, 1874-08-19

1t Ia we'll, when vo Imagine that any Of our
actions have tho slightoat importance, to rofor
ourso1vos 10 the past and look into the futuro
and to moaauro the weight Of current evonts by
these immenso standards Of time and distance.
Tho operation Ia not vory gratifying ono to
people Of large Bolfimportance, as II reduces
them to intlnitosmal atoms but 1t ta nevorthe-
loss hoalthy. and tends to creaso in one serono
mud philosophical view Of afraira, which is mover
1,lsoly to bo disturbed By auything fato may hnvo
in store. There Is Just now an excellent op-
portuuity for practtclng a little mental
and moral discipline Of this sort, which
oil well~roeu1atod persons will undoubt-
odly improve, l. German astronomer has
computed that It will DO Just e,oG5
yoars before Ooggla's comet will get round this
way agatn,-a tnrm OF absence which ought to
hare induced this distinguished visitor to haye
,nado longer stay. Prot. Colbert has improved
upon tho Derliuor's computation by showing that
tho date Of tho poriholion pasBago-wlatoyer
that ia-wil DO at IS minutes md 47.8 seconds af-
tor oolo,k on tho morning Of July 9. in tho goar
10839. Should 1t not arrive exactly on e1me, It is
cheering to know that the computcrs will be safely
out OF tho reach Of any hostile criticism In The
CHICAGO TRIBUNE Of that date, while they havo
| the still furthor advantage that no one on tho
globe at present will bo up that morning to 500
il they aro right. There Is great deal of safo-
| ty In the computation.
The one prominent event Of tho world Just
nov ia the Doochor scandal. 1t is tho topic Of
| conyorsation on every railroad train and stcan1-
boat< In oyory hotel and boardng-school, and at
eyory Aroside. Old men and womon, aud
children In short clothes, poanut-pcddlers and
milonairos, plug-uglies and mothors In Israel.
aro discussing this question, with ali that 1t n1
| p!ioa. Dying women frantically beg thoir physi-
clans to keep them up long enough to get
Moultous accond statement. Ministers proach
about it. Deecler hats with ragged edgos will
bo tile fall sty1c. socloty ia IN a wild whir, and
cannot cat or sleep until this mattor Ia settled.
Meanwhile gossip 1las carte blanche, aud toa-
pots mover heard such storios boforo. Now,
when tho hoad-lght OF Coggia's comet comoa
blazing down tho northorn Sky again,
oyer Lincoln Park, Oh tho morning OF
july o. 1098o, at tho rate Of 1894 miles
] minute, not to mention the logarlthms Of oc-
centricty and distance whore will the Dooehe1
case boz Buried beyond all Aopo OF resurrec~
tion, and with 1t Thousands of other scandals
yot to como. On tint morning, the comot will
not look upon human being who has evor heard
of Heurv Ward Booches, of Theodore Tlton or
Mrs. Tlltou, OF Horny Q. Bowen, of Moulton. or
A 1tu1 1hov 1,na., 1,,1Hf u
out Of sight for thousands Of yoara. Happy pos
terityt Not ono actor iii tho drama which II
30 exciting now will DO known then. The
drama ltaolf will aovor hayo been hoard OF. Tnif
no can appreciate moro fully by referring to the
past, 1t was ouIy 8.624 years ago that Josopl
had his little episode With Mrs. potiphar, At
ulioll timo sho naao her famous proposal
to him and jsopt hts coat-tails tol
souvenir. Compared with tho dihtanue
OF tt,ne between the prosont aud the
return OF tue comet. this episode may b,
called recent md yot how much do wo In roallt,
know ahou. it2 Yet tho hero at that oacapade
occupied much higher position than Boeoher
Wo know nothing OF what transplroa atter tut
flipht-uot oYon whether Mrs ?. offered to take
needle and thread and robui'd whnt sllo )las
shattered How unsatisfactory ia oyersshin(
connected with tho rolatona OF tho sweet stngo
OF Israel to Mrs. Urah, md yet it only hnpponoi
$3.50 yoarH ago. Not word can NO ascertain o
Dayil's real toeiings In tho case. Did he, toe
, hang ou the ragged edgc Of romorao aud despair
' Did Mrs. Urlah own up to Uriah, and tlaon con-
traaict it2 DID David mako statement and &C
ouso Urah OF biaoAmailing him2 Who can tol!
And yet theso events wcro comparatively recent
measured By tAo lacaritl'ms with Which tlla ~