Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1874-07-23


Establishments still exist. In Roman
Catholic countries the custom of ring
ing the cathedral bells at noon origi-
mated at thu time of Halley's comet,
in 1456. Pope Calixtas III. who then
wore the triple crown, under the belief
that the comet was q demon come to
subvert his throne, ordered all the bells
in Christendom to be rung-a cere-
mony that was believed to be sure
specific against the devices of the evil
one.
In the year 500 an epidemic ragged all
over the continent of Europe, and many
thousands persisted. This visitation
was ascribed to the influence of comet
which appeared in the same year. An
extraordinary feature of the disease was
that the patient was seized with fit of
sneezing, from which hs frequently
died. Always after that time, when
any one sneezed inordinately, his
friends exclaimed, "God bless you I"
That custom has continued for nearly
1900 years in many European coun-
tries.
In the year zoos comet is described
as presenting frightiul aspect, exhib-
iting an enormous curved tail In the
form of a scythe. The appearance of
the comet 1456 spread CONSERVATION
throughout Europe. The same comet
returned again in 1881 and in 1907. In
1852 o comet appeared which, by its
brilliancy and swiftness, excited uni
versal interest. Sir Isaac Newton ex-
amined this comet with the closest at
tention, and was led, by the general
milton of bodies in space as well as by
his own particular observation, to con-
clude that the orbits of comets must,
like those of the planets, be ellipses,
having the sun in one focus, but far
more eccentric, and having their
spheliens, or greatest distances from
| the sun, far remote In the regions OF
space. The idea thus thrown out by
Newton, as also the observations upon
comets made by Tycho Brahe, were
taken up by DIR. HALEY, who collated
the observations made touching the APP
pearance and aspect of comets from the
primitive ages down to his own time,
and found, with but few exceptions,
that they had passed within less than
| the earth's shortest distance from the
sun, some of them within less than one
third of it, and others about one-half.
He examined with much care the comet
of 1852, and discovered a wonderful re-
semblance between it and the comets of
1456, 1881, and 1907. The time of the
appearance of the comets had been
Learly at regular intervals, the average
period being tetween seventy-five and
seventy-six years. Their distance from
the sun when in perihelion varied hut
little from each other. The inclination
of their orbits to that of the earth had
also been nearly the same-between
seventeen and eighteen degrees-their
motions being all retrograde. Dr.
HALEY came to the conclusion that ,he
comets of 1456, 1881, 1907, aud 1852
were Temperatures of one and the same
comet. He predicted that its reappear-
ance would be in the year 1857 or 1853,
and its actual temperance In the be-
ginning of 1859 established the fact that
they were regular and permanent bod
les obeyilg the general laws of matter
This comet recedes during its rs
years to distance from the sun greater
than that OF the planet Neptune. Seve-
raj comets are well-known to have or
bits lying wholly within the sphere of
Neptune's distance. One was first
examined in 1918 by Encke, and identi-
fed with the comet that had been
seen in 1905, 1895, and 17S6. Its return
has been observed ever since at the
periods of thirty-three years.. Encke's
observations upon it enabled him to
identify it with the one described by
Michalar and Messien in 1855, also with
the comet discovered in 1895 by Miss
Herschel, and the one of 1905. Encke
predicted its temperance In 1892, and
his prediction was realized by its being
discovered on the I'd of June of that
year by Thomas Brislure. and its return
was noticed again in 1925 and 1928.
This comet is celebrated for having re-
vealed, as many astronomers think, she
existence of resisting medium in the
interplaretary space. Herschel and
others dissent from this view of Encke,
and attribute the change In this comets
motion to the gradual loss of its tail.
Besides the comet of 1859. of which
as We have already stated, there have
been FIVE authenticated returns, there
are several others, of which something
like return may be traced at long in
tervals. One of these passed it's peri
helion mt about s O'Clock on the morn
ing of the 9th of July, 1864, and agair
at a little past o'clock on the evening
of the 2lst OF April, 1556-a period o.
about 292 years. Another appeared in
1882, and again in 166l-a period o.
about 129 years. The return of thai
comet should have been IN 1870. Ii
that year three comets made their ap
pearance, but neither of them resem
bled the one of 1861. While the peri
DDS of most of the comets examined are
comparatively short, those of Others
have been ascertained to extend many
thousand years. The great comet O.
1911 remained visible for upward of two
months, and was considered one of tn,
most brilliant of modern times. Afte
q careful investigation, NJ. Highlander
a noted French astronomer, fixes it
period of revolution at 2,SSS years
The periodic time of the return of the
comet of 1907 was fixed by Bigsel a
1,546 years. Biela's comet was discov
cred February ~, 1926. It's orbit wa
computed by Gambart, at Versailles