Show THE NUMBERLESS WORLDS Upon one occasion the Lord said laid aid to Abraham Look II Look now toward heaven beaven and tell the stars itar if it thou be bo able to number them He also alio said laid aid So Be shall hall thy seed lead be and in promising an aD inheritance to the patriarch He stated further I will make thy seed as the dust duit of the earth so 10 that If it a aman aman aman man can caD number umber the dust duit of the earth then shall thy seed leed eed also alio be numb numbered red By theae these comparisons the Lord illus lUu- illustrates the multiplicity of ot His Hi creations as seen in the heavenly planets planeta and the impossibility of mortal beings making a calculation of ot their number for Abraham Abrahams seed eed were to be count count- countless count 1 less as al the d dust duat of the earth or the stars stare in the firmament In the October North American Review Sir Edwin besides hl his tame fame a as-a as a poet holds an eminent position a as a scientIst scientist contributes contribute s an article dealing with astronomy in which he presents some interesting facts and suggestions ue reo re- regarding garding the thEt vastness of oC the number of worlds worl-s w which blob science has bas demonstrated as ae existing In the universe as ae a brought within the range of Vision by aid of ot the telescope Sir Edwin EdwiD points out oot that Galileo in his Sidereal Messenger made a map of eighty new stare etarl tan which he had bad al ale covered in 10 the tUe oon constellations of ot Orion Orion's Belt and the Sword and that since sauce tb then n astronomer r after atLer astronomer has added various groups and galaxies to the two or three thousand conspicuous stars stare tan of the first fint six ix magnitudes which always can be seen Been with the naked eye It l ii is curious and not Dot complimentary to the good sense enie of mankind ergs yi the writer that those tho stars tan should b tic ti been en looked upon ai as merely hi- hi in intended tended tend t to spangle the sky Iky ky and give light bt it at night Ai As lamps lamp they th y were a a failure Sixty times the total a on the clearest night would not equal the Illumination given by bythe bythe the moo moor moon and three thirty minion million tithes their radiance would be re- re required required re required to equal sunlight Yet the stars atara tan w which are seen een even by a power power- powerful powerful powerful ful telescope are now to be only au an in proportion oi of o those actually existing inside visible pace space Going farther Sir Edwin points out ut that photography as practiced today lu iu all aU the observatories reveals in almost every apparently blank region of ot the celestial sphere countless new and distant Jy- Jy ly lying ing tar Jar beyond all aU methods method of mortal computation and measurement The only loot foot rule with which there are made estimates of the scale oale of at distances In the visible universe Is light This travels travel along the ether at the rate of miles mile in a second so ao o that the ray which we receive from the sun lun un left his surface eight minutes minute before it has bas ba r reached our eyes By pro pro- processes pro pro-c ue baled based on complex arithmetic astronomers have determined the dis- dis distance dis distance tance ot of about eighty stars taril and the nearest of at all of them to our system l is Alpha The radiance of this st star tor r takes takee however about four years year years to reach human vision villon while that which we perceive from tram Alpha or Aldebaran was w projected from tram Its gUttering glittering source twenty twenty- twenty seven even years ago a and aid d most moat of ot those seen leen een deeper In inthe inthe the night night sky ky are so 10 far fur off oft that their belr present light left them three or tour four hundred years year back It H also allo al o is 1 stated that many stare tan are today day visible whose beams have traveled to our gaze only alter after a lapse of thousands of It ii lB suggested there must be radiant streams stream now on their way from ly heaven heaven- heavenly ly Iy bodies bodien in the empyrean which will only reach the eyes of ot our very far tar off posterity The distance of ot the outside out- out side aide planet of our family Neptune is II computed as a two thousand eight hun bun bundred hundred hundred dred and twenty five millions million ot of miles from the sun aun so 10 o that we may roughly call the diameter of our flying system In space live five thousand six lx hundred bundred and fifty l millions million of miles mile But vast vastas vaita as this sounds says ay Sir Bir Edwin our solar lolar olar system sinks inki Into a speck peck when one reflects that hat if It we should bould represent the interval between the sun un and the earth by one mob inch then to put Aldebaran Aldebaran Aldebaran aran Into his hii proper place and proportion tion our chart would have bave to be nine leagues ue wide When it J ii is remembered that the distance of ot the sun aun un from earth Is placed at three ninety millions million of ot miles and that to travel thither at the average rate of railway passenger train speed would take about years year the com com- comparative comparative comparative insignificance of ot the little corner of space pace occupied by the he earth and the planetary system In la which itis it l is dared classed by astronomers may be in 10 ina ina a small mall measure realized And the fact that in the celestial regions which to the mortal eye are apparently blank the telescope reveals reveal myriads ot of planets planet shows bow how limitless to maD mans oom comprehension are the Works of the great rat Creator When brought face to with Ith these visible evidences evidence of 01 the power intelligence and aDd activity of 01 the Almighty and the be perfect order and design ign which govern governs lu In this vast Yut material universe how bow infinite are man and the scope loop of his biB powers power In mortality I And yet with the knowl knowl- knowledge knowledge knowledge edge that he Is the offspring the child the heir of the great Creator and Ruler whose works work are thus thui manifest m nife t how bow Infinitely great and glorious i l is his bia destiny when he be shall hall have bave come into ioto the ulness of 01 that estate to which be he is Ie i heir beir and shall ball ball have bave advanced to the perfect stature of or b his bia is Father |