Page images
PDF
EPUB

forthwith. It is a settled notion in this country that people in love are more fond of each other after they have tried their affection by the stimulating effect of a dainty little quarrel, skilfully managed by bosom friends.

In this way people become man and wife, and I must say, notwithstanding the singularity of the method by which the end is accomplished, the result is generally happy. The women are affectionate and amiable. They make good wives, and are devoted mothers, while the men are domestic in their habits and indulgent.

It does not become a wanderer, like myself, in seach after truth, to condemn the usages of a country where he may chance to sojourn, but rather is it a duty to observe all things with candor, and make just allowance for the influence of local causes and the force of long-established habits.

[blocks in formation]

FROM THE SAME TO THE SAME

SECLUDED though you are from the world, my dear Ahhmad, as well by studious habits as by the duties of your profession, it appears that the light of science has penetrated into your retreat, and that your mind is awakened from its repose to meditate on the discoveries which have been recently made by European astronomers. Your demand upon me for information shall be met with all the promptitude our mutual friendship inspires; yet I cannot avoid lamenting for your sake, that the task has not fallen upon one who to ardent zeal in the cause of science could add a more intimate acquaintance with its mysteries.

Astronomy is but partially taught among the Americans, and they are beholden to Europeans, not only for a knowledge of new discoveries, but for astronomical works wherein these discoveries are described; and what is equally serviceable, wherein speculation is set at work and deductions drawn which go far to enlarge our views of the CREATOR and the works of his hand. The communication between the two continents is now so very easy and regular that a few weeks only elapse before the public is in possession of all that is known abroad, and no time is ever lost in disseminating this knowledge throughout the whole extent of the land. What I am therefore about to convey to you is of course solely the result of reading, according to my opportunities; merely the transmission to you of the thoughts of others, even at times their own words; for of myself I know no form of language sufficiently elevated by which I can bring before you the thoughts that almost oppress my mind while contemplating these wonderful discoveries. There are timid persons who would discourage these speculations as unbecoming such feeble creatures as we are. So far from feeling littleness while I dwell on this exalted theme, I feel myself raised to a proud eminence at reflecting that I too make a part of this stupendous whole; and

nothing has a more powerful effect to raise my thoughts above sublunary things than the belief that I am found worthy of the place I fill, with permission humbly to hope that I may become qualified to move hereafter in a higher sphere.

By improvements in the construction of telescopes, the penetrating power is increased to twenty-eight and a half, which means that by the instrument one may descry a star twenty-eight and a half times farther off than it can be seen by the naked eye. This has enabled astronomers to discover a matter or rather modification of matter wholly distinct from stars; a thin filmy substance diffused through the stellar intervals, and spreading over regions so immense that its magnitude, or the space it fills, is absolutely inconceivable. This filmy substance is called nebulæ. These masses in an amorphous state give strong indications of condensation and of taking upon themselves form, and that form nearly round. A tendency is perceived in these masses to detach themselves and reünite in central bodies with increased light toward the centre, and these bodies give early indications of moving in elliptical paths; at last they do move in elliptical orbits. This change cannot be marked in the progress of any one particular object, but by the disposition of isolated masses to proceed onward to a certain known structure. This structure is round, and the discovery of the ultimate condition is made by viewing detached parts which go to form a circle. The lines of a curve may be presented to us in separate parts; by a union of these parts a circle is complete. In like manner a portion of nebulæ may form itself into a line having a certain curve, another portion may form itself into a curve of the same dimensions, so as to be adapted to the continuation of a circle, and so of other portions, all isolated till the whole is finished. In this way astronomers are founded in asserting that the whole of a circle is in the progress of formation, when they see the separate parts which are to be adapted to each other to make

the whole.

These detached parts, seemingly of no use, are not made in vain. Every thing is made for an end. No part of creation exists merely as a means; every thing is an end to itself; and even in shapeless masses there is a systematic relationship which will draw together each particle of matter and adjust it to its neighbor. This amorphous substance may bear within it, laid up in its dark bosom, the germs, the producing power of life, which will bud forth in coming ages. And we must not be incredulous, by reason of our inability to witness the progress of nebulæ through all its changes, till stars are formed; for the life of man, ay, even countless ages, are not sufficient to make us see the regular progress and ultimate result. There is a creature called the ephemeron which lives and dies in one short hour; yet this creature is in the presence of all the phenomena of vegetable growth; it may see trees and flowers, but how could it or its generation actually observe their progress of development? In relation to the nebulæ, man is only an ephemeron. How many of the beings which are born, breathe and die, can learn the progress of the

majestic pine? Can man expect to learn of the changes of the nebulæ ?

You and I may well be startled, and be slow in believing these wonderful truths; yet supposing the phenomena mentioned did unfold the long growth of worlds, where is the difference between that growth and the progress of the humblest leaf, from its seed to its organization. The thought that one single law of attraction operating upon diffused matter may have produced all those stars which gild the heavens, great as it is, is not different from the growth of an evanescent plant. The growth of a world does not show a more astonishing process or a mightier power than in the formation of a plant. We are not rendered credulous by the nature, but overwhelmed by the magnitude of the work.

From the preceding remarks it will appear that our sun has had its origin in a vague nebulous mass; and from the discoveries of modern times, it is shown that it has not yet quite escaped its original nebulous character, but is still rather in the condition of a nebulous body, notwithstanding its great effulgence. The very act of the condensation of the gaseous matter before noticed, as it flows toward a central district, necessitates the commencement of a process which is rotatory, like the dimple or whirlpool caused by the meeting of two streams. An excess of the centrifugal force over that of the power of central attraction has an effect to create an outer ring, and to throw off particles. A grindstone may be made to revolve with a rapidity sufficient to cause splinters to fly from its rim and even the whole rim to break in pieces. Now if the rim instead of being formed of brittle stone, had consisted of an elastic belt, say of caoutchouc, what would result in such a case? Clearly a separation of the ring from the mass of the rotating body; it would expand somewhat, just as the orbit of a planet in a similar position; and if other circumstances permitted, it would revolve round the stone as a separate ring at a distance where the balance or equilibrium of the forces would be restored. As the ring continues in motion its velocity increases whenever any of its parts become detached, which they do, and ultimately form distinct planets, like those which revolve round the sun of our firmament.

