Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1870-07-08

| tNiSlS OH taTll. L GU IneTt
are some things which will appear Il
you uncomfortable of which l can give
you u slight idea. For example, you
can not conceive duplication OF null.
; tiplication of identity you can form
no conception Of the Same being hav-
ing centre of vitality in more than
ono place at the same time.
! KONIS.-I must say that such ex-
pressions seem TO me n contradiction
IN terms, and therefore convey no idea.
The consciousness of an individual
must be single consciousness other
Wise IL Is not one individual but sew
eral; and the life i'm the same manner
must be indivisible.
PHos.-Before my existence on the
annular planet in tho Swan, | dwelt.
about 24O0 years ago, in the system
Theta OriOnis. You well know that
splendid constellation. The star Theta
Is below the Sword, and appears to
you shining on the edge of the great
nebula. The latter, however, is really
vastly more remote than the STAR
Light requires 2l00 years to traverse
the space.which separates Theta Orio-
mis- from Capella.
The system to which this star be-
longs, Is one of the most remarkable
Ill the stellar universe, rich as it is i'm
marvels and splendors. 1t is composed
OF four principal suns arranged in a
quadrilateral figure. Two of these
suns, forming what may term the
base of the quadrilateral, are accom-
panied each by satellite-sun, thus
forming III all n system of six suns,
around which revolve inhabited plan
| cts.
/ / Al .nf lei,
| around one of the secondary suns,
which again revolved around one of
the principal suns. The entire system
of suns and planets, revolved in its
turn around its invisible centre of
gravity within the quadrilateral. Thus
upon my planet L was illuminated
and warmed by six suns at once by
one apparently larger and more ardent
| than the five others, because it was the
nearest to me /; by n second and nearly
as large and quite as brilliant; by three
of less apparent magnitude, and by n
sixth very small. My principal sun
was blue; the second, bright orange
| the three smaller suns, white; and
the smallest like ruby.
Now upon this planet, the inhabi-
| tants are neither vegetable nor animal
| They can not be arranged in any clas-
sification applicable to terrestrial OBJ
| jects, and it is with difficulty that L
can give you any idea of their form.
Have you ever seen in botanical gar
dens that strange plant the Cere,ts
gigdnteuS
KoNIs.-I have. 1t bears some re-
| semblance to gigantic candlestick
| with several branches.
| PHos.-The inhabitants of my planet
| bear some resemblance to that form.
| But they move slowly about, and hold
themselves upright by a process of
| suction; the lower extremity of their
| virtical shaft thrusting out small pro-
cesses, somewhat as do your star-fish-
suckers of "a polypus. These creatures
move in troops and change their lati-
tude with the change of seasons.
While examining this world, which
| had so long before been my habitation,
| recognised myself in ore of these
] beings. | saw myself in one of these
beings. 1 saw myself standing alone
in the midst of the strangely illumin-
ated landscape. My form was that of
a cylindrical shaft about eighteen feet
| high, expanding above into several
branches resembling those Of can
dlestick, and the upper eXtremities of
both shaft and branches terminated
by circlet of silvery fringes.
| On sudden L! beheld this figure
agitate its branches and disappear.
| Then I remembered. In this world
it is a common thing to sec individuals
suddenly crumble to atoms. The
molecules which compose them are
disintegrhted and fall to the earth; the
personality of the Individual ceases.
This disintegration happens frequent
tly during their lives. There il some
disturbance of the organic equilibri-
UNI, some fatigue of the members, or
some functional disagreement between
the different parts, and the creature
which existed integrally, as you do
now, suddenly finds itself reduced to
Its simplest expression. The cerebral
molecule on which the identity OF the
individual depends, finds itself de-
scending by the fall Of its subordina-
ted molecules, and reaches the surface
OF the ground alone and independent.
Now your body is in like manner
series OF vital centres, distinct, yet
subordinated to ono dominant centre /;
but this dominant vital centre has an
authority so paramount over the Others
that they can not be separated from 1t
without losing their own vitality. In
your inferior animals you see state
of things prevailing which approaches
nearer TO what Is the universal law in
the system of Theta OriOnis. Take an
earthworm, for example in every one
of its annular segments there is vital
centre equal in Importance To the rest;
so that each segment is in itself COM
plete worm, capable of maintaining
am Independent existence. and the
whole creature is in fact an association
of Individual vital cooperative So
cioty. Divid it, and each segment be-
comes n distinct individual. In the
tape-worm the head is of more impor-
lance than the other segmerts, and
can reproduce them ii they are remov-
ed, as plant rcproduccs itself from
the root.
KoNIs.-When n being of the kind
YOU describe finds itself thus decOm-
nosed. how does itrestore its integrity
! Pnos.-By the will and often with
! out the least effort, by an instructive
! and almost unconseious desire. Though
! separated from the cerebral molecule
: the corporal molecules are not with
; drawn from their relations to it; ano
/, nj n given impulse they reunite ant
resume their places rs the atoms ar
. range Themselves In forming n crystal
: The directing molecule attracts anC
guides the others, as the magnet at
T tracts and arranges the filings OF iron
KoNIs. i am curious to learn some
+ thing of the manner in which you az
r able to see objects at such immense dis
tances. The process is TO me incon
I ceivable.
> PHos.-That is because you can no
II help referring everything to terres
i trial standard. Yet the explanation i
a quite simple. No ray of light Is los
!. i'm its transit through space; and no
/ only from every star, but from ever,
object, however minute, on the surface
= which fronts you, you receive lumln
q Gus vibrations. But your eye Is 81
Is constructed that you only see object
a under certain angles; and rays enter
If ing with too great or too small an an
d gle, paint no picture on your retlla
/ gnna L inN Won do not see