The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-04-12
Anaersnn gntflli9eneev.
Comets.
Bi.hop Cyatk IN the ". Y. Lt,iy,r.

thinking curiosity; some with solemn
awe, and some with fear and dread.
From the earliest ages, and in all quar-
ters of the world, this cratic wanderer
Of the heavens has been regarded Rs the
harbinger Of dire events and the prophet
Of woe.
Comets have bafiled the Investigations
Of science, and their origin, constitution
and purpose, in days gone by, have been
remitted to the region of "the unknown
and the unknowable." They come and
go; sometimes in accordance with the
prediction Of astronomers, and sometimes
when they are not expected, sweeping
round the sun with inconceivable veloci
ty, and then, with the new impetus ac-
gured by this close contact with the
great solar lumnary, they shoot off into
space, like stone hurled from sling,
and are seen no more for ages.
Some are enormously large, and with
an incalculable orbit, while others are Of
comparatively moderate dimensions and
keep within reasonable limits. In 1912
a comet appeared which accomplished its
appeared in 1882, when, if it had been on
hand only one month earlier, it would
have struck the earth. As it was, il
itself in two, and went careering of, each
part with its own head and tail, and
about 5000 miles apart. The pictures
of these creatures, taken from lite look
very much like the head Of goose with
brilliant eye in the centre, and long,
open beak, and a gosling along side of
much smaller size, but constructed after
the same fashion with its father. It
ought to have retu Ged in 1862, but it has
never appeared again, the presumption
being that the shock which il received
from its vicinity to the earth was too
much Cor it, end Sc Il went to ruin. This
two have gone off somewhere, and are
perhaps wandering about today is At
aimless manner, but "they left their tales
behind them" and ceased TO be comets
any more.
In the year 1867 comet came 80 near
the great planet Jupiter as to derange
its course, "and went bobbling around
until 1879, when it came entangled with
Jupiter's moons, and then it lost its or.
bit again, and was whisked of into iufin.
ite space, never more, perhaps, to be seen
by human eyes,"
Nine years agoa comet came between
the earth and sun, travelling Mt the rate
of 36G miles per second (more than
100000 miles per hour j aud when it
took its sharp turn around tho sun the
distance between the two was only six
times the breadth of the suns face. It
is very possible that the sun might swal-
low up n quantity of the smaller comet
fry without feeling it much and without
its making any perceptible impression
upon US but to consume ut one meal
such creature as appeared In 1843, with
tail long enough to reach from the
earth to the sun-with fifty million miles
of tail to spare-might tax the digestion
of even such mighty being as the
sun.
We are accustomed to regard the COM
ct as somewhat rare phenomenon, but
kepler afiirms that comets are scattered
through the heavens with as much profu.
sion rs fishes in the ocean," aud those
which belong to our solar system are
counted by millions. It may be we'll for
us that only an occasional visitor inter.
sects the orbit of the earth; for, even as
it is, we have sometimes como
very near hitting one Of .hese fiery mon
sters. What would be the consequences
of an actual collision lit may be difficult
to determine. There are scientific men
who say tina. comets, 80 far at least as
their tails are concerned aremade Of suah
light and tenuous material that We might
go directly through them, without any
danger, and perhaps without knowing it;
while there are others who believe that
contact with comet would be disastrous.
Even IT there were no solid substances in
the comet capable of doing harm, there
may be, and undoubtedly there are gesses
and electric potencies which 1t would be
very uncomfortable to encounter. A re-
cent writer, to whom am indebted for
many of my facts, describes what is going
on in the heavens as "a celestial game of
ten.pins, with the solar system for a
bowling alley, and the earth waiting for
atcn.strike." It is not pleasant pic
ture, but do not think that we need
concern ourselves about the danger to be
nnnrehanded IL that quarter; Whatover
may have happened in the earlier peri.
ods OF the world, we have been going or
quietly enough for many thousands of
years, and shall probably continue to do
so tor many ages to come. 1t is the
opinion OF the writer from whom have
quoted that in ages long past there were
collisions OF, conaets with tue earth, and
he has just published a very ingenious
and entertaining book to prove it. ~
More space would be required than ID
"s eotA'Ioue " Baso uuyluluS ike u
satisfactory statement of bis argument.
He has ransacked the literature of all
nations for legends and myths which indi.
cate the traditions of such On event, and
summons the Bible to his aid after q
fashion that would astonish the ancient
commentators. He is evidently we'll
posted in astFQpomicei science, and is we'll
worth sthaying, whatever one may think
of his conclusions. The title of the book.
to which / refer Is Raynafok, which means
the "rain Of dustps rH 4i.sy
1t is certain that the climate and con.
ditions of life on the earth have not ST.
ways been what they are now. TROPICAL
plants once flourished In the arctic, aud
tropical beasts roamed there, which by
some sudden and awful catastrophe, were
destroyed. The destruction must have
been swift, and probably instantaneous,
because the flesh of these animals Is
found in perfect preservation, no time for
decomposition having occurred after their
death. Later on, sheet of Ice enveloped
the greater part of the earth, and at some
period the line Of the elliptic appears to
have been changed. What changes NAV
await the world in future times heaven
only knows. tits enough Tor US to know
that there is supreme aud all.wise
Power behind all the phenomena of ma
ture and that He doelhf all things we'll.
As the globe on which we live had a
. beginning, 60 1t must, eoonerof later, have
an end. "The things which are seen are
temporal, ~ il ris only, r"the things that
are not aeen which aye. eternal,