If we had been born Hindoos, we should, at such
times, exhibit our skittish tendencies, "shying" at the sun-eating
monster with nervous apprehension, and should doubtless do our best,
through horrid yells and tintinnabulations, towards getting up a
tremendous counter-irritation upon the earth that should tell mightily
on the nerves of this umbratilous tiger in the heavens. But since we are
neither Hindoos nor Egyptians, nor skittish heathen of any sort, we take
defiant attitudes and look through smoked glasses. At any rate, it is
only at such times that we pay particular attentions, by way of
courtesy, to foreign worlds. And of all the creatures of God which come
within the circle of human knowledge or notice, which is it that may be
said to enjoy the most continuous round of attentions, and to live in
excitement the most nearly approaching to perpetual? It is the comet,
which no sooner gets out of reach of _our_ flying compliments than she
becomes the pet of Jupiter's magnificent citizens, or calls forth
deprecating murmurs from our shy sister Venus, and Mercury, our milder
brother, who, from all such mischiefs, creeps as nearly as possible
under the paternal wings of the Sun.
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