The avant courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1871-1872, 1872-04-04
The Apochryplial fComet.


people have been alarmed. and many still
weaker people made positively ill., by an an
w. roaneeinentgwhcl has appeared in almost
~ All the newspapers, to the effect that Pro-
fessor Plautamour, of Geneva has discovered
comet Of immense size, which is to sscoIl-
~ ists;s las our American friends would say
with our planet on the 18th Of AugHstnext.
We fear that there is no foundation whatever
Tor the rumor. In the present state of science
nothing could be more acceptable than the
appearance OF a good large comet, and the
nearer it comes to us the better. for the spec
troscope has long account to settle with the
4, whole genus, which up to tliis present time
Fl has fairly elnded our grasp. Butt II isnot too
much to suppose that the laymen in these
matters n.igHtimagine that discovery would
be too dearly bought by the ruin of our plan
ct. Doubtless, if such ruin were pessibles
or. indeed, probable--but1et us discuss this
y point. kepicr who WAS wont to say there
are as many comets inf the sky as fishes iii
tht ocean, has had his opinion endorsed in
4. later times by Arago, who has estimated the
number of tlrese bodies which traverse the
solar system at u, 800, coo. But what follows
from this? Surely that comets 4 are very
harmless bodies, or we should have suffered
from them long before this, even If we do
not admit Chat the earth is as old as geoo-
gists would make it. But this is notall. 1t
Is we'll known th:rt some among their NUM-
Der which have withal put on very porten-
tens appearance are merely the Celestial
equivalent of our terrestrial "windbags''---.
brought down to their proper level they
- woull lave SHRINK into very small dnen-
. siohs,a indeed. Bat their is more comfort
still. = The comet Of ITO positively got.s.so
near to Jupiter that it got, entaHgled among
his moons, the diameter of the smallest or
which is only some 1900 mies; bit the
moons pursued their courses as If nothing
had happened while the comet was SO dis
comfted by the encounter that ite returned by
another road. g.. systematically speaking,
orbit was entirely changed. While, last
of all, incur correspondence this week will
lie found one fact the more III favor of the
idea thar, III 1861. we actually did pass
through comet. We have suggestion for
those weak people who are still alarmed By
these celestial portents, and steadily refuse
s TO acqli:tint themselves with the most elcmen-
E tary work on astronomy, which would con-
We tiIEe them how grouudless their fears ar !.
In India, during the last eclipse, the priests
Il seaped magnificent harvesfs from The offer
u ings OF the faithful. LII England, possibly, il
would be considered in correct TO make such
= offerings to the priests butt lettilen still be
made-to The Royal Astronomical society. In
this way tire English Philistine would APP
proach nearer The standard of his less civili-
! zed brother; science would be benefited, and
doubtless lie omen would be averted-at all
events, they always have beens-- Mature.
Luck IN DIAMOND SEEKIA G.-Diamond Dig
gillg u, South 4Africa. as in Eel Derados, Id q
sort of lottery. For ms ance; three brothers
worked separately. but near eachotheI. One
Of them from . years work, gained shout fifty
dollars over expenses; the other brothers rea-
lied ten thousand. Yet the work requires
men Of robust health, steady habits and
! plenty Of patience. The advice generally
given By those who know Is that no man
who has already q renaaHerative employ
ment should engage in the work, and no.
man should 90 TO the fields without reser-
wing money enonghto take him back il case
of failure. II
az Philip Bother. Of Patterson, New Jersey
lived happily in the SAME house it'll his tsro
three years One was German
who couldn't speak English. tila other All
Irish woman who couldn't speak German.
HE toldsnuInber one tiiat number two was
hi !. mother and namlye two that nnmber
4 one was HIS servant But Alf III Al cyil hour
&Ise DESTROYER. neighbor who could speak
both gnsges, entered the peaceful family
circle. and Philip has gone where the turn
key twineth Cheap Post, -