The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-03-05
The PlantamOur Comet.
A REAssuRNo VIEW.

Natvrs qulets the approximations Of the
public with regard 70 the Apocryphal
comet Of the Geneva astronomer, alter the
manner following: "Wehaye reason to
know that many weak people have been
alarmed, and many still weaker people
made positively III, by an announcement
that has appeared in almost all the news.
papers, to the effect that Professor Planta.
mour, Of Geneva, has discovered o comet
Of immense size, which Is TO collide as
our American friends would say, with our
planet on the 18th OF August next. We
fear that there Is no foundation whatever
for the rumor. In the present state Of
science nothing could be more acceptable
than the appearance Of good large
comet, and the nearer Il comes to US the
bitter, for the spectrOscope has d long &C.
count TO settle with the whole genus,
which up TO this present time has fairly
eluded our grasp. But II Ia not too much
TO suppose that the laymen In these mat.
ters might imagine that the discovery
would DO too dearly bought by the ruin
OF our planet Doubtless, II such ruin
were possible, or, Indeed, probable let
US discuss this point. Kepler, who was
want TO say that there as many comets In
the sky as fishes In the ocean, has had his
opinion endorsed In later times by Arago,
who has estimated the number Of these
bodies which traverse tho solar system as
100000. But what follows from this 7
Surely that comets arc very harmless
bodies, or we should have suffered from
them long before this, even II we do not
admit that the earth Is as old as geolo.
gists would make It But this Is not all.
Il Is well known that some among their
number which have withal put on q very
portentous appearance are merely the
celestial equivalent Of our terrestrial
'windbags-brought down 70 their proper
level they would have Rhrunk into very
small Dimensions indeed. But there Is
more comfort still. The comet Of ITO
positively got 80 near 70 Jupiter that II
got entangled among his moons, the
diameter OF the smallest OF which Is only
some two thousand miles; but the moons
pursued their courses as II nothing
had happened, while the comet was so
discounted by the encounter that II
returned by another road O., astronom.
ically speaking, its orbit was entirely
changed. While, last ofall, in our CORE.
spondence this week will be found one
fact the more in favor OF the idea that, in
1861, we actually did pass through q
comet. We have suggestion for those
weak people who are still alarmed by
these celestial pOrtents and steadily refuse
to acquaint themselves with the most
elementary work on astronomy, which
would convince them how eroundless
their fears are. In India, during the last
eclipse, the priests reaped magnificent
harvests from the offerings Of the faithful.
In England, possibly, il would DO con.
sidered incorrect TO make such offerings
to the priest; but let them still be made
! TO the Royal Astronomical Society. In
/ this way the English Philistines would
approach nearer the standard of his less
civilized brother; science would be bene.
fitted, and, doubtless, the omen would be
avGrtcd-at all events, they always have
been