Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-12-22
7Ne CELESTIAL woalpa


4 asas.sins ssnAy - ~ Reza1tvsay Hnss-
Dsas Befnxs They Might CsatatA
A great deal has been said and much
specularion beeu sfzdaiged in with refer
euce 70 the question whether the celestial
worlds are inf1ahsfed by intellectual b.
ings similar TO the earth inhafafing E,an-
Il scarcely aslrEisS Of any doubt that this
Interesting question will ever remain a
naere matter OF speculation. bat let rs
suppose that Beings resembling man III
stature were dwelling en- those glorious
ostss VIC see in the vast vau.t Of The heztv-
eias, and lee Us investigate Is hal proper
tiofls they would bear 10 us provided the
ieagfh OF thelr sx5siies yviere ia the same
ratio 10 the dl=als-s~r Of taeir respective
globe As oars 70 t;se = ,'fstser Of the earth
For this reason we ;,.sss elIassn the largest
orb OF our salSr system, the central body
Of that system issslf sslId the gues. brilliant
fixed star IN toe sky.
The average it.ftabisans Of the planet
Jupiter would stand at-ost 90 fe+'t III his
shoes Were such "a Joyiaa 10 visit our
Earth lie weaid be aide, witheat the dan
ger OF tiislaeatiEg his nees, 20 look into
the tcrs,zboss stories of oar metropolitan
buildings 4 ,Ievian infant cradle would
be considered by Us a very comfortable Bel
TO rest in. The huge soldiers OF Arrows
tns. whose mere sight struck terror into
Caesars lezions. would dwinale into very
py.,rnies were they 10 be compared with
the Jovian soldier. Nay, the lstter would
cooliy pick up King Arioyistus himself,
with three Or fosIr Of his bodyguard, and
put them into his knspsaek TO keep them
as animated toys to play with during the
hours of rest.
The solar inhabirane of average size
would measure height of over $50 feet,
so that were he 10 visit the earth the most
capacious building ever erected by I1an
would be too small to offer him hospitality.
Three or four dozen fattened oxen would
form but a meager breakfast for that ca
pacious eavern-his stomach. On the
palm of his hand a whole company Of ter
r,-strial soldiers would have sufficient room
70 go through their military drill and evo-
buttons. What deafeuing sounds would
emerge from those enormous beliows-a
solar man 3 iuues-even il he were TO keep
the pitch OF his voice within the limits OF
ordinary speech
The distances of the fixed stars from US
are so enormous that, as yet, no absolute
lv reliable means have been found Of as
eertaining the real magnitudes of those co
iossal orbs Still, it is to be presumed
that some of them, by dint of frequent OBJ
servations and by applying TO them that
powerful lever in the hands of the astron-
onier, spectrum analysis, may be with Ger
tainty considered as being at least Ger
tain number OF times AS great as our sun.
TO most of US the sun is the very qnintes
sence of what is large. but compared with
most fixed stars it becomes small, for were
it removed 10 the distance OF the nearest
fixed star it would shine with the bril-
liancy of only a star Of the second magni-
tude.
Sirius, tine king among the fixed stars
of our armament. is at least 50 large that
il it were inhabited by beings similar to
men one of average size would attain to
the dazzling height of Il miles-that of
a respectable mountain peak. Here we
leave it to the Imagination Of the reader
to picture to himself world peopied with
such gigantic beings, compared with
whom we poor terrestrial mortals sink into
utter insignificance. Still there is one
consoling thought-viz, that in small
body there may dwell large soul aud
vigorous mind, the one immortal and the
other capable of graphing with the alb
strllsest questions of philosophy and sci
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