The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-07-28
The Eclipse of Tomorrow.

The sun has always been a centre of attrao-
ton to the human race. Ordinarily 1t does
not attract even o passing glance, for two rea.
tons: first, because, when seen, it always pre-.
sents to the naked eye the same appearance
and perform it's duties with the greatest regu-
larity and precision, and, second, because it
resents the passing glance even, by dazzling
the eyes of the observer-and this power lie
doubtless the cause of the awe and admiration
with which it has always been regarded.
After losing by corruption the faith revesled
to oar first parents. all the primitive peoples
seem to have gradually fallen from faith to
psnth eism, and from hat to sun worship and
finally into idolatry. The Gauls were fire.
worshipers at the time OF Cesar. So were the
British. In Ireland fire-worship, which is the
same IS sun-worship, continued until super
seded by Catholicity. So, also, it is now
pretty well ascertained by examination of the
Sanscrit Vedss, as compared with Hindoo
writings of later date. that the people of India
fel1 gradually into pantheism, san-worship
and idolatry, which last has bscome more de-
graded with time. The Z,nd.Avesta of Il,
roaster indicates similar religious history
for Persia, and On examination of the early
| history of all other nations, including even
/
donbtedly reveal very similar state of things;
| from which we can conclude that the sun has
generally been something even more interest
| ing than q mere centre of attraction" as
ordinarily understood. It. is worthy of note
| that our American Indians, who really repre-
sent the state of degradation of the human
race Immediately bsfore the Christian era,
when the nations were sitting in darkness
\ I. - -: -c
among them that the sun is constantly chased
round and round the sky by q rabbit. This
really looks like theory excogitated by some
barb lrian Herbert Spencer for the pnrpose of
explaining the occurrence of eclipses; for it
could easily be said, after an eclipse, that the
rabbit had overtaken and bitten the sun, but
that "old Sol" had happily managed to es
cape. This reminds me of similar belief
which existed among the old Morse Vikings,
who held that the moon was constantly pur-
sued by q wolf named Haiti, who wished to
devour it. The fact that they knew the name
of the wolf shows their superiority to our
Indians, and proves that even at that early
) time the Teutonic races had made great pro-
gres, in that oiroumstsntial presentation of
hypothesis for which they have been noted
latterly during several centuries. If am
not mistaken, these same Norsemen knew the
name of another ferocious beast whom they
supposed to be engaged in pursuing the sun.
As far as the history of the sun is concerned
it is worthy of note that it was not created
) until the fourth "day." This 10 the more inter-
> esting, as it shows that the first four of the
: "days" occupied in the creation of the uni,
verse could not have bsen days of twenty -four
hours-a circumstance which did not escape
: the notice of the Fathers of the Church, fol
as early as the eleventh century q Spanisl
sbbot, whose name forget, wrote q commen
. tary on this fact. Another interesting point
3 to be gained by perusal of the first chapter OF
Genesis is, that light was created three days
: before the sun-the creation of light was the
work of the first day consequently light
D was then Independent cf the sun. These are
. valuable hints for scientists who have no pet
i. theory or no pet antagonism. They are the
= more valuable because science changes every
. day while the Sacred Scriptures never change
n We have all heard read how Pleasanton
t in his blue.light or b,ue glass theory, denie
n that the sun is the source of heat, and for thi
y denial assigns the strongest reasons. Perhaps
n the sun is not the source of either light o.
heatf It may be only "a necessary condition
to the production of them, like the sand
paper, which, by friction, produces the ligh
9 and heat of the match, without being tn
source or the cause of either In discussing tn
, question of heat, PleAsantOn does not forge
d to remind his readers that the temperature O
d space between the earth and the sun must b
y at least forty. ave degrees below zero (he nigh
It have said 80 degrees below zero; for certainly
d the temperature of space must be lower thai
n that Of any place within the sArth's atmo
= Sphere), and, therefore, that any conceivable
or possible amountiof heat emAnating feom tn
suu would be lost while travelling through
those niuety-two to niRsty.fve millions O
10 miles Of such intense cold. Now let some
p body deny that light comes from the sun
/ IL 10 extremely strange that modern science