The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-05-16

| anu also WIN tnat OF Si), III mas Oeen eSJlundteu
that another outburst may be expected within
year two from the present time. Has this
expectation any basis of probability
The position of the star of 1872 is well known.
| Of the two former we are only told that they
were in the same NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..
Identity. therefore, cannot be safely inferred
from observations of positions Again, the in
terval from 945 to 1864 was 319 years while that
from the latter date to 1872 was only 308. These
facts would therefore, Indicate diminishing
period and a return of brightness about 1869.
With constant period. however, of 3O8 years,
the maximum would have been due in 1880; or,
if we assume an irregular period with an average
| length of 313 years, the next outburst of brill
| fancy should occur in 1884 or 1885, While
| our data, then, do not warrant any positive
conclusion, the weight of probability is decidedly
unfavorable to the theory of identity. The
period is much longer than that of any known
variable, and the amount of fuctuation is also
proportionally greater. In regard to the hy
pothesis that the star of Bethlehem was the
same object at an ancient maximum of brill
fancy, it seems sufficient to remark that the
intervening appearance of so brilliant an object
could not, in all probability, have escaped obser
walton 1t short, the temporary stars of 945,
1864 and 1872 were probably different bodies,
in which case the approximate equality of the
| intervals was merely an accidental coincidence.
This conclusion is strengthened by the we'll
known fact that the temporary stars of 1866 and
1876 had no predecessors in the same positions.
DANIEL KIRKwooD,
| F. ---s.----
THERE is prospect, though but faint one
Missouri The lunatic who once published the
paper known as the ''Okolo ma States heard of
this, and shifted danger to his Democratic
brethren. He felt that here was an enemy
which must be suppressed, and accordingly hied
himself to ST. Souls, where he is engaged in the
publication of an anti-prohibition organ. Fol
lowing are a few choice extracts:
If prohibition passes take down your shot
guns and shoot the damned heart out of the
| hateful thing =
The Cincinnati mob will bea
Tame and
| Trifing
| Circumstance to the popular uprising that'will
take place in st. Louis if prohibltive law is
If the prohibitive people triumph let them
look out for the
Torch and
Of the Avengers
If they ruin the vast commercial interests at
stake in this temperance contest they will read
| the price of their victory by the light of their
burning business houses,
To arrest man for drunkenness Is to deny
fundamental principle Of selfsovereignty, with
out which liberty becomes
| A mockery and
! myth;
And, therefore, these arrests should be resisted
by the victim on the spot or vigorously reyenged
| as soon as he is free
LoIIa ~ Inf he,
! defed by bullets se s..1t san3
Mark that, We
MummerS and
Mountebanks NV
! OF the Brooks persuasion, and mark it we'll
| before you drive the personal liberty people to
desperation and cause the sLreets Of ST. Louis to
run red with blood.
If people could be found who would read
twenty or thirty columns of such stuff the pro
hibitionis.s could afford to pay the editor a sal
airy for continuing the publication. Idiocy like
this acts after the fashion of boomerang,
THEY do these things better than they once
did. There was time when, if two Southern
gentlemen had adispute. they were almost forced
by circumstances to fight it out according to the
code. Their friends and neighbors might sus-
peet that duel was on hand, but they went
on in tho even tenor of their way without offer
| ing to interfere and the consequence was that
sometimes the duelists got hurt If the duel
lists anticipated interference for any reason they
had no difficulty in slipping away, and having
the affair over without spectators and without
| bloodshed if thought best. Now it seems al
most impossible to keep such secrets from the
authorities. Nomatterhow careful the aggrieved
citizen may be about sending in his challenge,
orh how cautious the offender in his acceptance,
the police constables are pretty certain to get
an inkling of the proposed affair, and to cir
cumvent it Colonel Swank and Judge Goodwin,
of Norfolk, Va, thought of going out to shoot
at each other, but in some mysterious way their
intention leaked out and both have been put
under bonds for good behavior while at the
same time guards are placed about their homes
| to keep Them apart OF course this is very
annoying and disappointing to the chivalrous
gentlemen, but they can console themselves
with the knowledge that they have shown a
proper spirit and that their ''honor' is vindi-
Gated in the eyes of the public just the same as
if they had winged each other
A LONDON correspondent has made the dis
tressing discovery that Miss Terry. during her
stay in this country acquired quite perceptible
American accent. In Washington and New York
there are gentlemanly professors who advertise
to teach English as it is spoken in England.
Miss Terry would ave havoided 'er present mis-
fortune, you know by olding conversations with
one of these missionaries, and thereby retaining
'er native haccent in hits purity
KENTUCKY bellies arc of opinion that bird in
She hand beats two in the bush every time, and
they never fail to act according to their belief.
Miss Maggie Bonner of Nichcasyille, on Tues
day went to Lexington to get the materials for