The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-10-05
ANOTBBR MOON HOAX, PROBABLY,

AAO1hhR MUM uOhAt 1RODhOhAa
Fifty years ago or near it, an ingenious
young wag of New York, by the name of
Locke published in the New York Sun an &C
count Of the discoveries pretended to have
been made by Sir John Herschel in the moon,
by means Of the large telescope he had
mounted at the Cape Of Good Hope. Many
believed the story and many others were be-
wildered while all who were well informed
laughed at it as a good joke, The ''moon
hoax" was a matter of general amusement and
frequent reference for several years Poe pre-
coded this few weeks with his elaborate and
scientifically constructed story of 'Hans
Pau and his journey to the moon, by bal
loon filed with some sort of highly rarifed
gas, which he had discovered and kept secret.
Nobody believed Poe, though his story is sci
entifcally accurate. conceding him the gas he
claims. People thought it quite possible to
see what was in the moon though quite
impossible to get to it. Now,
within day or two, we have
sort of compound of Locke
and Poe, with Locke's minuteness of detail
and Poe's careful conformity to scientific con-
ditons. A DR.. Blendmann, a professor of
the Royal Academy Of Berlin, is said to have
taksa unusually accurate photographs OF the
moon with telescope. by means of condensed
camphor smoke, reducing the intensity of
radiant light, which has hitherto bafaed exact
examination and minute photography. The
photographs thus taken were magnifed by
powerful solar microscope to diameter of
thirty three feet. In this way, it is said, he
was able to see that what have hitherto been
thought seas were tracts of rich vegetation,
and what have always been taken for mount
ain regions were deserts and seas. The
oddly of making lunar seas appear to
the earthly eye Ike mountains, while tracts
Of vegetation figure as seas, is not calculated
TO predispose one to credulity. 1t is also said
that towns, and cities, and villages, with
''strong indications of industry and COM
merce, can be seen with striking distinctness"
This story comes broadly under the caption
Important if true Although strongly
ordorous of humbug, there is possibility of
a very little bit of undecayed truth in it. If
ever that infnitesimal bit be fully fixed as
tronomers will have to 60 to work revising
their theories Of cosmogony. The moon is a
dead world, they say, and has died in the regular
course of development and decay indicated by
the ''nebular hypothesis" Worlds gather into
masses from incandescent vapor, condense,
solidify, wear into shape on the surface
with ice, and water, and earthquake, and
volcanic force and wear out, air and water
soaking into the mass and leaving it stony
desolation everywhere. The moon is dead
and Mars is dying They are small and run
their course rapidly. Jupiter is still heated
mass and gets much of his light from the
original fire Of his raw material, because he
is so big that he can't cool off and run his
round of existence like the small planets
Now, if the moon is not dead, but alive, and
green and populous and industrious, away
goes faith in the "nebular hypothesis"
and the evolution of worlds on
the plan of the ''Vestiges Of Gre
alton" Ii no world has died in
the course Of evolution, how are we to believe
that any world has been made by evolution?
The theory does not hold up. We can't &C
cept an evolution that we can't see from begin
ming to end and if a world hasn't died we
can't see the end. Our solar system comes by
direct creative act, SO far as philosophy
enables us to Judge, if it does not come by
the operation of law, in long periods of time,
on the original form of matter There are
too many arguments besides those of good
eye-sight and big telescopes, for the death of
Diana to allow one to take DR.. Blendmanns
discoveries without good deal of help.
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