Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-01-23

Professor Young Talks About the
Aoon-Hts Probable Origin and Pres.
emit State-Advice to Poets.


ent State-Advice to Poets.
From the New York Tribune.
The first lecture in the course Of ss3oience
Matinees," which are to be held weekly here
AFTER under the management of Ingersoll Lock-
wood. was delivered yesterday morning in the
ballroom ct the Hotel Brunswick by Professor
Young, Of Princeton. The subjeot was "The
Moon" or as the title read ''The Earth's Petri-
ned Daughter" The lecturer said in opening:
probably the best way in which can intro
duce the remarks have to make this morning
Is 10 justly the somewhat sensational title
winch have chosen. Things are not to-day
what they used to be in the dim past. II science
has taught us one thing more clearly than an
subject to change development; evolution IL
you choose. In the dim past of which 1 speak,
past which Is TO be measured, not by years
nor thousands OF years, but by ages the earth
was probably neither solid nor liquid, bat gas
e0us, like the sum- was in tact itself lit lie sun.
resulted in the throwing off from the main
BODY perhaps of ring like the rings of Saturn,
perhaps OF some excrescence which might have
of sodided, as did the earth itself, and formed
the earth's fatherless daughter, the moon. In
cSnnection with TINS Il Is curious to notice the
effect which is mutually produced by the earth
ana the moon upon each other through the
tides; The tides. which the earth may be sup
sons were dried up would tend to retard the
rotation of the moon on its axis until the period
81 TINS rotation corresponded with the period of
us revolution about the earth. Such in fact is
now the case or at least approximately. The
moon revOlves about the earth once in a month,
ana having always the same face toward us
must make q single rotation on its axis in the
same time. The effect of the tides produced by
the moon upon the earth's rotation tends in a
similar way to increase the length four days.
Inc tides on the earthS surface also tend to tow
the moon along in its orbit, making it go a
thus slightly increasing the length Of the month.
II call the moon petrified, because 1t is stOpn,
alrless, waterless and probably lifeless Of
course, no bounds can be set to the creating
power of Deity and there may be creatures
who find the climate OF the sun or the moon
quite to their liking. No form of organized life.
however, as We know it on the earth could exist
on the moon. 1t is curious how little actual in
fiuence the heavenly bodies have upon mum
system would go on as before We should only
miss them by their absence from the heavens
at night. But take away the moon and at once
wall would go up from all the seaport towns.
New York would be ruined. The great steam
ships could no longer come up to their wharves
for there would be no tides. Formerly the moon
had another great commercial importance as a
chronometer. To determine the position of a
ship at sea it is necessary to know the differ
time. The sun furnishes the first and nowadays
chronOmeters furnish the second. But before
the days OF chronometers the moon
stars formed the figures on the
dial of the heavens. The times
at which the moon would occupy given posi-
tions relatively to the stars in its track could
easily be calculated beforehand, and many of
the great observatories In Europe, notably
with the object of perfectng lunar tables for the
use of mariners. The scientific value of the
moon cannot be exaggerated. 1t is hardly too
much to say that most OF the bright things that
nave been discovered of recent years in mathe-
mates have been discovered in the study of the
moons movements We have finally trained
her so that she walks nearly in the path that
We lay out for her. But from time to time she
will take the bit between her teeth, aud to the
yu1 1av,p rn,,~
hve miles out OF her course. What is the cause
OF these deviations we cannot yet determine.
Inc moon moves about the earth in an orbit
slightly eliiptical, which the sun is continually
turning and twisting about in all sorts of ways
The chief effect of the suns attraction upon the
lunar movements is to make the month about
an hour longer than it would otherwise be. The
moon is she most respectable satellite in the
whole solar system. 1t is even little heavier
than Jupiters great satellite Titan, and in size
relative to the principal body no other satellite
approaches it. To an observer stationed on the
Of Sirius and beautiful sight be ear rhe s s,zs
moon would present moving together through
the heavens. AS for the moons reputed in
nuence on the weather, need hardly say that
1t has none. Yet would hardly dare to make
such a remark before audience of sailors,
once seriously offended an old sea captain
by ridiculing his theory that the wind would
always come from the direction in which the
moon was at the time of changing from one
other extremely curious superstitiOns of this
kind. One was that carrots, beets, turnips, and
other vegetables that grow downward should
always be planted when the moon was waning.
Whereas corn and grain that grow upward
should be planted when the moon was waxing.
Aitlsts when they paint the moon usually
make 1t too large, and sometimes have seen
the moon represented with its horns pointing
downward. The horns, of course, must always
point away from the sun. A word of advice to
poets: When you talk about the moonlight, be
sure That the moon did actually shine on the
night i'll question. The author of the well-known
poem on the burial Of Sir John Moore has fallen
into this error"
Professor Young then threw upon the screen
series OF photographs of the moons surface,
showing the principal craters, seas and noun
tain ranges, and explained the theories of the
formation OF the craters, the absorption of the
moons atmosphere, and the temperature of its
surface.