Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1875-12-30
Dead Planets.

1t was hardly kind in Professor Proc
tor to announce so abruptly, as he did
the other evening, that our ancient and
popular satellite, the moon, is dead.
Among bis hearers there were doubtless
many young Eerpons to whom the moon
was endeared by precious associations
of O nature not wholly uneonnected with
balconies and other places for the easy
transaction of innocent Irritation. To
be told that the kindly and silent moon,
which has witnessed so many tender
scenes and never once mentioned them,
is a cold and CHASTITY corpse is ex-
tremely unpleasant, and Professor Proc.
tor might have broken the pewO in a
more gentle and sympathetic way
We are told that the breath-or at.
mosphere-of the moon has long since
departed, and that not the slightest sign
of life can be detected in her SCARED
and Sriukled face. This is sad enough,
but what 10 still more unpleasant is the
confident prediction that our own pri.
vate Earth is likewise doomed 10 death
In course of time the sea and the air
will vanish, and the air will no longer
sustain animal or vegetable life. The
catastrophe will doubtless be postponed
until after the Centennial, but it is GER
tain ultimately to arrive; and persons
who propose to revive American COM
merce by giving large subsidies 10
line OF American Atlantic steam
ers should take netioe of the fact
that the Atlantic is merely temporary
affair, which is to dry up, or perhaps
vanish into Symmes' Hole. Meanwhile,
the arrogant Jupiter, flushed with com.
parstive youth and hydrogen gas, will
gradually gain in solidity and in self
restraint in tho management of its ex-
ternal and internal fires. a. area of
barometrical elevation on its lake region,
together with cool and clearing weather
along its coasts, are among the future
certainties of that planet; and about the
time the earth is at its last gasp, Jupiter
is to secure colony Of improved human
beings who will take liberties with our
planet with telescopes and spectroscopes,
and will. patronizingly announce that it
is dead and worthless.
This prospect is certainly not an slluT
ing one, but perhaps we should take the
astronomer statements with some grains
Of allowance. If the moon is dead, she
is certainly q very bright and lively
corpse, and she apparently goes on her
revolving way quite IS well as she did
when she was alive. Even If we grant
that the moon is dead, aud that the earth
ia doomed to similar death, it does not
necessarily follow that we may not survive
to assist so to speak, at her wake for a
countless number Of ceuturiesv Who
can say that as our air and water gradu.
ally vanish we may not learn TO do with
out them9 OF course, itwould be rather
hard at hrst TO dispense entirely with all
vegetables; but with the progress OF
science we may be able tc re-
vive the old scheme OF drawing
suhbeams from cucumbers, and may
have to materialize cucumbers and other
delicacies out of sunheams, At any
rate there is no immediate cause ol
alarm, A dead moon is jpst as useful
for ell amatory purposes as live one,
aud we need not decide that q dead Earth
will be useless until the fatal moment
arrives. AS for Jupiter, we can let him
pursue his arrogant course without