William Leitch

“ Though man had never been created, and though no living thing existed on any planet, would not the lieavens still declare the glory of God? Would not the mechanism, by which the stability of the system is secured, still manifest calculation and design? The material creation is but the projection of the Divine ideas in space and time, and it would bear the impress of the Divine Intelligence, though no finite spirit or living thing were called into being. No doubt the most marvellous display of the Divine wisdom lies in the correlation of matter to life and created intelligence. ”

“ In setting out again on our journey, we might expect a new station by halving the distance between Jupiter and the sun, as this process served us in the case of our last two stages. We are so far successful, that we find not one large planet, but thousands of small ones. We have, from the earth, discovered only seventy-one, but, in all probability, there are many yet to be discovered; there may be thousands too small to be detected. In sweeping through the zone of asteroids, we are like a ship threading her way through innumerable icebergs, large and small. ”

“ Every architect must conform to certain structural rules, without which he cannot erect any edifice; and we find design and adaptation in every building. But, over and above this, there is the undefinable idea of style, and we expect, amidst all diversity, to detect the manner of the man of genius. Genius confers a unity on works of the most diverse structure, and design. We expect to find this unity in the style of God's works, apart from mere adaptation. But is it possible to detect a unity of structure in the solar system, when we have the singular and startling exception of Saturn? ”

“ We shall not alight upon the forest, but shall choose rather the Sea of Showers—the darkest part of the moon's surface, and corresponding to the right eye. We find here good footing, for it is neither a forest nor a sea. For hundreds of miles on all sides there is a dead flat. Here and there, solitary peaks, like that of Teneriffe, start from the plain, unconnected with any mountain-range. They rise from the vast prairie, as abruptly as the pyramids do from the sands of Egypt.
But as we travel on, we descry mountain-ranges rising in the horizon. ”

“ We can then conceive the intrepid lunar inhabitants venturing, as far as they can breathe, within the barren hemisphere; just like adventurous travellers on our globe, scaling lofty mountains, to obtain an extended view of the landscape. What an astonishing spectacle must burst upon the view of the lunar tourist, as soon as he fairly gets within the new hemisphere! The traveller, who has spent the night on the summit of the Rigi, to watch the rising of the sun over the snow-clad ranges of the Oberland Alps, feels rewarded for all his toil by the glorious spectacle. ”

“ The comet approaching the sun is going down hill, and when it reaches the nearest point it wheels round, and then ascends till its speed is gradually arrested. It is reined in by the sun, from which there are invisible lines of force dragging it back; and, if its momentum be not too great, it is effectually checked and brought back to pursue its former course. Most frequently, however, its course is so impetuous that all the strength of the sun, in reining back, avails nothing. It breaks loose, like a fiery steed from its master; speeds off into space, and is heard of no more. ”

“ This, however, only increases the mystery, and the longing to see farther round the limb of the moon. If there was mystery before, when life was not dreamt of, how much is that mystery increased, when we now know that there may be life—that there may be another world the counterpart of our own! Everything on this side of the moon, is fixed in the rigidity of death. No movement, indicating life or action, is observed. How different would be the other side, were we only permitted to obtain a glimpse! Its ever-changing atmosphere would be a source of continual interest. ”

“ And how useful in this respect is the moon! Volumes might be filled with the poetry of the moon; and yet the theme is ever fresh. The poet and the painter find the subject to be inexhaustible. The aspect of nature in moonlight is so different, that we have, by the gift of the lesser light, virtually two worlds for our abode. The gorgeous sunlit scene gives way, like a dissolving view, to the milder radiance of the moon, and, as by a magic spell, a new scene, with its own characteristic beauty, starts out from nature's canvas. The picturesque effects of moonlight are infinitely varied ”

“ In the universe of worlds, it is not necessary to detect a sameness of purpose, in order to recognise the hand of the one great Architect. We do not require to prove that the moon is inhabited, in order to shew that it was formed by the same hand that constructed our world, teeming with living beings. Standing on the summit of a lunar mountain, and surveying the lifeless waste around, we can have no difficulty in tracing the same Divine wisdom that so marvellously moulded this world of ours, as a fit abode for all the activities of life. ”

