The Smyrna telegraph. (Smyrna, Del.) 1849-1850, 1850-01-17
Definition orthe Universe.

Definition the Universe.
Baron Jach, an eminent astronomer, conf
putes that there may be thousand millions of
stars in the heavens; and then to illustrate or
describe the immensely ofthe universe, he says:
"Ifwe suppose each star to be sun, and az
tended by ten planets, Qeavng comets out Of
the calculation, we have ten thousand millions
ofglobes like the earth, within what are consid-
cred the bounds of the known universe. AS
there are suns to give light throughout all these
systems, we may infer that there are eyes also
to behold it, and beings, whose nature in this
one important particular, is analogous to our
own.
s'But even this is exclusive, probably, ofnl-
lions fsuns, bosomed in the unknown depths
of space, and placed forever beyond our ken,
or the light OF which may not have had time
to travel down to us since the period of their
creation"
But this is not very satisfactory illustration,
for ''what are his one thousand millions ofstars
and ten thousand millions ofglobes, when COM
pared with the uncomprehendcd and incomprc-
hensiblc numbers that actually exist?"
The best definition of the universe, says the
Washington Globe, and one that can never be
improved, has been given by Pascal, whose
fame is so great and so well deserved as an
able, eloquent, and intrepid advocate of moral
and religious truth, against error, intolerance,
and imposture, that as a man profound in SCI
ence and in the learning of his day, as he was,
he is comparatively little known. His defini-
ton is, that "the centre ofthe universe is every
where and the circumference of it nowhere;"
which is at once astronomically exact and un-
mprovably concise and elegant.
''We will proceed 10 illustrate this: Our
planet, the earth, for instance, is a centre, ac-
cording 10 Pascal then we will imagine point
so remote from us that telegraphic despatch
thousand miles per second, would not reachi it
in less than ten millions of billions ofyears, ex-
pressed in figures thus: 10000, 100000, ,000,-
100000. Now this inconceivably remote point
would be centre also and any other point
,iI-t ~ igr,t
is not even approached in any degree, for there
is none.
''No matter what may be the magnitude of
a thing finite in its nature, and circumscribed
by limits and metes and bounds, it cannot con-
stitute even an atomic portion Of what is in its
tod ioh nd
no limits. Therefore the whole solar system,
or the whole of the universe itself, as far as
the telescope has reached it, will not bear as
great proportion TO the supendous whole as
one drop of water would bear TO all the water,
fresh and salt, on our globe.
SHARON Jach, or his commentator, says that
there are suns placed so far beyond our ken
that the light of them may not have had time
to travel down to us since the period of their
creation
''To this we subscribe, omitting the word
dorm, which is not astrouomically used, for
there is no up or down known in the case.-
Those suns are as much dorm TO us as we are
to them. And we will add, that whilst there
are stars or suns whose light have not yet
reached us, there are others whose light never
can reach us, supposing no obstacle TO It's trans
mission except distance.
.sTo illustrate further the total n r.eau.anv
kind ofproportions or relations a IS
finite and things infinite, it moy ba -Aed,
that million Of billions OF ycars, u iich Yould
be period oftime utterly inconccivabe by hu-
man faculties, is certainly not the smallest ap-
preciable or conceivable part of eternity-the
proofofwhich is that an immortal being having
arrived at the end Of that term, would be no
nearer the end of eternity than he was at the
beginning OF the term. He would have made
no progress whatever, nor can any be made"
PRINTERs.-Who was William Claxton,
one the fathers ofliterature? s'Nobodv but
printer!'' Who was Earl Stanhope? "A
prnter!'' Who was Samuel Woodwork, the
poet! "A printerl" Who was Benjamin
Franklin, the great American philosopher and
statesman? ga printerr' Who was Gov.
Armstrong OF Massachusetts ga printer!''