Commander PhilipEldredge Jerauld (at microphone), ship's chaplain for U.S.S. Iwo Jima, offers a prayer of thanks for the safe return of the Apollo 13 crew members soon after they arrived aboard the recovery ship. Standing in the center of the picture, from the left, are astronautsJames A. Lovell Jr., Commander; Fred W. Haise Jr., Lunar Module Pilot; andJohn L. Swigert Jr., Command Module Pilot. The Apollo 13 Command Module "Odyssey" splashed down at 12:07:44 p.m. (CST), April 17, 1970, to conclude safely a perilous space flight. The three astronauts were picked up by helicopter and flown to the U.S.S. Iwo Jima.
The damaged service module of Apollo 13 as photographed by the astronauts. NASA
“Failure is the Best Teacher”
“The greatest teacher, failure is.” – Yoda in The Last Jedi
For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again” – Proverbs 24:16a
Thomas Edison invented the microphone, the phonograph, the incandescent light, the storage battery, talking movies, and more than 1000 other things. December 1914 he had worked for 10 years on a storage battery. This had greatly strained his finances. This particular evening spontaneous combustion had broken out in the film room. Within minutes all the packing compounds, celluloid for records and film, and other flammable goods were in flames. Fire companies from eight surrounding towns arrived, but the heat was so intense and the water pressure so low that the attempt to douse the flames was futile. Everything was destroyed. Edison was 67. With all his assets going up in a whoosh (although the damage exceeded two million dollars, the buildings were only insured for $238,000 because they were made of concrete and thought to be fireproof), would his spirit be broken? The inventor’s 24-year old son, Charles, searched frantically for his father. He finally found him, calmly watching the fire, his face glowing in the reflection, his white hair blowing in the wind. “My heart ached for him,” said Charles. “He was 67—no longer a young man—and everything was going up in flames. When he saw me, he shouted, ‘Charles, where’s your mother?’ When I told him I didn’t know, he said, ‘Find her. Bring her here. She will never see anything like this as long as she lives.’”
The next morning, Edison looked at the ruins and said, “There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God we can start anew.” Three weeks after the fire, Edison managed to deliver the first phonograph” – Erwin W. Lutzer, Failure, the Backdoor to Success, Moody Press, Chicago, 1975, 1984, p. 17
Edison, you will recall, had worked on the filament for his electric light bulb, famously stating that he had found scores of materials that didn’t work. Finally, his persistence prevailed.
When the United States embarked on the space program that would send the first humans to the moon, it enjoyed an incredible success rate. Mercury and Gemini launched repeatedly and always brought their crews safely home. Some of the near-misses like the early space-walks were forgotten. Then came ‘The Fire.’ As the first moonship, Apollo 1, was going through a routine test on the pad a spark ignited the oxygen atmosphere in the spacecraft. Astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee perished in seconds! Although NASA wrote the book on safety engineering in many ways, in their haste to fly Apollo they overlooked some wiring issues. “Go Fever” had resulted in three astronauts dying. Many observers look at that disaster as a defining moment for NASA. Nothing was to be taken for granted anymore. “Tough and Competent” became the guidelines for what became essentially a new mission. Apollo would go on to take men to the moon. Apollo 11 and 12 landed there.
The news media actually became bored with spaceflight. Apollo 13 rolled out to minimal press coverage. Fifty years ago astronauts: Jim Lovell, Jack Swigert, and Fred Haise took off to explore the Fra Mauro highlands of the moon. As the craft was on the way to their destination an electrical spark caused an explosion on the system that handled oxygen and power generation. The craft was crippled. Had this explosion occurred on the Apollo 8 mission, the crew would have died. Apollo 8 flew around the moon with no Lunar Module, the separate craft used to land on the moon because the team at Grumman Aircraft was struggling to get the Lunar Module ready to fly. Grumman airplanes had a reputation for always bringing their crews safely home and Tom Kelly, lead engineer of the LM project, was not going to rush the process of assuring that this craft was ready.
Inventing the process as they went along, the astronauts and mission control were able to use Apollo 13’s LM as a ‘lifeboat’ for the stricken star voyagers. They looped around the moon in a free-return trajectory not unlike that described in Jules Verne’s From the Earth to the Moon. They splashed down safely after 5 days in space and the spacecraft was substantially redesigned before the mission of Apollo 14.
In this day and time many of us know the feeling of failure. It is tempting to say that that must be the end of the story; But look at Scripture. Time and time again we see very ordinary people do amazing things empowered and led by the Divine. Last week we looked at the story of Boaz, the Kinsman Redeemer. His mother was a lady named Rahab. If you read the Biblical account of Rahab you will meet a woman who probably felt like a failure. As a practitioner of ‘the oldest profession,’ she would not likely have felt herself a Matriarch of the community. She may have made a number of bad choices in her life – up to the point where she chose the way of the Divine. She helped the nation of Israel in a time of need. In choosing Israel she became a part of Israel. Her child Boaz would marry Ruth. Their son Obed would father Jesse, the father of King David. The moral of the story is that today brings the opportunity for good decision. Good decision, enlightened by the Divine, holds the promise of great success. We must never forget that.
The Public Art Archive Local Works in National Searchable Archive
Sunflowers[click to visit] byMadeline Maas and Augusta Christian Educators Studio Students.
