The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1882-11-07
Sunday Reflections.

That we are creatures Of, and only intended
for this earth is proven by the organization of
our body. We are composed of matter which
exist as primitive elements or in conjunctions
and combinations with each other and to be
found everywhere on earth. We consist of
carbOnides, nitrogen, water, lime, iron and
phosphates, the moment we die these things
enter into new combinations. Whatever may
have been at one time particle Of Julius Cae
ser, Napoleon l, Goethe or Schiller forms
particle of plant or animal to-day, this alone
is sufficient evidence that the resurrection Of
the "Flesh" or body is a nonentity in itself.
There is nothing in our composition to elevate
US beyond our terrestrial existence, we cannot
exist beyond the sphere Of our planet. What
we call our spirit are our thoughts emanating
from our brain, hence product of matter, the
functions all of which are like ourselves bound
to this earth upon which We live.
Our spiritual or mental activity depends up
on impressions made upon the different organs
OF our senses. All these impressions are de-
rived from the visible and material world, as
far as our eye reaches, and this organ Of
sight penetrates farther than any other), so far
reach our thoughts and no farther. Our or
ganization is complete SO far as it concerns
this earth but does not extend sufficiently far
to comprehend everything in existence. We
cannot form a conception Of eternity, of an ex-
istence without beginning or end, and yet it is
equally difficult to imagine beginning, for
| logic will ask: what was before beg inning
Thus it is with space. Our thoughts cannot
comprehend the in6nitude OF space; to mag
inc an end or boundary of space is equally in
tangible And why do we fail to COM
prehend the endlessness Of time and
space? Because we lack the requisite
organs. We can neither see, hear or feel
| it, consequently our mental faculties can
not make conclusions on the subject. This
again proves that our organization is imper-
| feet, that our nervous system and brains are
of things, as they exist, ceases.
Science has furnished US with means to ex-
| tend our intellectual horizont. We have mi
croscopes and telescopes by the means Of
which we can view the most infinitisimally
small or the most infinitely grand, snd what
we thus see forces the conclusion upon US
that mankind is but an insignificant product
of this earth and the earth but like grain OF
sand in The system of the universe.
| Let US cast one look into the telescope;
there we see in the belt Of light the milky way,
the mellow light of which ilumes the
heavens. This belt is nothing less
than the radiant splendor of untold
millions Of suns which, with their
>ystems of satellites, OF planets and comets
soar and float around the center of gravity in
the universe. II our earth stood in the center
of this belt we would behold one grand shin
ing circle of light in the direction of the
heavens equator, but our solar system circles
IN comparatively sta-less part between the
worlds Of fxei stars on the outer edge OF the
milky way, hence the latter looks to US but a
mild arch of light in the heavens, while in the
centre of it we note many groupes of immense
numbers of stars.
The milky way only dissolves itself partly
through the most powerful telescopes, into
stars. 1t consists of two rings of light, one
beyond the other, which are connected by
bridge-lke appearing bodies. The unds
solved light beyond these proves to US that
our very best modes of science are inadequate
to reach the confines OF these lights of heaven.
group of stars known as Pleiades in the con-
stellation of Taurus, the most brilliant star OF
his bright group of suns is Alkyone, one Of
the nearest to the centre Of gravity of the sys-
TEN OF fixed stars.
The distance Of Alkyone from US is $780,
900 diametes of the earth. or 63o billions of
geographical miles, the light needs 49S years
and six months to reach US, our solar system
makes its circuit once in every Is million Of
years, with velocity of eight geographical
miles per second.
The diameter of this vast and numerous
lentiform system of fixed stars to which
our solar system belongs and of which it
is but one par icle constitutes a distance for
the penetration of which ray Of light with its
velocity would take 5000 years. In this space
there move millions OF suns like ours around
the centre of gravity in the constellation of the
Pleiades. This system Of fixed stars which
contains more than 90 millions of suns with
their respective additions of planets and
comets is again only one small island
among thousands of others in the endless uni
verse. Powerful telescopes have already re-
vealed more than 5000 such islands of worlds
in the unfathomable depths of space, which
show some as weak CLEANS Of light others as
lentiform nebu'sr. Many of them show a cen
trail movement like our fixed STIR system, but
most of them do not reveal their present
formation, but their condition as it existed
hundreds Of thousands of years ago. because
they are so distant from US that the ray OF
light which emanated from them hundreds OF
thousands of years ago is only reaching us
now, and the same light that leaves there now
will reach this earth after a lapse Of the same
length of time,