THE COMET AND THE BURNING UP THEORY.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2689, 20 November 1882, Page 4

THE COMET AND THE BURNING UP THEORY.

fSPECIAL TO PBE3S ASSOCIATION.! WELLINGTON, November 19. Archdeacon Stock writes as follows to the‘‘Post”:—“l have been asked by so many my opinion concerning the coming fata of the world in 18S3 by the falling of the comet into the sun, that I should be obliged if you will allow mo a few words 8 upon the matter. I do not think that there will bo this predicted ruin, for three t reasons:—l. The comet is said to be a reappearance of the 1843 comet, altered in its motion by the resistance of the zodiacal light around the sun. Professor Newcomby, of America, gives for this comet, in his work on astronomy, a period of 530 years, writing in 1878, long after the comet had vanished, and when its orbit was well known. 2. A comet, in approaching the sun, loses matter in the tail thrown off the head and left behind, but this comet was brighter than any other comet; and if it be a reappearance, this is contrary to what should be, as a comet reappearing would not be so bright at its second visit. 3. A comet approaching the sun which has moved in a ellipse must if its path be altered by some resistance move in a spiral rapidly closing up, but at each revolution the comet would lose more and more of its matter, and so at the last have but little left to do mischief with. Ido not also see how such a comet with very little matter could so heat up the sun as it is said.' The comet’s mass would be as nothing compared with that of the sun, and the heat produced at the spot touched would be but a very small addition to that of the whole sun. 4. Proctor, who began this scare, spoke of the comet and its attendant meteors falling into the sun ; but because some comets travel in the path of meteoric oodies, it is here assumed that all do so, and that these meteors are essential parts of all comets, but these meteoric bodies revolve quickly around the sun like the band of asteroids, which are only large meteors between Mars and Jupiter. Some of these meteor rings have as I take it attended one or two comets, but most certainly it is nou proved that every comet has a meteor train. 5. Piazzi Smyth, or rather others who have enlarged his pyramid theory, spoke of 1881-1832 as an ending period. I have never read in any of their pamphlets of 1883 as a terminal year. 6. For reasons to be gathered by a study of the prophetic Scriptures, I believe that before any great change in wliat is now, the Jews must return to their own land ; that the result of the changes to be looked for then will be an increase of hapoiness to the world under the kingdom of the Lord, and that this ruin predicted in 1383 will not be until the ending of that reign.