The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1881-01-08


we did not have our spectaeles On
but we will nevertheless venture tC
repeat what others have said: thai
it has q diameter Of about S0,00t
miles, and feyolvcs at distance o
about 1,000,000,000 miles from the
sun, and because it is so far off this
is all we will say about it.
7th. And last, we come to Her
schel, or Uranis; but it is too far of
to talk about and we don't expect tC
even get that far from home. 1t has
diameter of about $4,000 miles OF
about times that Of our earth. an6
revolves around the sun at the re
spectful distance of about 100000,
600 miles.
And here we will stop, lest we ger
into the "Milky Way" and get lost
50 far away from home. But in spite
Of us, here the puny and perplexing
thought comes over us: while it is
given us mortals to measure the dis
lance and dimensions Of these heay
emily bodies, and to guess at theil
density and properties; that yet We
are not permitted here to know the
uses or to become acquainted with
inhabitants of those worlds, nor, in.
deed, to know whether they are in
habited at all, and above all, to con
lecture whether we, the now inhabit
ants Of this earth, are destined tC
visit those worlds in succession
Are we, indeed, children of the sun
having already passed our prohibi-
tionary existence in the World, Mer-
curry and Venus in reaching the
earth? God knows-we don't. Tru-
ly, the dimensions of our own solal
system is incomprehensibly great,
and yet we are taught to believe that
there are many other solar systems
equally great and grand as ours, float
ing in immensely of space, all made
and governed by the same supremacy
great architect of a boundles Uni
verse.
Living men have seen and learned
men know, that great fiery bodies
called comets are known to visit the
region of the sun at periods of Is to
100 years. Take Halley's comet,
for instance, which is known to per
form its journey in about IS years
Consider its almost incomprehensible
velocity-making the round or trip
in IS years. From whence does il
come? How many solar systems like
ours does it traverse? 1t comes
rushing up from unknown space
towards the sun of our system, cross
ing the paths of our planets as a train
Of cars weuld cross common foot
path, rushing at the sun as if determ-
med to run over or through him; but
suddenly, as if out Of respect for that
lumnary, the comet is seen to di-
verge from her course, making its
obeeasance to the sun, as it were, and
passing around him and again plung-
ing into the immensely of space be
You'd; and on, and on it plunges to
visit other systems, as we can mag
Inc, to return to each again In 70
years. Who can tell us or solve the
mission or functions Of these great
and fiery ministers, plenipotentiary,
sent by the Onipotent Maker Of the
Universe? How much like the great
God, himself, riding on a chariot OF
fire to inspect his handiwork, and at
regular periods, as if to replenish the
exhausted energies of the great cen
tres of the systems?
Verify, the ways of Him who rides
on the storms and in the clouds, are
past finding out. But from contem-
plating His works, we learn two i'm
portant lessons, the one is, our own
littleness and weakness, and the 9th
er is, the greatness, majesty and the
power of the Great Architect of the
Universe. -