MECHANICS’ INSTITUTE.

Auckland Examiner, Volume 1, Issue 19, 23 April 1857, Page 3

MECHANICS’ INSTITUTE.

Rev. Mr. Hamer's Lecture on the Stellar Universe. One of Emmanual Swedenborg’s many odd and startling opinions was that through excessive multiplication of facts—facts themselves would become obsolete and perish. What the great mystic meant when his prophetic spirit thus delivered itself we will not undertake to make manifest. But we hazard little by assuming him to have meant that men may so overload themselves with facts as

under their weight to mentally break down. Whatever may by and by result from the heaping of mountains of fact upon mountains of fact, it is certain that our best teachers are doing little else. Amongst these we place Mr. Hamer who belongs to the know-ledge-diffusing, as well as knowledge-seek-ing, class of Gospel Ministers. His Stellar Universe Lecture, delivered in the Mechanics’ Institute on Tuesday, 14th inst., was less imaginative and by just-so-much-more matter of mere hard fact than is agreeable to King Public. He illustrated (or obscured) his subject by Diagrams, done with care, but which for want of good oil, and plenty of it, could not be distinctly seen. We prefer the eloquently verbal to the pictorially descriptive when “ infinity within, infinity without” is the theme. An undevout astronomer must be mad ; but the Orrery or Diagram, however well done, can only dwarf conception of that “ mighty maze” the astronomical Lecturer endeavors to show “is not without a plan.” But in schools for ungrown children nothing can better assist the teacher, while profiting the pupil, than a well constructed Orrery more especially when in connection thorewith the general heavens receive pictorical illustration. Notwithstanding the drawback above alluded to, Mr. Hamer seemed to delight a numerous audience who listened with attention. It did however seem to us that he fell into the common error of overtasking himself while overteaching his audience. We would venture a wager that not one in one hundred of those who heard his really learned and carefully-elaborate account of the way in which the distances, relative or absolute, of heavenly bodies are calculable, went away one bit the wiser for it. So many facts at once, however well spiced, dished, and served up, either turn the mental stomach or hinder digestion. Astronomy is a noble subject and that Mr. Hamer loves it there can be no doubt. But only by Astrologers has star science been studied upon universal principles, or in relation to those facts which affecting human destiny go straight to the human heart. The difference between Astrology and Astronomy is just the difference between Alchemy and Chemistry. Mere Chemistry is poor stuff —so is mere Astronomy—so is mere Science of any kind, if it come not home to our business, and bosoms. On Tuesday next, Mr. Baker will deliver a Lecture on Maori Popular Poetry.