Since however, we have broken away from the scriptural text, let us be still more liberal in our speculations, and assume that the sun apparently fell behind by refraction only one-fourth of its regular 12 hours' progress on that eventful day; this would yet require an atmosphere having a refractive power of 45°, which would be 77 times greater than the maximum of refraction of our atmosphere in its natural state; (which is 35') and much greater than that of any gaseous, or even liquid medium known to Science.

If it were possible to produce an atmosphere of sufficient density to cause such a refraction, all living creatures and inanimate objects not firmly rooted to the earth would float upward like a loose cork in the bottom of the sea, and far more disastrous results to mankind would be likely to ensue, than by the temporary halt of either earth or sun, or both, when restrained by the guiding hand of Omnipotence.

July 6, '97.

S. M.

THE DOCTOR'S REPLY.

Editor Utica Daily Press:

The report of my lecture was so indefinite and misleading, that I expected some one would take issue with statements there made. Reporters often fail to grasp the truth, as uttered, and a partial statement does not do justice to the speaker, even when it does not misrepresent him.

Mr. Miller evidently believes that the earth was arrested in its motion on its axis, and that in place of the sun standing still, in appearance, it did actually do so, and that this miracle lasted through a whole day, and on this basis he does a wonderful amount of philosophizing.

Parties who pin their faith to a literal understanding of our English translation of the Bible, often get into a fearful muddle. Mr. Miller regards our translation, we suppose, as a divinely inspired one, without errors or mistakes. With those who so regard it, we can have no argument; their faith, or

superstition is so immense that nothing can meet it. Only one thing is possible, to allow them to think as they please, and comfort themselves with their ignorance. The men who once believed that the world was flat and did not move, were the only wise men on earth, according to their own estimation, and the faith of the times in which they lived. The trouble of Mr. Miller and many others arises from their misunderstanding of the clause in the 13th verse of the 10th chapter of Joshua, where it reads: "So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down, about a whole day. The sentence "About a whole day," should be rendered, though the day was whole, or finished, or ended. The idea of the sentence is, the sun did not go down, although the day was finished.

At a certain time of the month the sun is about to set; on the opposite side of the horizon the moon is just rising; this was the condition when Joshua desired that the sun should not set, until his enemies were thoroughly defeated, and the sun hasted not to

go down, though the day was whole, or finished. The time of the added light is nowhere given in the narrative, and is simply an assumption of parties who misunderstand the whole affair. The trouble is not with the Bible, but with a wrong interpretation of it. Ten minutes, or half an hour at the longest, was all the time required. It certainly did not take Joshua a whole day to defeat his already panic-stricken foes; they were just beginning their flight, and Joshua wanted to clinch his victory by following them and making their defeat absolute, and about 15 or 20 minutes—or half an hour at the longest-was ample time for all this.

Mr. Miller has been raising a fearful ghost, in order to have the pleasure of pounding it. Two days of daylight together, according to his theory, would indeed have been a stupendous miracle; but the Almighty never by miracle, or otherwise, did such a foolish thing as to give two days in one for the accommodation of a few strugglers in Palestine, at the peril of the whole solar system. He simply, by refraction,

lengthened one day 15 or 20 minutes, to exhibit his care for his chosen people of Israel. He never resorts to extraordinary means when simple measures will answer a great deal better. The object of the lecture was to show that by the simple law of refraction the whole matter could be accomplished without disturbing anything whatever, and this was done by charts and a demonstration by experiment, which, we think, was satisfactory to all present.

July 7, '97.

THE AUTHOR'S RESPONSE.

Editor Utica Daily Press:

Sincerely begging pardon in advance for presuming to differ with a distinguished clergyman and scientist on biblical and scientific points, yet as a firm believer in the truth and inspiration of the Bible, I feel that it would be a dereliction of duty, to pass unanswered the reverend gentleman's article on "Joshua and the Sun," in this morning's "Press."