produce great changes, relatively
and locally, in the earth's tempera-
ture, and these currents are not al
ways discernable on the surface.
again, suppose light to be mate
rial substance (and if it is transmit
ted in direct lines from one body to
another it must be materiaD, why
will not a solid piece of flint glass
two inches thick, or even a topaz of
like thickness, arrest these delicate
particles in their passage, while a
fold of black cloth-a much more
porous article-will almost entirely
arrest the passage of light? Sun
light and heat diminish with the in
creased distance from the earth, and
increase as it is approached. 1t
would seem, therefore, to follow that
at some point of distance-probably
beyond the eqrth's atmosphere
neither of them exists. Is it not,
therefore, more reasonable that both
light and heat, instead of being indie
pendent bodies, are but properties of
the material of which the earth is
constituted, and that they are con-
sequently always present, either in
their latent or active condition
The SUMS presence excites them to
action, by what process, or how we
know not neither is it necessary TO
know. True, an objector may ask
h0lo the sun excites these results, and
may think his inquiry fatal to the
conclusion. But lot such a one an
swer hOW the sun exercises centripe-
tai and centrifugal forces upon the
planets to keep them in motion in
their orbits; or hoW is the attraction
of one body exercised upon another.
And further, let it be answered b0'0,
or by what process, tne exceedingly
minute, impalpable atoms Of heat
are elected from the suns surface
with sufficient velocity to reach so
many millions of miles before the
force is expended
Let it be granted, then, that light
and heat are properties Of the con-
stituents of the planets, and there
will be no necessity of supposing the
degree of heat upon Mercury any
greater than upon Uranus. By the
way, heat is not q real entity. 1t
but expresses the relative condition
one body sustains to another. There
is no time by which cold aud heat
can be absolutely divided.
These things being so, the conclu-
sion is easily reached, that all the
planets may furnish suitable abodes
for rational, sentient beings, similar
to man, or indeed, as for that matter,
precisely like him. A vast amount
Of creative energy and superstruc-
ture would be floating uselessly, yet
orderly, through the heavens were IL
not so.
We are as much disposed in the
last few years to be too scientific, as
the Athenians were to be too relig-
ious in the days Of the Apostle Paul.
Almost anything that comes to us in
the name of science, we receive with
out so much as raising q question
1t were better to be less wise, and
more sure of our promises.
The Latin Of the name over which
| would like to appear in your col
umns, with some fugitive thoughts
now and then, may not be as appar-
ent as it was in the case Of those two
"cusses" who tilted at one another IN
yosr columns a couple of years ago
nevertheless it may be quite as sig-
nificant to most readers OF hnglish.
NoTACUs.
December 2sth, 1870.