72 KANSAS CITY RE VIE IV OF SCIENCE. 



the mass of the Earth itself is included in the pound broken from the original 

 weight. Will the Sun that sustains our Uves be malignant on June 19th? 

 Because several planets are on line will the chemical constituents of the terrestrial 

 atmosphere be changed to cause pestilence? How can planets cause storms on 

 the earth, or earthquakes ? Even the tides will be no higher on that inauspicious 

 day than usual ; how then can the crust of the Earth be moved? And what pol- 

 iticians are making ready to precipitate a war in mid-summer because Venus, 

 Jupiter and Neptune are now exerting influence upon them ? What modes of 

 force reach the earth from the planets ? There are known to be two, — gravity 

 and light. The spectroscope shows that their light consists of reflected solar 

 rays. They are globes something like the Earth. What malignant power leaves 

 the Earth to produce destruction on Jupiter ? Does magnetism reach us from 

 the planets ? When terrific storms rage in the Sun, it requires a sensitive mag- 

 netograph to detect the magnetic influence reaching our world; the telegraphic 

 instruments are effected, and in the evening we are favored with a harmless 

 auroral display. Should all the planets aid the Sun in generating a magnetic 

 disturbance on the Earth, their assistance would be less than y^ of its intensity. 

 Anybody can become an astrologer on an hour's notice. All that is necessary 

 is to procure the U. S. Nautical Almanac, look along the columns of fight ascen- 

 sions, until two planets are found to have the same, and predict a storm, war, or 

 famine for the date. Then if it rains at Cape Horn, or the Turks and Russians 

 fight, the prophecy is fulfilled. On September 25th, 1880, Jupiter was in perihe. 

 lion, and in opposition a few days later, on October 7th, while Saturn was in nearly 

 the same direction. Jupiter was at its nearest possible point to the Earth, and our 

 little world was in direct line of malignant influence. Yet the weather was excel- 

 lent, the air fine, and well suited for telescopic work. At the most dangerous 

 period we were engaged for hours in making close examination with high magni- 

 fying powers, of every portion of its disc, to see if any changes were wrought on 

 Jupiter by its approach to the Sun and Earth. We saw none take place while 

 looking, but on the. following night detected several that had occurred during the 

 interval, all minute, however. But there are instances recorded where movements 

 have been seen to take place in a few hours ; therefore, the attraction of the Sun 

 produced no marked change on Jupiter during its last perihelion, though aided by 

 the Earth. We conclude that planetary convulsions arise from forces inherent in 

 themselves, and not from attraction or electricity from the Sun. And then, how 

 can electricity produce vortices in the atmosphere of the planets, when it has to 

 traverse a non-conducting vacuum to reach them from the solar battery ? The 

 Earth has been in trouble before. On February 28th, B. C. 2446, the Earth, Moon, 

 Mercury, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, were all in line in Pisces, as is recorded in 

 Chinese annals. M. M. Desvignoles and Kirch made calculations, and found that 

 such conjunction did occur. But the Chinese astronomers made a fatal omission, 

 — they did not tell us whether it rained on that day. 



On September 15th, A. D. 1186, the Earth, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter 



