El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1914-11-28

compared with the light Of individual
stars or planets, or even of all the stars
taken together, which as we know,
pale into insignificance or invisibility
in the glare Of the full moon, since this
light of the full moon is said by as
tronomers to be equal to so times that
Of all the stars combined. Compared
with sunlight however. moonlight is
very feeble, beng only one six-hundred-
thousanth as much. Even if the whole
sky were covered with full moons we
should have only one-eighth as much
light as the sun gives US.
Quality of Moonlight.
In quality, moonlight is exactly the
same as sunlight This is a most wise
provision of the Creator We know, and
that in many cases by sad experience
that our artificial lights have some
very bad effects upon our eyes or our
bodies; that in a greater or less degree
they cause fatigue, headaches, color
blindness, and skin diseases.
AS the moon was to give light con-
tinually to succeeding generations on
earth, it was necessary that it should
give US pure sunlight, purer than that
coming from any other heavenly body.
To bring this about the moon was
first, made nOn-luminOus, not having
any light at all Of its own; second, 1t
was so placed as to reflect the light Of
was not given an atmosphere, because
that would have acted like a colored
glass and stopped some Of the runs
rays.
Duration Of Moonlight.
In duration, moonlight is as wisely
dispensed as any one could possibly de-
sign. We may be sure that, II the mat
ter were left to US. we would never
come to an agreement Some of US
would want the moon to shine every
night and all night Others on the con-
trary would be glad If the moon never
ShOne. In this class we must place
photographs that require long eX-
posture, or study the spectra or light
variations of the stars, or observe faint
| bodies like nebulae or comets, when the
air is full of moonlight.
To conciliate such opposite Hkings,
1 God has given US the moon during half
1 the night time as an average, and that
! in ever varying fashion, from the new
moon which gives no light at ALL to the
[ crescent which shines dimly at first
I during the early part Of the night only,
then to the half moon or first quarter
which sets at midnight, finally to the
| full moon which shines all night, and
| then gradually wanes in the reverse or
/ der and time back again to the new
moon. And lest even this cycle, in spite
! of its annual and periodic variation,
/ should become mOnotonous by its regu-
/ larity, we have the caprices of the
/ weather injecting into it uncertainty
! and variety
The Tides.
! The second great benefit the moon is
! known to confer upon the earth IS ralS-
{ ing the tides. In this the moon is Of the
1 greatest service to navigatOrs mas
J much as it causes currents to run in
1 and out of harbors and estuaries twice
\ a day, and thus facilitates the move
ment of vessels. This circulation of the
I water helps to purify it and remove OD-
/ structions and bars.
| That the tide is really due to the
| moon is sufficiently proved by our be-
| ing able to predict it from the moons
1 position. The sun also it is true. raises
] tides, but they are smaller than those
/ of the moon in the ratio of about two
| to five because its greater size is more
/ than offset by its greater distance.
! The tide raising force depends directly
l upon the moons mass, that is, the
J amount of matter it consists of. and
/ inversely upon the cube of its distance.
4 If our moon were as small or as far
/ away from the earth as the moons of
! the other planets are, our tides would
/ be scarcely noticeable and practically
! of no use whatever.
Moons Influence on Weather.
i The third effect accredited to the
I moon is its influence on the weather
| and on the growth of crops. This is 4
( much, disputed question. If we confine
| ourselves to the statement of strictly
! scientific men, we find that some hold
/ that the moon does seem to affect the
I weather in some way, but by no means
to the extent that is popularity sup
/ posed, nor to the extent that we can Mt
/ all make use Of the moon in predicting
4 the weather. In this particular, as well
| as in its influence on the growth Of
! plants it would be rash to maintain
/ that the moon had absolutely nothing
/ to do. Nothing however has been
! proved with certainty, and we may hold
/ any opinion we please
A World to Study.
There are many other ways in which
/ the moon is of great use to US It is the
| nearest of the heavenly bodies. Its sur
4 face features are exposed to view, they
| are never dimmed or distorted by an
| atmosphere nor obscured by clouds, and
| they are lighted by an ever varying il
/ Elimination. Most astronomers see in
/ our airless, cloudless, lifeRess neighbor
/ the future condition of our own earth
In speculaung upon its past history
ana lIS origin, rich field is opened to
1 our theorizers. One astronomer says
the moon was once part of the eartn
and was taken out of what is now our
Pacific ocean. Another maintains it is
! foreign body captured by the earth.
EeIipses.
Without the moon there could be no
ecllpses at all. neither lunar nor solar.
| What of that? some may saw. What is
the use of eclipses? They are only ce-
lestial stage plays. nice to look at, but
! of no practical value.
Ecllpses are however OF very great
use. There is, first, their use in chro-
| nology. Ancient writer's sometimes tell
! US that certain great events happened
at time of a solar or lunar eclipse.
With our present knowledge of the
moons motion, we can in almost every
case compute the date when the eclipse
/ happened. and thus find the date of the
event For example, a lunar eclipse
tnat happened on the night that Herod
died, has proved that there is an error
of four in the number of our wears.
that the year 1913 after Christ is really
1917; that in other words our Lord was
born four years earlier than the time