The Portland daily press., 1899-01-03
WAYS OF COMETS.
Edgar saltus In Golfers Weekly. J


The November metsors, OF which 50
much was said. and so little seen, wers
the outriders Of one Of those splendid
pageants that OCCUR three times . cen
tury. The periodicity of these displays Il
attributed to the fact that they travel
ceaselessly In circle shout tho sun, the
circumnavigation of which takes them
thirty.three years and a fraction. The
length Of the pageant IL such that the out.
riders are q year or two ahead Of tbs van.
guard. But ultimately they all get there,
IL getting there can be said to be- Dur.
ing the last procession which passed hsre
the sky was as full Of aerolipes as . snow
storm Is full Of fakes. Tho attraction
which we rave for them Is slight II IL
as well perhaps. People acquainted with
them and their kin say that eveiy day W
enjoy the visit OF millions Of bolidss.
which. were they not consumed BY the
friction Of the atmosphere, would neces
state the use OF impervious umbrellas.
The moon has not protection Of that kind,
and when it is considered how they must
pound there. IL seems but natural that
from Luna lunacy should be derived.
but the point 10 elsewhere. Before the
present procession there ran, as herald
perhaps, q little comet. Previously there
was another. Antariorly there were more.
Thus far this year there have been seven.
What they are has always been delight
full question. Mauperitus, who was an
astronomer. declared them to be inhab'
tied. After all, why, notf Yet II SO, are
not their Inhabitants to be envied9 Fan
cy the delight of journeying not over the
Ixxvn httf ha ~ nj n n.
Ing through the Milky Way. Of shooting
over the ahyss and exploring the won
derlands OF space.
Mauperitus's idea was not accepted II
was too poetic. Yet. II comets are moi
inhabited, the excellence Of their Influence
Is not disputed any more. The wines Of
comet years are just so much velvet.
Then, too. the alarm viii they usedatc
create has vanished with them. IRnatius
Donnelly is one Of the last OF those whom
they frightened. He wrote quite a thrill
ling account of what would happen
should We meet in collision. Button main
tanned that the earth was fragmen,
which q furious comet had struck from
the sun. But that Is ancient history
Recently 1t has been estimated that the
wei ght of comet ,0C0, QUO miles lou9
would not burden an infant. Not long
ago one was seen TO approach and enveloI
Jupiter. The latter did not mind In the
least. We may even assume that IL liked
1t. Apropos to which there Is announced
as in preparation q chart of the heavens,
which when complete will show the posi-
tior Of every star up to the fourteenth
magnitude as readily as u town on o map.
The possibility Of making 1t photography
suggested. 1t was found that the camera
could retain stars which the telescope
could not intercept. One and all, they
aggregate thus far about 90 600 600. How
many more there are imagination IL In.
Competent to surmise. There are stars SO
remote that their light takes thousands OF
years to reach US. There are others 90
remote that before their light reached Us
they have cea ed TO be. Beyond them are
other stars, other systems. other worlds.
Wherever in its WEAKNESS Imagination
would set limit there Is space begun
1 he subject might interest those whom
their own Importance bothers. Sniu Ten
nyson: what are we but pickering gnat'
In the glare of million, million OF
sunsYn