1856.] Does the Moon Rotate? 331 



soon after they had been removed from the cold atmosphere in which 

 they had been kept. 



The ladies of the Society, Airs. Heaver, Mrs. Carey, Mrs. Jackson, 

 Miss Jackson, Mrs. McAvoy, Miss McxA.voy, and othe'-s, assisted at the 

 refreshment tables, which were under the control of the Society, where 

 the premium Strawberries, with ice-cream and other refreshments, were 

 served to the visitors. The Society is under great obligations to the 

 ladies for the admirable manner in which every part of this feature of 

 the Exhibition was arranged and conducted. 



The Exhibition, in all its parts, was extensive and creditable to the 

 Society, and. taking into view the location of the lot, being out of the 

 business part* of the city, and the want of fall fruit and vegetables, 

 which could not be had at this sea-on of the year, the Exhibition, inde- 

 pendent of tlie great display of Strawberries, might be considered very 

 fine ; but in September next, it will be thrown far in the shade by the great 

 Exhibition to be given at that time by the Society, if we may judge 

 from the effort which is already making, to make that a splendid dis- 

 play. A Member. 



BOES TUI^ MOON ROTATF. •> 



" In all works on astronomy, it is assumed and taught as a fact, that 

 the moon revolves on its axis once in twenty-eight days. J. Symonds, 

 an inspector of schools in England, wrote a letter to the London Times^ 

 expressing his surprise that natural philosophers should have maintained 

 such a dogma, and that it should be taught in all si;hools as a fact of 

 science. If his conclusions were wrong, it would have been very easy 

 for astronomers to have set him right, but not one of the eminent astro- 

 nomers in England have presented a single good and conclusive argu- 

 ment in favor of the Moon-rotating theory, while some have rather 

 abused the inspector for questioning the old dogma. It is a positive 

 fact that a great deal of what is taught in schools is assumption, not 

 fact. Assumptions, by frequent uncontradicted repetition, come to be 

 regarded in the course of time, by students, as facts. This has been 

 the experience of every man of an original mind, and it has thus been 

 the means of clogging the wheels of science. As it relates to the com- 

 mon astronomical assumption, viz.: that of the Moon's rotation on her 

 axis once in 28 days, how can this be so, when it continually presents 

 the same face to the earth ? If it has a rotation on its axis, it should 

 present different phases. We perceive that Evan Hopkins, C. E., and 



