Year: 1876

For the baltimore C00htD OSeOe.


Messrs Editors As mental specuations are
now rampant and in their efforts striving to over.
ride common sense reason, and the Bible, the
writer offers what follows for your columns with
the hope of elicting information, or at least such
views as may seem to have as much semblanee or
approach to truth as may recommend them to the
consideration of common minds. Believing, as he
d0es that some of the learned men OF the day par
take in common with the more ignorant, Of q
weakness belonging to humanity, that is OF aiming
at the acquisition of knowledge that from its na-
ture will ever be beyond human attainment, while
the effects of many of their speculatiOns or theories
are by far more perniciOus than beneficial to their
hearers and readers.


With field for knowledge, bottomed on facts
and experience, how much more useful information
they might impart to their fellow man than is Of
ten done. True to their extraordinary mental ae-
quirements, manifested by their teachings, many
Of the good folk are greatly indebted for the prompt
ngs of desire for the sharpening of intellect and
a stronger thirst for knowledge, bat may it not be
asked if some of the teachers would be content to
limit their teachings to such subjects as are within
the bounds of reasonable cOmprehensions, instead
of stretching their mental visions beyond human
understanding, would not their teachings be more
useful and unexcepti0nable!


Self-aggrandixement, we know, is common to q
large portion Of mankind, and unless great intek
lects guarded against the error of showing too
great self-esteem, may they not incur the cOndem-
nation of many of their hearers and readers by at
least seeming desire to soar too high above their
fellows; and by their neglect to make choice Of
such subjects or theories may, from their plain
and nature, impart to others increased desire
for that kind of knowledge as will promise them
mental and especially moral improvement.


The writer grants that it may appear presump-
tive and out of place for an unlearned scrbber to
attempt to engage the attention of your readers
with his notions of prOprety as to the selection Of
subjects, or the manner of their treatment by the
learned but there is reason to believe that some
of the learned ere now have advanced theories in
such plausible manner that many of the more
ignorant have to their detriment believed them
facts.


But am filing up space without coming to the
questions to be asked, and now find myself yen-
turing, it may be, to show my Ignorance. If so,
hope to be enlightened with facts and knowledge,
not speculation, particularly if the latter extendin
its calculation to millions of years back for that
have no faith in, and its examination may lead to
confusion of mind.


QUEsTIONs.


Have not some learned men erred in protesting
to have determined the time required for the trans
mission Of light through the regions of space,
while they neither have or can have any knowledge
of time required for the passage of light further
than that afforded by our Earth's atmosphere,
where alone experiments can be made; how then
can they prove that either fact or probable
theory? The writer has been told that they the
orise from observations of eclpses of the heavenly
bodies. And now if little reasonable speculation
may be INDUCED in, may not the time required for
the passage of light say from Jupiter or his sati-
lites, or any other distant orb to the Earth, be
owing entirely to the Earth's atmosphere; or to
that, together with the atmosphere surrounding
the planet or object Observed may it not therefore
III coI oc coo Co.
say how many years or hundred of years it has
taken for some of the more distant stars to have
transmitted their light to our Earth?


Are not some learned men mistaken in saying at
what depth below the surface of the Earth granite
and other substances may be found, either in
liquid or solid state, and that in descending to the
interior of the Earth there is regular increase OF
heat? Can any such regularity exist? While in
some sections or districts there have been up
heavals and other internal disturbances Of which
we have no knowledge, and that heat is found IN
some sections or districts quite near (witness the
Hot Springs in neighboring States, &c,) and at
others distant from the Earth's surface.


Can the time required be determined for the de-
composition or change of substance of great part
of vegetable and other matter while in the bowels
of the Earth subjected as those substances are to
the various chemical and other alterations, con-
stantly acting upon them, and of which action we
can have no positive knowledge; how is it posi-
BILE then so long we have the experience of only
few, and the tradition and history Of but few
thousand years, for one now to determine the pro-
gressre state of decay change of the substances
of matter that have lain for one or more thousand
years below the Earth's surface? May it not, in
deed, have been but comparatively few centuries
since the formation of coal for example, took place!
as after few years from certain stage OF decay,
may not the change still following have been great
ly accelerated by some powerful chemical action
and thereby its formation become quite rapid!


Although have mixed up little speculation
and theorizing with my remarks, may myself be
in error. If so, remain in blissful Ignorance and
await enlightenment. A. b. Z.


BALTIMORE COUNTY, Sept. 25th, 1876.