Red Lodge picket., 1902-01-31
DLUNDERS IN FICTION
ASTRONOMICAL BULLS THAT LIVE IN
PROSE AND POETRY.

ASTRONOMICAL BULLS THAT LIVE IN
PROSE AND POETRY.
HAIL Gaines Wonderful Night. nics<-
ems Stns sionarS Stnr. Rider Lag
CARDS Wonderful Eclipsc and Cole.
ridges lmppssils1e Crescent.
1t is curious to note in how many in-
stances strange astronomical errors ap-
pear in works of fiction quite nllneces-
sary to the requirements of the story
and resulting apparently from sheer
lack of observation. rs a modern
example of such gratuitous Elunder-
ing take piece of description from
Mr.. Hall Caine's "Scapegoat:" 1T 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 it's 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 it as a picturesque adjunct to his
description of evening.
In Dickens Our Mutual Friend"
Eugene Wrayblrn. in his walk along
the river bank. finds it has Just risen
when 1.-THE stars were beginning to
shine in the sky. from which the tones
of red and yellow were tiickering."
Dickens. in truth. was sublimely su-
perior to astronomical niceties, espe
cially when they in amy 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 concciyably
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 desirons of calling in the aid
Of astronomy to assist their plots. but
who are either insutticiently acluaint-
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
matte effect as far us the story is con-
cerned. but with perfect disregard
of astronomical details which iii it's
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 Il day later tho
total eclipse of the sun takes place,
despite the astronomical fact that it
IS at mo moon Tor. 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 SUMS face is
totally Obscured. and the observer I'LL
der ordinary circumstances counts him
self lucky if he is rewarded for a joul.
ney of some thousands of miles by az
uninterrupted view OF the corona foi
three minuteS two or even less.
Some years ago one Of the magazines
contained Il story called The Portcnt.'
the motif OF Which was IL certain
strange seeming in the heavens which
Whenever it appeared. BODIED III to 2
particular family. This prophetic sigl
was none other than the appearance
of the crescent moon with star be
tween the two horns. Nor was this ;
particularly novel idea. for it will bt
remembered that iii COleridge'S IAN
cient Mariner" that veracious seaman
relates now ut one perlOu or ms ad
ventures there rose
above the eastern bar
The horned moon. with one bright star
Within the neither tip.
In purely miraculous and fancifu
creation like this famous poem i
would be ridiculous to cavil at sucl
detail. though in the case of TIN
story If might we'll be questioned hoy
the star could manage to appear il
such a position. We may perhaps re
fer to the line in "The Burial of ST
John Moore" where the great soldie
is represented as being inferred 10.
the struggling moonbeams mist.
light whereas, as a matter of fact
the moon was but day old at tn
time Of the battle of Coruna and there
fore invisible. This seems like hyper
AO..