, 1889-05-14
A MAGNIFICENT SIGHT,.
STARS OF HEAVEN FELL AS IF
SHAKEN OF A MIGHTY WIND.

The Wonderful MeteorIo Shower of 1888.
Theories rs to the Cnnse and ETeot-A
Chnd's wonderment Mt the ~sceno-super-
stItIous Awe Of CoIored People.
One Of the earliest and most vivid of
my personal recollections is of the grand
meteoric shower of Nov. 10, 1888. A
similar occurrence is recorded as happen
ing in northern Europe near the close of
the last century. But no meteorological
display has equaled hat of 1888 in ex-
tent and duration from the beginning of
the historic period.
vExED QUESTIONS.
With reference to the origin of these
mcteors there have been divers coniec-
lures, most Of which are Mt best hap
hazard speculations. A number of astron-
omcrs ave regarded them as fragments
of an exploded planet small in size, but
Of n like sort with the hundred and odd
asteroids that have been discovered be-
tween the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.
Kepler himself thought that a large
planet was needed in this vast interplane-
tary space TO perfect the rhythm of the
skies and the tabled music of the spheres.
Tho subsequent discoveries of Piazzi and
Oilers and their successors have fully
justified this opinion. This old astro-
nomical fancy Of n lost Pleiad likewise
finds its vindication, it may be in these
asteroids md in the far moro numerous
meteoroids which have since been seen in
all parts of the world. Whether they be-,
as suggested, the disjecta membra of
some Grant and wrecked orb doomed
and damned for some earlier Adamic
transgression, they certainly occupy u
definite place in our system.
Their periodical occurrence with great
er or lesser brilliancy in May and Novem-
Der and likewise in August and Deem
Der, establish the facts that Mt these dates
our earth in its annual travel comes in
frequent contact with n meteoric zone.
1t may Ecquiro another century of inves-
tigation with the aid of mightier instru-
ments than hat of tho Link observatory
to determine whether, rs is probable,
these mcteoric exhibitions result from n
vast volume of nebulous matter revolv-
ing around the sun, and itself the nur-
sery Of embryonic planets.
Whatever our conclusion on these
vcXed questions, it was certainly not
only tho privilege of n lifetime, but n
millennium, to be an eye witness of such a
stupendous and respondent spectacle. 1
distinctly remember being aroused about
! o'clock in the morning by the weird
outcric5 of the domestic servants. They
seemed possessed with the idea that the
day of Judgment was at hand, and l read
lily recall the ciTortso of my father to quiet
tho uproar by assuring them that there
was no aus of alnrm.
OF course, / knew nothing of scientific
import. My impressions were those of
citation rather han fright. To me the
whole scene was about what l have
since conceived of the pyrotechnic dis
plays of the Vauxhall garden or n full
ilcdged Chinese feast of lanterns. A boy
reader viii best understand the aspect of
things when | add that aside from the
fizz and the pop it was like a thousand
Christmascs condensed into one.
Scientific Observers have since told us
that these meteoroids all seemed 10 pro-
coed from a point in tho constellation
Leo. For this reason they have been
since called Lconids. My boyish rcmem-
branco ncCords with this statement Of
the scientists. Usually they issued singly,
but mt times they had tho appearance of
a stream of fire. a few that / observed
were very large, ono or moro not unlike
the nucleus of Halley's comet in 1885,
when it was receding from the sun.
READY ron "a WORD OF PRAYER"
They nearly all seemed falling directly
to the earth, and it was u matter of child
ish wondcrmcnt to me that they did not
,yNvpr t1,n rrr,,,,l -, Ill zaz. r.ll.--
snow flakes do at other times. The SPLEEN
dor OF these celestial fireworks gradually
waned as the dawn approached, very
much to my personal regret.
a great many stories are still current
in regard to the general CONSERVATION
produced by this marvellous phenomenon.
In somo instances persons were fright
oncd into commissions, and several deaths
were reported from different parts of the
country.
In my boyhood there was n story cur
rent of n wealthy Shareholder in western
Georgia, who was besides something of
n philosopher. He resided in the center
of q large negro quarter, and being
awakened by tho shrieks and yeils of
nearly one hundred slaves, he hurriedly
equipped himself in pants and slippers
and stepped out on his front piazza. He
was soon surrounded with a large num-
Der Of slaves who were frantic with ter
ror. For a time he surveyed the heavens
with n decree of painful apprehension.
Noticing in the crowd an old negro
preacher, in whose piety he had much
confidence, he addressed him in this wise:
"Unclc Joe, do you watch the seven
stars and tho ell and yard and when
you sec them start come into the big
house md We will have n word of
prayer"
OF course the Plciades were immova-
bic, nor did the empyreal suns that blaze
in tho belt of Orion ''shoot madly from
their spheres" As q consequence the
hypothetical word of prayer" was I'm
spoken. The return of daylight blotted
out the meteors and Gained the super
stitious fears of master and slave.
Most astronomers tell us that another
such spectacle will probably never be
witnessed again through all the genera
tons of men. St. John, who was n
prisoner in Patmos, says: II beheld
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