The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-02-04
SOME NEW hooks.
MIR. Proctor. Ln,e., worL on A.,rou.m

says which seem destined to ind many readers
| one purpose Of these essays Is to show how In
nnitely small, I'm comparison with the rest Of ere
alton. far 1t can be seen by the greatest tee-
scopes, Ia the globe on which we live. This fact
may be made apparent In many WAYS. Its full
| Illustration demands the handling OF questions
| the most profound that science has essayed to
solve, and suggests speculations upon matters
that no human intelligence cnn Justly compre-
| bend. A person TO whom the pleasures Of i'm
agination are more seductive than the laborious
processes of logical reasoning and mathemat-
| cal demonstration, when contemplating tho
subjects here presented, is ant TO be led into dis
cussiOns OF probable theories possible sup osl-
lions and more or less fanciful hypothesis ;and
| N he have something NJ poets sensibility aud
! taste FOR the sublime these themes viii have for
! him very strong fascination. NoI have only
| to open hls book to see that Mr.. Proctor pos
sease- these qualities. Tho inconceivablc grand
| eur ~ the universe revealed by Astronomical re-
! search. or rather. the feet that this grandeur u
| inconceivably magnificent. auazes and awos him
! To- nm uncommon degree. He is seized with 40
irresistible desire 10 impart the leaning which
! 50 strongly improsses him. and. II possible 70
! make u known to every mar, so Jar A. appears
| from this book he isa distributor rather than n
discoveror ~ knowledge His greatest usefulness
consists In bringing together the results " Sci
! entiGc research, and presenting thom In such
| language as ordinary readers may easily UNDER
! stand. lie deals with the general rather than
with the particular. His work T. not designed
| for men of science but for the people ne large.
.,,...,'.,,'.. ,,.., 49, ,.,...,, ,.. ti,. III,
,,...,..s .,,...,,,,. ,,,,,
., ..,
| ma, f,itt i'm thc .c,chirgs ~ oro,t ,s.r,,-
omeis is shown by him. Hi4 generalizations
! are made FOR the most part from their data,
| without especial scrutiny or question. Thus. f,r
tnsfance. he feels tnaeif assured "itis,v,tt
time intervals. measurable by hundreds N nnl-
Mons oi years una, W" nave To dea' IN con'id r.
! ing Only cur e"'h.s hi-iorv-nny' TWO orthiee
N"huIeu hlIli"ns o' years only carry US pack 10
! "'''' " WIZ" ''' Gag d" was '' 'l2' WI "''
'e'''m'n long s'Puent I" the gaseous c"ndi'
! H'hs WINE '-f"iui -cfuilnHcr or thccfio. ana
Invcstigitor Of facts after having cxan,iucd IN
he .imi-sible alleged causes Of the suns heat,
would reach a very different inference a. TO che
earth's age. The general conclusion" he saws,
10 which We are led from physical consd-
| crltions regarding the age OF the suns ucat
i- that the entire geological history NJ our q Dbe
! must he con,rriscd within less than one hum
/ dr. millions u yeari.'
The eject ~ Mr.. proetor's work h 10 excite,
rather tnan 90 crafty, desire for precise know-
edge OF astronomy. Il tends to arouse y noble
I curiosity TO NllfU fNt nOiNtNn OF Thought 10
| disseminate grand ideas, % enlarge The minds
~ lbs readers. and 10 awaken pint II research.
Il does not present sublime uhiecfs ~ study AZ
dry mathematical PR olems, but as vast nc!d. in
wal ID the imagination may wander. ever end
ING fresh su'tenancc' and ever Increasing its
arpet:te 10y that 90 which it feeds:
eresatyn Of meter not from one Dorolof space. but
eil sct he forms and al snrnai forms our hois',
All sI,. Tbls hand Xxx an now ,i,s MN, eeno,ns
p.ricc4 which have travelled hiher ron regons far
away amid aorthcru aud southern cOn.tcatioas oart.
ng millions u m.Iol- 81 ages. untI after multiG.
6moG n, w. md so al, -intcd them IN ol,nis And in
ges- t,' Il e. coming 70 form port oas % my f.ot
-c .tr@ns snd rse..,,g isi not only tai earf ~
which We ri9ye ny eyeryihing W. see " toicl AMI
cour,5., age through he am "' ' % 6iS S O'-s
seems 10 be somcwhet too much given to he
use Of sounding phrases, to regard the marvel
lousness Of the thing, rather than calmly and
profoundly. step hy step. to examine tho tlina
w.
80 sen'r'Nf 'ni ms exercise II magma
l'N" j" 'e Wn"I ne says exceedingly atttnttNe.
'',, '''e''' w ,N'''''S ."' Won
u''"' l'7 'l''t'r' ""u le'd- h'lh 'h rom ono
N'4 '"~' va '".''' 1" 1'o."'I' "Hlli''
from iIiln. iIOi lllH, or uoSs Bile CufiiIoc-
,,tth cod. t..D mao d.. ...,. t........
'-' 80 '''' cow -f'.' "''' 'N ''''' '''''r'
ln liuc SENSE, pcf-nna To- me list UhCi, ana
,t.....f ... % OLE. - ,....,.
'"'''.'te asa '"e more -etpp dfnu-ts Aie m
forest.
u cnlfAg with ffc 90 h'ffOry ~ earth
uif'l tf.u. lien SUM- raiaDinx ts q . ft La
f0c ttftugth uf youth. au4 it.rl w.. cnnsi-rr ,ti.
NDr bod CHU a .l. .r-elulfrl chat I'd i b ta .ft.
flIl .idrI wI'n fIe ast4s uli., ir. 20 ltm fc 20.
furo oc"~ns 1f those uuHo oris In of-ffsr'r. our
eartr future. may Recognise la me moon. actual
rlltItt1n sflgr tlrYugn which fc ctrfn viii here.
~ pass Nhcu he earth = Inherent heat a.
passed % ellpsel stnca size Dad
continents and fro. rhound oceans viii In some d-.rce
resemble me iri wastes which the astronomer recot.
nlxcs tho lunar turucr And vet f h NOT 10 he un.
posed thai The appearance Of the earth VIII ever ie
closely similar that presented br the moon. rhe
arm may part as completely as Tie moon h1. Win
hundrods OF millions u wears he slowed down by tidal
action into neleeneut with the nerind M which t,e
moon completes her orbit every form
getnha life irav nerish from OF tho face
OF me earth Yet inetfAccahe races " the Long les
during when her surface was clothed with lie aud tn
the moon when he era 'of lie wss iuronplr1h'v
shorter Rven n the sr~, atoms u Saui.ias Meluiar
he lus' which the oceans gradually
be Withdrawn beneath surface crpu ana even the
atmosphere almost wholly di-lnpta ar there would for
ial ,nd snoNfali Nv via 5aa stoin. by t.ycr and
~ ger, ~ 9e,a9 T.Nfs 'n4 ,csan currents, ny me
nun red Of m'ne q years ind es'n more poieniS