The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-03-02
Tho ya.las.. b ono pseIlIIon.

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Iit,ion World,
While hearing a class recite lesson
in the Third Arithmetic, the subject
being hG"rwelve Periods" this thought
fitted through my mind, would 1t moi
be good idea to produce Rn illustration
50 Us to convey more clearly to the
minds Of my pupils the almost ipCom'
prehcnsible number that 100000, 000,-
0OO,0 OO,0OO,O 900, 100000, 900, 900 (onedecill,
iVn) represents. Consequently ] told
them that | should make an illustration
the next day to try to convey to them
the vastness OF one decilliOn. So went
TO work to find material to which !
could apply this decilliOn In making my
illustration. First, / looked out upon
the earth, with its fifty million Of
suuare miles OF land, and thought,
what field for speculation; why not
AXE tho blades Of grass that grow
thereon aud let them represent the
perplexing decilllon? But after calling
iurth arithmetical lore, to aid me in de-
trimming their number, was wont 10
4xclaim, mot eRoRghl not enoughW
Then ! looked out upon the vegetation
u all kinds that grow upon the earth,
md brought every blade and spray Of
grass Of the field, every leaf and twig OF
.l1 forest, and united them in one grand
whole; yet, found that they were not
enough to even give an indistinct idea
Of the vast magnitude OF one deCIllion.
Next, visited the sea shore, and i'm
plored the aid Of every grain OF sand 70
nelp swell the grand number already
formed by the blades OF grass, the leaves
Of the forest and every particle Of veg
etStion upon the earth; yet, when they
were MI united in one countless number,
il seemed us though the object OF my
search loomed up Us far In the distance as
ever, | assembled into tho heavens and
viewed the mighty solar system-the sun
with all the planets that revolye around
it-and the many consultations which
are distributed throughout spacej and
supposed other systems to be establish
ed without number, throughout mil
lions Of miles beyond the inquisitive
,aze OF man; and separated all tho
planets, stars, meteors, and all the bo-
dies that wander through space into one
hundred million parts, forming mum
Der beyond the power OF comprehen.
sionj yet, found my labor to have been
all in vain, for they were not the one
millionth part OF one declllion. Where
should | go next? 1t seemed rs though
hud exhausted all available material,
and still had not arrived at one con-
clusion worthy OF likening one deCil'
linn INTO. concluded to try yet
another field that might possibly
meet tho requirements OF my search
The earth was my next object Tor explo'
ration; descended deep into the bow
els OF the earth, and brought forth itt
two hundred and ninety.one-and more
billions OF cubic miles, to aid me in
solving the mystical problem. Then, q
more clearly conceive the vast magni'
tude Of the said contents OF the earth
suppose the earth instead OF being Q
globe, to be strung out In one continu'
9ns line OF cubic miles; and that q rail.
road running the entire length OF 1t, had
a locomotive, starting at one end and
running ut the rate OF q mile a minute
its destination tho other end Of the
earth; and then, when found that II
would ulke the locomotive more than
five hundred and fifty thousand years IA
reach its destination, | had . cleai
conception OF the yastness, grandeur
and sublimity Of the earth's extent
than ever before. Notwithstanding,
the earth us strung out in continuous
line OF cubic miles presented q grand
spectacle, 1t was Ms but a drop
in the ocean compared with the extent
OF one deCilliOn cubic miles. Next, !
reiucGd-the contents OF tho earth to
cubic inches, and found that i contained
nearly seventy.ive septillion cubic
inches. Then, | supposed that had
one decillion particles OF dust, so small
that cubic inch vessel would contain
ten thousand OF them, and l found that
one decilllon such PARTICLES of dust, al.
lowing ten thousand to tho cubic inch,
would be a sufficient quantity TO create
more than one thousand three hundred
and fifty such earths as the one upon
which Ne live. | attempted TO go no
further, The thought subdued me. !
dropped the subject and took up work
OF d more beneficial character, and
thought how foolish in man to enumer.
ate IN to one decilllon even, let alone
his going beyond this and searching In
regions where his mind is lost and
wanders on, a dim sueCter, developed in
the mystical and shadowy land Of incom'
prehension. IEcuAsEh'