Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1892-01-30

much beyond the solar system.
II Ia well understood fact
that Il has not mastered all the
details Of evon that limited extent Of
space. Astronomy, aided by mstho-
MATES, gives IA the weight Of the
globe on which we live, and while II
Is impossible under any circumstances
10 compute 40 vast bulk with exact.
mes, we have reached the approximate
figurce, and when spread out before IA
on par. they look harmless aud sim.
pie enough; yet they are 40 utterly in
conceivable as to be practically mean
ingless 10 us, and any prolonged attempt
10 grasp and comprehend their magnl.
tude must have upon any mind but
the same effect ~ was simultaneously
produced uron Herschol- the faculties
would give way temporarily, perhaps
permanently.
II being granted that the earth has
been correctly weighed In the In.
visible scales, we have still but
reached the threshold Of the sim.
plcst division Of our inve stifaiions
rho moon has been weighed, 70 have
all the major planets OK cepting Uranus
and Neptune, whose extreme rcmote-
ness renders any computations with
reference " them more or less vacuous.
This il true In smaller degree r..
garling MI other equations OF celestial
bodice within or without the sphere Of
actual scientific exploration. The
density Of the moon, for example, 10
set down at 70 much, IL specific grav-
ily at ~ much, snd then IL sum total
OF averdupoia would be tolenbly plain
sailing for the brighter Of our more
advanced school boys; but when found
1t would be- Of little value, even a. an
incentive to conjecture, because Of
being the sequence Of measurably
hypothetical condition.
Asa matter Of fact our mos, gifted
astronomers do not know what the
physical condition of tho moon or any
other Of our solar neighbors IL, and
thoy cannot know because II is beyond
their present mental grasp. They
know more OF tne subject than the
clown does, more even than most PEG.
pie who are highly educated, because
they know how rapidly 1t moves In It's
stately procession around our abiding
place, can accurately determine the
degree Of centrifugal and centrlpetal
force TO which II IA subjected, and
these things being determined they
have basis upon which to rest
their calculations a. 10 weight.
Hut II should be borne In
mind that other ind uences may
operate In the production Of rapldity,
aud that any conclusion based upon
that or attendant similar facts must IN
the very nature Of things be- exceeding
faulty; anyway, II is not tHotEicdge.
Proceeding further Ia the celestial
journey aud reaching our next nearest
nrishbor-M srs-the signs must fail
siill more signally, or II correct, DO the
result Of the mcrest chance. II moves
more slowly In It's orbit than we do, and
our earth and II have n sensible at.
tractiveness for each other when In
COM Junction. but this does not on able
our scientific brethren to determine Its
specific gravity, to conclude to tie
fraction Of an inch how rapidly
stone dropped on the Martial planet
will fall the tirst second, and
so on. They can come much
nearer TO II than we who ARE unskillod
can, because of reasons previously sug-
ges,ed aud some others, hut they do
not ka0g these conclusions 10 be- exact
they only know them to DO the result
OF careful investigation, watchlui
scrutiny and close computation. II
IL given Us with no such unhesi.
tatipg direotness as are their announce.
ments In tue almauncs Of how many
cclipses we are to have during the
year, where they viii be- observed TO the
best advantage md where II Ia useless
TO look for them Mt all--for, while these
are things "a much beyond the knowl.
edge OF the common run Of mortality
Az are the Paniects Of Justinian be.
You'd the comprehension OF Hot
tontot, they are yet within the field
OF human achievement and few
have succeeded In gaining the higher
ground-as high, no doubt, az they
eau get and remain altogether NOR
tai. Their achievements set upon
them nil the more gracefully from the
fact that In most cases they checriully
concede that their knowledge Is limit
ed to span Inid that all beyond Is
nearly as mysterious to them as to the
"mind interrupted by hooks" Fur.
thermore, they are seldom arrogant
and never selt-sutlicient.
Few indeed u the learned minds
that make an occupation Of celestial
exploration will not readily concede,
aud some Of them assert, that the real
basis OF their achievements Ia outside
OF books, beyond the sphere OF
mechanical fundamentally, aud
above the field Of mere mental TO-
searoh-that uuaided by inspiration
aud unRuided by monitor whose