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About Torch of reason. (Silverton, Oregon) 1896-1903 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 20, 1900)
T H E TORCH OF REASON, S IL V E R T O N , OREGON, S E P T E M B E R 20, E. M. 300 (1900.; T h e N eb u lar T heory. whose gigantic w hirling motion m anity, aw aiting its tim e to sprout coby—using the colum ns of the and whose g rad u al com paction in- and spring up and grow into the P opular Science M onthly for its in BY HERMAN W’ETTSTEIN. to new suns under the presure of beauty of ‘the image of God.’ (As stru m en t— to deduce “ the p erm a g ravitation are all but visable— for us being images of God, I d o n ’t There is probably no question such are some of the m arvelous see where the credit to th e’ C hrist- nent stab ility of the solar system from the nebular hypothesis. R eal upon which scientific men are shapes and appearances th a t these ian joss comes in.) izing th a t this theory would give more “ at sea” than th a t of the neb- photographs show. Verification for the nebular hy- the theistica! concept of the world’s u larh ypothesis. Three distinct a tti In one respect p a rtic u la rly the pothesis having thus been obtained tu d e s seem to be held in regard to latest L ick’s photographs are in- by unquestionable scientific de- “creatiou”[?J the deathblow if it were verified beyond all reasonable it: one th a t rejects it, another th at tensely interesting. F requently m onotration, how can a learned accep ts it, and one which endorses the question is asked by those gentlem an assert in the face of this doubt, as it now has been by the Lick photographs, the only re it wi th a view to m isconstructing who, although interested in astro verification the “ perm anent s ta b il course left to Theists is to question its inevitable deductions. An il nom ical research, have not fol ity of our solar system ?” W ith its inevitable im plications. Such lu stra tio n of the latter class was lowed it closely: ‘H as the famous the facts before him, as revealed by attem pts would be but iu accord recently presented iri an article by nebular hypothesis of the origin of the Lick photographs, showing, ance with the Jesu itical precept, Prof. H arrold Jacoby, in the Popu the world been exploded by recent th a t: “ out of a nebula we came; in th a t “ the end justifies the m eans.” la r Science M onthly, who aired his discoveries?’ How the im pression to a nebula we shall re tu rn ,’ howcan And th a t all shades of dissenters views under the heading: “ The th a t it had been exploded became he m ain tain the position assum ed from the Rom an C atholic Church, S u n ’s D estination,” (reprinted in so widespread it would be hard to by him ? W hat can the evidence i. e., of P rotestantism , have adopted the Torch of Aug. 16th.) says he at say, hut no one studying the p h o presented prove more absolutely this m axim , our d aily experience the outset: “ Three generations of tographs in question could long than the transiency of all existing only too forcibly proves. W hat men have come and gone since the entertain any doubt as to the things, barring only th eir co n stitu Loyola declared in the above in M arquis de Laplace stood before stan d in g of the nebular hypothesis. ents, the perm anency of which we junction was generalized by all the the Academy of France and gave Instead of being exploded by the are forced to postulate? churches under the form th a t “ the his dem onstration of the perm anent progress of discovery, as some over- T h at “ overzealous ch u rch m en ” integrity of Ecclesiasticism , i. e., of sta b ility of our solar system .” A zealous church men have pretend attem pted to “ explode” the nebular the theistical concept of the u n i m ore u nw arranted utterance was ed, (Prof. W akem an, please take hypothesis, shows from w hat q u a r verse, m ust be preserved at all never made. Laplace was the one notice H. W .) it has been im ter the opposition em anated. W hy, hazards—by fair m eans or foul.” who gave distinct form to the neb m ensely strengthened, and the then, should Liberals “ fall iu lin e” ular hypothesis of the origin of Lick photographs alone would have with the opposition, if they are u n our solar system and to say th a t given birth to such an hypothesis able to produce valid argum ents The Nebular H ypothesis vs. The he dem onstrated its perm anent if the genius of K an t and Laplace Nebular Theory. Please against it, which in view of the u n stab ility flies directly in the face had not anticipated it. Don’t Foreclose the im peachable confirm ation it has of the theory of which he was the “ Out of a nebula we came; into received by the Lick photographs, Universe. im m ortal author. N othing can be a nebula we shall re tu rn — is a pro is, of course, now en tirely out of more co n trary to this hypothesis position the first h a lf of which at the question. BY T. B. WAKEMAN. th a n to claim perm anent stability least can be regarded as estab lish Note, also, the following incon for our or an y o th er solar system . ed. There are photographs, for The Torch is devoted to Liberal 1 hen why m ake such a preposter instance, which exhibit as clearly gruous statem ent of Prof. Jacoby, ous statem en t as th a t the one who as an y th in g possibly could do, the which it is im possible to