The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1888-10-06
JUPITER:

place as the chief gl6ry Of the even
ing the chief Of all the planets; Jupi:
ter, the Greater Good Fortune OF the
old system of astrology, in which
Mars was the Lesser Ill Fortune.
The contrast between Mars and
Jupiter, as sciences now discloses
these orbs to our ken, is greater even
than that which astrology thus
recognized: Mars is d immature OF
out earth; Jupiter, while much
larger the earth, cannot be regarded
as merely an enlarged copy Of our
world. Jupiter belongs to another
order of orbs altogether. Henot on
Iy is not now like the earth, but
probably he never will in the remot-
est degree resemble hery regarded at
least in relation to the support and
hourishment of life, which we must
consider the chief purpose of all the
orbs peopling space. Il am obliged
to explain here that when speak of
purpose" l use the word in a non
natural sense for want of a
better. l do not imagine that
any specific purpose which man can
understand exists in any Of the oper-
ations of nature, or resides in any
natural phenomena. But when we
see that such and such operations
and such and such phenomena do DC
tually produce certain effects or sub
serve certain results, we find it diff
cult-nay, as language is constituted,
It is impossible-to speak OF them
otherwise than we should if, in &C
cordance with ancient superstitions,
those effects or results had actually
been purposed by Mother Nature.)
Jupiter is an orb 80 immense, and
in virtue of his mass SO mighty, com.
pared with the earth, that even had
we no other reasons, we must regard
him as belonging to distinct class.
But so soon as we consider the effects
which must inevitably result from his
enormous size and mass, we perceive
that he must of necessity differ alto
gether from our earth in his life his
tory. And when we note the results
of observation we see that he actually
does differ as to his present condition
in precisely such degree as we should
antecedently have expected.
Formed like all the orbs in space
by processes of condensation and ag-
gregation, Jupiter must at the begin.
ming of his career have been sun-like,
glowing with intense light and heat,
the scene of disturbances akin to
those taking place still in the glow
ing orb which rules the solar system,
possibly subscribing some useful pur-
poses in the scheme of nature, but
also quite possibly not at present
subscribing any; for nature is patient
and can afford to wait, even, If need
be, for millions of years, until SUN or
planet or satellites fit for it's special
work.
With his immense mass, surprising
that of our earth 345 times, Jupiter
could no more cool at the same rate
than the glowing contents of a great
furnace can cool at the same rate
and in the same time as a kitchen
fire. 1t is not a matter of specula-
ton or a hypothesis open to doubt;
t is not matter of absolute certain.
ty, that for the millions of years
which we now know to have passed
while our earth was cooling from her
sun-like condition, Jupiter must have
required tens of millions. 1t is prob
able-though it must always be
remembered that on questions ofthis
latter sort we can only have proba-
bility, not certainty that Jupiter,
though his mass was gath cred to-
gether long before that of our earth,
was not formedmany tens of millions
of years before the world on which we
live. Supposing him to have been in
existence as a sun-like orb a hundred
millions of years before our earth be-
gan to be, he would still be far
younger than the earth at this pres
emit time, considering age not with
reference to mere duration in time,
but to development. Certainly much
more than a hundred millions of
years have elapsed since our earth
was in the sunlike stage, and in that
time she has done as much in the
way of cooling as would correspond
to five hundred millions ofyears' cool
ing in the case of Jupiter. If, then,
Jupiter began his career as sun-like
orb a undred millions of years before
the earth, and our earth was in that
stage a hundred millions of years
ago, Jupiter has passed through no
more than two hundred millions OF
years out of the five hundred millions
which he would require to reach our
earth's present condition. So that,
on these very moderate assumptions
in regard to Jupiter's past and our
eaith's-assumptions which are GER
tanly far within the truth-three
hundred millions Of years must pass
before that orb which is now shining
as the chief glory of our midnight
skies will have reached the stage of
cooling through which our earth is
passing now.
Will Jupiter, however, be then in
the same condition as our earth?
1t was for many years a favorite idea
of mine that he would. / pictured
each planet passing through it's fiery
childhood, its hot youth, its temper
ate mid-life, its old age, decay, and
death: and SO far | think I was right.
The old idea, according to which the
problem of other worlds than ours
had been for two centuries dealt with
the idea, namely, that all the planets
are to be regarded as worlds in the
fitness ofworld life, and allnourished
lin greater or less degree) by the
sun-must, I conceive, give place to
the view resulting from all modern
researches into the life history of our
earth. The duration ofthe life stages
of each planets career must be SO
II.