The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1874-12-11
rmE I,OY AsTRONONrEI..

The first transit of Venus ever
seen by human eye was predicted
by boy, and was observed by that
boy as he reached the age of man
hood. His name was Jermiah Hor-
roX. We have a somewhat wonder
full story TO tell you about this boy.
lie lived in an obscure village
near Liverpool, England. He was
lover of books of science, and be-
fore he reached the age of eighteen
he had mastered the astronomical
knowledge of the day. He studied
the problem of Kepler, and he made
the discovery that the tables of
Kepler indicated the near approach
OF the period of the transit OF We
nus across the suns center. This
was about the year 1875.
Often on midsummer nights the
boy HORROR might have baen seen
Venus. The desire sprung up with
in him to see the transit of the beau
tiful planet across the disc of the
sun, for it was Il sight that no eye
had ever seen, and one that would
tend to solve some of the greatest
problems ever presented to the mind
of an astronomer. So the boy be
gan TO examine the astronomical ia
bles of Kep!er, and by their aid en-
deaVOred to demonstrate at what
time the next transit would occur.
He found An error in the tables, aud
then he, being the first of ali astrOn-
omers to make the precise calcula-
ton, discovered The exact date
when the next transit would take
place.
lie told his secret to one intimate
friend, a boy, who, like himself,
loved science. The young astrono-
mer then awaited the event which
he had predicted for q humber of
years, never seeing the loved planet
in the shaded evening sky without
dreaming of the day when the tran
sit should fulfill the beautiful vision
he carried continually in Lis mind.
The memorable year came at last
1859. The predicted day of the
transit came, too, at the end of the
year. 1t was Sunday. 1t found
HORROR, the boy astronomer, now
just past twenty years of age, in
tently watching a sheet of paper in
a private room, on which lay the
sums reflected image. Over this
reflection of the suns disc on the
paper he expected, moment by mo-
ment, to see the planet pass like a
moving spot or shadow.
Suddenly, the church-bells rang.
He was very religious youth, and
was accustomed to heed the church.
bells as a call from heaven. The
paper still was spotless no shadow
broke the outer edge of the SUMS
luminous circle.
Still the church bells rang.
Should he go? A cloud might
hide the sun before his return, and
the expected disclosure be lost for
a century.
But Horrox said to himself: 81
must not neglect the worship of the
Creator, to see the wonderful things
the Creator has made"
So he left the rejecting image Of
the sun on the paper, and went to
| the sanctuary.
When he returned from the ser.
vice, he hurried to the room. The
sun was still shining, and there
| like n shadow on the bright circle
on the paper, was the image of The
planet Venus! IL crept slowly
along the bright center, like the fin
ger OF the Invisible. Then the boy
| astronomer knew that the great
problems of astronomy were cor
rect, and the thought filled his pure
heart with religious Joy.
HORROR died at the age of twenty
two. Nearly one hundred and thir
ty years afterward, Venus wa
again seen crossing the sun. TIT
whole astronomical world was thel
Interested in the event and eXpedi
lions of observations were fitte'
out by the principle European Gov
: ernments. 1t was observed in thi
country by David Riitenhouse, VIII
tainted when he saw the vision
Hesekiah Bntterworth, in ST. Mich
olas for December.