Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1874-09-18

that they are like our own moon, nothing
but barren rock. The notion expressed
by some that they are the fragments OF
an exploded planet is no longer enter.
tanned by men of science. But the
broad track of the asteroids separates
between two great families of planets,
the first or inner system consisting OF
Mercury, Venus, the earth with It's
moon) and Mars; the outer system made
up Of the four great planets--Jupiter,w with
four satellites; Saturn, with its rings
and seven satellites; Uranus and Nep.
tune. The first four may all be the abode
of life, as we know one of them to be
but recent careful observation shows
that Jupiter, the giant of the entire plan
etary system, is not yet in condition to
admit of the existence of life of any
kind. The remoteness of the other three
renders any observation of their present
condition well nigh impossible with the
best instrument yet made; but from all
that can be observed it is believed that
none of them have arrived at a condition
fitting them for life of any kind.
The diameter of Jupiter is more than
ten times that of the earth, and has a
volume exceeding hers 1 ,230 times. But
six times that of water, that of Jupiter
is barely one and third times that of
water. 1t follows, therefore, that what
we can see through telescope is not the
solid body of the planet, but the surface
OF vast and vapory atmosphere thou
sands of miles deep. The amount of
matter in Jupiter is about three hundred
times that of the earth and about one
hundred times greater than all the planets
combined. We may well suppose that
so vast Il globe is the theater of tre-
mendous forces. The clouds of Jupiter
are arranged in belts, running parallel
with the equator, but undergoing fire.
quent changes both in width and color.
During the year 1860 rift in one of
these clouds behaved in such a way as to
demonstrate the startling fact that a
hurricane was raging over an extent of
the territory of the planet equaling the
whole surface of our earth at rate of
fully 150 miles per hour. Such hurricane
on our earth would destroy every
tree and building in the territory over
which it ragged, and cause universal DESC
lation. 1t ragged six weeks.
So great is the diurnal velocity of Ju-
piter that it makes an entire revolution
in little less than ten hours, carving
seven and one-half miles per second
From the rising of the sun to the set
ting thereof is but five hours. This
great velocity has flattened its poles cor
respondingly, so that its equatorial diam
emeter exceeds its polar diameter by 1000
miles.
Appearances indicate the presence of
very much water in Jupiter, that is, in
its atmosphere; for it is almost certain
that none is yet lying upon its surface in
seas and oceans, for the Creator has not
yet divided the waters which were
under the tirmanent from the waters
which were above the armament" and
then, as Moses has written, "the earth
was without form and void, and darkness
was upon the face of the deep" Then
vast and dense atmosphere, like that of
Jupiter at present, enveloped the globe,
and then the Spirit of God moved in
fearful hurricanes upon the face of the
waters, like that storm in Jupiter Just
spoken of. Thus we are permitted to
see in another planet something of the
energy of the Almighty mentioned in
the first eight verses of the first chapter
of Genesis and thus is science made to
interpret one of the profoundest and
most difficult passages in revelation.
Jupiter is yet red hot, "for, during
the last two or three years, change of
so remarkable nature has passed over
1t as to imply the existence of forces
more energetic than those at work In
producing atmospheric changes" In the
autumn of 1870 Mr.. Browning an EN-.
inent optician and observer, "called the
attention of astronomers to the fact that
the great equatorial zone, usually of
haA do
cidedly orange TINT" and that the bright
edges of the belts bordering upon this
rudely equatorial zone seemed to be
frayed and torn like the edges of storm
clouds" Our quotations are from the
Cor,htU Magazine.
1t has been demonstrated that the light
which reaches the earth from Jupiter is
more than the reflected light of the sun
could give, therefore some of it must be
inherent. Another observation was upon
the moons of Jupiter as they passed over
the illuminated disc of the planet, them
selves equally exposed to the shining of
the SUM- The result was that the satel-
lite seemed almost black when it was
upon the middle of the planets disc, as
a cold iron ball would look if swinging
across the face of mass of molten iron
Here we have intense heat, some light
and vast investture of watery clouds.
We say watery clouds. We say watery,
for the spectroscope has proved that
there is water there Is Jupiter cooling,
as our globe probably did in ages long
past? Its enormous size requires for
that process correspondingly enormous
period; but the time will cOme-it may
be millions of years in the future-when
the waters will lie upon its surface, when
plants can spring up, and animals, and,
it may be, intelligent, worshiping beings,
shall cover the face of that immense
world.
In all this we have dealt only with
observed facts, and with legitimate facts.
Mere speculations and guesses are fool
ish and Improbable; but to know all we
can know of the works of God is a duty
and privilege. That creative energy is
still going on, and will go on forever, is
a proposition which we may read in the
heavens above us, and which the
Scriptures of Truth do not either ex-