The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-04-04
GheGatelIiqturrr,
Evolution Of tbe Solar Systsm.
The NebnIar Hypothesis OF the Orr.
GIN Of the Planetary Scheme.

GIN OF Inc I'IHnCtHIy oCnemes
trhin misunderstanding the contrast betwee
the scientific theory and the artificial method
Editors Of the lutellIgenceE
All nations which have sufficiently pre-
creased from primeYal barbarous condl
ton 10 notathe phenomena surroundln
them, andtO speculate upon the origin {
the universe as well Rs upon the cause 9
their own existence, have endeavored 4
account for the facts presented, by SOM
more or less elaborate COsmogony. Thi
has been either the fundamental basis o
u system OF theology, or has been simply
incorporated In their traditional history
Of the origin Of the world around them
These have always been, however, bu
wild and savage conceptions, probabI,
framed by their earliest imaginative mind
from pure fancy, evolved from the depth
VI their own consciousness. Having NJ
data upon which TO erect these coSmiC
structures, they have rarely survived the
nations In which they obtained current
belief, but have usually been handed
down to posterity as poetic "reminiscences
OF the mythical age In which they arose
THE ALTERNATIVE THEORIES.
The two theories which are striving
Tor acceptance among civilized communi,
ties al the present day, are tho Mosaic
CaSm0gOny and the Msbular Hypothesis
or the theory Of sudden creation OF the
universe and the theory Of a gradual evO.
luton Of tho universe, ".InQuiring into
the pedigree of an idea," says Mr.. Spencer
lis not q bad means Of roughly estimat-
ing Its value. To have come OF respec-
table ancestry, Is ETImG tGet6 evidence Of
worth 10 belief as in person; while to
be descended from dlscreditable stock
is, In the one case as in the other, an I'm
favorable index. The analogy is not
mere fancy. Beliefs, together with those
who hold them, are modified little by lit.
tie In successive generations; and as the
notifications which successive genera
tions Of the holders undergo do not des-
troy the original type, but only disguise
and refine It, so the accompanying altera.
tons Of belief, however much they puri.
~, leave behind the essence Of the origt-
nal belief"
Ihh MOsAlC COsMUOONG.
Regarded In this light, tho former of
the two hypothesis is discredited by its
pedigree at the outset. Framed in an
age when the crudest notions oil cause
and effect prevailed; when such errone.
Gus ideas Of astronomy were entertained
that the earth was conceived to be the
centre Of the universe, about which all
celestial bodies revolved; when the blue
expanse above was supposed to be con.
cave crystalline solid, In which the stars
their actual size being wholly unknown
were set like spanglGs, It's believers
would be able d pri0rt 10 make but rude
guess Of the origin Of the universe. In
agining the earth 10 be fat, and that the
azure armament" above supported the
throne Of God, who by means Of q system
Of slides "opencd the windows Of heaven"
and permitted 1.-THE waters which were
above the armament" to descend and de.
luge the earth; the authors Of the sudden
creation hypothesis were utterly incom-
petent 10 form an adequate conception OF
the genesis OF the stellar heavens. And
not only Is this theory entirely unsup.
ported by facts, but its statements are
wholly unsusceptible Of proof "Any
theory" says Tyndall, (which does not
admit Of veridcation, is but Pigment Of
the intellect" Sudden creation Is simply
an HnthinkG6Ie proposition.
LAPLACE's THEORY OF CREATION.
On the other hand the scientific method
OF explaining the origin Of our own planet
airy scheme, as also that Of the other
astral systems, is commended 10 a favor
able reception by its illustriOus genealoCy.
First dimly reflected in tho minds OF
Leibnitz, Kant, lambert and .Bode, lit
was elaborated and distinctly defined by
Laplace and Herschel, and was finally
presented In q clear and comprehensive
form by Herbert Spencer. But the theory
does not depend upon distinguished an
cestry Tor itsclaims to our acceptance, 1t
is verified by all the facts OF observation,
as far as that observation has ever been
extended. The attention OF the observers
named was attracted 10 the fact that Ger.
tain extensive classes Of coincidence OBJ
tanned among the members Of our solar
system, which the accepted theory was
insufficient to account for.
THE CoINCIDRNCEs OF ACTION In THE
SOLAR SYSTEM.
These will briefly cite. All the
planets revolve about the sun from west
to east, which also comedies with the
SUMS own sxisl rotation. Every planet
rotates in approximately the same plane,
which plane deviates inappreciably from
that Of the suns equator, and satellites
conduct themselves similarly with refer
ence TO their primaries. Every satellite
revolvcs about It's primary in the direc.
ton oil the latter's axial rotation, and IN
a plane but little inclined TO the plane oil
the primary's equator. Again, with the
interesting exceptions Of Uranus and
Neutrality-suspicious. required by the
hypothesis-all the planets as well as the
sun rotate upon their axes from west to
east, in the same direction with their
orbital revolutions. Finally, all the plan.
cts, primary and secondary, move in Or
bits Of slight eccentricity. Laplace cal
culated that the probabilities against
these condolences being fortuitous, were
almost as inanity 10 one, and none OF
them being explicable by the special GRE
attons doctrine, concluded that they
pointed to common mode OF genesis
Sir VIM. Heschel from different point
Of observation, arrived independently at
similar conclusions.
THE PRIMITIVE WORLD MATTER.
With any good telescope OF moderate
power there may be observed on clear
evening numerous misty nebulous masses
occupying various positions in the inter