The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1888-12-15
INFINITE SPACE.


ted and perplexed, which it con-
templates with fear, and without
the power to face them, although
it understands their existence and
necessity; such are those of the
lnfinity OF space and eternity of
duration. Impossible to define,
for all difnition could only darkcn
the first idea which Is IN us, these
truths command and rule Us. To
try and explain them would be a
barren hope; 1t suffices to keep
them before our attention in order
that they may reveal to us, at
every instant, the lmmensiiy OF
their value. A thousand defini-
tons have been given; we Will,
however, neither quote nor re call
one of them. But we wish 10
open space before US and employ
ourselves there, Ill trying to pene-
trate Its depth. The velocity of
"a cannon ball from the mouth Of
the cannon makes swift way, 437
yards per second. But this would
be still too slow for our journey
through space, as our velocity
would scarcely be 500 miles an
hour. This is too little. In ma.
ture there are movements incom-
parably more rapid, for instance,
the velocity of light. This velo-
city IS 186,c0O miles per second.
TINS will do better; thus we wall
take this means of transport.
Allow me, then, by Il figure Of
speech, to tell you that we Will
place ourselves on a ray Of light
and be carried away on its rapid
course.
Taking the earth as our START
ing port, We will 60 in etraight
line to any point Of The heavens.
We start. AT the end Of the first
second we have already trayersed
10000 miles; at the end Of the
second, $4,000. We continue
Ten seconds, Il minute, ten mlr-
utes have elapsed Ill, 600, 900
miles have been passed. Passing,
during an hour, Il day, a week /,
without ever slackening our pace,
during whole mouths, and even Il
year, the time which we have tra-
vcrsed is aleaIy SO long that, ex-
pressed in miles, tine number of
measurement exceeds our faculty
of comprehension, and indicates
nothing to onr mind; they would
be trillions, and millions of mill
ions. But we will not interrupt
cur fight. Carried on without
stopping by this same rapidity of
10000 miles each second, let us
penetrate the expause in straight
line for whole years, fifty years,
even a century.
Whore arc we? For a long
time we have goae beyond the
last starry regions which are seen
from the earth, the last that thC
telescope has visited; for long
time We travel In other regions
unknown and unexplored. NJ
mind is capable of following the
road passed over; thousands Of
millions joined to thousands 0
millions express nothing: at tn,
sight of tins prodigious expans'
the Imagination Is arrested, hum,
bled. Well this Is the wonder
4 fall point of the problem W
have not advanced single steI
| in space. We are no nearer ;
a limit than if we had remaine
in the same place; we should b
able to begin the same cours
starting from the point where W
! are, and add to our voyage a y0y
age OF the same extent; we shoul
be able to JOIN centuries on Ger
tunes III the same Itinerary, wit
the same velocity, to continue th
voyage without end and witho,
rest; we should be able to guid
ourselves IN any part of space
! left, right, forward, backward
above, below. IN every direction
and when, after centuries en-
pIoyed % this giddy course,
! should stop ourselves, Fascinated
! or in despair before the immcnsil
eternaily open, eternally renewe
we should again understand III
our secular flights had not mea
ured for us the smallest part
space, and that we we're not mo
advanced than at our startli
polnt. In truth, it IS the fin
which surrounds us, as we befe
: expressed it, or the infinite nui
(. ber Of worlds. We should
: able to aoat for eternity wltlae
I ever finding anything before
but an eternaiIy open infinite.
Hence it follows that all
% ideas on space have nut & pur
relative value. When we g