The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-19
cArRoLic s0aoLARs on dALiLio.

!, oxrSoLio scBoiAHsoS aAIiLio.
q the Nature q IDENTITIES ssFasth.
To THx FpIroR or TUE sus-sn. To tell
| you the truth about the condemnation of
Calico It 10 easier to 10 back to Nicholas
! Copernieus. . Polish astronomer. born In
ira. He studied at the University Of BOLOGNA
where the question whether the earth re-
vol,ed round tho sun was answered In the
affirmative by the most advanced thinkers
and shen he went back to his native land
he xss firm believer In tho helIocsntric
theory, Afterward. when he had been
made canon OF the Cathedral Of Frauen-
burg. he wrote book entitled THE Revolu.
lions Of the Heavenly Bodies which may be
called the foundation stone Of modern as.
tronomy.
: The contradiction OF the evidences of the
I senses which made the sun appear 10 rtse
| and to set while the earth seemingly did not
move. as we'll as certain other objections.
prevented this new system Of astronomy
had been dead more than sixty years another
astronomer. 0sllleo Galilei-who had con.
structed q little telescope Ia glazed optic
tube no called ~ and believed that the
earth and planets did move round the sun
turned his telescope to the planet Jupiter
and was surprised to soc three little shining
bodies very close to Jupiter, one. on the
west and two on the east side Of the planet
And when he looked at them q second night
he found them still there. only the two stars
, on the east were now on the west side OF
Jupiter. and this puzzled Calico, and he con-
! cluded that these three stars were revolving
round the planet: and we may add that he
soon afterward discovered fourth star
. moving along with the other three Now
- IttV,it Il
round Jupiter was certainly favorable to
the theory Of Copernic,s. but 1t was not a
direct proof, A little later Calico observed
the phases OF Venus. lie saw this planet
, first In the shape OF crescent-iust like q
! new moon. And he continued TO observe
I Venus night after night until she had
J iourneyed all round the sun and gone through
, the same changes that our moon goes through.
! Nevertheless. this discovery Of the phases
J OF Venus and OF the revolution OF Jupiter's
moons was not direct proof that our earth
S was Ing rSSnd thu direct
ta9pInomer 'RSSyal-discovered in 1928, the aber-
Bodies. V~hch cepernicus had q Wet,e ss.1 had
been allowed TO be read with a few verbal
changes. for I was reco snlzed a; = uscf,il
In il. warned The reader that the book was not
tenn e which lss copernicus had ts%sht. Ss nae
, the revolution OF the earth round the SUN
This 5, wa: pronounced n ' In mor,i,r ACCOM-
! iIre in is true and Catholic interpretation.
| But the revolution OF Jupiter's moons and
Seory tsst % Longer Hra
fonnd Is. oHsny ' sst Sd e ssSey e
contact with Holy Writ, for we read In Genesis
3 The The beginning Sc erss,sd sbI hsavsn
, was not created until the fourth day More
over. solomon saws. THE sun ari.eth and
1 other texts besides there were opposed to
,hs system q Of which Calico
InteTpre,ed the bible literally n The caiho-
Is Pooe and p the Ear ai II
l.s that 4 every one nISh, freely teach ,sh
meas OF RELIGIOUS faith would ensue. owine
to the apparent Inconsistency OF such teach
Ing with p, z number OF wei'kno~n PASSAGES
Believing. then, that the theory of CopernIcus
the faith inasmuch as 1t was opposed to Holy
Writ. the ecclesiastical authorities deter
mined to forbid Calico TO teach II openly.
pr l soon But shcud nave aone
the Bible too literally. Bnt did not our New
E ss sS xnd S nj. IND very sse day. %
know well-mesnIne people who would close
the .Ss, on n Sunday AMIN Ard Would
ssyrs ~ On auosns Is. H b bis '' JUSTLY
DISTINGUISHED thsoloeisn. Cardinal Beiiar:
mine. wrote as follow. to Father Fosearini;
are 70 s :a1 shs se GGS"f
ma & yoSr irsst.Snity va read; a. not say
tss,. Josus. You win find that they ali adhere
heaven and. revoIves round the earth with a
great velocity; and that - the earth re-
%,b shs centre n
be Interpreted IN a sense. opposed to the mind
tors. &c TINS letter is found in . work
on Copernicms by Prof Dom Peril. published
In i sp the Sacred Con- @ Of the Indes
CopsrnicSs". ReSoiNtions Of the Heavenly
we're Informed that It was formally hereticsl
70 teach that the sun does not move. and that
faith 20 maintain that the earth has diurnal
motion ! DO not give the sentence pre- Pre-;
III him 20 Ss say ted
heresy. and Galileo was made to sneak these
words. which must have been against his
SnisseS ssure eSfss Sed ds sSs
above-named errors and heresies. More
f,rmed the prohibitions contained in The
DEGREES OF the CONGREGATION Of the Index
| published half a century before
: and his illustrious successor was not an ex.
cathedra decision; II was not a definition Of
faith And as the late Father Hewitt said In
the Catholic Word for August. 1891: The case
OF Calico IL the one signal instance Of the
condemnation Of a true scientific theory
fortunate sentence passed on this great as.
tronomer We have learned TO value as never
Roger Bacon, who more than t00 years arc
warned us not to neglect the physical sciences
And IN the century Just Iast a. well AS to- day
| as physioloeis and astronomers. I neet
mention only two names among niany-ths
Jesuit, Father Secchi, and Pasteur. And
our motto is-Excelsiori