Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-01-27
A JOURNEY TO THE MOON.
Professor Proctor's Third Leeture-The Dis
pstch's Reports.


ding lecture Of his course last night be-
fore an audience that was excellent
both in number and in character. The
speaker began with some pleasant pre-
limnaries, including a high compliment
TO the Dispdtch's report of his lectures.
Then he proceeded to answer some ques-
tion based upon a remark in that
report, and some from other sources.
The Dispateh report did not accept the
entire orthodoxy of his view ofthe origin
OF meteors-viz., that they are the re-
suits Of volcanic eruptions from the sun
and other stars. In reply, he reiterated
some Of the evidences of this view, es-
pecially those derived from microscopic
examination Of the meteorites them
selves; and added, what to many minds
will seem yet more difficult to
accept, that, as the "giant plan
ets' and even the earth were once
in the condition in which the sun is
now, thoy too must, when in that stage.
have sent out this meteOric material
luat VI NiiN EiNttOIt HtltdDlN. SOIIlt
400 in number, through which the earth
annually passes, some Of them must al
most certainly have been elected by our
earth itself. In reply to another
question, he gave reasons for
not accepting Laplace's Nebular ITy-
pothesis, as to the origin of our
solar system from an original nebulous
mass; and stated that the revolution of
such nebulous mass would be wholly
inconsistent with the principles of Ply
sizes, as now understood.
A third question answered had rcla-
tiOn to the apparent blackness of the
central portions Of a sun spot. He
showed that this blackness is real diff
Guilty in all the theories of sun spots
Young's, or Fay's. or Langley's.
or his own. But really the blackneSs
is such only by contrast; cut off from
the rest Of the sun, the spot can be
shown to emit light. Yet the comp0ra-
tire darkness he explained as follows
The eruptiye yapors that form the spot
expand against resistance; that is. they
do ,cork, and doing work they lose en-
ergy and become cooler. and hence they
become absorptiye of the heat and
light that would otherwise pass through
them. This view. he said. is in ac-
cordance also with the spcctroscoplc evil
dcncc.
Turning then to the special topic of
the evening" 4 Journey to the
Moon the lecturer Skilfully and
pleasantly wrought into the notion Of
taking a trip to our satellite most Of the
ncedful facts as to its distance from Us.
It's size. its mass, &c. He introduced
also an interesting discussion as to the
proper size. 50 to speak. of men, trees.
&C., to suit a world in which gravity is
only one Sirih that on the earth ; draw
ing the conclusion that men on the moon
should be about six times their present
magnitude, and their structures, works,
&C.. should be- of course. in proportion.
Arrived on the moon he pictured the
surroundings the Garth huge
Standing almost stationary in
the heavens day and night; the long
dav. of almost fifteen of our days, when
the temperature would rise (according
to IIer>chel. but not according to Lang
lcy.) up to much above that of boiling
water. to be succeeded by an equally
long night when the cold would be some
$50 degrees below zero; and more Of
the same kind.
The constoacy of the " inconStant
moon" always turning the same face
to the Earth, was fully illustrated and
explained; and the speaker predicted
and proved that in timc-millions of
years. perhaps--the same cause that
has thus. as it were. fred the Moon,
would react upon and fix also the
Earth. so that the days would lengthen
and the tides would cease forever.
He took much pains to show that IT Is
unjust to the Moon to say that she re-
wolves around the Earth that really it
should he said that She. like the other
planets. reyOlyes around the sun, but
does so in close company riH another
planet-the one on which we dwell.
Then. as to the state of the Moon, he
feasted his audience with proiuSon of
pictures, and drawings, and photographs.
exhibiting views in general, and views
of particular localities in detail. lie
showed Tycho. and COperncuS, and
Linaeus. and the Apprentices. and the
Sea of Showers. and the Sea of Serenl-
ty, and multitude Of other things
too numerous to be even named
in this report. He gave. in con-
ncction with these. full and sat
isfactory explanation of the probable
origin of these striking features Of
the moons landscape-the "white
streaks." the "craterS," the " blow
holes" the "rills." and the So-called
roads " and walls" The question
was also presented and discussed as to
whether any activity whatever has.
within recent observation. been found
upon the moon he admitted its posi-
bility. but denied its existence except
in one admitted case.
Then came his fayorite thought. that
in this short-liyed wOrld-the moon
we can read the history and fate that
are to be reproduced in case of each OF
the innumerable worlds, which, how
ever great and bright they now may be,
must, like the moon, eventually grow
old. decay, and die.
The multitudinous life which the
canopy of Heaven reveals is but pre-
diction of multitudinouS death. SO to
us it seems; but this may be but our
ignorance. An insect on the bank OF
the river, who unable to conceive how
the yapor comes back again to the
mountains and thence to the river.
would conclude that at some time all
the river must run dry; so there may
| be-must be-some compensation,
some escape from this universal DEATH
though our feeble knowledge cannot
now even conceive of it.
Thus ended course of lectures which
has afforded real intellectual enjoy
ment to our people, and Mr. Proctor
carries with him the highest regard and