Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1902-01-27
BLUNDERS IN FICTION
ASTRONOMICAL BULLS THAT LIVE IN
PROSE AND POETRY.

Hall Gaines Wonderful Night. Dick
ems Stationary Star, Rider Hng-
CARDS Wonderful Eclipse and Cole
ridges Impossible Crescent.
1t is curious to note in how many in
stances strange astronomical errors ap-
pear in works of fiction quite unneces-
sary to the requirements Of the story
and resulting apparently from sheer
lack Of observation. AS a modern
example Of such gratuitous blunder-
ing take a piece of description from
Mr.. Hall Gaines "Scapegoat:" ut was
wonderful night. The moon, which
was in its first quarter, was still low
in the east, but the stars We're 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
writer who has attempted to intro
duce 1t as a 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 SUI
perlor to astronomical niceties, espe-
cially when they In any way inter-
fered with the artistic effect of his
stories. In his "Child'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 concelvably
been known to do. This is undoubted-
ly taking liberty with the solar sys-
tenn, 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 insufficiently 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 Solomons 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. rs 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 1t
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 obscnred. and the observer I'M
der ordinary circumstances counts him
self lucky II 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 'srhe Portent,"
the motif of which was certain
srsnSa seeming In the heavens which,