The Western advance., 1874-07-18
The Hairy Visitor.

TIE comet now hanging in the vicinity
of the earth and coming constantly hear
er will he the sensation of the season II
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 nat
urally excitcs curiosity and sets spccula-
tion in a quivcr of excitement. 1t will
be remembered that for ages the appear
ancc of comet was thought to betoken
wars, or plaques, or earthquakes, or some
other 4 re calamity. 1t was the forcrun-
ner of disaster. It was the advance
courier sent forward to herald approach
ing evils and warn men to prepare for
the worst. Exactly why the influence Of
comets was always considered balcful it
is not easy to understand, except that,
unable to account for any unusual ap-
pearancc in the heavens save by the in
reference of supernatural powers, men
took counsel of their fears rather than
their hopes, and attributed malignant
design in whatever was out of the natu-
raj order Of things. The fact that war or
pestilencc or a volcanic eruption or any
other calamity occurred within a year Of
a comets appearance was considered Il
sufficient proof of it's balcful influence,
and a mere coincidence was mistaken for
a necessary consequence. The telescope
and the facts it has revealed and the cal
culations it has led to have completely
rcvolutionizcd the old theory of the
heavenly bodies, and given even comets
place in the vast and grand order of
which our solar system is an insignificant
part.
But there are still a great many people
who associate calamity with the appear
ancc of a comet, and when the hairy
visitor comes trailing it's fcathcry flakes
| of light across a quarter of the heavens
| they are disturbed if not alarmed. There
| is nothing SO adhesive ;,s IL superstition
that has once got fairly fastened to the
human mind Perhaps one reason why
this old notion keeps it's hold SO long is
the difficulty of explaining the origin
and orbit of comets to 1lncducated peo,
pie in an ineligible manner. Indeed,
very little is certainly known respecting
them even by astronomers Newton
thought their orbit was elliptical, while
modern astronomers generally hold that
it is a parabola. What substance they
are composed of is still uncertain, as the
instruments and processes of the
spectrum analysis were not sufficiently
perfected to enable astronomers to sub
ject Donati's comet, which appeared in
1868, to a scientific test; and Biela's
comet, which has appeared since
was too insignificant and remote tc
throw any light on the subject. That
they are composed of anything more sub
stantial than the lightest gases is exceed
ingly improbable. What are the chemi
Cal constituents of the gases is still ;
matter of mere guess-work. The rela
ton of the nucleus or head to- the tai
which spreads fan-likc SO far is not un
derstood. and the law of their cxistenc,
has yet to be determined One reason
why the coming of the present comet i:
specially welcome is that it will enable
astronomers to study it with new ane
more powerful instruments and lcar1
something specific and satisfactory re
specting it's composition and probable
destiny. It will call the attention OF in
telligent observers anew to the demon
strated facts and unsolved problems o
the astronomic universe, and lead them Il
forget for awhile the petty cares ant
frivolous excitemcnts of our world il
contemplating the wonders of the heay
ems and the mystery that still enshroud
their ongoing.-N. Y. Graphic.