The Osceola times., 1881-04-02
Solar Phenomena.
'hicago Expres.

NnAOtt1t IaA PITS
There is a disturbance in the sun.
Astronomers, devout and undevout, see
through there telescopes its internal
writings and violent commotion, but
they can not discover the cause Of the
intense agitation. Once in about eleven
years, they say, the same phenomenon
occurs; and we are now approaching the
maximum of disturbance. Dark spots
like great chasms which could smack
their mumbling lips" over dozen
worlds come and go upon the suns sur
face. and his glorious face is scanned and
Scared as with an infinite agony. Var
ioUs theories are put forth rs eXplana-
tons; but the general conclusion is the
same rs st. Ciair's on a future life, "Who
knows anything about it?' Some as
sert that these sun storms are caused by
planetary attraction; some that il is the
fall of great masses Of meteOric matter.
and some that it is the result of internal
commotion. and the rush upwards Of
gaseous explosions, in comparison with
which our tiercest volcanic eruptions are
but the flicker of flame. Then, too, in
addition to the great holes which break
upon its surface there are gaseous out
bursts, startling and vivid. \ Cambridge
astronomer who makes daily obserya-
tions describes one of these solar pro-
tuberances which he visited in Novem-
Der as being at least two hundred and
thirty-fve thousand miles high, or so
immense that if hurled upward from the
earth il would almost reach the moon.
Two hours later it had collapsed TO a
gaseous stream only eighteen thousand
miles high, or mere torch compared to
what ii had been.
Persons whose minds are not COM
pletely filed with petty personalities
long to know something of this mysterl-
ous sun and his present agitation, which
undoubtedly influences the meteorolog-
ical condition of the earth. That he is
the source of light, and heat for our
little world; that without him there
could neither be life nor beauty, though
acknowledged, is scarcely understood.
Only the teachers in science, the minds
which have arisen above dull nothing
ness, and belittling triviality, reach above
the clouds for food for thought. There
are plenty ofmen and women who do not
call themselves ignorant who never
quite get over the belief that the sun is
a big blazing shield hung up in the sky
to make light for them. He might as
well be a dish pan so far sthey are con-
cerned. so long as he attends TO his shin
ing promptly. They speak of the sun
rising and setting exactly as though he
did SO with a special eve to their conven-
ience. For them the horizon of thought
/ extends no farther than the little and
big aiiairsin which they have personal
/ interest. The sun might he covered
D a., ax.fsgl thf y-.n.lar nf
/ the learned and the phenomenon would
/ be less to them than a splash of mud on
/ their garments. The birds and bees take
quite as broad view OF the universe a.
these people. The grasshopper which
huns away his brief efsummer of existence
| feels the comforting warmth of the suns
rays. and with the boundless egoism OF
/ ignorant human souls, while he sways
I gracefully on a blade of timothy, he fan
l cies the sun and the world were made
/ for him alone.
/ Life. 10 most of us is so hurried, 50 ac-
/ tive. 50 crowded, that only the scientist
and idealist find time for grand specula
| ton and sublime thought. If half the
words which are embalmed in print IL
regard to the formation of the new pres
ident's cabinet were given TO opinions
and observations on the wonders OF the
universe we would be at once a broader
minded, more learned ard better people
than we are. l we talked more of mat
ter and less of ourselves seltishnes'
would cease TO be the ruling sin of hu
manity. If the sense of our own signiti
canoe could be supplantei by knowl
edge of the vastncss of matter ana th'
curiositios Of planetary life the eifec
would be exalting in the highest degree
"The undevout astronomer is mad Is {
truth never disputed. The soul of {
student Of the stars lives in an atmos
phere of awe. 1t loses itself IN thu
grandeur of the infinite. II was Huxle,
who said that he measured every man.
intellectual capacity by the number o
cencralities as opposed to personalitie:
which were noticeable in his converse
! ton. That there il Ia the heavens ahov.
s n:se powe. ts s..s .,".'; - az.r~ many ;oS ans
| <ne. Th3u n vhv hearts Rroy toudGrer