Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1881-06-23
PROCTOR ON THE PLANETS.
The Noted English Astronomer says the
woria is Net TO he Disturbed.

newly-married wife we're in Chicago, a
short time ago, reporter visited the
celebrated English astronomer, and the
following interesting converBation en-
sued:
Chow much truth is there, Profes-
sor," asked the reporter, lin all the
worry that the human family is having
just now about perihelion and floods
and the stars in general?"
mot bit-not a bit, laughed the
professor.
"Well, how about the comet some
body by the name OF Swift discovered
the other day?"
Swift? Is il so2 Has he discov-
cred another comet? Well, / didn't
know it, I'm sure. I'm the worst per-
son in the world 10 come to to learn
about such things now; I'm 30 busy
travelling and lecturing, you know
But it's telescope comet, l suppose
little fellow-don't amount to much,
probably. But let's take a seat, and
I'll tell you about some OF these
things"
And, seating himself, the professor
fixed his eye on thu Office tagging and
turning over the card meditatiyely be-
tween his fingers, kept gazing at this
and this spot on the stone floor as if
he had a constellation in the range Of
vision.
cit used to he thought" said he,
"that the stars had an influence on the
weather, on floods, pestilencc and all
that sort OF thing, but science has dis
proved it. The truth is that the inhu-
ence Of all the planets together is not
equal TO the difference between the
greatest aud the least influence which
the moon cXerts IN "A year. And IL all
the giant planets-those outside the
earth's orbit-vcrc to come into con
junction and pcrihclion, all at the same
time. they would not exert as much in.
ilucnce as that very small ratio Of the
moons influence, namely, the mere
difference between its greatest and least
influence"
"Thcn the world is not going to
pieces this year,"
mot at all. Why, some OF the planets
are coming into conjunction every now
and then all the time. Two Of them
came into conjunction on the nineteenth
Of last June. Let's scc-nothing hap
pcned that day, did thcre7"
"And there will bo no more trouble
this year because so many come to-
gether?" qucried the reporter.
There is no more reason TO expect
it than that Jupiter has effect on the
sun spots"
The reporter said that somebody had
stated that the developments Of astrono.
my were more and more demonstrating
that there was after all some ground for
ancient as;rology. Did the professor
think so?
"On the contrary, il anybody reads
the works Of ancient astroloRy," said he,
"they will see what mistake that is.
The astrologisis claimed, no, that the
relation of the planets to each other
bad any effect on the destinies OF men,
but that the position Of the planets in
the sky-that is in the canopy above the
| horizon-had such effects For instance,
the ancients thought the stars in the
asceudant-which means those coming
/ up from the horizor-vere those that
would influence the career of child
born during their ascendancy; but that
had nothing TO do with perihelion and
conjunctions.
"Well, what about Jupitcr's influence
no sun spots, which you spoke of mo-
ment agoT 2"
"Why it has been said that scientists
admit that Jupiter affects the suns
spots, but the truth is, scientists have
only thought such thing possible. be.
cause Jupiter's period is ten years and
ten months, or about that-of course,
one can't carry all these things in ones
head-and the sun.spots' period is ten
years and one month. But nine months
makes great deal of difference"
"What do you think of the idea that
the sun-spots affect the weather2'
Ell think they do not do so at all.
have watched the sun-spots through
cold and warm winters and through hot
and cool summers, and I could not see
that they had any effect whatever upon
one another"
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