“ When the rings of Saturn were fairly descried, the structure of the planet must have appeared still more marvellous. How contrary to all preconceived notions of the stars! But no sooner is the human mind struck with astonishment, than it seeks to divest the wondrous object of its singularity. There is an instinct that makes us seek for points of similarity. The idea of one presiding intelligence leads us to the conviction, that, however strange the phenomenon may be, it must be in harmony with the other works of God, and this, not merely in reference to adaptation, but to style. ”

“ When you first view the moon through a telescope, even though it be an excellent one, you can hardly fail to be disappointed. No doubt, the surface of the moon will excite surprise by its curious and novel aspect, but it will fail to give you any idea of magnitude. You may tell the beholder that the little specks of light he sees at the edge, are mountains higher than Mont Blanc, hut he has no feeling of the reality. And many a one who looks through a telescope, comes away as incredulous as ever. The objects descried through the telescope are not seen to be mountains. ”

“ But think how strange life must be in the moon without an atmospheric medium. Eternal silence must reign there. A huge rock may be precipitated from the lofty lunar cliffs, but no sound is heard—it falls noiselessly as a flock of wool. The inhabitants can converse only by signs. The musician in vain attempts to elicit sweet music from his stringed instrument; no note ever reaches the ear. Armies in battle array do not hear the boom of the cannon, though rifled arms, from the low trajectory of the ball, must acquire a fatal precision and range. No moving thing can live aloft ”

“ The paints and the brush are only the material vehicles by which the ideas of genius are transferred to the canvas. No more do the laws of matter supersede mind. They are only the media through which the ideas of the Divine Mind are transferred to the gallery of the universe. The simpler the means of the artist, the more marvellous are his achievements, and the simplicity and generality of the laws of matter, only enhance the marvels of the divine idea imprinted on the heavens. ”

“ The effect upon the planets has not been detected, but the comets have proclaimed the fact, that there is an element of decay in the system. Encke's comet is narrowing its circle at every revolution, and is going down, as it were, a spiral staircase to its ultimate destiny—absorption in the sun. The comet is of a consistency so light, that it is exceedingly sensitive to the retarding influence, just as the light balloon at once feels the slightest breath of air. ”

“ This mixing up of the moon with the daily thoughts of the people in rural scenes, shews that her usefulness is fully appreciated.
In savage life, especially in high latitudes, the moon is an ever-present power. When the Red Indian speaks of moons, as measures of time, he speaks in the tone of affection and reverence for the benign luminary that guides his steps through the trackless forest. The Oriental bows to the sun, but the Red Indian nurtures his grand and impassive nature in the mild beams of the moon. ”

“ Would the inference of design be legitimate only on the supposition that the watch had the most faultless scapement, and the most artistic finish? Would not some rude, old crown-and-verge movement, dropped by some boor as he crossed the common, quite as irresistibly lead to the inference of design? And in dealing with the mechanism of the heavens, the real question at issue, is not—Is the intelligent contriver perfect? ”

“ Man will occupy the inner circle nearest the throne. The redeemed will be kin to Him who sitteth upon the throne, and there will be a bond stronger than any seraph can feel. When we contemplate this glorious reunion, enhanced in wonder by the light of astronomy, what should be the most ardent aspiration of our hearts? what the deepest longing of our souls, and the aim of our life on earth? ”

“ The Divine wisdom is not measured by the length of the period of permanence, but by the exquisite balancing of forces, so that the system will endure for the allotted period, whether it be long or short. The ephemeron that dances in the sunshine for its brief hour of life, displays as much wisdom in its structure as the eagle, that continues its gyrations for a long century. In human mechanism, the mere element of time is not one that usually enhances the skill of the contrivance. ”

“ If the earth were to split in two, like Biela's comet, would not the benefit of Christ's death belong to the one half as well as to the other? Why should not this benefit extend to different worlds, as well as to different halves of the same world? This argument, however, overlooks the fact that redemption has to do, not with the matter of the globe, but with mankind—not with the identity of worlds, but of race. If the earth were to split in halves, two distant worlds would be formed, but the race would still be the same. ”

“ The sun, then, is the great worker, and the slave of man. He works every spinning-jenny in our manufacturing towns, forges every shaft, propels every ship, turns every water-wheel, and moves the limbs of every man and animal. Man, with the power of intellect, merely stands over him with the rod of dominion, and directs his giant strength to suitable tasks. ”