The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-11-11


purveyDrs Of scientific marvels, were al
liable to be passed upon definitely by the
I Church, not in a spirit Of impertinent in
reference, but simqly as a part Of her
regular duties If the Churcb's judgment
in such matters was sometimes errone-
Gus; II her interference was now and
! again cruel, the cause must be sought in
the manners and customs OF the time,
when persecution rioted in company with
/ ignorance and violence was the law.
Perhaps even today it would not be
amiss to have q modern scientific board
pass authoritatively upon the novel dis
coveries and inventions, so as to protect
the public against impostors, as the
Church did of old.
GAIILEO'S DISCOVERIES.
Calico was born in 1864, and his long
life lasted until 1912, the cry year of
Newtons birth. His most important sci
entffc discoveries may be summed up in
a few words. He was the first to use a
telescope for canning the heavenly bod
les; ne discovered mountains on the moon
and the satellites Of Jupiter the peculiar
appearance of Saturn, which Huygens af-
forwards explained as a ring surrounding
the bah of the planet and finally, he
found the black spots on the suns disk.
These discoveries, together with his re-
markable researches in mechanical sci
ence, constitute Galleo's claim to immor-
tality as an investigation. But, as We have
said, it is not our intention to consider
his work ss a series Of scientific dscov-
cries We shall take a. more interesting
point Of view, and deal with him rather
as human being who had contracted the
habit of making scientific researches.
What must have been his feelings when
he first found with his new telescope
the satellites Of Jupiter! They were seen
on the night Of January Z, 1910 He had
already viewed the planet through his
earlier and less powerful glass and was
aware that It possessed a round disk Ike
the moon. only smaller. "But on the fol-
lowing night" as he says, "I was drawn
by what fate know not" and the tube
wa again turned upon the planet The
three smaller stars had changed their
positions and were now all situated on
the west of Jupiter. whereas on the pre-
ious night two had been on the eastern
side. He could not explain this phenom-
ena, but he recognized that there was
something peculiar at work. Long after
wards, in one Of his later works, trans
lated into quaint old English by Salus-
bury, he declared that zone sole exper-
iment sufceth 10 batter to the ground a
thousand. probable arguments" This was
already the guiding principle Of his sci
entihc activity. principle Of incompara-
bic Importance, and generally credited
TO Bacon. Needles to say. Jupiter was
now examined every night
The 9th was cloudy, but on the 10th he
again saw his little stars. but their num-
her was now reduced to two. He then
guessed that the third was behind the
planets disk. The position of the two
visible ones was altogether different
from either of the previous observations.
On the 18th he became sure that what
he saw was really a series of satellites
accompanying Jupiter on his journey
through space and at the same time re-
volviug around him. On the 18th, at
a. m, he actually saw one Of the small
objects emerge from behind the planet:
and on the 18th he finally saw four satel-
Htes. Two hundred and eighty-two years
We're destined to pass away before any
human eve should see a fifth 1t was
Barnard in 1892 who followed Calico.
THE sPREME MOMENT.
To understand the effect Of this discov-
cry upon Calico requires a person who
has himself watched the stars. not. as a
dnettante. seeking recreation or amuse-
meut, but with that deep reverence that
comes only to him who feels-nay. knows
that in the moment of observation just
passed ne has added his mite 10 the fund
Of human knowledge. GalHeos mum
mied forednger stlI points toward the
stars from its little pedestal of wood in
the museo AT Florence. a sign to all men
that he is unforgotten. But Calico knew
on the 18th Of January, 1919 that the
memory OF him would never fade. That
the very music OF the spheres would
thenceforward be tuned TO q truer note.
il any would but hearken 70 the Joian
harmony. For he recognized at once that
she visible revolutions Of these moons
around Jupiter while that planet was
himself visi5ly travelling through space,
must deal It's death blow to the old
Ptolemaic system az the universe. Here
was a great planet. The centre of a sys-
tenn OF satellites. and yet not the centre
If the universe. Surely. then. the earth
too might be mere planet ike Jupiter
and not the supposed motioniess centre
of ell things, The satellite discovery was
published in 1910 in little book called
''Sidercus uncius, usually translated
''The Sidereal Messenger" Ii seems 10
Us. however. that messenger" is not
strong enough. Surely In Italy q nun
Gus was more than mere nessz niger
He was clothed with the very highest ac-
thority. and we think IT probable thar
GaHleo's choice Of this word in the title
Of his book means THAI he claimed for
himself similar authority In science. Al
an events. the book made him at once a
great reputation and numerous enemies.
But il vas nog until l6l6 thRs the Holy
once Enguisiuon) issued an e5ict arder-
ms CALLED 20 abandon MS opinion that
che elrth moved. ard az the same tire
placed certain books o. Older aathers
aarccating that Doctrine on the .Index
. Liorc-u-n Frohi5itunl." or list % books
( forbidden ay the Church. These vol