Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-12-12
AT r!IDNTCEtT.
VIVA: the Flr-osf Worlds Lock Like
SGsS--i:i Il Glass.

Cor. esrondcrce Hartford T:Ines.
At midnight. about these DAYS. the starry
heavens present one Of their erandest phases
Prominent in the southeast. high up. is that
grand constellation of Orion with his belt and
sword. and his chief follower. the peerless Sirius
close behind him. In the sword (abOut the mid
dle) is that vast ncbuia, or unfinished system so
often mentioned by astronomers At this stage
it is without form" and evidently void"
What this vast object VIII be. when finished
whether one immense system. or a universe the
far-Of future ages must determine. What finite
mind can determine the length OF time required
to carry this vast formation through all its grand
stages till it IS "fOlded together like e yesture
as into great mountain RANGES by the mighty
contracting forces of gray:tation. aNi is finally
Changed and ceases to be: There seems +,
be reason to believe that in the history of all
worlds. no matter what splendor of develop
ment they attain, or through what inconceivahe
ages they exist when in the process Of cooling
and contraction they slowly faIl-the waters
reced" tas they have done in our nOGn) into the
fnteTna! Governs frCm whence the lava was once
elected hy this same contracting force
But all these worlds were created according
to the sacred writer "of things which do not
appear. OF 4 more invisible matter. which our
widest telescopes fail to reach: But how does
this invisible matter. or star-{iust become so con-
tracted 10 become visible to the IN
and. further assume its rotary motion and cast
off its irregular parts into satellites while its
main central part forms the governing globe or
sun around which they must revOlye? How?
We are here brought face to face with one Otthe
unbelievable mysteries of God or OF nature
All we know about it is this and the Spirit OF
God moved upon the face of the waters" And
We shall see in this first account Of crca-
ton that there were grass and herbs also trees
with fruit. long before the sun was finished.
This harmOniZes with the teachings of science
that the smaller the globe or satellite. in the
same original nebulOus mass. the sooner it is
finished and becomes changed" Consequently
the earth was ready for a light vegetation long
before the sun was finished. and the moon before
the earth And it is probable that somewhere
in this age our coal mines We're laid up for us,
before the crust of the earth became strong
enough to bear the heavy growth of timber.
which by the warmth and moist are, grew to q
great height and size.
This timber. both hard and soft by its great
weight, when the crust was thin. sank suddenly
and became charrcd and retrfed. and thus.
both hard and soft Goals were made and pre-
served for this latter busy and wicked age.
Good and evil must be compared in their present
light. But We read about the evening and
morning being the first, second and third day
etc. True and as the earth in its slow anal
motion (aGd We know hot how SlOWly) turned
to and from this vast central light. or unfinished
sun. it could well be called the evening and
morning of the earth at that far-off age
The next object of attraction in the early VIM
ter night sky is Saturn-high up and on the
meridian. This is the vast rnGed planet 1t is
now nearer to the earth than it has been for
twepty-eight years 1t is in Ornear the drag
By watching it carefully for a few days it will be
seen to be moving westward. but this is only in
appearance. as the motion of all the planets is
eastward all the time. This backward move
ment is called its retrOgrade, and happens in
this way:
Select some level spot and strike circle say
three feet in diameter and call this the SUM-
then make another circle, say ten feet in
diameter. and call this the carth's orbit then
make still larger circle. say fifty feet and call
this the orbit OF Saturn. For this expert
ment you need to make but small part of the
large circle, ard on that small part you place an
object. or person. and Call it the planet
Saturn. Now start and walk around the ten
feet circle which we call the earths orbit from
the right side to the left. on the side Of YOUR
circle next to the supposed Saturn. Mark
some object away far beyond the supposed Sat
urn Now as you come nearly opposite 20 Sat
urn. or. IN other words. when You are nearly in
q line with the supposed sun and Saturn. the
latter is nearing its opposition, when you can
see that you. representing the earth. are ct the
nearest point to the planet. In approaching this
point from the right. if you have ranged past
The supposed Saturn to some distant object
when Is to represent a fixed star, you will
notice that though Saturn. moment since, was
in a line with you and the distant star, it now
appears at the right of The star, as though it
were moving to the right-When in fact it is
gradually moving in the same direction that you