All griefs are gone-a weary, heavy load; With them, the love that made e'en sorrow sweet; Wild, shuddering specters, vanish from my sight! SIDEREAL SYSTEMS. BY PROF. DANIEL KIRKWOOD. MERCAN LIBRARY ORK. the fixed stars whose distance from our system was mathematically determined. This important achievement is due to the combined labors of Maclear and Henderson-commenced in 1832, and continued through several subsequent years. The distance of this binary system is over eighteen billions of miles. Consequently, light, which traverses the interval between the sun and the earth in a little over eight minutes, is more than three years in coming from that star to our planetary system. is well known that many stars which appear single to the naked or even in small telescopes, are , by an increase of optical power, sist of several components. The er of double stars hitherto ob1 is about six thousand. In cases the duplicity is merely ; in a large majority, however, odies have, doubtless, a physical ction. In numerous instances motions have been observed, periods computed, and the forms eir orbits approximately deterI. The number of triple and ple stars is comparatively small, heir periods, with one or two exns, have not yet been ascer1. A brief account of some of binary and multiple systems will e destitute of interest to the geneader. I.-BINARY STARS. When we know the distance of a binary star we are enabled, by observation, to determine the orbits of the components, and also the sum of their masses. The companion of Alpha Centauri moves round the principal star in an orbit whose plane is but little inclined to our line of vision. Its apparent motion is, therefore, nearly in a straight line from one side to the other of the larger component. The true eccentricity of the orbit is greater than that of some known comets. e star Alpha Centauri, in the ern hemisphere, is the most reble binary in the heavens. The pal component is of the first itude; the smaller one, of the They are "both of a high or orange color." The smaller or sun, performs an orbital revoround the larger in about sevsix years. Alpha Centauri will s be distinguished as the first of The mean distance between the two components is greater than the distance of Saturn from the sun, but less than that of Uranus. The sum of their masses is about equal to twothirds of the sun's mass. The bright star Castor, or Alpha Geminorum, has been characterized as "the finest double star visible in the northern heavens." It is of the second magnitude; the components being nearly equal, and their apparent distance between five and six seconds. According to Sir John Herschel, this system completes a revolution round the common center of gravity of the two stars in about two hundred and fifty years. The orbits are quite elliptical; less so, however, than that of Alpha Centauri. The distance of this binary system from the earth has not been determined. Consequently, we know neither the mass nor the true distance of the components. ted by these bodies is in proportion to sun. Thus, Great variety has been observed in Sirius, the brightest star in the heavens, was regarded as single till 1862, when a small companion was discovered by Mr. Alvan Clark, of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Certain irregularities in the proper motion of this star had been previously noticed, and it had been suggested by Bessel that the fact might be explained by supposing the body to be a member of a binary system, its companion being opaque. The observed satellite is of the ninth or tenth magnitude, and its distance from the principal star is ten seconds. Admitting it to be identical That binary stars are, like the sun, the with Bessel's obscure component, its dispensers of light and heat to opaque mass must be nearly equal to half that planetary orbs, has long been a favorof Sirius. Should this identity, there-ite hypothesis. "In reference to sysfore, be fully established, we must conclude that the physical constitution of the newly discovered star is widely different from that of Sirius itself. The distance of Sirius from the earth is about six times that of Alpha Centauri. The duplicity of this star has been, however, so recently discovered, that a trustworthy determination of its period and mass can not yet be obtained from the observed motion of the satellite. But, as its light is four times greater than that of Alpha Centauri, while its annual parallax, according to Peters, is less than one-sixth of a second, its intrinsic splendor is one hundred and forty-four times greater than that of the last-mentioned star, or four hundred and thirty-two times that of tems like these," says Sir David Brews- train of planets, the distance cost remote bearing the same the interval between the two the distance of the eighth of Saturn, to the distance of ry from the sun. What then esult? The outermost planet ellar system can be little more million miles from its central nsequently the amount of its I heat is several hundred times han that received by the earth. ets of the larger member may considerably greater distance danger to their stability. The wever, as in the case of many ary systems, seem hardly comwith the present habitability dependent planets. --MULTIPLE SYSTEMS. different colors-light-red and yellow; those of the other, both white. Between the two pairs are three very faint stars, which may, perhaps, be physically connected with the others, thus forming a septuple system of suns. Sigma Orionis is scen to multiple in ordinary telescopes. Viewed with the highest magnifying powers, it is found to consist of eight components. Some members of this beautiful cluster are observed to be variable. Theta Orinis, the troperium as it is commonly called, is seen to be quadruple in instruments of moderate power. The largest telescopes, it is said, exhibit nine stars, all members, perhaps, of the same wonderful system. If the several components of such sidereal clusters constitute in reality so many suns, each attended by a cortege of planets, and these, in their turn, surrounded by satellites, how various must be the scenery of their ever changing aspects; how intricate the motions of their "mystic dance;" and how far transcending human skill and ingenuity the calculus required to unfold the laws of their mutual perturbations! In view of the complicated mechanism of systems already explored, and of the ever widening sphere of telescopic research, we may well adopt the exclamation of Laplace, uttered shortly before his death: "That which we know is little; that which we know not is immense." OUR YOUNG PEOPLE. She didn't see, give any thing care and paym well supplied. Loney for wa A THE FAIRY UNDER THE PULPIT. BY AMELIA LEFFERTS. a naughty kind of dancing, not weekday dancing at all; besides, she "didn't go to do it." Her little feet just danced because they couldn't help it; for wasn't it her birthday, and hadn't the earth traveled round the sun just eight times since she opened her hazel eyes on this bright world, full of pure happiness for her thus far? I will not let you blame her. If you want to, just let me say, that if you can find in all the great city a happier or a better girl of eight years old than Alice Gray was on that selfsame Sabbath morning, I will write my next story about her, and send it round as a present to all the little children I know. WHITE and blue bundle, all made up on the outside of chinchilla cloth and cashmere, and plush, and feathers, and ermine, came dancing out of the door of a fine house, with a brown stone front, one clear, cold Sabbath morning in December. A very funny looking bundle it was. It did not dance on one rounded end, as bundles gen erally do when they dance at all, but on two dainty little feet, snugly encased in little Arctic rubbers, with ankles and legs attached, wrapped up from bottom to top, quite over the knees, in fleecy gaiters, or rather "leggings." That is not a pretty name, I know; I used it because the other is ambiguous, and is generally given to a kind of boot. Am I making matters worse now, by bring ing in a hard word of four syllables? Well, look it up in the dictionary. That is the way Sir William Jones became a learned man. To his never-ending questions his mother kept answering: "Read and you will know." And so he read, and came to know more than you or I need ever to expect to know in this world. But we shall certainly learn something, if we give as good heed to Mamma Jones' good advice as her wise son did. She had had her birthday presents the day before; every thing that her heart could wish-dolls, and books, and a china tea-set, and a new paint-box, and a sled, and a pair of skates, and a furnished work-box, and a dollar from papa, and another from mamma, and a halfeagle from Uncle Ben, and a whole one from grandpa. Alice was always delighted with presents of money, because all her charities and contributions depended on her own private purse, and she liked to give liberally, and the gifts of her friends were her only sources of income. But about the white and blue bundle. The upper end, too, has rather a queer look for a bundle. Why, it's a child's head! To be sure; it is nothing but little Alice Gray, after all. But "dancing.” “dancing:” a little girl dancing on par child cou contrive to ma Happiness ran away from the little darling one day, and hid for almost half an hour, because a good woman, of somewhat severe ideas, told her that the money she gave away was not hers, as |