While looking for art resources to pass the time during isolation, I discovered the Public Art Archive [click to visit], a searchable database of the nation’s public art. Since I always enjoy seeing public art in my travels, and am always in wonder at the works my cousin Page Jordan finds in her travels around Portland, Oregon, this was a great find. Portland is rich in murals. You can also find a lot of the art in Charlotte, North Carolina’s LYNX stations here. In any case, the site will provide you with many fine works to enjoy across the country. Here are some local works that have been added to the archive.
Crozet Trestle Mural [click to visit] byBob Kirchman, John Pembroke, Kristina Elaine Greer, Meg WestandWestern Albemarle High School Students.
The angel is going through King Pharaoh's land. He is going through it in the night. The angel will go into King Pharaoh's house and make his son to die. He will go into all the people's houses and make their sons to die because they have been so cruel to the Israelites. But the angel will not go into the houses where the Israelites live, to make their sons die. G-d told the Israelites that the angel was coming, and he told them to kill a lamb, and take its blood and sprinkle it over the doors of the houses. And when the angel saw the blood, G-d said, he would not come into the house to hurt them. In the picture we see the blood sprinkled over the door and at each side of it. The angel sees the blood. He will pass over this house and not harm any one in it. We can see the family inside. They are eating the Feast of the Passover. Illustration from the 1897 Bible Pictures and What They Teach Us
Please Note: THYME will Not Publish Next Week on Christmas, but will Resume Publication on December 31.
The Daring Adventure of Apollo 8
Those three men have carried into space all the resources of art, science, and industry. With that, one can do anything; and you will see that, some day, they will come out all right.” – Jules Verne
Imago Dei, the statement in Genesis that man is indeed created in the image of his Creator, is played out most clearly in the creative impulses and great accomplishments that humankind has risen too. In the Nineteenth Century, Jules Verne envisioned man ‘beating his swords’ not into ploughshares, but into a journey to another world. The Twentieth Century saw just that happen with the terrible weapons of destruction forged into the accomplishment of an actual journey to the moon. Orbiting the moon on Christmas Eve in 1968, the astronauts read the following:
William Anders
We are now approaching lunar sunrise, and for all the people back on Earth, the crew of Apollo 8 has a message that we would like to send to you.
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
James Lovell
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.”
Frank Borman
And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.”
And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas – and God bless all of you, all of you on the good Earth. [1.]
Frank Borman, Willam A. Anders, James A. Lovell. The crew of Apollo Eight. NASA Photo.
An Improvised Mission
It was a mission that was not in the original plans, but fifty years ago NASA improvised the second manned Apollo flight that orbited the moon ten times. After the successful flight of Apollo Seven in Earth orbit, the next mission was to have been a flight in Earth orbit with the Lunar Module. It would have been an Earth-orbit test of the complete spacecraft’s rendezvous and docking capabilities. But the Lunar Module, the spacecraft that had never been built before – actually TWO spacecraft because it included a descent stage that served as a launch pad for the crew module when it returned to rejoin the Command Module – was still being perfected. Faced with the prospect of no Apollo flights until Spring of 1969, NASA conceived the bold leap of circumnavigating the moon. The mission would examine and identify landing sites for future flights, but it also was important because the deadline set by President Kennedy was fast approaching.
In Russia, Sergei Korolev’s massive N1 rocket was having problems, but the fact that it was being developed had NASA worried that the Soviets would once again score another victory in the high ground of space. With the Lunar Module test bumped to Spring, the decision to orbit the moon was made and Apollo Eight blasted off on December 21, 1968. Two critical burns of the spacecraft’s engine would have to be executed. One would slow it into lunar orbit. After ten orbits, another burn would speed the craft on its return trajectory to Earth. Here the calculations first performed by Katherine Johnson and her colleagues would have to be adhered to perfectly to assure the spacecraft went where it was supposed to. Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders orbited the moon on that historic Christmas Eve and read from the ancient story of Creation. To leave lunar orbit on Christmas Day they would have to fire their engine once more on the far side of the moon, out of communication with Earth. Houston controllers held their breath, then heard Lovell say “Roger, please be informed there is a Santa Claus.” The crew of Apollo Eight were on their way home!
This month America celebrates the 50th anniversary of Apollo 8, the first manned flight to the moon. The flight of Apollo 8 marked a redemption not just for the U.S. Space Program but for the belief that failures can be overcome, and victories can be realized. (read more)
Fiftieth Anniversary of Apollo Eight
The Washington National Cathedral is seen lit up with space imagery prior to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum's Spirit of Apollo event commemorating the 50th anniversary of Apollo 8, Tuesday, Dec. 11, 2018 in Washington, DC. Apollo 8 was humanity's first journey to another world, taking astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and William Anders to the Moon and back in December of 1968. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
The Spirit of Apollo
2001, A Space Odyssey
Stanley Kubrick's Classic Film
Special Christmas Edition II
“Lion of Narnia,” Painting by Bob Kirchman.
A Christmas Treasury
Here are presented some of our favorite Christmas features from all time, collected from past issues.
For Unto Us a Child is Born Isaiah 9:6,7
Why did Jesus Die?
Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker, Op. 71
The Enchanted Nutcracker
What it Has to Do with Christmas
In 1816 German author E. T. A Hoffmann wrote the story Nussknacker und Mausekönig (The Nutcracker and the Mouse King) in which a little girl’s toy nutcracker is really an enchanted prince and her love breaks the enchantment. It is a bit of a dark tale with a seven-headed mouse king and other potentially disturbing elements. Clara is “Marie” in this original tale. Drosselmeyer is a clockmaker and an inventer. The nutcracker is actually Drosselmeyer's nephew, under an enchantment. French author Alexandre Dumas knew of this tale, and the story goes that after he fell asleep at a family party in a chair; The children tied up the sleeping storyteller and when he awoke, they demanded a tale as the price of his release! Dumas basically retold the Hoffman story as a lighter and more whimsical fantasy and later published it as Histoire d'un casse-noisette (The Nutcracker Story) in 1844.
The Dumas version became the basis for the ballet by Tchaikovsky, The Nutcracker, written in 1892. That is when “Marie” became “Clara.” The magical journey is but a dream and the story of unconditional love breaking the spell is forgotten. Still, I think the tale of unconditional love breaking a curse is very appropriate for Christmas, when we celebrate the incarnation of the Divine in the Christ Child, who will free us from the curse of sin. It is, as C. S. Lewis would say, another example of myth pointing to great truth.
A Beloved Christmas Story's Story With Six Children to Feed, the Author Needed a Miracle
Frances Alexander's 1842 painting of the famous author.
The Year was 1843 and he needed a miracle. With six children to feed and a large house in London to maintain, his slipping sales as a writer were of great concern. His installment novel: Martin Chuzzlewit, was selling poorly, unlike earlier works like Nicholas Nickleby, which had given him some measure of success. Christmas was coming as he bitterly confided to a friend that his checkbook was empty. Walking the streets, he came up with a 'Ghost of an Idea' and set to work. He published 6000 copies in time for Christmas distribution. They sold out, but because he had splurged on hand-coloured illustrations by John Leech he barely broke even. [1.] Yes, even in Nineteenth Century England, good illustration cost you something! [2.]
Fortunately the little work went on to be a classic. It reinvigorated the career of its creator. Today we still love A Christmas Carol and its author: Charles Dickens, not only as a writer, but as one who helped to bring about much needed social reforms in his day.
Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht Beloved Carol Inspired by a Broken Organ
The pipes of the Trinity Lutheran Church organ in Crimora.
Lynn [click to read] brings us the wonderful story of how one of our most beloved carols came to be written:
In 1818, a roving band of actors was performing in towns throughout the Austrian Alps. On December 23 they arrived at Oberndorf, a village near Salzburg where they were to re-enact the story of Christ's birth in the small Church of St. Nicholas.
Unfortunately, the St. Nicholas' church organ wasn't working and would not be repaired before Christmas. Because the church organ was out of commission, the actors presented their Christmas drama in a private home. That Christmas presentation of the events in the first chapters of Matthew and Luke put assistant pastor Josef Mohr in a meditative mood. Instead of walking straight to his house that night, Mohr took a longer way home. The longer path took him up over a hill overlooking the village.
From that hilltop, Mohr looked down on the peaceful snow-covered village. Reveling in majestic silence of the wintry night, Mohr gazed down at the glowing Christmas-card like scene. His thoughts about the Christmas play he had just seen made him remember a poem he had written a couple of years before. That poem was about the night when angels announced the birth of the long-awaited Messiah to shepherds on a hillside.
Mohr decided those words might make a good carol for his congregation the following evening at their Christmas eve service. The one problem was that he didn't have any music to which that poem could be sung. So, the next day Mohr went to see the church organist, Franz Xaver Gruber. Gruber only had a few hours to come up with a melody which could be sung with a guitar. However, by that evening, Gruber had managed to compose a musical setting for the poem. It no longer mattered to Mohr and Gruber that their church organ was inoperable. They now had a Christmas carol that could be sung without that organ.
On Christmas Eve, the little Oberndorf congregation heard Gruber and Mohr sing their new composition to the accompaniment of Gruber's guitar.
Weeks later, well-known organ builder Karl Mauracher arrived in Oberndorf to fix the organ in St. Nicholas church. When Mauracher finished, he stepped back to let Gruber test the instrument. When Gruber sat down, his fingers began playing the simple melody he had written for Mohr's Christmas poem.
Deeply impressed, Mauracher took copies of the music and words of "Stille Nacht" back to his own Alpine village, Kapfing. There, two well-known families of singers — the Rainers and the Strassers — heard it. Captivated by "Silent Night," both groups put the new song into their Christmas season repertoire.
Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht, Alles schläft; einsam wacht Nur das traute hochheilige Paar. Holder Knabe im lockigen Haar, Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh!
English translation:
Silent night! holy night! All is calm, all is bright, 'Round yon virgin mother and Child! Holy Infant, so tender and mild, Sleep in heavenly peace, Sleep in heavenly peace.
The Strasser sisters spread the carol across northern Europe. In 1834, they performed "Silent Night" for King Frederick William IV of Prussia, and he then ordered his cathedral choir to sing it every Christmas eve.
Twenty years after "Silent Night" was written, the Rainers brought the song to the United States, singing it (in German) at the Alexander Hamilton Monument located outside New York City's Trinity Church.
