The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1895-08-20
THE SOLAR SYSTEM AND THE
CLEVELAND SYSTEM.

Of eight primary planets all having
secondary planets revolving abou
them, except Mercury and Venus.
This is only one of the numberlesl
systems which occupy space. Our SUI
is a star-the center around which
these planets travel; and we believe
every star that bedecks the midnight
is a great center around which other
planets may revolve, making systems
vastly larger than own. A great
deal is not known about our system,
but more is known of it than of any
other. The study of it has occupied
the greatest minds for centuries, ard
they have come to some conclusions
concerning it. They say that the sun
and all the planets of our system were
originally n general mass of molten
matter without form and void " This
~unwrought mass became somewhat
cool, and having a rotary motion, the
different planets were detached from
the general mass and placed in their
respective orbits; those furtherest from
the sur being the first formed.
God suspended those bodiesin space,
and by their mutual attraction, they
revolve about the sun-their common
center in strict obedience to His good
will. When He placed them there, He
set forth a code of laws, and COM
manded each to obey them that there
be no conflicts with each other. If tho
smallest planet were to fly from it's
orbit, the whole solar sy STEM would be
thrown out of balance, and confusion
would reign supreme; but through all
the ages that they have been in His
service, not one law has been violated.
They roll in such perfect harmony that
Pythagoras, the great Grecian philcso
pher, said they made music too sweet
and sacred to be heard by the ears of
wicked mankind, that none could hear
it save the gods.
When we see the laws of nature SO
perfectly carried out, cGnnot we learn
a lesson of obedience9
As we come down through the ages
we find the condition OF things growing
better and better until at last nature
reached her highest development in
the formation of man. Of course we
speak of this as pertaining to our
earth, for we know not whether any
other planet of this system is inhabited.
God created man, placed him on earth,
and gave him a mind that he might
study and know something about the
world in which he lived. He has
studied and found out much concern
ing the part which our earth plays in
this great universal drama of which
God is the divine author, and has de-
cided some facts about the system as a
whole. Astronomers say that the
whole solar system is moving towarda
point in the constellation, Hercules,
though they differ as to the exact
point toward which it is coming.
Now we will ccm9 back TO the earth,
as we are going to speak of its work.
The time occupied by the earth in max
ing one revolution around the sun is
called a year; this year is divided into
four seasons, and each plays it's part
in comforting laboring mankind. In
the spring he sows; in the summer he
cultivates his crop; in the fall he reaps
it; in the winter he enjoys the fruits of
his labor. If he works well God will
surely do His part toward giving him
a just reward for his labor. He will
send the sunshine and the rain in due
season-though sometimes it does look
as if we had a little ''overproduction"
of both. This revolution around the
sun produces an apparent an apparent
motion of the sun North and South.
The higest point north to which it
seems to go is called the summer sol
stice; the lowest point south, the win
ter solstice sol, the sun, and 8tO, l
stand-that is it seems to stand still
for a few days at these places. Oace a
year he reaches the solstitial point, and
twice a year as he crosses the equator
the equinoxes occur.
We will take the sun at the winter
sol It &C. Now he is at the furtherest
southern point in the heavens. This is
the 2Ist Of December. AT this time
the northern hemisphere has winter,
while the southern Is basking in warm
sunshine. He slowly moves nOrthwaId,
until the 2lst Of March, whep he crosses
the equator causing what is known as
the vernal equinox. The sun moves
till the 21st of June when he reaches
his home among the icebergs of the
arctic regions. Now the northern