New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-03-07


I.nt ia disrespectfully spoken Of by IAN Unat-
,oched CLERGYMAN y who writes an ill-natured let
ter to The London Echo. He calls it " dull ascetic
season. and announces that he has long since
ceased to observe it. He protests particularly
against 1.-The solemn farce Of Ash Wednesday,
when the House OF Commons loses two hours ana
the theatres are cruelty shut up night by nat Oh
the deblltated courtier known as the LORD Cham-
berlain to the sacrifice of the actors and actresses
who thus lose their wages" This sweet tempered
person declares that Lent was originally fast VI
forty hours only but was extended TO forty dd' ior
the viIest purposes of priestcraft" lie then tells
story which indicates sufficiently the reason OF MS
risen gorge In 1867 there was magnificent solar
total eclipse. The Unattached" who is an ardent
student of astronomy, was then curate, anu "a'
compelled by stupid Journalist clergyman TO at
tend the Communication service" on the oth oi
March And so this undeyOut astronomer iost the
sight, and he appears never to have recovered HUH
the CALLING disappointment. Il have since com,
pounded and cut" he says in conclusion; anu
Lent is on its last legs" Ii must be admitted that
feasting has had no better effect upon TINS gentle
mans disposition than fasting, for not even Tue
.uperstitous spinsters," who are denounced by him
as the principal Lent keepers, could be in humor
more melancholy than his. As he can, in these en-
norotherwse strngently dealt with for refusing to
observe Lent, we do not see why he should be so
truculent about the matter. Something might be
said about the singularly bad taste of such letter
by clergyman but until something worse happens
70 England from the observation of Ash "Wednesday
than the loss of two hours by tho House OF CON-
mons il Will hardly he erased from the calendar.
An explanation Of the remarkable speed OF one OF
the newly discovered moons of Mars, Is undoubtedly
needed The trouble with this satellite IS that IL
goes around its primary about three times as fast as
the latter revolves Oh its axis. Unless the circum-
stance can be specifically explained, we must piu
adieu to the nebular hypOthesis-which very lie" as
tronomers would be quite willing to do al present.
Professor DoOtte, of the Coast Survey, mas recent
Is urged as a satisfactory expanatloh'
theory 70 the effect that the little moon
ha, had its orbit shortened by the impact OF me-
teorites. But no evidence is brought forward to
prove that the meteors of the early ages OF the solar
system were so strikngly numerous If they were,
would thew not have LETT their mark in the most
ancient strata of our own planetl Possibly, how
ever. this new theory may strengthen an older one
that lattery has been lost sight OF, which explains
the cup-ike cavities IN the surface of the moon by
supposing that they were made by great aerolltes
falling into our satellite while yet 1t was of pasty
consstence.
There are some able orators concealed in our
Board of Education. The speaker who demanded
the other dag that should all put our wheels to
the shoulder has been eclipsed by the orator who
Yesterday declared the schools to be so full that he
was unable to get his own personal children INTO
themr THIS raises the interesting question whether
a mans children, being his own can ever be consid-
cred as strictly impersonal and whether being per-
sona they are therefore supplementary.