Mercury, Venus, the Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, are now single globes, broken off from revolving rings. And our sun too is formed from the dim nebula we have spoken of; order grows within him by the effect of law, and he illumines and sustains the worlds which gradually spring into being. Some have uneasy feelings at the idea of a process by which progress is substituted for creation, law for providence; let them know their fears are groundless. Law is of itself not a substantive or independent power; is never separated from connection with an arranger, a first cause, an unorigina ed, unupheld order.

You will have perceived that the nebula hypothesis is the true key to the mystery of the origin and destiny of things. In the heavens, as every where else, all things are in a state of change and

progress, and if they dissolve, it is only that they may be renewed under new forms.

I have thus, my dear Ahhmad, given as concisely as possible an outline of the marvellous discoveries that have recently been made by the labor of astronomers. I am sure you will agree with me that no one can hear of them without having his thoughts enlarged and elevated by the grandeur of the subject. There may be some plausibility in imagining that the substances which compose the earth are made and fashioned by the sole agency of chemical combination, for we see the operations of Nature going on before us; but it requires an effort of the mind to conceive a system of things beyond our vision; that we can have knowledge of, only by means of one of the senses; a mass of matter whose immeasurable distance forbids an approach, and even if we were within reach of, would elude our grasp; all slowly and by an invisible power moulding itself into forms and bearing on it the germs of life. Yet here the understanding is brought to yield its correction by the force of evidence. Neither mineralogy, chemistry, nor geology, wonderful as they are, nor all the operations of physical science put together, have the effect to produce ideas so exalted of Omnipotence as these discoveries of astronomy. Nothing in earthly wisdom can tend more to raise our thoughts to a Great First Cause, a mighty Arranger, a wonderful Power, the Author of law and order, the Originator, Upholder and Mover.

While I write these lines, intelligence comes to me of other and more wonderful discoveries being made by a newly-invented telescope of most extraordinary magnifying power. It goes farther than any other yet made in sounding the depths of ether and the extensive fields of sidereal matter out of which worlds and systems of worlds are forming and to be formed. The discoveries made by this telescope do not destroy the hypothesis of the gradual condensation of nebulous matter into suns and planets, but leaves farther research to reduce to a greater degree of certainty the mode by which this is accomplished. Much of the nebulous matter formerly discovered, and which was supposed to be the substance from which worlds were formed by rotary motion, are by this improved telescope proved to be distinct stars. Yet while, by the power of this instrument, that which was called nebulous matter is found to be composed of distinct parts or stars, by the same power new nebula are discovered, which are subjected to the same process in the formation of new systems of suns and planets with their satellites; universes in the progress of arrangement! And so far from invalidating entirely the rotary system of matter, as some persons suppose, this instrument aids in strengthening the belief that in strictness there is no one fixed star in the heavens all the starry systems are in motion.

In the solar system are seen fragments of planets, asteroids as they are called, occupying the place of a larger body; and in the direction of their annual and diurnal motions is recognised the

[blocks in formation]

result of a grand creative movement by which the sun with its revolving atmosphere has cast off, as it were by successive throes, the various bodies of the system subsequently contracted into planets and

a sun.

These new discoveries give increased force to the desire to find the central point of attraction; some single body of great magnitude, or the clustering of a great number of stars uniting into one condensed group, which has the power of moving with regularity the various bodies that fill the universe. This wished-for result has not yet been produced by this instrument, the most powerful that has as yet been contrived; still it leads farther than man has hitherto advanced; and while its discoveries fill the mind with new wonder, will without doubt stimulate human ingenuity to make farther exertions to arrive at the desired knowledge.

It is impossible to read these accounts of the formation of suns and planets from a seemingly inert mass, without acknowledging a superintending Spirit, a benevolent and wise DEITY. No one can think of this constantly operating power, without seeing that his own existence and destiny are upheld and guided by laws which conduce to happiness. Here presents itself the true object of adoration and worship. The BEING whom we see has made and is still making all things, who upholds us in the place he has assigned to us on earth, who shows us the means to endow our minds with useful knowledge, and who gives us laws to direct us in the way to happiness, is the CREATOR and DISPOSER, who should receive our humble reverence and the outpouring of our hearts.

There was a time when it was believed the world started into existence by the sole fiat of the ALMIGHTY, out of nothing, and it was considered impious to cast a doubt on the fact. We now see good men not only discard this belief, but prove that the world was formed from preexisting matter, and has reached its present condition by an extremely slow but regular process; that in its progress toward its present state it has undergone many changes, and the parts of which it is composed have more than once been entirely deranged, modified and afterward reëstablished into order. All this has happened, men's opinions have changed, yet they are not less pious than they were before.

May not the day arrive, O Ahhmad! when we may permit ourselves to consider the method of our own creation; when, without the fear of being thought presumptuous, we may attempt to discover how human beings are made and how the vital principle is put into them? It is no more irreverent to scan the ways of the DEITY on one subject than on another. We ransack the bowels of the earth in search of Nature's mysteries, and we range infinite space to seek the CREATOR there. We know the substances that compose our bodies; are acquainted with the workings of the organs and faculties within us; but the life-giving power, the vital principle which sets all in motion, is yet beyond our ken. Shall we ever find it?

[blocks in formation]
« PreviousContinue »