THE 



POPULAR SCIENCE 

 MONTHLY. 



OCTOBER, 1885. 



NEW CHAPTERS IN THE WARFARE OF SCIENCE. 



By ANDREW DICKSON WHITE, 



LATE PRESIDENT OP CORNELL UNIVERSITY. 



I. THE DOCTRINE OF COMETS. 



IN all the development of astronomy few things are more interest- 

 ing than the growth of a true doctrine of comets. Hardly any- 

 thing throws a more vivid light upon the danger of using isolated 

 texts of Scripture to preserve beliefs which observation and thought 

 have superseded, and upon the folly of arraying ecclesiastical power 

 against scientific discovery. 



Out of the ancient world had come a mass of beliefs regarding 

 comets, meteors, and eclipses ; these were universally held to be por- 

 tents sent directly from heaven for the warning of mankind. As to 

 stars and meteors, they were generally thought to presage happy 

 events, especially births of gods, heroes, and great men. So firmly 

 rooted was this idea that we constantly find among the ancient nations 

 notices of lights in the heavens heralding the birth of persons of note. 

 The sacred books of India show that the births of Crishna* and of 

 Buddha f were announced by such heavenly lights. The sacred books 

 of China reveal similar appearances at the births of Yu, the founder 

 of the first dynasty, and of the inspired sage Lao-tse.J In the Jew- 



* For stars at the birth of Crishna, see Maurice's " History of Hindostan," vol. ii, p. 

 336 ; also Cox's "Aryan Mythology" (London, 1870), vol. ii, p. 133; also "Vishnu Pu- 

 rana," Wilson's translation, b. v, chap. iii. 



f For lights at the birth, or rather conception, of Buddha, see Bunsen's " Angel 

 Messiah," pp. 22, 23-33 ; also, Alabaster, " Wheel of the Law," illustrations of Bud- 

 dhism (London, 1871), p. 102; also, Edwin Arnold's "Light of Asia " (London, 1881), 

 p. 3 ; also, " Life of Gaudama, the Burmese Buddha," by Bishop Bigandet (London, 

 1880), p. 30; also, Oldenberg's "Buddha," English translation, part i, chap. i. 



\ For Chinese legends regarding stars at the births of Lao-tse and Yu, see Horton's 

 "History of China," i, 137. 

 vol. xxvii. 46 



