Moon Lore Part 11

Here our long list of learned authorities shall terminate. We have strung together a large number of citations, and have ourselves furnished only the string. Indeed, what more have amateurs that they can do? For, as Pope puts it,--

"Who shall decide, when doctors disagree, And soundest casuists doubt, like you and me?"

Besides, astronomy is no child's play, nor are its abstruse problems to be mastered by superficial meddlers. "Its intricacy," as Narrien reminds us, "in the higher departments, is such as to render the processes unintelligible to all but the few distinguished persons who, by nature and profound application to the subject, are qualified for such researches." [465] But if professionals must be summoned as witnesses, ordinary men may sit as jurors. This function we have wished to fufil; and we avow ourselves considerably perplexed, though not in despair. We hoped that after a somewhat exhaustive examination, we might be able to state the result with an emphasis of conviction. This we find impossible; but we can affirm on which side the evidence appears to preponderate, and whither, we rest a.s.sured, further light will lead our willing feet. The conclusion, therefore, of the whole matter is: we cannot see any living creatures on the moon, however long we strain our eyes. No instrument has yet been constructed that will reveal the slightest vestige of inhabitation. Consequently, the actual evidence of sense is all against us, and we resign it without demur. This point, being settled, is dismissed.

Next, we reconsider the results of scientific study, and are strongly inclined to think the weight of testimony favours the existence of a thin atmosphere, at least some water, and a measure of light and shade in succession. These conditions must enable vegetables and animals to exist upon its surface, though their const.i.tution is in all probability not a.n.a.logous with that of those which are found upon our earth. But to deny the being of inhabitants of some kind, even in the absence of these conditions, we submit would be unphilosophical, seeing that the Power which adapted terrestrial life to terrestrial environments could also adapt lunar life to the environments in the moon. We are seeking no shelter in the miraculous, nor do we run from a dilemma to the refuges of religion. Apart from our theological belief in the potency of the Creator and Controller of all worlds, we simply regard it as illogical and inconclusive to argue that because organization, life, and intelligence obtain within one sphere under one order of circ.u.mstances, _therefore_ the same order obtains in every other sphere throughout the system to which that one belongs. The unity of nature is as clear to us as the unity of G.o.d; but unity is not uniformity. We view the whole creation as we view this world; the entire empire as we view this single province,

"Where order in variety we see, And where, though all things differ, all agree."

And, finally, as a.n.a.logy is unreservedly on the side of the occupation of every domain in creation, by some creatures who have the dominion, we cannot admit the probability that the earth is the only tenement with tenants: we must be confirmed in our judgment that the sun and the planets, with their moons, ours of course included, are neither blank nor barren, but abodes of variously organized beings, fitted to fulfil the chief end of all n.o.ble existence: the enjoyment of life, the effluence of love, the good of all around and the glory of G.o.d above.

This article, that the moon is inhabited, may therefore form a clause of our scientific creed; not to be held at any hazard, as a matter of life or death, or a test of communion, but to be maintained subject to corrections such as future elucidation may require. We believe that we are justified by science, reason, and a.n.a.logy; and confidently look to be further justified by verification. We accept many things as matters of faith, which we have not fully ascertained to be matters of fact; but "faith is the a.s.surance of things hoped for, the proving of things not seen." By double entry the books of science are kept, by reasoning and demonstration: when future auditors shall examine the accounts of the moon's inhabitation, we are persuaded that the result of our reckoning will be found to be correct.

If any would charge us with a wish to be wise above what is written, we merely reply: There are unwritten revelations which are nevertheless true. Besides, we are not sure that at least an intimation of other races than those of the earth is not already on record. Not to prove any position, but to check obstructive criticism, we refer to the divine who is said to have witnessed in magnificent apocalypse some closing scenes of the human drama. If he also heard in sublime oratorio a prelude of this widely extended glory, our vision may not be a "baseless fabric." After the quartettes of earth, and the interludes of angels, came the grand finale, when every creature which is in heaven, as well as on the earth, was heard ascribing "Blessing and honour and glory and power to Him who sitteth upon the throne." a.s.suredly, our conception of a choir worthy to render that chorus is not of an elect handful of "saints," or contracted souls, embraced within any Calvinistic covenant, but of an innumerable mult.i.tude of enn.o.bled, purified, and expanded beings, convoked from every satellite and planet, every sun and star, and overflowing with grat.i.tude and love to that universal Father of lights, with whom is no parallax, nor descension, and who kindled every spark of life and beauty that in their individual and combined l.u.s.tre He might reflect and repeat His own ineffable blessedness.

APPENDIX.

_Literature of the Lunar Man_.

_Vide_ p. 8.

1. _The Man in the Moone_. Telling Strange Fortunes. London, 1609.

2. "_The Man in the Moone_, discovering a world of Knavery under the Sunne; both in the _Parliament_, the _Councel_ of _State_, the _Army_, the _City_, and the _Country_." Dated, "Die Lunae, From Nov. 14 to Wednesday Novemb. 21 1649." _Periodical Publications, London_. British Museum. Another Edition, "Printed for Charles Tyns, at the Three Cups on London Bridge, 1657."

3. "SELENARCHIA, _or the Government of the World in the Moon_." A comical history written by Cyrano Bergerac, and done into English by Tho. St. Serf. London 1659."

The same, Englished by A. Lovell, A.M., London, 1687.

