The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1876-01-08
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esaTrrR,AY {, J. JANUARY 8, 1876.
osher suns i, than oassl,.

srsrrkr NY PROFESSOR PRUCToR AT THE |
49,, pRooKLYN ACADEMY OF Music.
Professor procses ectufed Ia the Acade-
r,,s &c Music la Brooklgn on Tuesday eve
mig on g. Osher Suns than 0nrs.0 In The
opsaIne of Ills lecture the Professor gave 0
graphic description OF the furnace-dres com
mon 10 the midland counties of England as
seen from distance, and referred 10 some oil
the deductions one could draw concerning
the nature OF the csuses OF the various phe-
uoraena observed We conclude, said the
SPEAKER, that the fires are there; so the I'm.
agitation tells us that the stars are the tur'
mace fires o: the universe. Fire implies mat
Ter. therefore we must conclude that these
distant spheres consist of matter, aod
are capable OF feeding their own pfes'
both from exterior sources aud also py con-
traction; and thus the combustion nas gore
I on fol. millions OF years. The o1Jection toat
3 the stars are Only lights placed IN the SKY,
and ,i,fY r from molten matter as the eene OF
i asuas-3at differs from an sucaDdescent sub
stsnee OF similar size, is futile. The very
fsct that they continue to glow would refute
sIIch 40 objection, but the spectroscope has
set the matter at rest. Our sun Is found TO
he greatly interior to the great lights OF the
1lniyerse, The neasest star lies 29s, O00 times
fmrfher OF from the earth than the sun.
Alma. OF the constellation Centaur, shines
,Diih three times the lustre that the sun
rro,,la have at the same distance. and Sirius
has volume from 1000 to 5000 times
greater than that OF the sun. But while II
is doubtless true that numbers Of the stars
are vastly superior to our SUP, yet 1t Is also
fact. demonstrated By the use Of the tele-
scope, that many are Of less magnitude than
!. it
: By the use of a stereopticon Professor
Proctor gave a series OF illuminated pictures
;llnsfrati1g his rsmarks. FIRST introducing
views explanatory Of the spectroscope ana
the method of Its application in the deter
mination Of the substances OF Stars; tnen
nresentipe illustrations Of the theories as
held by EepIer, Herschel, and Others as 10
the extent and arrangement OIL the steiiar
system: and following with representations
az ASTRONOMICAL msps, the Professor conclu.
sIed With o rapid presentation oil seTeral
astronomical charts. AS the charts were
exhibited the attention OF the audience was
frequently called to the spaces Wltnout stais,
or, as Professor Proctor termed IL, the
0poyerty.s,ricken portions" Ihese, ne
seid. would lead to great discoveries, ana,
ne believed, would amply repay Inc lnVestl-
gator. Ee himself was engaged IN thelr
study with telescope Of twelve-inch aper-
ture, and he hoped In time to be able to an-
nource important results. Those strange,
dark spaces had peculiar interest for him:
One of themapsshown BY thelecturer had
the stars so marked with arrows as to snow
the direction and velocity of what is termed
the atbwart notion So vast are the dis
tances that at the end Of thirty-six thousand
wears tine relative positions of the stars will
scarcely re changed. Professor Proctor
spoke Of drift among the stars as law, ana
related prediction which ne had made as to
the motion of one Of the consultations, which
prediction had afterward been verified.
That which interests us most, said be, is the
structure of the stsrs. and the method BY
which they were produced. After descrio.
ing the streams, nodules, and aggregations OF
the stars, and depicting the flow Of the
streams OF stars through space, the PROBES 'or
concluded by saying: =" We see in the star
depths the furnaces, the beacon.hres the
heart.:hrobs Of the universe. Shall men OF
science want reverence to that Power. what.
ever il NAV be, that moves all thingss"