The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-01-16
THE SUN AND ITS FAMILY OF PLANETS.
Lecture by Richard A. Proctor at Assoc
citation Han-Are tho Planets Inhab-
tied

Richard A. Proctor delivered lecture last even.
ing at Association Hall on the .Sun and It's Family
OF Planets" The lecturer on being introduced to
the audience commenced by saying that with the
permission Oh the audience, he would preface
MS lecture by saying that he had
few remarks to make with reference to the
reporting OF lectures. The difficulties of report
ers were very great in the act OF taking lectures.
Lectures were not necessarily perbdtin, and some.
times Typographical mistakes were made, in which
case neither the reporter nor the lecturer were to
blame. Mistakes would readily occur, for ex-
ample, one time ne announced that he was
to preach on ellie in Other Worlds" and a
typographical not reportoria bunder made it
elite in Our WOOds' In another instance he
tine speaker) knew case OF speaker at the
other side who had advertised that he was about
to deliver lecture on Reserved Seats in Para
Disc" and the phrase was actually printed
Preserved Seats in Paris.n He didn't know
whether Paris and Paradise were considered
synonymous terms in America. Naughter.)
After stating that Mercury, Venus Mars, Jupiter,
Saturn, Uranus and Neptune were, with the earth,
part comp0nents OF the planetary system with
which he intended to deal this evening, the ec-
turer then went on to describe at very great
length and IL scientific manner the difference be-
tween the gravity OF Mars and that Of the earth.
The gravity of Mars to that Of the earth was in
the proportion Of six to sixteen. One pound
on the earth would weigh little more than SIX
quenty living under the influence of less gravlta-
ton. II We lived on Mars instead OF on the earth
everything around US would become lighter, We
OBJECTS around US would be lighter, we
build larger edlnces, ana we should generally
speak,ng' have smaller work to perform me
stable. Mars was subject to currents like the
Earth, and consequently hurricane coming was
constructed baongs He then went on to speak
about the bearing OF oceans OH planets. The
trated his arguments in reference to the
gravity and temperature and respective bearing
charts, in which all the planets in the planetary
system were drawn. smaller planet produced
Of its standing In reference to the sun. having
described how an individual standing on Mars at "a
very low height height looking towards onr earth would
then went on to describe the temperature
Of the .,n atmosphere is around Mars at
difference existed between them, Tor the rea-
son that what might be vapor in the early even
ing was likely to become frozen as the severity
of the night advanced. Aqueous substance ac-
cumulating around Mars at certain seasons OF
the year was liable to cover the whole surface of
the planet with snow. rhe planet Mars was unit
Tor such Signs of life, in consequence OF its
natural condition and formation as our
raj forms OF nature, such as we have. they
must be very light forms indeed. Having drawn
OF the earth and that OF Mars he went on TO say
that he had read some time since case or two
termned to have nigh ride IN IL balloon. They
went up i've miles. when Glaciers pulse, which at
the outset was very low, had risen toa height Of
Coxwel was more Intrepid and capable
OF bearing more fatigue, and he succeeded in gong
70 the neiRht OF seven miles just two miles higher
than that whereat his friend and companion mad
tainted. At the height OF seven miles Coxwell
found he was losing strength his hands had lost
their power he became almost unnamed, a species
or unnatural paralysis overspread his body and he
to use vulgar expression, the lives OF the two
men were saved by the skin OF COXwes teeth.
Laughter) The pulses OF these two men were at
the low rate OF seVentylour or seventy-six before
ascending. II he (the lecturer) were going up his
pulse would go to about O4 or 100, TOT he generally
liver lecture rise generally to at least I20.
He then gave very heightened and elaborate de.
NEPTUNE on the earth. Almost an eternity of TIME
may have interviewed in the formation OF these
planets. Millions Of years have elapsed before
mars was mt TO he the abode OF living beings He
explained the fact that seven or eight satellites
revolving around Saturn were larger than Mars
and in consequence OF their condition and bearing
on the planetary system were ut to be the abode Of
life. In the satellites OF Jupiter aud Saturn he had
found in calculation features which it was dnicult
to explain. The satellites OF Jupiter and Saturn
only supplied them with about a sixteenth OF the
light that we get from the moon Other planets
get IRON the moon. The question OF life in
other worlds next engrossed the attention
OF the lecturer. f lie only exists In "A
planet for moment according to the theories OF
philosophers, the probability Is that at tho time
science endeavOrs to make discovery OF this exist
ence, such existence may not be at home In any
special planet. The probability IL that at any spe-
cia moment lesng life may not be discovered; but
IL was unreasonable TO presume, considering the
existence oil a planetary ~ stem, that our little
earth was the only place Inhabited. Ii Is as natu-
raj to fail TO discover the existence OF life In a
planet al any particular moment during any series
OF years as IL Is TO discover a man at home within
any given twenty -four hours, when that man
Is well known to the public to be at home only for
ten minutes during every successive day. After
gong on at great length to show that Hersclel and
otner astronomers had believed In a human exist
ence In other planets wen as the earth he con-
ciuded with the following quotation
God of granite and the rose,
.. soul of the sparrow and the bee,
me mighty tide OF being flows
through countless channels. Lord, 10 Thee,
leaps ~ life in grass and flowers
:. inrough every grade Of being runs;