Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1875-01-07

Tn Boz AsfnoxoMRn.-The 6rst
transit of Venus ever seen BY . human
eye was predicted BY . boy, and was
observed by that boy Just - he reached
the age Of manhood. Hn naDe Was
Jeremiah Horrox. We have . some-
vhat wonderful story 10 ten yoa about
tkis boy.
! He lived d IN obscure village near
liverpool, England. He vas . lover
q books Of science, and before he
.re6chsd - age of eighteen he Rad
1Danoered IL ootrononicAl knowledoe
6ftneday. Heytudicd sthe prUoiefns
Of Kepler, and he made the discovery
that the tables Of Kepler indicated the
near approach Of the period of the tran.
sit of Venus across the suns scenter.-
This was about the year 1855.
Often on midsummer nights the boy
Horrox might have been seen in the
fields watching the planet Venus. The
desire sprung up within him to see the
transit of the beautiful planet across
the disc of the sun, for it was a sight
that no eye had ever seen, and one that
would tend to solve some of the greatest
problemslever presenteds to the mind of an
astronomer. Sothe boy began toexam-
inc the astronomical tables of Kepler,
and by their aid endeavored to demon
strate at what time the next transit
would occur. He found an error in the
tables, and then he, being 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 one intimate
friend, boy who like himself loved
science. The young astronomer then
awaited the event which he had predic-
ted for a number of years, never seeing
the loved planet in the shaded evening
sky without dreaming of the day when
the transit should fulfill the beautiful
vision he had carried continually in his
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 Horrox, the boy
astronomer, now just past twenty years
of age, intently watching sheet of pa
"a
suns reflected image. Over this re-
flection of the suns disc on the paper
he expected, moment by moment, to
see the planet pass like a moving spot
or shadow.
Suddenly the church bells rang. He
was a very religious youth, and was ac-
customcd 70 heed the church heiissas .
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 century.
But Horrox said to himself: 4 must
not neglect the worship of the Creator
to see the wonderful things the Creator
has made
So he left the reflected image of the
sun on the paper and went to the sane
tuary.
When he returned from the service
he hurried to the room. The sun was
still shining, and there, ike shadow
on the bright circle on the paper. was
the image Of the planet Venus! 1t
crept slowly along the bright center,
like the finger of the Invisible. Then
the boy astronomer knew that the great
problems Of astronomy were correct,
and the thought filed his pure heart
with religious JOY.
Horrox died at the age of twenty
two. Nearly one hundred and thirty
years afterwards Venus was again seen
crossing the sun. The whole astronom-
ical world was then interested in the
event, and expeditions of observation
were fitted out by the principal Euro
pean governments. 1t was observed in
this country by David Rittenhouse, who
tainted when he saw the vision.