4. "_The Man in the Moon, or Travels into the Lunar Regions_," by W. Thomson, London, 1783.

In this lucubration the Man in the Moon shows the Man of the People (Charles Fox), many eminent contemporaries, by means of a magical gla.s.s.

5. "_The Man in the Moon_, consisting of Essays and Critiques."

London, 1804. Of no value. After s.h.i.+ning feebly like a rushlight for about two months, it went out in smoke.

6. _The Man in the Moon_. London, 1820. A Political Squib.

7. _The Loyal Man in the Moon_, 1820, is a Political Satire, with thirteen cuts.

8. _The Man in the Moon_, London, 1827(?). A Poem. _N.B._ The word _poem_ has many meanings.

9. _The Man in the Moon_. Edinburgh, 1832. A small sheet, sold for political purposes, at the high price of a penny. The Lunar Man pledges himself to "do as I like, and not to care one straw for the opinion of any person on earth."

10. _The Man in the Moon_. London, 1847. This is a comical serial, edited by Albert Smith and Angus B. Reach; and is rich, racy, and now rare.

11. _The Moon's Histories_. By a Lady. London, 1848.

_The Mirror of Pythagoras_

_Vide_ p. 147.

"In laying thus the blame upon the moone, Thou imitat'st subtill _Pythagoras_, Who, what he would the people should beleeve, The same be wrote with blood upon a gla.s.se, And turn'd it opposite 'gainst the new moone Whose beames reflecting on it with full force, Shew'd all those lynes, to them that stood behinde, Most playnly writ in circle of the moone; And then he said, Not I, but the new moone Fair _Cynthia_, perswades you this and that."

_Summer to Sol_, in _A Pleasant Comedie, called Summer's Last Will and Testament_. Written by Thomas Nash. London, 1600.

_The East Coast of Greenland_.

_Vide_ p. 171.

"When an eclipse of the moon takes place, they attribute it to the moon's going into their houses, and peeping into every nook and corner, in search of skins and eatables, and on such occasions accordingly, they conceal all they can, and make as much noise as possible, in order to frighten away their unbidden guest."

--_Narrative of an Expedition to the East Coast of Greenland_: Capt.

W. A. Graah, of the Danish Roy. Navy. London, 1837, p. 124.

_Lord Iddesleigh on the Moon_.

_Vide_ p. 189.

Speaking at a political meeting in Aberdeen, on the 22nd of September, 1885, the Earl of Iddesleigh approved the superannuated notion of lunar influence, and likened the leading opponents of his party to the old and new moon. "What signs of bad weather are there which sometimes you notice when storms are coming on? It always seems to me that the worst sign of bad weather is when you see what is called the new moon with the old moon in its arms. I have no doubt that many of you Aberdeen men have read the fine old ballad of Sir Patrick Spens, who was drowned some twenty or thirty miles off the coast of Aberdeen. In that ballad he was cautioned not to go to sea, because his faithful and weatherwise attendant had noticed the new moon with the old moon in its lap. I think myself that that is a very dangerous sign, and when I see Mr.

Chamberlain, the new moon, with Mr. Gladstone, the old one, in his arms, I think it is time to look out for squally weather."--_The Standard_, London, Sept. 23rd, 1885.

The Scottish ballad of Sir Patrick Spens, which is given in the collections of Thomas Percy, Sir Walter Scott, William Motherwell, and others, is supposed by Scott to refer to a voyage that may really have taken place for the purpose of bringing back the Maid of Norway, Margaret, daughter of Alexander III., to her own kingdom of Scotland. Finlay regards it as of more modern date. Chambers suspects Lady Wardlaw of the authors.h.i.+p. While William Allingham counsels his readers to cease troubling themselves with the historical connection of this and all other ballads, and to enjoy rather than investigate. Coleridge calls Sir Patrick Spens a "grand old ballad."

_Greeting the New Moon in Fiji_.

_Vide_ p. 212.

"There is, I find, in Colo ('the devil's country' as it is called), in the mountainous interior of Viti Levu, the largest island of Fiji, a very curious method of greeting the new moon, that may not, as few Europeans have visited this wild part, have been noticed. The native, on seeing the thin crescent rise above the hills, salutes it with a prolonged 'Ah!' at the same time quickly tapping his open mouth with his hand, thus producing a rapid vibratory sound. I inquired of a chief in the town the meaning and origin of this custom, and my interpreter told me that he said, 'We always look and hunt for the moon in the sky, and when it comes we do so to show our pleasure at finding it again. I don't know the meaning of it; our fathers always did so.'"--Alfred St. Johnston, in _Notes and Queries_ for July 23rd, 1881, p. 67. See also Mr. St. Johnston's _Camping Among Cannibals_, London, 1883, p. 283.

_Lunar Influence on Dreams_.

_Vide_ p. 214.

Arnason says that in Iceland "there are great differences between a dream dreamt in a crescent moon, and one dreamt when the moon is waning. Dreams that are dreamt before full moon are but a short while in coming true; those dreamt later take a longer time for their fulfilment."--_Icelandic Legends_, Introductory Essay, p. lx.x.xvii.

NOTES.

1 _The Martyrs of Science_, by Sir David Brewster, K.H., D.C.L.

London, 1867, p. 21.

2 _The Marvels of the Heavens_, by Camile Flammarion. London, 1870, p. 238.

3 _The Jest Book_. Arranged by Mark Lemon. London, 1864, p.

310.