The herald., 1895-04-27
Interesting Lecture on Bible
,e Astronomy
HOUSEBREAKERS AT WORK
Women's Missionary Union Held an
Interesting Session
Addresses on 'sLiquor Traffic" and "Ethe ical
Religion --ffotei Green Arrivals.
News Notes

PASADENA. April 26.-The lecture
given last night by Dr. Lewis Swift on
Bible Astronomy was attended by an
audience that almost filled the audito-
rum of the Universalst church. DR..
Swift is the learned astronomer OF the
Echo Mountain observatory, and is well
known as being an eminent astrono mer
and the dIscoverer of new stars and con-
stellations.
After being introduced by Professor
Saunders, the lecturer took number OF
texts from the Bible. and with these as
groundwork gave very interesting and
instructive lecture, describing the vari-
Gus heavenly bodies as revealed to us by
the telescope and commenting upon the
vast distances and dimensions of these
planets and stars, un il it made one feel
that he was very insignificant indeed.
For instance, in speaking OF the dis
tance of the North star from the earth.
the lecturer gave the interesting lnfor7
nation that it requires only AZ years for
light to travel from the north star to our
eyes. And to get a telegram to Androm-
eda requires only $50 900 years.
Taking as a text There is one glory OF
the sun. another of the moon and still
another of the stars" the lecturer gave
most interesting description of the SUM-
then of the other heavenly bodies Speak
ing of the spots on the sun, he said there
are millions of them and probably none
of them are less than II, 900 miles in dia..
meter. The sun moves at the rate OF
about IL miles per second and OF course
carries with it the whole solar system, so
that in time our view of the universe will
be quite different from what it is now
many consultations that we now see be-
ing then out of sight while new ones will
appear on the horizon.
In regard to the probability Of other
planets being inhabited, Dr. Swift says
he thinks that Marsis pcopled. though
of course by race of beings quite differ
ent from the earth s inhabitants.
AS for the Star of Bethlehem, the doctor
is inclined to the belief that it was not a
star at all but only light Of some kind.
The'craters on the moon are very large
and deep, some being over 1900 feet
deep and $50 miles in diameter. Some of
these statements an ordinary layman
finds difficult to believe. though no doubt
the learned doctor is right. Such. for in
stance, as this The dog star, so far away
that locomotive would be 500. 900 years
In reaching it. contains salt, as deter
mined by the spectroscope. The spectro-
scope is no doubt a wonderful instrument,
and evidently might be of use to some
poor mortals who seem to have difficulty
IN learning their SALT if it can detect
the presence of that commodity at such
q distance.
Some of the statements of scripture, the
lecturer said. were not declarations of
scientific truth, and were never intended
as such. They were merely poetical al
lusions, figures OF speech, and sometimes
heightened into allegories. For instance,
the command of Joshua for the sun to
stand still could not possibly have been
obeyed; for if the earth should stop turn
ing on its axis, which in itself is an i'm
possible phenomenon I'm which . case the the
waters of the earth's oceans about the
equator would flood the whole surface of
the globe and drown every living being
upon it. If the Bible is read and inter
preted right there is no conflict between
religion and science.