In 1863, nearly fifty years after being first sung in German, "Silent Night" was translated into English (by either Jane Campbell or John Young). Eight years later, that English version made its way into print in Charles Hutchins' Sunday School Hymnal. Today the words of "Silent Night" are sung in more than 300 different languages around the world.
The English version we know today was written by the Episcopal priest John Freeman Young, however the standard English version contains just three verses, whereas the German version contains six. (only verses 1, 6 and 2 from the original Joseph Mohr version are sung in English).
The Story of 'Joy to the World' A Beloved Hymn Written in Celebration of Advent
Graphic by Kristina Elaine Greer, who writes: "I
overlaid the entire picture from photos I took of the music in the
most recent United Methodist Hymnal. I simply clipped out the music part
and compiled them together then cut and pasted them to the template and changed the opacity."
A Short History of 'Joy to the World' by Kristina Elaine Greer
Most
people think of the wonderful hymn, “Joy to the World,” as Christmas
Hymn proclaiming the joy of Christ’s birth, but there is a different
history behind this marvelous song. The original words
to “Joy to the World” by English hymn writer Isaac Watts were based on
Psalm 98 in the Bible. According to Wikipedia “the song was first
published in 1719 in Watts' collection; The Psalms of David: Imitated in
the language of the New Testament, and applied to the Christian state
and worship.” Isaac Watts originally wrote the words of "Joy to the
World" as a hymn glorifying Christ's triumphant return stated in the
book of revelation, instead of as a song celebrating the birth of Jesus
Christ. This song was meant more for Advent than Christmas and in some
hymnals today you will find it in the holiday concordance of the hymnal
under Advent instead of Christmas (which is correct). Interestingly, we
only sing the second half of Watts' lyrics when we sing this beloved
hymn. The music of this song was adapted and arranged to Watts' lyrics
by Lowell Mason in 1839. The melody is said to have been from an older
melody, which was then believed to have originated from Handel,
partially because of the theme of the refrain (And heaven and nature
sing...). This appears in the beloved orchestra opening and
accompaniment of the “Comfort ye” from Handel's Messiah, the first four
notes match the beginning of the choruses “Lift up your heads” and
“Glory to G-d” from the same oratorio. Handel, however, did not compose
the entire tune. In fact “Antioch” is the generally used name of the
tune. As of the late 20th century, “Joy to the World” was the
most-published Christmas hymn in North America. Today we still enjoy it
during the holiday seasons of Advent and Christmas time no matter the
history it reminds us to be joyful that we have a Savior, who came to
earth as a baby, lived among us, died for us, was raised again
victorious, and is our Lord who will come again in glorious acclamation.
Unpacking The Twelve Days of Christmas You Will Never Look at this Song the Same Way Again
"Partridge."
I always assumed the song: "The Twelve Days of Christmas" to be a simple frivolous song of celebration. Not so!, this song is instructive in basic truths of the Christian Faith! Here is the explanation by Father Edward Dowling:
“The Twelve Days of Christmas” celebrates the official Christmas season which starts liturgically on Christmas Day and ends twelve days later on the Feast of the Epiphany. “My true love” refers to God, “me” is the individual Catholic. The “twelve lords a leaping” are the twelve basic beliefs of the Catholic Church as outlined in the Apostles Creed. The “eleven pipers piping” are the eleven Apostles who remained faithful after the treachery of Judas. The “ten ladies dancing” are the Ten Commandments. The “nine drummers drumming” are the nine choirs of angels which in those days of class distinction were thought important. The “eight maids a milking” are the Eight Beatitudes. The “seven swans a swimming” are the Seven Sacraments (or the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit) [click to read]. The “six geese a laying” are the Six Commandments of the Church or the six days of creation. The “five golden rings” are the first five books of the Old Testament called the Torah which are generally considered the most sacred and important of all the Old Testament. The “four calling birds” are the Four Gospels. The “three French hens” are the Three Persons in God or the three gifts of the Wise Men. The “two turtle doves” represent the two natures in Jesus: human and divine or the two Testaments, Old and New. The “partridge” is the piece de resistance, Jesus himself, and the “pear tree” is the Cross." Here is More Historical Background [click to read] from Father Dowling. h/t Kristina Elaine Greer
G-d bless you all during the Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany seasons!
Sherando Lake Island and Ice
The island in Sherando Lake. This photo is displayed in the Virginia Blood Services Waynesboro Facility. Photo by Bob Kirchman
Photos from THYME and The Journey are available through The Kirchman Studio [click to read]. Please contact them directly if you are interested.
The Wonder of Christmas
“Aslan Sings Narnia’s Creation, A Reference to The Magician’s Nephew by C. S. Lewis.” Painting By Madeline Maas.
“Lion of Narnia.” Painting by Bob Kirchman.
LITTLE lamb, who made thee? Dost thou know who made thee, Gave thee life, and bade thee feed By the stream and o'er the mead; Gave thee clothing of delight, Softest clothing, woolly, bright; Gave thee such a tender voice, Making all the vales rejoice? Little lamb, who made thee? Dost thou know who made thee?
Little lamb, I'll tell thee; Little lamb, I'll tell thee; He is called by thy name, For He calls Himself a lamb; He is meek and He is mild, He became a little child. I a child and thou a lamb, We are called by His name. Little lamb, God bless thee! Little lamb, God bless thee!
