The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-07-06
WEDNESDAY MORNING, JULY 6.

verses the sights he saw and the sounds he
heard in dyspeptic dream, as a bearded devil
of ten million cubic miles of head and ten bill
lion leagues of tail met in his path our little
sphere.
More sedate than philosophers, less preju-
diced than historians, and free from all the i'm
aginative impulses of rhymesters, grave or gay,
have been the scriptural commentators, among
whom have been some who have claimed that
the star which led the Magi to the cradle of the
holy child was a comet. Devout preachers and
an undevout astronomer (if Mr. Richard Proc
tor was ever one) have also entertained this no.
ton. Calmet a learned writer on biblical sub
lects, of the last century, thought that the star
was an infiamed meteor, in the middle re-
gion of the air. which was taken for the star
that should come out of Jacob, foretold by Ba-
llama light that moved in the air before the
Magi only, as some have thought, and others,
while admitting the plausibiity of this theory.
argue that its light shone titfully on them. All
writers, however, agree that the appearance
was preUernatural. If. then, this heavenly Ian
tern was a comet, was it not lighting the way
to manifestation of Gods great goodness,
rather than indicating his anger and presagng
dire disaster to sinful and fallen man?
Lat not the belief that these celestial tramps
are harbipgers of evil be derded as supersti-
ton, when philosopher of Bacon's gravity
speaks Hear what he says in his essay "Of
Empire:"
Princes are like to heavenly bodies, which
Grafton but no rest.
There is, however, a .syein of sarcasm, as
though the notion were open to doubt, at least.
in these remarks. which occur in the essay 'Of
Vicissitude of Things"
Comets out of question, have likewise, pow
er and effect over the gross and mass of things;
but they are rather gazed upon, and waited up
on in their journey, than wisely observed in
their effects, especially in their respective eff
fects; that is, what kind of comet, for magni-
fr,da 1l.N Af ff.ah a. NIL .f,
the region OF heaven or lasting, produceth
what kind of effects
A practical turn to the popular superstition
or belief. if you please, has been given by con-
nossseurs of wines, who maintain that the
grapes grown in ''coinet years. have been of
superior quality, either because the weather
was warmer and ripened the fruit better, or
b cause the com IS themselves exercised some
chemical influence OH the vines. The comet
wines" Of several years since 1911 have, there
fore, been in great repUte.
Gihhon, in the Decline and Fall of the Ro-
man Empire" records, with full details among
the s1A ctions 81 the Justiiian age, tho appear
anees Of several comets. One OF these had al
ready made an srparltlon, its most splendid
and important, aud recorded as its fourth, af-
ter the death OF Ce ssar, during toe games ex-
hibted in honor of Venus and the dictator by
his nephew, the young Octavius, who cher
ished the vulgar opinion that the comet bore
TO heaven the divine soul of the mighty Julius
tnbugtl MS sStTtt NutiFfStlltOn WAS tDab IL re-
ferred TO the glory IF his own times The eau
tious historian admits that the near approaen
OF a comet may iniure or destroy the globe
which we inhahit, but declares that internal
causes have hitherto produced the changes on
its surface.
Oar comet is receding from the earth, say
the astronomers Let us say "Au reooir" in
the words of Edward Everett, addressed &c
the resplendant comet of 1888, named in honor
OF Sig. Donati. its discoverer at Florence, de,
al.
previous visitant of this race in intensity and
light of nucleus and combination Of attractive
features, though larger ones had consumed
2i56 years in describing its orbit, and upon
this hint, enlarging on Addson's adj
dress in the Guardian to the comet of 1850, Mr..
Everett spoke
Return, then, mysterious traveller, to the
depths of the heavens, nsver again to be seen
by the ewes of men now living Thou hast run
thy race with glory; millions of eyes have gazed
upon thee with wonder; but they shall never
look upon thee again Since thy last appear
auce in these lower skies, empires, languages
and races of men have passed away; the Mace
donaa, the Alexandrian, the Augustan, the
Parthian, the Byzantine, the Sareeenic, the
Ottoman dynasties sunk or sinking into the
gulf of ages Since thy last appearance, old
continents have relapsed into ignorance, and
new worlds have come out from behind the
veil of waters. The Magian fires are
queuched on the hilltops of Asia; the Chal-
dean seer is onnu, the EGYPTIAN hlerogram-
matist has lost his cunning; the oracles are
dumb. Wisdom now dwells in farthest Thule,
or in newly discovered worlds beyond the sea-
HAPPY when wheeling up again from the celes.
tial abysses, thou art once more seen by the
jewellers on earth, the languages we speak
shall also be forgotten, and science shall have
fled to the uttermost corners of the earth
But even then His Hand, that now marks out
thy wondrous circuit, shall still guide thy
course: and then as now Hesper will smile al
thy approach and Arcturus and his sons re-
jolce at thy coming.