The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1882-10-18

MOST interesting paper upon comets has been
published by Professor Higgins, in the Nineteenth
Century While offering several theories, he fairly
states that there is "no accepted consensus Of
scientific opinion as to the nature of these bodies
The of the spectroscope upon comets has proved
that they shine partly by reflected solar light and
partly by light of their own. The large size of the
present comet will enable investigations with this
instrument to be carried out more fully than be-
| fore. The nucleus in the largest comet does not
| exceed few hundred miles in diameter: the gas
lous matter is expelled fOrGTtiS the and after
advancing short distance, is suddenly repelled i'll
an opposite direction and steams out into the tail
the tail is not mass of matter "brandished like a
| sword in the sky but is the outcome of "cease-
| less commotion and tumultuous actions taking
place as the comet wings its way around our sun.
The gas which shoots forth in a large majority of
comets contains carbon. hydrogen, nitrogen and
possibly oxygen. Professor TAFT has theory that
comets consist Of an enormous swarm of meteors !:
| the self luminous part caused by the crashing to-
| getheT of the minute Masses which would develop
discharges of gas the tail is formed of the more
scattered portions of the swarm, lighted up by the
sun. Others think that the whole phenomena both
of self light and tails due to that refuge of the
unexplained, electrical phenomena. Last year
comets were photographed for the first time sue
| cessfully. From the above 1t Will be seen that
scientific men are still cropping in the dark but
that they are slowly but surely advancing towards
| the full light OF knowledge upon the subject !;
observations upon some large comets, with the i'm
proved instruments now at hand may shortly settle
the question.
IS connection with the agitation of the prohibi-
tOn question in the West, BUdsfeets says it is not
uninteresing to recall the great change in drinking
habits that has come about in times comparatively
modern. The stories that have come down to us
about the mighty two-quart beakers which were
emptied at single draught, are significant of a
state of manners very different from those of our
own period. In times still more recent it will be
remembered, goblets were 50 constructed that they
could not be laid on the board until emptied of
their contents. At the close of the last century to
be denomiuated "a three-bottle man" was TO be
regarded approved member of the festive
society of good livers. The feats of the champions
who drank their competitors under the table have
not lacked illustration in verse and prose.
great change has come over the habits of people
since then, and the tendency seems to be constant
toward more temperate use of stimulants. The
progress seems TO be a natural one and has so far
been gratifying, although TO persons unused TO
comparisons of the past with the present the con-
sumption of liquors at the present day may well
appear abnormal. Even in very recent times dis
pensers of drinks, when questioned as to the con-
sumption of liquors, have generally stated as the
result eff their experience that the taste for strong
ntoxlcants was suffering perceptble decline. 1t
may be seriously questioned whether this tendency
can be materially accelerated by the adoption Of
laws prohibiting altogether the sale of liquor.
These are far more likely to obstruct the amelior-
ating operations of time by exciting in the minds
of large numbers of the community the sense of
unwarranted violation Uf the libery of the indi
vidual. In this way the laws will without doubt
lose much of the moral force that would other
wise attach to them. The laws will be evaded by
large numbers Of the people. The enforcement of
the statutes will become problem. The public
officials will grow lax in their duties. The move
ment can hardly result otherwise than in a demo-
rallied administration of the law. 1t is perious
course upon which the advocates of prohibition
urge the people of the United States to enter.