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The Book of the Damned
·
Charles Fort
247
So
the
text-books,
with
no
especial
cleverness,
because
no
especial
cleverness
is
needed,
lead
the
reader
into
contempt
for
the
amateur
of
Orgeres,
and
forgetfulness
of
Leverrier--and
some
other
subject
is
taken
up.
But
our
own
acceptance:
That
these
data
are
as
good
as
ever
they
were;
That,
if
someone
of
eminence
should
predict
an
earthquake,
and
if
there
should
be
no
earthquake
at
the
predicted
time,
that
would
discredit
the
prophet,
but
data
of
past
earthquakes
would
remain
as
good
as
ever
they
had
been.
It
is
easy
enough
to
smile
at
the
illusion
of
a
single
amateur--
The
mass-formation:
Fritsche,
Stark,
De
Cuppis,
Sidebotham,
Lescarbault,
Lummis,
Gruthinson,
De
Vico,
Scott,
Wray,
Russell,
Hind,
Lowe,
Coumbray,
Weber,
Standacher,
Lichtenberg,
Dangos,
Hoffman,
Schmidt,
Lofft,
Steinheibel,
Pastorff--
These
are
only
the
observations
conventionally
listed
relatively
to
an
Intra-Mercurial
planet.
They
are
formidable
enough
to
prevent
our
being
diverted,
as
if
it
were
all
the
dream
of
a
lonely
amateur--but
they're
a
mere
advance-guard.
From
now
on
other
data
of
large
celestial
bodies,
some
dark
and
some
reflecting
light,
will
pass
and
pass
and
keep
on
passing--
So
that
some
of
us
will
remember
a
thing
or
two,
after
the
procession's
over--possibly.
Taking
up
only
one
of
the
listed
observations--
Or
our
impression
that
the
discrediting
of
Leverrier
has
nothing
to
do
with
the
acceptability
of
these
data:
In
the
London
Times,
Jan.
10,
1860,
is
Benjamin
Scott's
account
of
his
observation:
That,
in
the
summer
of
1847,
he
had
seen
a
body
that
had
seemed
to
be
the
size
of
Venus,
crossing
the
sun.
He
says
that,
hardly
believing
the
evidence
of
his
sense
of
sight,
he
had
looked
for
someone,
whose
hopes
or
ambitions
would
not
make
him
so
subject
to
illusion.
He
had
told
his
little
son,
aged
five
years,
to
look
through
the
telescope.
The
child
had
exclaimed
that
he
had
seen
"a
little
balloon"
crossing
the
sun.
Scott
says
that
he
had
not
had
sufficient
self-reliance
to
make
public
announcement
of
his
remarkable
observation
at
the
time,
but
that,
in
the
evening
of
the
same
day,
he
had
told
Dr.
Dick,
F.R.A.S.,
who
had
cited
other
instances.
In
the
Times,
Jan.
12,
1860,
is
published
a
letter
from
Richard
Abbott,
F.R.A.S.:
that
he
remembered
Mr.
Scott's
letter
to
him
upon
this
observation,
at
the
time
of
the
occurrence.
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