The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1880-07-24
TERMS $500 PER ANNUM, IN ADVANCE.

for that period, the calculations of the astrono-
mer have no application. The power of pre-
diction, OF prospective prophecy, is that which
is commonly regarded as the great prerogative
of physical science, And truly it is q wonder
full fact that one can go into a shop and buy
for small price book-the Nautical Alma
nac"-which will foretell the exact position to
be occupied by one of Jupiter's moons six
months hence; nay, more, that if it were worth
while, the Astronomer Royal could furnish us
with as infallible prediction applicable to
1880 or 29S0. But astronomy is not less re-
markabe for its power of retrospective proph-
ecy. Thales, oldest of Greek philosophers,
the dates eff whose birth and death are uncer-
tain, but who fourished about 600 B. c., is
said to have foretold an eclipse of the sun
which took place in his time during battle be-
tween the Medes and the Lydians Sir George
Airy has written very learned and interest
ing memoir, in which he proves that such an
eclipse was visible in Lydia on the afternoon
of the 2Sth of May, in the year 5S5 B. G.. No
one doubts that on the day and at the hour
mentioned by the Astronomer Royal, the peo-
pie OF Asia Minor saw the face of the sun
totally obscured But though we implicitly
believe this retrospective lprophecy, it is neap-
able of verifcation. 1t is impossible even to
conceive any means of ascertaining directly
whether the eclipse of Thales happened
or not All that can be said is that the pro-
ways verified; and that, inasmuch as his retro
spective prophecies are the result of following
backward the very same method as that which
invariably leads to verified results when it is
worked forward, there is as much reason for
placing full confidence in the one as in the
other. Retrospective prophecy is therefore
legitimate function of astronomical science;
and if it is legitimate for one science it is le-
gitimate for ALL the fundamental axiom on
which it rests, the constancy of the order of
nature, being the common foundation of all
scientific thought Indeed if there can be
grades in legitimacy, certain branches of sci
ence have the advantage over astronomy, in SO
far as their retrosp spective prophecies are not
only susceptible of verification, but are some
times strikingly verified Such science ex-
lists in that application of the principles of
biology to the Interpretation of the animal
and vegetable remains imbedded in the rocks
which compose the surface of the globe, which
is called palteontology. At no very distant
sils'' were really the remains of animals and
plants were hotly disputed. Very learned
persons maintained that they were nothing of
the kind, but a sort of concretion or crystal
liZation which had taken place within the
stone in which they are found; and which
simulated the forms of animal and vegetable
life, just as frost on window-pane initiates
vegetation. AT the pIesent day it would prob
ably be impossible to find any sane advocate of
this opinion; and the fact is rather surprising
that among the people from whom the circle
squarers, observation-disclosures, fat-earth men
and the like, are recruited, to say nothing of
table turner's and spirit-rappers, somebody has
not perceived the easy avenue to nonsensical
notoriety open to any one who will take up
the good old doctrine that fossils ara all lusuS
nature.