--WILLIAM BLAKE
LITTLE one, who straight hast come Down the heavenly stair, Tell us all about your home, And the father there."
He is such a one as I Like as like can be. Do his will, and, by and by, Home and him you'll see."
--GEORGE MACDONALD
The Son of God became a man to Enable men to become sons of God.”
--C. S. LEWIS
Narnia Lamppost. Bob Kirchman.
“You Saved 1968”
The Legendary Telegram
The year 1968 was a difficult one. The war in Vietnam raged on. At home Dr. Martin Luther King’s assassination and that of Bobby Kennedy made for uncertain times. We forget sometimes that the 1960s were a time when our nation was divided in so many ways and the threat of Soviet military might loomed heavy over us. It was in that time that President John Kennedy artfully redirected our space program into a civilian program that would muster the best in us for a lofty endeavor. He challenged us to go to the moon.
For years we played catch-up with the Russians, but on Christmas Eve, 1968, three American Astronauts read from Genesis as they orbited the moon. They were the first humans to fly into deep space and circumnavigate another world. Fifty years ago they charted a course to a place where man had never ventured before and for a brief moment they brought us all together. It is reported that they received an anonymous telegram summing up what their mission meant to a watching world. In an interview, the Astronauts put it in these words:
Lovell: I think that Bill got this telegram that said what, "You made 1968."
Those three men have carried into space all the resources of art, science, and industry. With that, one can do anything; and you will see that, some day, they will come out all right.” – Jules Verne
Imago Dei, the statement in Genesis that man is indeed created in the image of his Creator, is played out most clearly in the creative impulses and great accomplishments that humankind has risen too. In the Nineteenth Century, Jules Verne envisioned man ‘beating his swords’ not into ploughshares, but into a journey to another world. The Twentieth Century saw just that happen with the terrible weapons of destruction forged into the accomplishment of an actual journey to the moon. Orbiting the moon on Christmas Eve in 1968, the astronauts read the following:
William Anders
We are now approaching lunar sunrise, and for all the people back on Earth, the crew of Apollo 8 has a message that we would like to send to you.
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
James Lovell
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.”
Frank Borman
And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.”
And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas – and God bless all of you, all of you on the good Earth. [1.]
From the Earth to the Moon By Jules Verne
CHAPTER XXVI, FIRE!
The first of December had arrived! the fatal day! for, if the projectile were not discharged that very night at 10h. 48m. 40s. P.M., more than eighteen years must roll by before the moon would again present herself under the same conditions of zenith and perigee.
The weather was magnificent. Despite the approach of winter, the sun shone brightly, and bathed in its radiant light that earth which three of its denizens were about to abandon for a new world.
How many persons lost their rest on the night which preceded this long-expected day! All hearts beat with disquietude, save only the heart of Michel Ardan.
That imperturbable personage came and went with his habitual business-like air, while nothing whatever denoted that any unusual matter preoccupied his mind.
After dawn, an innumerable multitude covered the prairie which extends, as far as the eye can reach, round Stones Hill. Every quarter of an hour the railway brought fresh accessions of sightseers; and, according to the statement of the Tampa Town Observer, not less than five millions of spectators thronged the soil of Florida.
For a whole month previously, the mass of these persons had bivouacked round the enclosure, and laid the foundations for a town which was afterward called "Ardan's Town." The whole plain was covered with huts, cottages, and tents. Every nation under the sun was represented there; and every language might be heard spoken at the same time. It was a perfect Babel re-enacted. All the various classes of American society were mingled together in terms of absolute equality. Bankers, farmers, sailors, cotton-planters, brokers, merchants, watermen, magistrates, elbowed each other in the most free-and-easy way. Louisiana Creoles fraternized with farmers from Indiana; Kentucky and Tennessee gentlemen and haughty Virginians conversed with trappers and the half-savages of the lakes and butchers from Cincinnati. Broad-brimmed white hats and Panamas, blue-cotton trousers, light-colored stockings, cambric frills, were all here displayed; while upon shirt-fronts, wristbands, and neckties, upon every finger, even upon the very ears, they wore an assortment of rings, shirt-pins, brooches, and trinkets, of which the value only equaled the execrable taste. Women, children, and servants, in equally expensive dress, surrounded their husbands, fathers, or masters, who resembled the patriarchs of tribes in the midst of their immense households.
At meal-times all fell to work upon the dishes peculiar to the Southern States, and consumed with an appetite that threatened speedy exhaustion of the victualing powers of Florida, fricasseed frogs, stuffed monkey, fish chowder, underdone 'possum, and raccoon steaks. And as for the liquors which accompanied this indigestible repast! The shouts, the vociferations that resounded through the bars and taverns decorated with glasses, tankards, and bottles of marvelous shape, mortars for pounding sugar, and bundles of straws! "Mint-julep" roars one of the barmen; "Claret sangaree!" shouts another; "Cocktail!" "Brandy-smash!" "Real mint-julep in the new style!" All these cries intermingled produced a bewildering and deafening hubbub.
But on this day, 1st of December, such sounds were rare. No one thought of eating or drinking, and at four P.M. there were vast numbers of spectators who had not even taken their customary lunch! And, a still more significant fact, even the national passion for play seemed quelled for the time under the general excitement of the hour.