reconcile education and propaganda. In proposed the origin of worlds out emergence of suns, planets and s a t with the nebular hypothesis, which lengthy discussions over disputed hypotheses and speculations, the of a nebulous haze and their event ellites out of the nebulous clouds. he to all appearances accepts. “ And so men asked,” he says, size and purpose of this paper for ual return to it, should demon The process is there before your strate their “ perm anent stability j» «yea. You can n >t dispute it. The “ has this m agnificent solar system bid us to indulge as we often wish Can a more absurd statem ent be con various Htages of w orld-creation been built upon a scale so grand, to do. We stand, for instance, in ceived of? A nything more c o n tra are represented, not all in one been put in operation subject to a A stronom y and Physics ou known dictory ? E vidently Prof. Jacoby nebula, of course, but m any nebula law sublim e in its very sim plicity facts and laws, like the helio don’t know his own m ind concern in different stages of developm ent only to change and change un til a t centric solar system , the law of length it shall lose every sem blance equivalent correlation, and their ing these m atters, else he would and condensation...................... t 0 never have uttered an y th in g so fla doubt th a t the results of the pro of its former self, and end perhaps plain consequences. There are other in chaos and ex tin ctio n ?” g ra n tly inconsistent. papers more expressly devoted to cess t re before us, would be as ir rhis question has been answ ered How do his views of the “ p erm a rational as to doubt th a t the grain explorations and disputations. most positively by the Lick photo nent stab ility of our solar system ” of seed in the ground, and the We p rin t Mr. W ettstein ’s article, graphs in the affirm ative, i. e., th a t coincide, for instance, with the fol The Nebular Theory,” therefore, sprout pushing above the soil, and our solar system and every other lowing observations m ade by the the full grown stalk with its leaves not only because it is interesting, one th a t makes up the constella astronom ers of the Lick O bservato and berries, are all bound together but because when looked 'a t from tions, is bound “ to end iu chaos ry, of which a succinct account has as successive phases of one co n tin u the scientific point of view it is and extinction,” or, as Prof. Serviss recently been given by Prof. S er ous process of grow th and evolu highly educative, as a little a tte n puts it, “Out of a nebula we came; vies in .th e New Y ork J o u rn a l? tion. tion will show, thus: into a nebula we shall re tu rn .” (See also The T ruthseeker of Aug. . 1. Is he rig h t about Prof. H ar “ Take the wonderful photo- There is “ chaos and ex tin ctio n ” 18th.) rold Jacoby’s article, which was Speaking of the Crossley r e fle c tjfe n d y B ut note how Prof. Ja- printed in the Torch of August ing telescope, devoted to the p h o -! journals renrps f sc,e n tlhc coby m isconstrues the in ev itab le 15th, from the P opular Science tographine of the the c celestial e le s t in i orbs, n r h o k< . • e.n ln ^ 1 e 8 tr'Uîge conclusions to be draw n from the M onthly, which is quite a reliable tographing of he > Trifid nebula in the con stellatio n s says: “ Especially am ong those S agittarius . . . This curious nehular hypothesis. Says he: “ L a scientific publication? place was able to answ er confi m ysterious and wonderful clouds of The point oi th a t article was to dently, No!’ I say, Laplace never show, th a t the d u iab ility of the asserted a n y th in g of the kind! solar system had been dem on exceptional power. V ast spirals, strated by La Place in such a way future -v -t " "f " e P° te,' Cy ° f a Yl£S exPre8sed in auy proposition immense gulfs of blackness su r as to receive general acceptance by No m i r f l eiU ° T 'T a ” d W° rl ° r ,he" rJ whatsoever than th a t in- rounded by lum inous walls, in tri s^unTf " r : vnlved in L aplace’s, which argues scientists, and th at such accept cate p atterns of nebulous traceries ance was fully justified by all sub 7 lH,W7 ' " e',U- *he of all bodies of as delicate in stru ctu re as the finest la hok s U sequent discoveries and observa a tte m p t lacework, beaded with stars, inter* rets and ,7 7 n s " a n d 7 , “ * J ’1’*'’' " ‘“ “ er' And never h«8 tions. The Torch, because the essences come to my notice from a scientific linked rings of light, gleam ing like article was short and good, re from which their in h ab itan ts are to the phosphorescence of the sea, but be com pounded. Once on a time q u arte r th a t so tran sp aren tly seeks printed it. to pervert what m ust be ap p aren t each so stupendous in circuit th at Friend W ettstein says No! For, this solar system of ours was c i , . — , 1° I fie most o rdinary mind the whole solar system and m any . f«»r says he, this sam e La Place was nless and chaotic as that I... p c i ’ uim a. sola r system s together m ight be glowing mass of gasses in S a t r i n ' « 1 « e nothing hut the the great . . . .......... advocate, if not the ori en. .raced by it; orbs of pale fire rius, hut it held the seed o f |,„ l ‘ ° ' en f° ° l t nr ’] "f Ortho- ginator, of the N ebular H ypothesis of h » ., doxy in the attem pt of Prof. J a - i to the effect .h a , the sun and solai