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Permissive Limits of Ignorance and Belief in the United States
So,thenthemoondisplaysinvariablythesamefacetotheearth;nevertheless,tobequiteexact,itisnecessarytoaddthat,inconsequenceofcertainfluctuationsofnorthandsouth,andofwestandeast,termedherlibration,shepermitsrathermorethanhalf,thatistosay,five-sevenths,tobeseen.
Assoonastheignoramusescametounderstandasmuchasthedirectoroftheobservatoryhimselfknew,theybegantoworrythemselvesregardingherrevolutionroundtheearth,whereupontwentyscientificreviewsimmediatelycametotherescue.Theypointedouttothemthatthefirmament,withitsinfinitudeofstars,maybeconsideredasonevastdial-plate,uponwhichthemoontravels,indicatingthetruetimetoalltheinhabitantsoftheearth;thatitisduringthismovementthattheQueenofNightexhibitsherdifferentphases;thatthemoonisfullwhensheisinoppositionwiththesun,thatiswhenthethreebodiesareonthesamestraightline,theearthoccupyingthecenter;thatsheisnewwhensheisinconjunctionwiththesun,thatis,whensheisbetweenitandtheearth;and,lastlythatsheisinherfirstorlastquarter,whenshemakeswiththesunandtheearthanangleofwhichsheherselfoccupiestheapex.
Regardingthealtitudewhichthemoonattainsabovethehorizon,theletteroftheCambridgeObservatoryhadsaidallthatwastobesaidinthisrespect.Everyoneknewthatthisaltitudevariesaccordingtothelatitudeoftheobserver.