Up till nightfall, a dull, noiseless agitation, such as precedes great catastrophes, ran through the anxious multitude. An indescribable uneasiness pervaded all minds, an indefinable sensation which oppressed the heart. Every one wished it was over.
However, about seven o'clock, the heavy silence was dissipated. The moon rose above the horizon. Millions of hurrahs hailed her appearance. She was punctual to the rendezvous, and shouts of welcome greeted her on all sides, as her pale beams shone gracefully in the clear heavens. At this moment the three intrepid travelers appeared. This was the signal for renewed cries of still greater intensity. Instantly the vast assemblage, as with one accord, struck up the national hymn of the United States, and "Yankee Doodle," sung by five million of hearty throats, rose like a roaring tempest to the farthest limits of the atmosphere. Then a profound silence reigned throughout the crowd.
The Frenchman and the two Americans had by this time entered the enclosure reserved in the center of the multitude. They were accompanied by the members of the Gun Club, and by deputations sent from all the European Observatories.
Barbicane, cool and collected, was giving his final directions. Nicholl, with compressed lips, his arms crossed behind his back, walked with a firm and measured step. Michel Ardan, always easy, dressed in thorough traveler's costume, leathern gaiters on his legs, pouch by his side, in loose velvet suit, cigar in mouth, was full of inexhaustible gayety, laughing, joking, playing pranks with J. T. Maston. In one word, he was the thorough "Frenchman" (and worse, a "Parisian") to the last moment.
Ten o'clock struck! The moment had arrived for taking their places in the projectile! The necessary operations for the descent, and the subsequent removal of the cranes and scaffolding that inclined over the mouth of the Columbiad, required a certain period of time.
Barbicane had regulated his chronometer to the tenth part of a second by that of Murchison the engineer, who was charged with the duty of firing the gun by means of an electric spark. Thus the travelers enclosed within the projectile were enabled to follow with their eyes the impassive needle which marked the precise moment of their departure.
The moment had arrived for saying "good-by!" The scene was a touching one. Despite his feverish gayety, even Michel Ardan was touched. J. T. Maston had found in his own dry eyes one ancient tear, which he had doubtless reserved for the occasion. He dropped it on the forehead of his dear president.
Can I not go?" he said, "there is still time!"
Impossible, old fellow!" replied Barbicane. A few moments later, the three fellow-travelers had ensconced themselves in the projectile, and screwed down the plate which covered the entrance-aperture. The mouth of the Columbiad, now completely disencumbered, was open entirely to the sky.
The moon advanced upward in a heaven of the purest clearness, outshining in her passage the twinkling light of the stars. She passed over the constellation of the Twins, and was now nearing the halfway point between the horizon and the zenith. A terrible silence weighed upon the entire scene! Not a breath of wind upon the earth! not a sound of breathing from the countless chests of the spectators! Their hearts seemed afraid to beat! All eyes were fixed upon the yawning mouth of the Columbiad.
Murchison followed with his eye the hand of his chronometer. It wanted scarce forty seconds to the moment of departure, but each second seemed to last an age! At the twentieth there was a general shudder, as it occurred to the minds of that vast assemblage that the bold travelers shut up within the projectile were also counting those terrible seconds. Some few cries here and there escaped the crowd.
Instantly Murchison pressed with his finger the key of the electric battery, restored the current of the fluid, and discharged the spark into the breech of the Columbiad.
An appalling unearthly report followed instantly, such as can be compared to nothing whatever known, not even to the roar of thunder, or the blast of volcanic explosions! No words can convey the slightest idea of the terrific sound! An immense spout of fire shot up from the bowels of the earth as from a crater. The earth heaved up, and with great difficulty some few spectators obtained a momentary glimpse of the projectile victoriously cleaving the air in the midst of the fiery vapors!
CHAPTER XXVII, FOUL WEATHER
At the moment when that pyramid of fire rose to a prodigious height into the air, the glare of flame lit up the whole of Florida; and for a moment day superseded night over a considerable extent of the country. This immense canopy of fire was perceived at a distance of one hundred miles out at sea, and more than one ship's captain entered in his log the appearance of this gigantic meteor.
The discharge of the Columbiad was accompanied by a perfect earthquake. Florida was shaken to its very depths. The gases of the powder, expanded by heat, forced back the atmospheric strata with tremendous violence, and this artificial hurricane rushed like a water-spout through the air.
Not a single spectator remained on his feet! Men, women children, all lay prostrate like ears of corn under a tempest. There ensued a terrible tumult; a large number of persons were seriously injured. J. T. Maston, who, despite all dictates of prudence, had kept in advance of the mass, was pitched back 120 feet, shooting like a projectile over the heads of his fellow-citizens. Three hundred thousand persons remained deaf for a time, and as though struck stupefied.
As soon as the first effects were over, the injured, the deaf, and lastly, the crowd in general, woke up with frenzied cries. "Hurrah for Ardan! Hurrah for Barbicane! Hurrah for Nicholl!" rose to the skies. Thousands of persons, noses in air, armed with telescopes and race-glasses, were questioning space, forgetting all contusions and emotions in the one idea of watching for the projectile. They looked in vain! It was no longer to be seen, and they were obliged to wait for telegrams from Long's Peak. The director of the Cambridge Observatory was at his post on the Rocky Mountains; and to him, as a skillful and persevering astronomer, all observations had been confided.
