, 1876-03-21
PROF. PROCTOR.
us LHcrunE ON TIE GROWTH AND BIRTn OF


WORLDS
Lovers Of science wore treated to an Interest,"
tug lecture last evening, by Prof. r. A. Proctor,
The widely celebrated English astronomer and
Dcientist. This was the iisst in sorlcs at four
popular addrcases to b. delivered At Faswoll
Hall, and tho subject was :" Tho birth and
Growth Of Worlds" There was D fair audi-
ence, The lecturer camo upon tho stage
unattended. aud immediately plunged into his
subject by stating that ih treating tho growth
Mud d'deveIopmont Of this earth, ho Would begin
With the nebulouB formations, carrying tho in-
vestigation buck lniil1onh of Ycara. Thore might
be many who would look upon this research NJ
calculated to infringe upon their religious faith,
II not to destroy it ultimately. 1t seemed to
him. However, that it WAS mistake for people
10 WOW tho subject IN this light. To 20 back to
lho origin Of tue earth was out a step farther
than 10 inquire into tho beginning Of trees and
plants. There was a eeioutino principle that
there was always something eiso lying back OF
Ill things and in trae ng, the growth Of tho
world BACKWARD it is impossible to fiu1 thu actuai
,i!al principle just as in Investigating the skies
sna finds systoM within System, planet beyond
planet, through 'utnito per'oas Of space,
In START ny 10 upon tho subject Of tho oIcn-
ng+ what a. the first thing 6 to be obaeEycd2 It
sss that there oxisted certain uniformity in
;lo movements Of all tho hlsa,ouly bouios which
Iuggested gro With. Thare VAS found the Batne
tclene Of Bola- systomu. all travelling in similar
aircohons.
Having proceeded thus far. tho lcc.uros stated
That he would illus strait his ideas by means Of =
magic lantern. This Inst ILLUSTRATION thrown
npon tha serocu Sas to represent tue
sun With MarcurJ. Venus, Earth aud
ltars 10 their apnropl iato positions Another
picture widenea tho Boope aud Showed the u.
torolds, wLio stiff another took III the orbits Of
Jupiter. Neptune, fenus, aud satu.n. Through.
out tho syhtenl existed tho same method Of
movement, tho ouly exception bniEtg ln tho casn
of Uranus, whoBa eatelll,es woro tlltipg oyor
kud moving in an opposite direction from other
iatollltes. Thia exception. however, tho lect-
urer thought should nut weigh against tho
general conclusion u uniformity, sinCo II might
have boon brought Ebout by aomo accidental
disturbance.
Tho theory Of La Place. according to Prof.
Proctor, Was tlat tho :soiar system had been
iutions PARTICLES lad boon. th1uRu oil lett bo-
hind, aud these PARTICLES had gathered together
gradually until planet VAS formed. 30 tho
pzucays went on with otller pauets, until the
jystem arrived at itB p1eBe. 1t condition. Ii Place
ouly carried people back emo step, learing still
unexplained tho origin OF tue 1ebutuuB mtsa
Ind beat The ldoa ssna i!lustta:ad by
Z Wow OIL tho gcreen Of talo constellation OF
millions Ut suus and l4laua u. Continuing On
NTH seyeral other illustrats oas. tue speaker
.aule to the question Of mo 'eors. The ealth,
30 reasoned, VIII still Ii the pr oceaa ct growth,
from apace. .Alnsat my cleaf, night people,
could 500 what nte catiod |slootllg stars,
and sometimes these occurred VITA Gro4t
frequency. These uetsoEs Increased lie eurth't
bulk considerably. II had been ostinlatrd TINT
201, 900 OF tIloss bodies fsi! annually, adding sey
erai hundred Thousand tons to ita weight a'l-
arnlly. IL Was reasonable 10 suppose that theaa
mcteoro might lav0 Loen much moro frequent ut
soIno earlier period. There "aa regular INC.
seorio orbit differing from al others, being
l.G9U, ,010,0G0 miles III length. Tho apoaker
llluiod at Bomo icngth to cometA aud their
formation, and closed Aith al explanation Of the
sppso cu the Hun.