People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1899-11-16
About the Shooting Stars.
Journal, l4th.

Journal, lith.
Tonight, tomorrow night AID
Thursday night, it will be possible for
people who stay up late, to see bril-.
liant displays Of meteOrS, or shooting
stars. The display really commenced
this morning, and will continue until
Friday morning, but is visible only al
certain hours OF the night.
This is display which is possible
to witness only once in every thirty
three years, and is caused by the
earth passing near to the orbit OF
meteors. The stars will not fall to
the earth, but as seen from the earth,
will appear to be falling. This is an
allusiOn caused by the motion Of the
earth and the course of the me.eoriC
belt.
A meteor is like a rock, varying 10
size from walnut to a body many
feet in diameter. It's an infnitesi,
NAL planet, like the earth, and myri-
ads of them travel a regular orbit in a
vast swarm billions of miles in length.
While the earth intercepts in its path
1 Il. L
the orbit OF the meteOrs, the shower
lasts. When the meteor strikes the
forty'mile stratum OF atmosphere
that envelOps the earth the friction
caused by its terrific speed through
the air causes almost instantaneous
combustion. Nearly all Of them are
consumed instantly by the terrific
heat engendered, but occasionally one
large enough to last a moment is seen.
Those that do not blaze have not
struck the 40-mile air stratum, and
travel on in a vacuum.
In very rare instances the core Of
the meteor has been known to reach
the earth. These fallen meteors are
found TO be white-hot on the outside,
but so cold within that they are as
painful to the touch as the outer por-
ton, being 10 the neighbOrhoOd Of
500 degrees below zero, the tempera.
ture Of space. Meteors travel about
10000 miles an hour.
The person who wants TO see the
display, must stay up late at night.
The place where the greatest number
OF stars "shOot" does not rise above
the eastern horizon until midnight.
Ii remains in sight until daylight.
The observer, after midnight, must
turn his eyes TO the east, where the
shooting star place is. IL is just a
little south Of east. AS the night ad-
vances the shOotiDg-star place rises
higher in theskies. 1t is always a little
south Of the zenith. II the observer
finds the constellation Leo it will help
lin to locate the shooting. star place.
Leo is sickle shaped aggregation of
stars. None Of them are very bright.
The brightest is Regulus, the bottom
of the handle Of the sickle, 1t is a
star between the first and the second
magnitude.
or course, there is no good or bad
omen connected with the shooting
stars, but the world will always be
full of people who are superstitieus,
and believe that each falling star
pOrtends evil for somebody. This
superstition takes on a harmless
color as interpreted by lovers. 1t is
claimed that to observe shooting stars
without proper safeguards is as fatal
to lovely relations as to allow a tree
or post or another person to pass
between the lovers. The only way TO
ward of the evil influence is for lovers
to exchange kiss for each shooting
star they see. One kiss for each star
will not ward of the evil: the male
must kiss the female, and in return be
kissed by the female. This custom is
Of ancient origin, and is founded on
as firm truth as the custom Of burning
spilled salt to avoid family quarrel.
L. E. Mcclure, chief dispatcher at
the union depot, has gone to Arkan-
sas TO get the remains OF his father,
who died recently, and take them to
Chicago for burial. G. L. Cellars is
acting as chief dispatcher during hi.
absence.
When you want q haircut or q
shave don't forget to call on Teal &
Leland. They are the best BARRIERS
II