But an unforeseen phenomenon came in to subject the public impatience to a severe trial.
The weather, hitherto so fine, suddenly changed; the sky became heavy with clouds. It could not have been otherwise after the terrible derangement of the atmospheric strata, and the dispersion of the enormous quantity of vapor arising from the combustion of 200,000 pounds of pyroxyle!
On the morrow the horizon was covered with clouds-- a thick and impenetrable curtain between earth and sky, which unhappily extended as far as the Rocky Mountains. It was a fatality! But since man had chosen so to disturb the atmosphere, he was bound to accept the consequences of his experiment.
Supposing, now, that the experiment had succeeded, the travelers having started on the 1st of December, at 10h. 46m. 40s. P.M., were due on the 4th at 0h. P.M. at their destination. So that up to that time it would have been very difficult after all to have observed, under such conditions, a body so small as the shell. Therefore they waited with what patience they might.
From the 4th to the 6th of December inclusive, the weather remaining much the same in America, the great European instruments of Herschel, Rosse, and Foucault, were constantly directed toward the moon, for the weather was then magnificent; but the comparative weakness of their glasses prevented any trustworthy observations being made.
On the 7th the sky seemed to lighten. They were in hopes now, but their hope was of but short duration, and at night again thick clouds hid the starry vault from all eyes.
Matters were now becoming serious, when on the 9th the sun reappeared for an instant, as if for the purpose of teasing the Americans. It was received with hisses; and wounded, no doubt, by such a reception, showed itself very sparing of its rays.
On the 10th, no change! J. T. Maston went nearly mad, and great fears were entertained regarding the brain of this worthy individual, which had hitherto been so well preserved within his gutta-percha cranium.
But on the 11th one of those inexplicable tempests peculiar to those intertropical regions was let loose in the atmosphere. A terrific east wind swept away the groups of clouds which had been so long gathering, and at night the semi-disc of the orb of night rode majestically amid the soft constellations of the sky.
CHAPTER XXVIII, A NEW STAR
That very night, the startling news so impatiently awaited, burst like a thunderbolt over the United States of the Union, and thence, darting across the ocean, ran through all the telegraphic wires of the globe. The projectile had been detected, thanks to the gigantic reflector of Long's Peak! Here is the note received by the director of the Observatory of Cambridge. It contains the scientific conclusion regarding this great experiment of the Gun Club.
LONG'S PEAK, December 12. To the Officers of the Observatory of Cambridge. The projectile discharged by the Columbiad at Stones Hill has been detected by Messrs. Belfast and J. T. Maston, 12th of December, at 8:47 P.M., the moon having entered her last quarter. This projectile has not arrived at its destination. It has passed by the side; but sufficiently near to be retained by the lunar attraction.
The rectilinear movement has thus become changed into a circular motion of extreme velocity, and it is now pursuing an elliptical orbit round the moon, of which it has become a true satellite.
The elements of this new star we have as yet been unable to determine; we do not yet know the velocity of its passage. The distance which separates it from the surface of the moon may be estimated at about 2,833 miles.
However, two hypotheses come here into our consideration.
1. Either the attraction of the moon will end by drawing them into itself, and the travelers will attain their destination; or,
2. The projectile, following an immutable law, will continue to gravitate round the moon till the end of time.
At some future time, our observations will be able to determine this point, but till then the experiment of the Gun Club can have no other result than to have provided our solar system with a new star. J. BELFAST.
To how many questions did this unexpected denouement give rise? What mysterious results was the future reserving for the investigation of science? At all events, the names of Nicholl, Barbicane, and Michel Ardan were certain to be immortalized in the annals of astronomy!
When the dispatch from Long's Peak had once become known, there was but one universal feeling of surprise and alarm. Was it possible to go to the aid of these bold travelers? No! for they had placed themselves beyond the pale of humanity, by crossing the limits imposed by the Creator on his earthly creatures. They had air enough for two months; they had victuals enough for twelve;-- but after that? There was only one man who would not admit that the situation was desperate-- he alone had confidence; and that was their devoted friend J. T. Maston.
Besides, he never let them get out of sight. His home was henceforth the post at Long's Peak; his horizon, the mirror of that immense reflector. As soon as the moon rose above the horizon, he immediately caught her in the field of the telescope; he never let her go for an instant out of his sight, and followed her assiduously in her course through the stellar spaces. He watched with untiring patience the passage of the projectile across her silvery disc, and really the worthy man remained in perpetual communication with his three friends, whom he did not despair of seeing again some day.
Those three men," said he, "have carried into space all the resources of art, science, and industry. With that, one can do anything; and you will see that, some day, they will come out all right."
