The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1881-05-18
PIuraIItr Of 1nhablted WorIds.

| lnlS world, THIS planetupOn which
we live" says Flfmmarion. the French
astronomer, is only grain Of dust in
the mighty immensity of space And
IN his admirable work on the plurality of
inhabited worlds he advances the theory
that God has created living beings on
/ every planet and satellite In the heavens.
| Indeed, the astronomers generally agree
with him that as this earth, which is but
a mere atom IN the vast expanse Of the
! universe, Is inhabited, the presump p ion
IS that other worlds Of more importance
! than ours IN point of magnitude are also
inhabited by beings with life and intelli-
| gence like MS. In short, the earth has
no marked pre- -emineucc in the solar svs-
| tenn TO entitle it TO the only inhabited
world. AstrOnomically speaking, the
other planets are arranged as we'll as il Is
! as abodes of life. Even the sun with all
Its heat Is supposed % be inhabited by
mOrtals physically suited to dwell on it,
Tor an OmnlpOtent God, who could create
the sun itself could also create people
capable of living on it.
II the universe remains 10 man only a
great material mechanism, moved by
physical forces, nature is nothing in his
eye but gigantic laboratory, where the
elements are mingled blindly under the
most various and casual fOrms in a
word, if the admirable and magnificent
science of the heavens confines the ef-
forts of tho human mind otemally 30 the
geometry Of the heavenly bodies, the
science would never attain its real end
and that 1t would stop 0t the mo-
ment of reuping the frut Of its immense
labors. 1t remains suprcmclv incom-
plcte If the universe WAS never any
thing to it but an assemblage of inert
bodies floating IN space under the action /
OF material forces.
The philosopher must go farther He /.
must not cOuiiuc himself 10 seeing under /
more or less distinct form the great /
body OF nature
We live ON a world which is no cxcep- J
tion among the heavenly bodies, and I
which we have no reason TO believe has /
received the least privilege. 1t is the /
third of the planets which revolve round l
the sun, and one Of the smallest among
them; without going beyond our system, /
other planets are much more important .
than it in the mechanism of the solar .
system. Jupiter, for instance, is ], ,4l4 /
times greater, and Saturn 734 times \
greater While it appears 10 rs the most I.
important of the universe, il is in reality /
lost in the immensity Of the worlds I
which people the heavens, and the whole
creation does not guess at its existence \
OF the planets of our own system there
are only four, the inhabitants Of which,
il they really have any, can know the
earth exists those are Mercury, Venus,
Mars, and Jupiter; and even 10 this last
one it is most of the time invisible in the
solar aurcUla. Now, while the earth Is
thus lost amid worlds more important
than itself the other worlds are In the
same conditions Of habitability as those
that we observe on the earth. On
these planets, as on our own, the rays Of
the sun pour forth heat and light: on |
them, as here, years, months, and days
succeed each other, drawing with them
the seasons which, from time 10 time.
support the conditions of existence: ON
them as here, q transparent atmosphere
envelopes the inhabited surface with
protecting climate, gives rise 10 mCtooric
and deyelopes those beau
ties which celebrate sunrise and sunset
On thcm as here, yaUurOus clouds rise
from tho ocean with the deep waves, and
spreading themselves under the heaven, |
carry dow to the parchcd-up regions.
This great movement If life which cir
cuiatCs over the earth Is not confined 20
this little planet; tho same cases dGvcl-
Ope elsewhere the same effects, and
on many among these strange worlds,
far from noticing the absence Of the
riches with which the earth is endowed,
aD abundance Of wealth of which ours
only possesses the first fruits is observed.
BY the side Of these bodies, the earth is
essentially an inferior world in many re-
spocts. from the unsatisfactory conditions
Of geological stability of which the ter
restrial sphcroid reminds US, its surface
being only thin pellicle, to the fatal
laws which govern life on this earth
where deathreigns upreme.
if, on the one hand, the other worlds
nave conditions of habitability quite as
powerful, if not more so, as the ter
'cstrial conditions, on the other hand,
lie earth, considered in itself, appears
o us like an overlooking cup whence life
ssues on all sides. 1t seems that 10
.reate is so necessary to the order Of
nature, that the smallest piece Of matter
If suitable properties does not exist
without serving as an abode of living
Jcings.