Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1875-03-12
GEOLOGICAL AND historical
NOTES.
Delivered by J. j. Green before the
Fayetteville Lyceuni, Feb. ., 1870.


to address this society tonight. l thank
them for this invitation and will devote
the little time that can with propriety be
taken before meeting of this kind to sub
jocts that TO me, al least, are far more in
tcresting than any questions that have
come before us in tho regular order of dis
cussion. They are geological and histor-
ical. Starting with geology, find the sci
cncc full of deep interest because ii aims
TO read the history of the world, page by
page, from TO day back into the past to the
fdrtherest limit of human understanding;
because its object is TO read and interpret
the various phenomena of nature as they
exist in accordance with natures laws
and whenever a fact is developed that can
not With our present knowledge lie ration
ally explained by any Of the known prin
ciplos Of philosophical law, then the seek
CT after geological truth sets the fact down
as a point gained and watches carefully for
the temperance of the same or any other
fact bearing on that point, until at last by
careful collection and comparison of facts
he gets a clew TO the law of force that pro-
duces the effect. Thus, leaf by leaf, he
carefully turns over page on page of the
worlds history, reading each page of the
fixed and immutable laws of nature. But
there is limit TO mans power of comprC-
hcnsion there is a point that no human
mind can ever attain, and that is the law
of force that first produced matter, motion
and life. Man is compelled TO accept these
three existing facts without knowing why
they are, from whence they come or with
or they tend. Starting then with matter as
il is, the geologist simply undertakes 10
thread his way back over the rope of time
TO the farthercst limit of correct and ra-
tional thought. But must not detain you
longer in noting the objects of geological
research. To-day the first lesson that the
child learns in geography is that the world
is "round and seems like ball swinging
in the air = and yet it has taken countless
ages for the human mind TO comprehend
and demonstrate the fact. The ancents,
from time immcmorial, supposed the
world to be in the form Of an immense cir
cular plain, boted together by the rocks
and mountains, and the whole perfectly
balanced on turtles back, the turtle
standing on a dragon but what supported
the dragon was and still is mystery. The
ancient Greek ever averred that Greece
was the grand centre OF the world, and
that he could at certain times hear the sun
drop with a rushing sound into the ocean.
Pythagoras, a philosopher who flourished
about 500, b. c., is credited with teaching
some theories relative TO the universe that
science has since confirmed. Strabo, the
Geographer, who fiourished about 2S years
;. l,,l
idea of the rotundity Of the earth; yet he
was unable TO demonstrate his views and
put them before the world in shape TO at
tract thoughtful attention. For fourteen
hundred years the sciences of astronomy
and geography struggled for the merest ex-
isence. Copernicus, a Prussan, born at
Thow, Feb. 10, 1913, was an ardent lover
of astronomy. He it was who first gave us
a clew 10 the planetary system of the uni
verse which science has since proved to be
correct. He completed his work on the
subject in 1887, but could not be persuaded
to publish it for twelve years, as he under
stood full well that its doctrines would
meet with condemnation from the church
of Rome and to conciliate the church, his
first publication was dedicated TO Pope
views popular, and for more than one hun
dred and fifty years his doctrines rested
under a cloud. The man who was to cut
the Gordan knot that bound the car of
superstition to church and state was yet
unborn. Not until Feb. Is, 1864, did the
world give birth TO the renowned philoso-
pher and astronomer Calico, short bio
graphical sketch of whom / find it peces-
sary TO introduce at this point 10 complete
the connection between the past and the
present.
Pisa was his native city, and his was
noble Florentine blood. His father was
man of learning, philosopher and an
author of several treatises on music but
his only legacy for his children, of whom
there were many, was good name and
good health, and with this inheritance
Calico fought his way against the surging
pillows of poverty TO the shores of immor-
tai fame. His love of music and painting
in his youthful days was so strong that he
determined to make the arts his profession,
but his father designed him for phys-
ian and placed him at the university of
Pisa to prosecute his medical studies but
ardent was his love of drawing that
medicine was quite forgotten, and finally,
after many remonstrances with the son,
the parent yielded his judgment to the
atural bent of the boys genius, and at the
&c of seventeen he was enrolled as a stu
dent of fine arts in the university of Pisa.
His art drawings led him TO the study of
geometry, and in this his delight knew no
bounds. Here he laid the foundation for
that astronomical knowledge that Today is
the brightest diamond in his crown. Ii
was the swinging ola lamp in the cathe-
dral Of Pisa that first caught his notice and
gave him clew 10 the laws of vibration
that fifty years after he applied to the
clock. To Calico, then, we owe our
thanks for the clock pendulum. At the
age of twonty-four he became professor
in the university where he had been stu
dent, at salary of sixty crowns year, or
about SOS in our money. This would not
support him, so he was compelled to take
private students to earn a suniciency for
his daily needs
He was a man Of original thought. He
accepted no old and established dogma
simply because it was old or had been
taught by some learned philosopher. An
idea, with him, was the basis of thought,
and every idea must be proof against the
sharp knife of real logic. From this basis
of originality he attacked the views and
doctrines of Aristotle with so much vehe-
mence and sarca SIN as TO raise up around
him many bitter enemies, so that life with
in his native city became a life of warfare,