The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1894-03-17

argue from thesupposition that there are.
no natural laws except those discovered
by man and that from these there no ex-
ceptions That the fundamental princi-
pies underlying this mode Of reasoning
are wrong has been illustrated recently
by most interesting Astronomical OBJ
servatian. an account Of which was pub
lished in the Forum by Edward S. Hold
en- oil the Lick observatory.
A new star was discovered by an anna
teur astronomer in Edinburg, Jan. 81.
1892 As soon as the announcement was
made, telescope photographs Of
the sky where the heavenly body APP
pcared were studied for the purpose Of
learning its first appearance. On pict-
urc taken December s, 1891, no trace Of
{ could be found, but on another, dated
the lOth.of the same month, it appeared
as a star OF the sikh magnitude. In two
days the luminous body must therefore
have increased at least three degrees,
which means that its light was sixteen
times greater than two days before. At
the end OF the first week Of March IL
could be seen with the naked eye, but
at the end Of that month it was too dim
to be photographed and on April q, 1892,
1t passed out Of the range OF the tele-
scope On August 18th it was again
found bnt no longer as star but
nebula. II was no longer glowing sun
with a system Of worlds revolving round
It; IL was gaseous mass, cloud Of atoms.
To the question, what had taken place
science answers that a whole world had
persisted. II had been crushed and
burnt TO dust with all its contents in
less than year, in the period from De-
ccmber 8, 1891, to August II, 1892 In
this moment Of time, brief when applied
to the events Of world, the terrible
catastrophe had taken. The history Of
world was finished. II persisted before
our eyes That Is; it was changed into
material of which new world may be
made, by concentration Of the atoms
and their arrangement according to the
plans Of the Almighty Constructor Of
the universe.
The explanation OF the wonderful phe-
nomenon is exceedingly interesting and
cannot fail TO lead the thoughtful to con
template the possible fate Of our own
part OF the universe. It shows that the
world itself is subject to eventualities
and that the end may come without that
process Of evolutions OF which some
have dreamt. The astronomers tell us
that in space exist veritable wrecks Of
worlds as dangerous as rocks and reefs
in the sea to the ships They are of two
kinds. Some are cold and dark plan
etary systems, still moving in their reg
ular orbits. Others consist Of broken
fragments, immense clouds Of meteors,
swimming about in space. II is sup
posed that the star referred to came near
such an extinct world. From Decem.
Der till February the two sailed together
and the violent revolutions which returns
in the formation of nebula took place
There was perhaps no actual collision OF
the solid bodies Of the two systems
The too near approach Of the two worlds
whereby the laws OF gravtation are dis
turbed and the equilibrium destroyed
is enough to cause the terrible dcstruc-
ton. The fate that befell this star may
await our own sun with its planets and
satellites and 1t is emphatcally true
'of that day and hour knoweth no man,
for the simple reason that concerning
the movements OF these extinct worlds
science has as yet no certain calcula'
tions. But II 1t is possible that a whole
planetary system can in the mere twink
ling Of AN eye be transformed into a
cloud of atoms. a luminous nebula, may
we not reasonably hold that under Ger
tain conditions nebula may be con
dcnsed aud world formed in less tim,
than the countless ages Of modern evolu
stsg-Descrct News.