The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-09-01
tn OTHER WORLDS.
eUrlS REASONING MAr BE AT
y6ULT REG<RDfsG zHE Stars.
csrnilis Flsmmarion shows That othsr
Worlds Than Ours May BE Inhabited
by Creatures Fair.

tioHS si4I VI ohA IuNNihthto hib NV I'M
planetary existenccs TO a servile image {
what exists here below. The terrestrial d
ganic forms are due TO the local causes {
our planet. The chemical constitution q
water and OF tho atmosphere, temperatur,
light, density, weight are 50 many elC
ments which have served to make our bod
ies Our flesh Is composed Of carbon, azotC
hydrogen and oxygen, combined with th
state Of water and Of some other elements
among which we may mention chloride 0
sodium. The flesh Of animals Is not chem
ically different from ours. It all come
from water and air and will. return q
them. The same elements In small guam
titles make up every living being. The OK
which eats the grass. forms the same kin,
OF flesh rs man, who eats the OK. All ter
restrial organic matter is only carbon, com
bined in varying proportions with hydro
zen, azote, oxygen, etc.
But we have 10 right 90 forbid nature tc
act otherwise In worlds where carbon does
not exist. A world, for example, where
silica would replace carbon, silic acid, car
bonlc acid-could it not be inhabited by
beings Of an organism altogether different
from those existing on the earth, different
not only in form but also in substancei In
q world where chloride would dominate
would we not find chloric acid and all the
fertile family of the chlorides fulfilling an
important part tn tho functions OF lifei
And bromide. could 10 not be associated
with other formatiousl And why should
we stop at terrestrial chemistry
One thing certain Is that the marvellous
revelations Of the spectrum analysis do not
argue In favor OF unity Of chemical con.
stitution in the different celestial bodies,
nor Of an absolute unity among them
selves; far from il. In ouF own solar sys
ITEM we find essential differences between
certain planets. In the spectrum Of Jupiter
for example, we find an unknown substance
which msnifests itself by a strong absorp.
ton OF certain red rays. This gas, which
does not exist on the earth, shows itself
even more strongly In the atmosphere OF
Saturn and Of Uranus. On this last planet
the atmosphere even appears il we leave
aqueous vapor out Of consideration, TO have
no analogy with ours. Moreover, in the
solar spectrum itself we find substance to
which has been given the name Of helum.
and which we have never found On the
earth.
themselves is an undeniable fact, since they
ore all daughters Of one father, but they
differ among themselves, not only by loca
ton, position, volume mass, density, tenn
perature, atmosphere, but still more by
their physical and chemical constitution,
aud the point to which we call attention
here is that this diversity should not be
considered as an obstacle to the manifesto
tons Of life; but, on the contrary, as q new
field open TO the infinite fecundity Of the
universal mother.
When, then, our thought takes fight not
only toward our neighbors the moon, We /
nus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, but even to the
myriads Of unknown worlds which gravi |
tate about the suns scattered in space, we
have no plausible reason for imagining |
that the inhabitants Of these other worlds /
of the skies resemble US In any particular, !
whether in form or in organic substance. |
The form Of the terrestrial human body is /
due TO the elements of our planet, notably |
carbon. The terrestrial human form is de. |
rived from ancestral animals from which /
iC has gradually elevated itself by the con.
tinued progress of the transformation of /
beings. Beyond doubt, it seems to US that /
head, a heart, lungs, two legs, two arms,
etc. Nothing Is less clearly demonstrated. |
If we are constituted AS we are, it is sim
ply because the prosimians had also a head, !
n heart, lungs, legs, arms, not by any means
as elegant d yours, madam, but still of the
same anatomy. And little by little we 20
back easily today by means of paleontology
20 the origin OF beings. Thus il is certain
that the bird has developed from the rep.
tile by a process of organic evolution; so also
1t is certain that terrestrial humanity repre-
sents the summit Of an immense genea,og.
zeal tree, Of which all the branches are
brothers, and the roots Of which plunge
into the very rudiments Of the most ele.
mentary primitive organisms.
All kinds OF imaginable and unimagina,
bic forms should people the multitude OF
worlds. Terrestrial man is endowed with
five senses, or rather with six. Why should
nature have stopped thereY Why, for ex.
ample, should she not have endowed Ger.
tain mortals with an electric senseY with
magnetic sensoY with a sense of localityf
with an organ capable OF perceiying ethe.
real vibrations Of intra rouge and Of ultra
violetf of a sense permitting one to hear
|
We eat and digest like the grosser animals.
Do there not exist worlds where the nut~i.
tive atmosphere dispenses fits inhabitants
from so ridiculous burdenf The smallest
swallow, the duslzy bat itself, has the ad.
vantage over us Of flying through the air.
Is not our world, where the man Of the
greatest genius, the most exquisite woman,
finds himself or herself nailed TO the earth
like the common caterpillar before its
very inferior onef
Wslll Would il be so disagreeable 10 in
ha0it world Of perfume and voluptuous
hess, where the flowers would be animated.
where suns OF many col0rs--the diamond
Joined to the ruby, garnet 10 the emerald
aud TO the sapphilo-wOuld shine night
md day--blue nights scarlet days-in the
glory OF an eternal springtime; many col
lrod moons sleeping on the mirror of the
Satera, phosphorcsccnt mountains, aerial
mep, women and perhaps
'ther sexes, perfect IN their forms, en-
lowed with multiplied sonsibilities. iumi
lous at Will, incJmbustible as asbestus. i'm.
Mortal perhapss AT least, hlliputian
toms that we are, once Tor all leu as be
onvinced that all our imagination is but
fertility in the nidst OF the infinite, scarce
y seen through the telescope Camille
'lalnmarion in ST. Louis Globe Democrat.
AQueer Pygmy Chinaman.
There has arrived in Soochow a micro
'ropic prodigy ~ inches In height, aged 81