Commercial And Sublime – Hsiang – Fu Huang

An anecdote about Rev. John Eyton, the Vicar of Wellington, Shropshire, best exemplifies such religious and moral expectations. A visiting lecturer of astronomy received permission to give a course in a local free school. Upon the lecturer’s arrival, he attended the evening church service, chaired by the vicar, to advertise his lecture. To make the upcoming lecture “really profitable to the young persons of his charge,” and “to prepare them for a right understanding of the sublime science,” Rev. Eyton preached on Psalm 8:3, “When I consider thy heavens,” and addressed astronomy and the greater wonders of redemption at length to the audience.

The beleaguered visitor had not expected the vicar to preach about astronomy and was “little prepared to hear.”61 FIGURE 4.2. “Order Is Heaven’s First Law,” illustration on the title page of the vignette, Real or Constitutional House That Jack Built, published by J. Asperne, London, 1819. Image digitized by HathiTrust. Like the “undevout astronomer” quotation, this anecdote of Rev. Eyton implies that astronomy is a double-edged sword: it could inspire religious awe but could also undermine the basis of Christianity. The idea of a clockwork universe, which proposes that nature operates in an orderly fashion according to mechanical principles, had long fascinated European philosophers during the Enlightenment.

Newton’s mathematical description of the force driving planetary motion made a mechanical universe more plausible. Although Newton himself affirmed God’s hand in the natural laws he discovered, the physical laws of gravitation could be seen as driving the operation of the universe independently of divine activities. A purely mechanical universe, as the French scholar Pierre-Simon Laplace’s work Mécanique céleste suggested, is a materialist system in which God and moral dimensions were no longer needed.62 Political turmoil after the French Revolution complicated this fear of subversive radicalism.

Such connections with materialism and revolution worried many British contemporaries.

Manufactured in the United States of America Printed on acid-free paper 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Cataloging-in-Publication data is available from the Library of Congress Hardcover: 978-0-8229-4873-5 Paperback: 978-0-8229-6781-1 Cover art: The Proscenium of the English Opera House in the Strand (Late Lyceum). V&A: S.176- 1997. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London. Cover design: Melissa Dias-Mandoly Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press, 7500 Thomas Blvd., 4th floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, United States, www.upittpress.org EU Authorized Representative: Easy Access System Europe, Mustamäe tee 50, 10621 Tallinn, Estonia, [email protected] 1kitap1.com/en To my parents, sister, and wife 1kitap1.com/en Contents Acknowledgments Note on Currency Introduction: A Sublime and Commercial Business Chapter 1.

Pioneers Chapter 2. Geography Chapter 3. Affiliation Chapter 4. Subjects Chapter 5. Apparatus Chapter 6. Audiences Epilogue: An Enduring Legacy Appendix: Astronomical Lecturers in Britain, 1800–1870 Notes Bibliography Index 1kitap1.com/en Acknowledgments Writing acknowledgments is the last step in completing this book. It is also a good time to reflect on the journey I have taken.

This journey began at the University College London (UCL) and culminated in the publication of this book. It marks the completion of a long-standing goal and serves as a milestone for the first decade of my academic career. Along the way, I have been deeply grateful to many people who assisted me in my research and supported the completion of this monograph.

First and foremost, tribute goes to my supervisors at UCL, Joe Cain and Simon Werrett, who made enormous efforts to guide my research. Joe and Simon were patient and supportive of me as an early career academic, even during the rocky road of my often unsuccessful job search. I enjoyed and still miss my student years and the warm discussions we shared on Gower Street.

I also wish to extend special thanks to Jane Gregory. This research would not have begun without Jane’s vision. I am grateful as well to Frank James and Richard Bellon, who provided invaluable advice and feedback for my research. Frank’s research style, while not fancy, embodied the dedication and seriousness of a historian studying the history of the Royal Institution. Even after I shifted my research focus away from nineteenth-century British history, Richard’s amiable manners and versatile research interests have continued to inspire me. I learned a great deal from these two gentlemen.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

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