Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-09-27

sired that the hall Of the house might be voted
TO Miss Dickinson to give her speech on Jo-
| supposed 'ft must be lecture about whales,
| and might be interesting as well as instruc-
| tive" and another said he would rather hear on
'female agitation" the two speeches under
| consideration being Joan OF Arc" and "Wo
mans Work and Wages,D but as they proposed
there should be no tickets, leaving the speaker
her interest in their mental growth and spirit
| ual welfare did not demand the outlay.
What Is the Moons shape,
IS 1T AN KLLIPsoID, EGG-sHAPRD OR ROUND, LIKE
BALL?
ne moon perhaps presents greater number
OF preplexing problems than any other member
OF the f0lar system. Although the nearest to
the earth of any of the celestial bodies, but very
little Is actually known concerning our satellite
The whole theory of the moon, 50 laboriously
worked out, years ago, is found to be at fault,
and Hansen's tables are unreliable There is a
ae. iation in the moons mean motion that can
not be accounted for.
The phenomena of the moons surface have
been carefully studied for years; but the causes
Of the remarkable physical conformatlons can
be but dlmly conjectured. The moons true
moon always presents one face to the earth;
but even this fact is puzzle. 1t Is explained
that the moons axis points toward the center
OF the earth, and the moon makes sin sle rota-
ton during revolution about the earth, thus
always presenting one side of the earth.
The plane OF the moons orbit Is continually
SLuUlHS, UuG I1iS SullUlQB OOeS not CQange TO
any extent the relative position of the moon
to the earth. The earth has grasp upon her
satellite that will not permit any shifting of
position, except a swinging motion OF the mass
nearest the earth like that of a pendulum It
las been abundantly shown by Newton that
Ii the moon were sphere the earth could have
no such grasp. The conclusion is inevitable
tnat The moon Is not sphere The exact shape
is still question of doubt. Lagrange insists
that 1t Is an elllpsoid, with the longer axis point
log 10 the center of the earth. The extent of
the elongat1on Is question yet to be settled.
Prof. Richard A. Proctor, In his work on the
moon, says: "However, 1t need hardly be said
that no instrumental means at present in our
possession could show the elipticity of the lunar
disc" Notwithstanding the assumption OF Prof,
Proctor, we believe that it can be demonstrated
That the moon more nearly resembles an egg
than 1t does a ball. Rutherford's stereoscoplc
photographs demonstrate it, and the known
laws OF motion bear out the theory. Photogra-
ply viii probably be the only means Of demon
stration and this will be doubted by those who
beneVe the revelations OF the StereoScOpe are an
optical illusion.
Rutherford's stereoscopIc views plainly show
mat the moon Is shaped like an egg, with the
small end toward the earth. In the stereoscope
the extreme point, or locality nearest the earth,
is not far from the great crater of Copernicus
From this high point the surface does not re-
treat as In a sphere. There Is rounding away
10 certain point, and then the distance re-
treats on line that is nearly straight. The
plane Is so tilted by Iteration that the observer
can see the true perspective and foreShorJentng
of objects on the surface. The phenomenon
coud be observed in telescope of large aper-
ture with power OF so dtaemters.
The slow rotation or the moon and its recent
plastic condition explain its shape. The moon
reVClveS on her axis in the same time that she
receives about the earth, or in 20 days, 10 hours
ana I "A MIN minutes nearly This motion is exceed
the centrifugal force is very slight. In bodies
like Jupiter, which revOlve with great rapidly,
the equatorial regions bulge out by centrifugal.
force, while there is a contraction at the poles
In the moon this action is reversed. When the
moon was molten the centrifugal force at the
equator was so slight that there was no bulg-
Ing, but the eaTth's attraction drew out the
mass. lengthentng 1t III the direction of the
polar axis, and Keeping the axis forever d.
rected toward the earth's center. Rutherford
has waited and watched tor opportunities to
photograph the moon in such positions as would
give the stereoscoptc effect. Libration changed
the moons face sufficiently to give this effect,
graphs. OF the views of the first quarter, one
was obtained march 6, 1865 He then waited
six years for filtration and suitable opportun-
ity to get another view that would give the
proper effect. Between the two views of the
last quarter there is an interval Of nearly six
moltnS.-[R Rochester Democrat.
EASY MARRIAGE AND DIvoRsE.-A divorce
and marriage occurred recently which were OF
nature somewhat peculiar and amusing.
German shoemaker residing on the National
road west of White River bridge became sus-
picious OF the fidelity OF his wife, young baker
residing on Blake street being uH person
affections. He preached the unpleasant subject
to his wife one evening and she acknowledged
the impeachment. A divorce was mutually
agreed upon and division Of the property was
made, the wife receiving $3.50 and a cow. All
preliminary arrangements were made, no hard
feelings having been endangered on the part of
appointed the baker and neighbor Of the
candidates for divorce proceeded to the court
house, the last named going as witness. The d.
vorce was granted, neither party interposing any
q % 10 ov,6 frfn ndc
started back home. On the way the baker, who
was to get the divorced wife, proposed a bottle
of wine. The party stopped at q saloon, and
and the witness repaired to the county clerks
Office and obtained a marriage license, to be
used at the wedding Of the divorced wife and
agreement the baker is to furnish bread for the
shoemaker and the latter is to make the shoes
for the bakers family. This is the way it is
done in Hoosierdom. Indianapolis Journal.
WHEAT IN M1NNEsoTA-"Let's see, they
raise some wheat in Minnesota. don't they2''
asked schoharie granger of Minnesotian
decidedly no, Sir. 1t raises itself. why, II we
undertook to cultivate wheat in that state it
would run US out; There wouldn't be any place
but I've been told that grasshoppers take a
:" OF course they do. If they didn't, 1 don't
know what we would do. The cussed stuff would
us up. Those grasshoppeIs are GodSend, only
there amt half enough Of EN-"
''Is that wheat nice and plump"
"Plump! Well, don't know what you call
plump wheat, but there are II in our family In.
cluoiDg 10 servants, and when we want bread
we just go out and fetch In a kernel of wheat and
bake it."
"Do you ever soak it in water f1rst?"
"Oh, no; that wouldn't do. 1t would swell q
little. and then we couldn't get it in our range
oven"
A CERTAIN M. DRILLoN has found that the
NUMBER seventeen brings bad luck to the I'm.
perial dynasty. The Prince Imperial had sey-
enteen assegal wounds. There are seventeen
letters In the name Napoleon Bonaparte. The
addition OF the figures 1908, the date of the
birth OF Napoleon Ill, numbers seventeen 80
does the addition OF the figures 1896 the date of
the Empress Eugenie's birth, as also 1883 tn !,
date OF their marriage; from 1885, the date of
their marriage, to 1870, the date of their fail
seventeen years. The Prince Imperial wa
there are seventeen letters in the name OF Le
Lieutenant Carey, and the addition of the
figures 1869, the date of Prince Victor's birth
again produces seventeen.
PRESTON COUNTY, w. Va, has natural ice
mountain: 1t was discovered by soldiers in
1861, and Is now the favorite resort for summer
pcnicl ers. The ice field covers q quarter OF
an acre, It's surface being strewn with mass
OF loose, unstratined rock, between which the