The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1881-07-07
DANGER FROM COMETS.

noiselessly into the heavenly arena
as the tiger approaches its prey, and
it's presence is therefore more than
ever by many considered the more
ominous. People have largely in
dulged in the belief that the earth
would some day be destroyed by
a comet; that it would come
dsshing along at the rate of ten
thousand miles minute and knocks
the world into nothingness in the
twinkling of an eye. Millerites
were strong in the belief, at one
time, that the world would be so de-
stroyed, and there still live people,
who, while gazing on the beautiful
heavenly body that coys with the
north star, reflect, and then
pray that they may be prepared
for the grand collapse. But this
same Capellais shying away from the
earth, and seems bent upon making
its attack upon some unhappy sphere
in the hidden northeast, where the
orbs lie so innumerable,t that it would
appear no straight line even could
be drawn without intersecting
some great heavenly body. In
| the hidden recesses of the never
ending heavens this stealthy Capella
may ere long find its prey, and a
hundred years from now it may re-
turn to its present sphere. fed and
nourished into grander proportions
a match for the world in spite of
formidable star route rings and such
] things. The end shall come 'Elike q
thief in the night" and this is why
so many have stared so sadly upon
Capella, and looked upon it as the
messenger of woe. These great as
tronomers, who sweep the heavens
with their telescopes, and who claim
to be able to tell the hour of a
comets arrival as accurately as the
time table indicates the approach of
a mail train, knew nothing of Capella
until q butcher, who got up be-
fore all other people, discovered it
in the heavens with his naked
eye. Thereupon there was a
great commOtion in scientific cir
cles. Science was shocked and
superstition gains victory which it
will not soon give up. 1t came un-
known end it acted most strangely.
First it took peep at us from the
northeast in the morning, just
as the day was dawning; then
it sneakingly raised itself just
above the horizon, as the tints
of sunset were dying away, and
then it boldly assembled into the
heavens, and now, throughout the
entire night, il takes observations of
the earth, which it must be storing
in lis note book for the day to come
At eve it flaps its fan-like tail at the
north star, and then it sidles
around and looks IN disdain upon
the earth, and in the morn again
it offers the same indignity, chang
ing its position, towards the regula-
tor of our system, and seem to mock
and defy earth and sun and
stars. With the dare devil style it
manifests, we may thank our stars
that it did not, just at this time, con-
slider the earth worthy game. 1t
came as though it intended to
sweep every continent with its
mighty tail, and to lap up the
oceans with its burning train, but
after posing itself, as it were for a
dash, it at once concluded TO go else
where, and it is on bold drive for
the north. What agency is to
be thanked for this disturbance we
know not. 1t recognized, probably,
that Texas was enveloped in black
shroud ofignorance and degradation
because of its sham of free school
system, and OF serving the "superin-
tendent" of education. amassing, in
that bright land which the "sun
shines upon," an army of peda-
gogueS to revolutionize our social
SYSTEM it may have generously
concluded that it would not
interfere here while Texas needs
the blessings of redemption. The
new era that sheds its light from
hallowed northern climes may thus
prepare us, in the time to come, for
the blessed immortality that awaits
Beechers and Blaines and Bradys
and Ingersolls. Capella reserves its
angry presence for that day. when
like these men, Texans will be edu-
Gated up to that standard befitting
them for a bodily transition, like
Elijah. 1t was kind in this good
comet to thus considerfhe condition
of Texans, to leave them to higher
enlightenment, not to wind up their
career when they would have mer-
tied a pig stye in eternity instead
of being lifted up through that
modern plane, which reflects honesty
and purity in all that pertains to
man and which only BELTS him for
presence before his Maker.
II