The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1902-01-22
BLUNDERs IN FICTION
ASTRONOMICAL suLLs THAT LIVE IN
PsosE AN0 POETRY.

ems Stationary STAR. aide: Ei:s;S-
cards wonderful Eclipse aaG Cole
ridges Impossible Crescent.
It is curic=s to note in hozs nla:.y III
stances strange astronomical errors a2-
pear il y,ori.s of Gcticn cutie ui.s.gces-
sary to tie requirements OF the seoTy
and resulting apparently from sheer
lack CT observation. IS a modern
example OF sach gratu!tous b!an<2r-
ing take piece of description from
Mr.. Hall Gaines 'scapesoat:" 1T was
wonderful night. The moon. which
was in its first quarter. was still low
in the east. brt tie stars were thick
overhead" A wonderful night. in-
deed. And strange that such lover
of nature as Mr.. Hall Caine should
not have reflected that when the moon
in its first quarter is low in the east
it is broad daylight, with the sun high
in the heavens.
Nevertheless on this point he erred
in good company. The young moon
has proved a stumbling block to many
a writer who has attempted to intro
duce it as picturesque adjunct to his
description of evening.
In Dickens Our Mutual Friend
Eugene Wrayburn, in his walk along
the river bank. finds it has just risen
when "the stars were beginning to
shine in the sky. from which the tones
of red and yellow were Pickering"
Dickens. in truth. was sublimely su-
perior to astronomical niceties. espe-
cially when they in any way inter-
fered with the artistic effect Of his
stories. In his ..ChiId's Dream Of a
Star" the point turns upon one special
star, larger and more beautiful than
the rest" which always came out
every night in one particular place and
at one particular time. thereby behav-
ing as no star has ever conceivably
been known to do. This is undoubted-
ly taking a liberty with the solar sys-
TEN, but it is small indeed compared
with the license sometimes claimed by
authors desirous Of calling in the aid
of astronomy to assist their plots. but
who are either insufciently acquaint-
ed with their subject or count it no
sin to twist and convert facts to suit
their requirements.
a very famous and noteworthy in
stance Of this is afforded in Rider Hag-
CARDS king Solomon's Mines" where
the phenomenon of total solar eclipse
is employed with most happy and dra-
matte effect as far as the story is con-
cerned. but With a perfect disregard
Of astronomical details which in its
audacity is almost startling. Here,
again, as in so many other cases, the
difficulty Of the young moon comes
in. and the sun has scarcely set be-
fore the fine crescent rises in the
east. Within wonderfully short space
of time after this curious event the
moon is full, and only day later the
total eclipse Of the sun takes place,
despite the astronomical fact that it
is at mo moon" (or. more accurately
speaking. the last few seconds Of the
old moon and the first few seconds Of
the new that total solar eclipse alone
is possible.
But perhaps the most interesting
feature Of this altogether remarkable
eclipse is that the total darkness lasts
for nearly an hour. Alas, under the
rarest and most favorable conditions.
seven minutes alone is the utmost limit
Of time during which the suns face is
totally obscured. and the observer I'M
der ordinary circumstances counts him.
self lucky if he is rewarded for jour-
ney Of some thousands Of miles by an
uninterrupted view of the corona for
three minutes. two or even less.
Some years ago one of the magazines
contained story called The Portent, y
the motif Of which was certain
strange seeming iii the heavens which,
whenever it appeared. BODIED i'll to a
particular family This prophetic sign
was none other than the appearance
of the crescent moon With Il star be-
tween tie two horns. Nor was this a
particularly novel idea. for it will be
remembered that in Coleridge.s An
cient Mariner" that veracious seaman
relates how at one period Of his adj
ventures there rose
above the eastern bar
The horned moon. with one bright star
Within the neither tip.
In purely miraculous and fanciful
creation like this famous poem it
would be ridiculous to cavil at such
a detail though il the case OF the
story it might we'll be questioned how
the star could manage to appear in
such a position We may perhaps re-
fer to the line in The Burial OF Sir
John Moore" where the great soldier
is represented as being inferred "by
the struggling moonbeam's misty
light" whereas. as matter Of fact,
the moon was but Cay old at the
time of the battle Of Coruna and there
fore invisible. This seems like hyper
criticism, especially in poem that
laws no claim to astronomical accuracy.