Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1826-02-25

designed, has created all these stars, and
placed them al such an immense DIS
lance, merely 10 give as light; when
another moon, placed near US, would
have answered The purpose better? Sure
" not. Every thing, even on this earth,
was not made for man much less were
the stars m de for him. Many species
of beasts, birds, and fishes, contribute
nothing to his comfort, or pleasure, or
profit; and almost the whole tribe OF In
sects, reptiles, and vetmn, are seourges
10 him bu, they all enjoy their measure
Of happiness, in their different modes Of
existence; and The beneticent Creator
seems to delight in storing earth, air, and
ocean with innumerable creatures, that
he may beslow on each share oil hap
piness. But as he gave dominion to
man over this lower ciealion, the time
mav come when all animals which are
not subservieutt TO man may be destroyed
by man, and their places occupied by
him and his subservleni animals.
If, then, all matter with which We ere
acquainted, swarms with life we have
reason TO suppose tina, that with which
we are not acquainted does SO too. And
it the earth was created principally Tor
man, b, cause he is rational, n,ellgepe
teng, capable of knowing aud loving his
Creator, we have every reason 10 sup
pose that ether worlds were made for
like purposes; and are all filled with in
teliigent beings. And | would as soon
believe that on some part oil the earth
there were human bcsies without souls,
as that the universe was filled with
worlds without Inhabitants !!
But perhaps ought to tell my read
crs how we know that the fixed stars are
a, such an inconceyable distance. !, IS
thus
The earth, which is computed TO be
ninely-hve millions OF miles from the
sun, is in one part OF is orbit double that
distance from where i, is in another part
Of its orbit. For instance: On the first
of January, the earth is in the sign Cam
cer, and on the first Of July it is in the
opposite sign CaEricornas, and is distant
one hundred aud ninety millions O! miles
from where it was in January: And the
stars near the north and south poles,
which are nearly at right angles with the
ecUhtic, (Which is the track OF the Garth
and other planes in their. revolutions
round the SUM- would appear to vary, in
their relative position TO each other, 1t
| that distance, VIZ. 1907 100000 OF miles,
bore any sensible proportion to their dis
lance from the sun.
TO make this matter familiar, LEI a
person take two or more objects whiols
nearly range with each other, the enc a
hundred yards distant and the other a
mile from where lie stands, and let him
walk three or four yards, in direction
at RICH, angles with these OBJECTS; and
| he will find that they have changed {ap~
parentiy) their relative position. Ihey
are either in a more direct line with each
other than they were at his first station,
or further apart, according as he has
objects be five and ten miles from him,
and be will perceive no variation in their
relative positions because four or five
yards bears no sensible proportion 10 five
or ten miles.
How great, then, must be the distance
of the stars, when 100 millions of mics
bears no sensible proportion TO their dis
lance from the ear,h
1t is proper to remark, that two stars
which appear to be close to each Other,
in reality are not so the one is almost ID
direct line from Us behind or beyond
the other, sunk in INN essurablc and un-
la,homable depths of ae,her.
How stupendous, then, is creation !!
What multitude of suns appear TO our
view ! and what a multitude which are
invisible to the unassisted eye, are disco
vered by our glasses and what a multi
tude may be beyond the reach of human
sight And if all these have planets re-
yolving round them and all the plane Is
are filled with muliitudes of Intelligent
beings who can imagine the vast null
liiude Of rational, intelligent beings who
enjoy the benehcence of Deity S; and who
pay their alterations to the great Fountain
OF all being, perfection, and happiness :
REPORTED FOR THE SPECTATOR.