The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1910-04-03

Every intelligent person nowadays is
supposed to know that the story of the
Pope's Bull against the Comet" is a
fable. on a par with the famous Moon
Hoax"
But now comes Rev. ]. Stein, S. J., in
forty page quarto, issued by the Vati-
can Astronomical Observatory. in which
he clearly shows that the laugh is really
on the historians and astronomers who
have been blindly quoting the story, one
from another, without ever once taking
the trouble to examine the original docu-
ment, In the Vatican archives, which are
now open to the world.
According to DR.. Stein, the story seems
20 have started with Platina, in 1474
nearly twenty years after the publication
of the bull. He had not been in Rome
at the time, and wrote merely from
hearsay, as follows:
Then there appeared for some days a
red comet, which the mathematicians
said meant great pest. great famine and
some great calamity. Wherefore
Callxtus, TO appease the wrath of God.
had professions organized for some days,
so that, if over men evil were impending.
the great God might turn it altogether
over the Turks, the enemies Of the
Christian name"
EmbeIIished by la Place.
Three centuries later the story was
highly embellished by the astronomer La
Place, who wrote that the Pope ordered
public prayers 'in which anathemas
were leveled against the comet and the
Turk"
Since then the story has been en-
broidered and embeIllshed by long list
of scientists. including such lights as
Arago. Bablnet. Vice Admiral Smyth.
Robert Grant. G. F. Chambers. Presi-
dent White. of Cornell; Prof. John
". Draper. Flammarion, and the Seien-
tifc American september Is. 1909; till it
reads like the story Of the Three Black
Crows" or the fables of Don Quixote.
In their anxiety To make the papacy
appear ridiculous. the scientists have
drawn literally on their Imagination. and
fallen into grave errors both Of history
and astronomy. For example;
Grant credits the bull to Calixtus II,
who died more than 800 years before it
was published @. Draper declares that
''by order Of the Pope all the church
bells OF Europe were rung TO scare il
away"(?). President White says: Then
too. was Incorporated into the litany the
plea (sic), From the Turk and the comet
good Lord deliver us" Chambers de-
clares that "the comet was still
visible"CD when the battle OF Belgrade
was won. Contemporary authorities de-
clare that it had disappeared several
days before the battle was fought.
Dates All Vary.
The Scientific American assures US that
"Constantinople" Gnstead Of Belgrade)
was besieged by the Turks in 1885,; And,
only the other day, Signor MiHesovich,
director Of the Collegio Romano. in an
article on Halleys comet, wrote: ION
August the great battle took place under
the walls of Belgrade 1t lasted two days.
and in the intervening night Halley's
comet was shining" As observed by
Rome" the battle was fought. not on
! August 9, but on July p and %: and, as
already stated. the comet had disap-
peared several days before even that
early date,
DR.. Stein declares that, out of 101 folio
/ volumes. preserved in the Vatican
archives. relating TO the ponti1cate of
| Calixtus III. there is not single docu-
ment containing the slightest allus!on to
/ the comet; and the text of the au-
thentic bull of June %. 1856. furnishes the
most peremtory proof that the ordinances
| prescribed by the Pope have no connec-
/ ton whatever with the appearance of
| the comet.