certain fears as to the position of the moon. They had
heard it said that, according to observations made in the
time of the Caliphs, her revolution had become accelerated
in a certain degree. Hence they concluded, logically
enough, that an acceleration of motion ought to be accom-
panied by a corresponding diminution in the distance sep-
arating the two bodies; and that, supposing the double effect
to be continued to infinity, the moon would end by one day
falling into the earth. However, they became reassured
as to the fate of future generations on being apprised that,
according to the calculations of Laplace, this acceleration
of motion is confined within very restricted limits, and that
a proportional diminution of speed will be certain to suc-
ceed it. So, then, the stability of the solar system would
not be deranged in ages to come.

There remains but the third class, the superstitious.
These worthies were not content merely to rest in ignor-
ance; they must know all about things which had no ex-
istence whatever, and as to the moon, they had long known
all about her. One set regarded her disc as a polished
mirror, by means of which people could see each other from
different points of the earth and interchange their thoughts.
Another set pretended that out of one thousand new moons
that had been observed, nine hundred and fifty had been
attended with remarkable disturbances, such as cataclysms,
revolutions, earthquakes, the deluge, etc. Then they be-
lieved in some mysterious influence exercised by her over
human destinies--that every Selenite was attached to some
inhabitant of the earth by a tie of sympathy; they main-
tained that the entire vital system is subject to her control,
etc., etc. But in time the majority renounced these vulgar
errors, and espoused the true side of the question. As for
the Yankees, they had no other ambition than to take pos-
session of this new continent of the sky, and to plant upon
the summit of its highest elevation the star-spangled banner
of the United States of America.

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