The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1879-05-03
THE PACIFIC
Commercial Abbertistr.
SATURDAY, MAY 3
The PerihelioE Of Mars.

dneen years this planet approaches the Earth
within foEty-seven millions Of miles, at. its peri
helion. with he Earth in aphelion. or farthest from
the Sun, aud Mars at its nearest On August
30th, 1877, n line from the Sun would pass through
ne Earth and Mars Now this happens about
once In 6feen year., bat Mt this periheliSn OF
Mars The planets Jupiter and Saturn were in a
positIon to exert an influence on this Earth and its
aarroaudiux elsments more than they can again
for some hundreds Of years. In October and MOI
vembek. IsTT, TIRES OF the superior planets were
shining in the western sky. On November %.
Mars came within three minutes Of arc Of occult
ing vim saturn. Al this time The planets Venue
and Jupiter we're within eight degrees Of each
other. and the four were within an arc Of seventy
four degrees, all shining with great splendor and
all In southern declination.
With these preliminary observations, showing
the positions OF the planets and their relations to
our Earth, one would be led TO suppose that they
would exert an influence on the aaid elements of
the planet We inhabit- As the basis Of this theory,
we are certain that nature always seeks an equili-
Srium, and any undue influence Of the heavenly
bodies on the Earth would cause a disturbance.
and when these forces ceased their action the ele-
mens would exert an influence on each other until
such an equilibrium was established as existed
before the disturbing causes were felt. We know
that there have been great disturbances OF the
huid elements Of this globe for the last two years,
and The enquiring mind Of man will naturally want
to know The eause, knowing as we do that there i
a cause for all the anomalous phenomena OF
nature. 70 my mind the cause Of all the extraor1
dinapy Disturbances Of the atmosphere and currents
Of the ocean Is In planetary Influences such as
the Rreat famine in Northern China, where no rain
has fallen for two years in a country where
drought was never known until two years ago.
And now comes the cold wave, or a strong move
mens Of the isothermal line to the south Of its
Normal position. Snow and ice in latitudes
where they have never been known before.
The great currents Of the ocean detected to the
south OF their natural limits from two to three
hundred miles Some unusual forces were acting
on this globe to produce all this disturbance ana
Il Is natural to suppose that II was caused by plan
etary Influences. Perhaps some one wiser than
the Eritsr can advance q more plausible theory
But fanny mind. the forgotten science Of AstTolo-
~, coupled with Meteorology, may lead to some
Astounding discoveries In future times.
ANY one familiar with the laws shat govern the
motions OF this globe and its attendant satellite
The Noon, and its relations to the sun az the centre
and lGe-giVing principle 10 all nature-to this and
all It's attendant satellites-any one that has given
this subject a thought understandingly, will readily
observe the disturbing Influences that have caused
the anomalous movements Of the auid elements oil
this globe within the last two years. and probably
come to the same conclusion with the present
writer.
In this connection another subject occurs. Do
not these same influences have some effect on the
minds Of the human family and all animated
naturcf II seems to me that such may be the
sas. The ancient astrologers forecast the future
reer Of individuals by the planet that was in as
ndant at their hirsb, besides putting great stress
the signs OF the Zodiac or month in which the
fth took place. Given the day Of the month and
particular hour, the horoscope was cast. Some
20 hundred years ago this science was thrown
INTO discredit by the absurd practices Of professors
Of the art. but to this day there are some credulous
enough to believe that there are some mysterious
Influences attending the birth Of infants. and it is a
common saying that such a one was born under a
lucky star.
DO not proPos1to discuss the absurdities of
iAstroioey 6nkit is proper to ascribe some Of the
phenomenal disturbances alluded to to natural
causrs, and to be able to predict, with almost GER
4 tainfy, the disturbances that will occur when the
1other planets exert an undue influence on our
Earth.
DIR. Knapp has written on the subject, and gives
his prediction for 1882, in connection with the
periheIIon Of Jupiter and Saturn, but ignores the
late perihelion Of Mars L take the gentleman to
be an astronomer, and If so, why did be not let us
know all the particulars. But, on the contrary. he
bids us beware Of p~estlenee and all the ills that
flesh il heir to, from planetary attraction.
The approach OF the Earth in ~aphelion to the
planet Mars in perihelion must have produced
some disturbance for the Earth to come under the
direct influence Of this planet. aud in a few months
10 be the whole diameter ofshe Earth's orbit farther
soa. Whatever influence may be exerted to disturb
the equilibrium, the corresponding disturbances
will be exerted in restoring the equilibrium lost
nv The first elements Of disturbance, and it is pos
sibIe that the reaction may be worse than the Grst
action.
Astronomy a. now known will dispel all Of the
illusions OF direful calamities from planetary in
fauenees, causing plaques, famines and other great
eatastrophes to the human family. As for four OF
The planets being 10 perihelion in the year 1881 or
lss2, It Is an Absurdity. for such an. event cannot
happen. There can be no such planetary inhu-
tnces on this Earth rs happened in 1877 for some
centuries to come. The planets Neptune or Uran-
rs in peFihelion can have but very little effect here,
hey are 50 far buried in space that no man ever
sau them without the aid Of a powerful telescope.
saturn and Jupiter no doubt exert some influence
On Us when they are in perihelion. The alarmisIs
Who are writing In the papers about ~periheliOn are
men Of no standing as instance,
bne signing himself /" Astronomer Royal Of Edin-
A~burgh-" We must confess that we had not heard
4 him before. There is one Astronomer Royal at
frsenwieh Observatory. and I think that is the
E,nly one Ia Great Britain. When be and those
~>ted at the great National Observatories pub
the world an account Of any change in the
- sstem out Of the common order, the public
place ome confidence in what they say, as
e. ally know what they are writing about.
y D be an excitement got mp to gather in
o. rs and strengthen a hold on the ignorant
IS fnlous. Perhaps the promoters believe in
- Aeral collapse to take place in 1881. but
ey are still gathering gear to have after the dis
1hrbance IA over. Such excitements as Millerism,
hich was got up in 1924 hlled :he insane asylums
ith the ignorant and weak minded and the scare