The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1874-12-24
THE BOY ASTRONOMER.
Jere ulIRh HOrrOX-The First Observation
OF the Transit of Venus.

Jere ulinh HOrrOL-The First Obse rVatIOn
OF the Transft of Venus.
The first transit of Venus ever seen
by human eye was predicted by boy,
and was observed by that boy just as he
reached the age of manhood. His name
was jeremiah HORROR. We have q some
what wonderful story to tell you about
this boy.
He lived in an obscure village near
Liverpool, England. He was lover of
books of science, and before he reached
the age of eighteen he had mastered
the astronomical knowledge of the day.
BE studied the problems of Kepler, and
he made the discovery that the tables of
Kepler indicated the near approach of
the transit of Venus across the suns
center. This was about the year 1895.
Often on midsummer nights the boy
HORROR might have been seen in the
fields watching the planet Venus. The
desire sprung up within him to see the
transit of thee beautiful planet across
the disc of the sun, for 1t was a sight
that no eye had ever seen, and one that
would tend to solve some of the great
est problems ever presented to the
mind of an astronomer. 50 the boy be-
gan TO examine the astronomical at
bles of Kepler, and by their aid en-
deavored to demonstrate at what time
the next transit wOul loccur. He found
an error in the tables, and then he be-
ing the first of all astronomers to make
the precise calculation, discovered the
exact date when the next transit would
take place.
He told his secret to an intimate
friend, boy, who, like himself, loved
science. The young astronomer then
I -. L.
dicted for q number of years, never
seeing the loved planet in the shaded
evening sky without dreaming of the
day when the transit should fulfill the
the beautiful vision he carried in his
mind.
The memorable year came at last
1899 The predicted day of the transit
came too, at the end of the year. 1t
was, Sunday. It found HORROR, the
boy astronomer, now just past twenty
years of age, intently watching q sheet
Of paper IN a private room, on which
Law the suns reelected image. Over
this reflection of the suns disc on the
paper he expected moment by moment
to see the planet pass like smoving
spot or shadow.
Suddenly the church-beIls rang. Pc
was very religious yoath, and was ac-
custOmed to heed the church bells as a
call from heaven. The paper still was
spotless; no shadow broke the outer
edge of the suns luminous circle.
Still the church-bells rang. Should
he go? A cloud might hide the sun
before his return, and the expected dis
closure be lost for a century.
But Horrox said TO himself " / must
not neglect the worship of the Gre
al ~ FLAG rr,r,s1aV Fsr1 al
Creator has made.
So he left the reelected imsgs of the
sun on the paper and went to the sanet-
uary.
When he returned from the service.
he hurried TO the room. The sun was
still shining, and there, like a shadow
on the bright circle on the paper, was
the image of the planet Venus It
orePt slowly SloDg the bright center,
ike tho finger of the invisible. Then
the boy astronomer knew that the great
problems Of astronomy were correct.
and the thought filled his pure heart
with religious Joy.
Horrox died at the age of twenty
two. Nearly one hundred and thirty
years afterward VEINS was seen cross
ing the sun. The whole astronomical
world was then interested in the event,
and expeditions of observation were
fitted out by tine principal European
governments. IL was observed in this
country by David Rittenhouse, who
tainted when he saw the great vision.
"ToAnIE HOWELL, can you tell me
what IL meant by the word miracle, so
often used In the Bible2" Yes, Miss
Harvey, can. Ma says that if you
and Capt. Smith don't marry pretty
poov, - 1rsI 1,a a y,,SyooIs