Year: 1875

PROFESSOR PRocToRs THIRD LECTURE ON THE


WONDERS OF ASTRONOMY.


The third or the Proctor series OF astronomical
lectures entitled "Other Worlds Than Ours attracted
a magnificent audience to Stenway Hall last night
Hitherto the eminent lecturer mas confined him
SELF to the discussion or purely astronomical
problems and phenomena Last night be entered upon
the discussion OF question which, for many ages
has aroused the keenest interest and evoked the
most passionate religious dicta to which tho
human race has ever been treated Even
Of late years the question TO whether the
planets Inhabited has given rise to long and vru
lent controversies The positive theological tenets Of
large section OF Chrstendom forbade the notion that
here could be animated beings q beings with souls


any Of the other planets, mas


Ach as one OF the persons OF the


NJ had died for the redemption OF mankind, and


pg to the Mosaic cosmogony the sun, tho
pI nd fixed stars were all made for the beneht OF
tha without going further back it will be remem-
bered ke celebrated Dominican Giordano Bruno,
was 81 Rat the stake in Venice In the year
1000 Asupposed TO advocate pantheistic doc
trlnes, b the specific hereses or which he was
accused Qlurality Of worlds" In the sense In
which we Rur earth as q world-namciy,
planet inh Aings like ourselves. The sturdy
monk stood 4 man. His body was reduced to
ashes but ms survived and found many
earnest adheS since his death this has been
one OF the greav tIons OF cosmc theology. In
treating then heq6sson OF other worlds than ours,
last night Professor Proctor touched upon topic Of
intense interest to all classes OF thinkers


Professor Proctor began his lecture by saying that
OF the great difficulties which bese scientific men
in the discussion OF questions Of this nature 10 the In
reference Of religious who have no scientific
knowledge, or. at least, very little They seem TO
think Il their bounden duty TO forestalf and
prevent all discussion Of these questions in order that
their own religious theories may be allowed TO har
monize undisturbed with their own cosmonogy. Now,
although he intended discuss the question as to the
existence OF other worlds than ours still he could not
help thinking that as far are con-
cerned the question is Of no great practical Inn
port II reminded him OF the story or two Highland
ers one OF whom said to the other, 'Sandy, can 70
tell me whether bumblebee is q bird . beast ?"
The other replied INA, mon, dinna be troublin'
me WI your religious questions OF o week day"
There Is question: either that science treats OF
and inquiries into great many odd and curious things
insomuch that times, scientific men cannot help
but think OF the old doggerel what science asks
about


Bones and scaling wax and things,


And why the sea is boiling hot


And wherefore pigs have wings


But, joking apart, the Professor contended that It
was great mistake for religious men to perpetually
step in and arrogate TO themselves the right OF die
tating how much science should say and how
much she should not say. The universe AZ ii
exists is a fact which no amount OF religious
theory undo and God has created the universe
it must necessarily be in harmony with what he has
taught


Now, with regard to the question whether there were


OTHER WORLDS INHABITED


thara twn thaor
maintained by Brewster, Chalmers and Dr. Dix, which
contends that all tho orbs either the abode Of life
or are intended support life Tho other Is that OF
Whewell, the celebrated Cambridge mathematician,
who contends that far we know this Is the only
inhabited world To attempt 70 decide positively be-
Ing to decide as to whether the bumblebee Is bird
or beast Professor Proctor has theory which the
old scholastics would probably term ctd media be
tween these two extremes Ho says that tho life Of o
planet includes practically infinite time before AMI
NAL life is possible pO. It, vbsn sna asG
life no longer subsist Now the period
during which animal life can exist on
planet the other two immense periods just the
same as q ripple is the surface of the Atlantic. II
the period in which are living were central in all
time might be justified in referring to this present
period OF our life on our own earih tne question
whether not life exists In other worlds, and We
Now, in reality have no reason for TAX
ing this present period rather than some
indefinitely remote period usa as that o, 70
worlds should be referred and, knowing how short the
period OF lifo OF planet is compared with the preced
ing and following lifeess periods perceive that the
chance is exceedingly small that any planet taken at
random is now the abode OF animal life.


In the illustration OF this theory Professor Proctor
among other diagrams, exhibited the following one,
showing the Dimensions OF the belt OF Saturn
which astronomers have concluded Is formed by num-
bers OF satellites This planet completes It's
orbit in twenty nne years, and for two
years there IL q portion OF the planet which
Is in absolute black darkness that II is impossible
for life as we conceive It, to exist that planet
This portion OF the planet varIes as will be seen from
the subjoined cut.


VARIOUS DIMENSIONS oP sArURS's BELT.