Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-04-25

In the year 1773 report got abrOad-how
engendered is not knOwn-that Lalande, one of
the ablest mathematicians Of the day, had pre-
dicted the end Of the world, as the result of q
collision to take place between q comet and the
earth. We say it is not known how the report
got abroad The circumstance which gave rise
to the report is, however, well known. though
aROwedly there was nothing in it to have sug-
gested special anxiety. The difficulty 10 to con-
terrOrs presently excited. It had been an
nOunced that Lalande would read before the
Academy Of Sciences paper entitled "Refiec-
tons on Those Comets Which Can Approach
the Earth" 1t would be difficult to inquire
how the report OF this came gradually to be
l773-nay, the very day was named. on May 90,
177S-a comet would encounter and destroy the
earth did not recent experience show how .
statement Of one kind NAV be ehanged-thrOugh
carelessness, not through willful msrepresenta-
tiOn-intO q statement Of an entirely different
kind. when Tin its later form) it seems to indi-
cate the approach of some great danger to the
earth. Plantam0ur, 1ecturing in 1879 about
comets and meteOrs. says that the comet Of
1869 passed near the earths orbit; that along It's
teoric bodies. and that when the earth crosses
its track meteorc displays may be expected, adj
ding that the next display of the kind may be
expected On or abOutAugust II or 13. Presently
the news n travelling about that on August H.
1872. comet will fall upon the earth and we
shall all be destroyed. Who gave to Planta-
mours true and innocent statement this false
and mischievOus form? No one can say, no one
can point out where or how the true became
merged 'ItO the misleading, the misleading into
the incorrect, the incorrect into the utterly
false. But the terrors excited were none the
less real that no one could tell whence they
came or how they were generated. Once such
fears have been excited, It seems useless to at
tempt to quiet them, at least among the hope
lessly ignorant, who unfortunately are 30 nu-
merous and so readily made the victims Of idle
terrors. Lalaade published In the Gazette de
France Of May 2. 17z3, the following advertise
ment to quiet, "a he hoped, the public mind:
IN. Lalande had not time to read his memoir
upon comets which may approach the earth and
cause changes In her motions; but he would OBJ
serve that 1t Ia Impossible to assign the ep0chs
OF such events. The next comet whose return
ts expected Ia the one which should return in
IL wears; but 1t ID not one Of those which can
hurt the earth" But this tolerably explicit
statement had no effect. NJ Lalande's study
was crowded day after day with anxious In
qurers. number OF pious people, of whom q
contemporary Journal made the very rude re-
mark that they were as ignorant g they were
imbecile," begged the Archbishop OF Paris to
appoint 20 days prayer to avert the threat
ened danger. which for some reason they agreed
was to take the form OF q mighty detlge And
he would have complied with their request only
he was told by members Of the academy that he
would bring ridicule upon himself and upon
science II he did so.-Ths Cor5ahu Magazine.