(to be continued)
The Wizard and the Prophet Futurists and What Drives Them
Harari sketches a dystopian future in the hopes that doing so will prevent it. Like all prophets, he prophesies to prevent the prophecy, not to predict it.” –John Faithful Hamer
I found this quote in a book review and I have to agree that the Prophets of old put forth their dystopian vision in Scripture not desiring to see it, but in the hopes that it would be averted. Indeed Jeremiah 29;11 makes the mind of the Divine clear: “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” That is how I read the prophets of old – that is how I read a lot of modern ‘dystopian’ fiction. Those of you who have followed THYME for a while know how when a family member handed me a novel about a series of ‘revelations’ surrounding 9/11 I took it in just that way. Unfortunately the author was appearing on the Jim Bakker Show hawking overpriced ‘survival buckets.’ When coupled with the ‘Blood Moon’ videos by John Hagee, we’re no longer trying to lead humanity away from disaster, we’re proclaiming it. And we’re bringing in profit to boot.
Never mind that the prophets of old did NOT make big bucks or go on book tours. Never mind that they were persecuted and sometimes lost their lives – I like to think that the true mission of the writer is to both lead us away from disaster and to lead us toward a brighter future. Jules Verne indeed envisioned a marvelous world of modern machines but he also was an astute observer of human nature. Consider characters like Captain Nemo. Consider as well his unpublished work: Paris in the Twentieth Century. Verne’s publisher rejected it as too dark – too dystopian. I think Verne is a great example of how to ponder both the wonder of the future and the dangers. That he tried to do both makes him great in my mind.
In The Wizard and the Prophet (2018), Charles C. Mann maintains that intellectual life in the 21st century is defined by a civil war between Wizards, who believe that technology will save us, and Prophets, who see various kinds of disaster on the horizon: “Prophets look at the world as finite, and people as constrained by their environment. Wizards see possibilities as inexhaustible, and humans as wily managers of the planet. One views growth and development as the lot and blessing of our species; others regard stability and preservation as our future and our goal. Wizards regard Earth as a toolbox, its contents freely available for use; Prophets think of the natural world as embodying an overarching order that should not casually be disturbed.” Steven Pinker, the author of Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress (2018), is a Wizard. Yuval Noah Harari, the author of Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow (2015), is a Prophet. (read more)
Hi, I'm Lela Markham and this is my inaugural post on Delia Talent. I write speculative fiction, primarily, while delving into other genres on occasion. I'm one of those Christian creatives who does not advertise my works as "Christian". Historically, Christian creatives didn't claim a territory and label themselves. We don't think of Bach as a "Christian" musician, but rather a great composer who made his living as a church organist. Unless you're a history geek like me, you might not know about his deep and abiding faith. Although we now think of C. S. Lewis as a "Christian" author, his fictional works weren't advised as such when he was publishing because Christians of that era hadn't decided to paint themselves into a box with a label. Back when I was a kid Elvis Presley(not an example of a "good" Christian, but a man with a church background) and Johnny Cash(by that time, a reprobate saved by Christ) were singing gospel tunes right along with their secular tunes on regular radio ... and my non-believing parents didn't find that the least bit odd. (read more)
The canvas was called “Morning in Gethsemane.” After a night of agony, Jesus’ surrender to the Father’s will was illuminated by a light extending from heaven to earth. A Turkish lady from the Bulgarian parliament approached Hari and Penka Atanasov to express how this painting had touched her life. (read more)
Sunset over House Mountain. Photo by Bob Kirchman.
On Calling and IMAGO DEI
Discerning the Strokes of the Master
OMaster Maker! Thy exultant art Goes forth in making makers.”
—George MacDonald
If George MacDonald is correct in asserting that all wickedness tends to destroy individuality, then the Christian should have more individuality than anyone else. Purged of the encumbering weight of the wicked self and knighted by the accolade of the All-Sufficient, he should demonstrate daily the abundance that is repeatedly declared to be in Christ. Macdonald says of the white stone with the new name in the Book of Revelation that it is given because it expresses “the character, the nature, the meaning of the person who bears it. It is the man’s own symbol—his soul’s picture, in a word—the sign which belongs to him and no one else.” The great Creator Artist wants to render not only a Christian in His image but at the same time produce a portrait of the real qua man (for it is man and not the angels who are saves) relieved of the debilitation and devilish self.
Among devoted young Christians seeking the fullest possible service of God, the personality is frequently weighed in precisely the wrong manner, or perhaps we should say ignored. Urged to “empty the self” and submit to God’s consuming fire their most prized possession, they sometimes tragically withdraw from the very talent that God has uniquely given. This in part accounts for the number of failures in Christian service. It is as if a man with obvious talents—let us say in bridge building—should convince himself that bridge building is the one thing not to undertake but rather that he must become a poet. Christian young people ask with a soul-stirring devotion to God, what shall I do with my life? And are told in effect to become a missionary, become a minister, or become a Christian businessman or housewife. What a tragic dearth of imagination. Not, of course, that there is not room for a great variety in these categories, but that the method itself is constrictive.
One suggestion is that we spend less time telling young Christians and more inquiring of them with a view of entering, and having them honestly enter, the crepuscular (dim) world of their motives and talents. Then we need to remind young people often that patterning their life after another—a common practice in all men—has some advantages and other decided disadvantages. I had the privilege of talking with Grandma Moses, the primitive painter, and she told me her agents disliked for her to go down to New York City and particularly for her to go to art galleries. They were afraid she would lose the delightful naiveté which makes up her native genius. Young people should be similarly cautioned to look for God-given uniqueness in themselves and when discovered (and I feel there is much more of it than now appears) warned to guard and cherish it.” —Clyde S. Kilby, Arts and the Christian Imagination
