The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-01-08

The lecturer said he dcre In his view OF the use OF
the pyramid from his FRIEND professor smith, who had
an idea that those massive piles were built for the pur
pose OF recording the knowledge OF science divinely
impaired TO man. He thought they were erect.
ed for the purposes OF astrology to enable
astronomers TO make series of observations
by comparing which with subsequent events
they might determine the laws OF stellar influences
the fate OF man and on events The lecturer here re-
ferrcd to the well known story told by Layard the
celebrated traveller, OF an Oriental TO whom
ne was dscoursing Of the heavenly
what matters 1t whether goes around an
other or stands still Sin Gods name leave me alone
The Professor believed that this reply character
lstc OF the indifference OF the Oriental people OF the
present day to abstruse subjects and he believed that
Indifferent From this state OF affairs he inferred
that the ancient Egyptians would have attempted
such stupendous task the building OF the pyramids
for the purposes conjectured by Dr. Smith The
pole star OF that day was believed to be
Alpha Draco There evidence that this position Of
the Dragon as central constellation OF the heavens
obtained wide belief The poet Homer refers
to his description of the shield OF
Achilles The Professor believes that the description
OF the dragon given by the Greek poet is simply
description OF one Of the zodiaca temples Of the
Egyptians, as Homer, he said frequently relied upon
equal TO the occasion. A diagram OF the
solar system in which the seven planets pictured
MS located at the several extremes OF pointed
was here shown and the origin Of the Of the
days Of the week explained
The Professor remarked that science deals con.
unuslly with chow Kepler discovered that the
planets moved in eliptioa orbits. and was thought
that the mystery Of their motion was dspelled
Soon, however was found that the planets
did not move exactly in those ellipses but
were operated upon by some unknown
influence Suddenly Newton came aud brought new
kind OF simplicity, and the law OF gravity given 10
the world
particle OF matter 10 act upon another particle
at q distance, unless there we're some kind
Of connection between them. He bad pointed out he
said in former lecture that the action OF gravitaton
must be much more rapid than the motion Of light
The earth moves so that the light which falls
upon It is not that which actually sot
out from the in its direction, for
that falls behind H. The earth and the sun exert
mutual force upon each other and cannot therefore,
describe gravtaton as setting out from the sun /;
and II 1t actually did, there would be
still portion OF tis force extended out
ward the earth's pathway would continually
widen. and everything would be changed Now,
That a great mystery. Light acts by travel
ling along waves Of ether The in water
travel at a greater rate and with still greater
velocity travel these waves Of ether. The lecturer
SAID he was not going deal with that mystery-not
going to show the audience how Il but how it
might be explained There so. phenomena
mat show that II there be waves Of ether
their motions transverse. Now, thea, how could
suppose that this great mass Of the earth could DO
movedf No could imagine for moment that
without kind Of connection between the and
Tho earth and planets they could be moved.
Sir William Thompson's theory Is that there are IN
tpace what he calls corpusculcs which are travelling n.
annely In every direction where there - matter;
where there matter each particle presses against
The other that there no corpuscule between them
This Is illustrated BY what happens when there are
Two ships at sea in dead calm There is great
danger OF their being drawn together and njurng each
other. The common explanation OF that Is 10
attribute u 70 the attractive power In the mass
81 the ships The real fact is that the waves are
.rowding all directions over the whole sea- so that
The waves on tho outside Of she vessels
sro much moro numerous and powerful than
those between the ships, and they are gradually
crowded together. IL seems TO me that Il Is In that
way and not by the corpuscles referred 10, that
The heavenly bodies are affected That explains
the mystery; but I say that tho mystery s
greater where do those waves come fromi The
Professor discussed other IhsoTes an Lhs sas snia