New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1874-07-16
The Hairy Visitor.

The comet now hanging in the vicinity of
the earth and coming constantly nearer will
be the sensation Of the season. 1t is a large
one, and will be so distinctly visible that no
one can help seeing it without trying. The
appearance of an object so rarely seen and
so strange naturally excites curiosity and
sets speculation in Il culver of excitement.
1t will he remembered that for ages the APP
pearance of comet was thought to betoken
wars or plaques, or earthquakes, or some
other dire calamity. 1t was the forerunner
of disaster. 1t was the advance courier sent
forward to herald approaching evils and warn
men to prepare for the worst. Exactly why
the influence of comets was always consid-
cred balefnl it is not easy to understand,
except that, unable to account for any unus-
ual appearance in the heavens save by the
interference of supernatural powers, men
took council of their fears rather than their
hopes, and attributed a malignant design in
whatever was ont of the natural order of
things. The fact that war or pestilence or
volcanic eruption or any other calamity
occurred within year of a comets appear
ance was considered a sufficient proof of its
baleiul influence, and 4 mere coincidence was
mistaken for necessary consequence. The
telescope and the facts it has revealed and
the calculations it has led to have completely
revOlutionized the old theory Of the heavenly
bodies, and given even comets place in the
vast and grand order of which our solar sys-
TEN is an Insignificant part.
There are still a great many people who
associate calamity with the appearance of
comet, and when the hairy visitor comes
trailing its feathery flakes of light across a
quarter of the heavens they are disturbed if
net alarmed. There is nothing so adhesive
as superstition that has once got fairly fas-
tened to the human mind. Perhaps one rca-
son why this old notion keeps its hold so
long is the difficulty of explaining the origin
and orbit of comets to uneducated people in
an ineligible manner. Indeed, very little
is certainly Known respecting them even by
astronomers. Newton thought their orbit
was elliptcal, while modern astronomers
generally hold that it is parabola. What
substance they arc composed of is still un-
certain, as the Instruments and processes of
the spectrum analysis were not sufficiently
perfected to enable astronomers to subject
DOnati's comet, which appeared in 1858, to
a scientific test; and Biela's comet, which
has appeared since, was too insignificant and
remote to throw any light on the subject.
That they are composed of anything more
substantial than The lightest gases is exceed
ngly improbable. What are the chemical
constituents Of the gases is still of m guess
work. The relation of the nucleus or head
to the tail which spreads lan-likc so far is not
understood, and the law Of their existence
has yet to be determined. One reason why
the coming of the present comet is specially
welcome is tl'at it will enable astronomers
to study it with new and more powerful in
struments and learn something specific and
satisfactory respecting its composition and
probable destiny. 1t will call the attention
foil
strated facts and unsolvcd problems of the
astrOnOmic universe, and lead them TO forget
for awhile the petty cares and frivolous ex-
elements of our world in contemplating the
wonders of the heavens aud the mystery that
still enshrouds their Ongoing. -Grophjc.