Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1894-02-10
PEOPLE OF OTHER WORLDS.
IT Jupiter Is Inhabited the Men There
Are sixty Feet Tail.

Are sixty Feet Tall.
\ great deal has been said and much
speculation been INDUCED in with ref
cr"nc" to the question whether the
celestial worlds are nhabitc by in
tcllcctual beings similar to the earth.
lrhahting man. 1t scarcely admits of
doubt that this interesting question
Will ever remain Il mere matter of
speculation. but let us suppose that
beings resembling man in stature were
dwelling on those glorious OrbS we see
Ill the vast vault of the heavens. and
l"l us investigate what proportions
ih'y would bear to us. provided th..
l"hS'h OF their bodies We're in the same
ran" To the diameter of their rcSpcr.
tiv" globe rs ours to the diameter g.,
the earth. For this reason we have
chosen the largest orb of our solar Sys
TEN. the central body of that system
itself and the most brilliant fixed sta
in the sky
Th" average inhabitant of the planet
Jupiter would stand about sixty feet
i'll his shoes. Were such Il Jovian to
visit our earth he would be able. with
out tn" danger of diSlocating his neck
t" look into the topmoSt stories of our
metropolitan buildings. 4 Jovinn in.
fant'S cradle would be considered hv
us Il very comfortable bed to rest in.
The hug" soldiers of ArioviSt,lS. whose
mere sight struck terror into Caesars
lcgionS, would dwindlc into very pig.
mes were they to be compared with
the .Iovian soldier: nay. the latter
would coolly pick up King Arovistrs
himself. with three or four of his body
guard. and put them into his knapSack
to keep them aS animated toys to play
with during the hours of rest
The solar inhnbtant of average size
would measure il height of over six
hundred feet. so that. were he to visit
the earth. til" most capaciouS building
ever erected by man would be too
small to offer him hospitality Three
or four dozen fattcncd oxen would
form but il mragre breakfast for that
capIci"uS cAvcrn-hiS stomach ON
the palm of his hand il whole comp my
of terrestrial soldiers would hrvr Sllf-
ticieni room To go through their mill
tary drill and "voutionS. What deaf
ening sounds would emerge from Those,
enormous h"llowS-a solar mans lungs
even if he were to keep the pitch Of
his voice within the limits of ordinary
speech. not to mention the hurricane
that would sweep over the land W ne
solar Congressional Senate 10 ind ,l-.r
i'll their flvoritc pHStimc of blowing nfl
rhetorical gas Would not the S,"nk-
erS gAvel calling IN obStrcp"rouS mem
Der to order break the windows within
radius of considerable length:
The distances of the fixed stars from
us are so enormous that us vet. no ah
Soluttly reliable means have bccil
found of aSrrrtainng the real mHyni-
tudcS of those colossal orbS Still il is
to b" presumed that some of them. bv
din1 of frequent observations and by
applying to them that powerful lever
in the hands of the astronomer. spec
trtm analysis. may be with certainty
considered us being at least Il certain
number of times as great as our sun
To most of us the sun is the vcrA
quintcSSrncc of what is large. but com
pared with most fixed stars il becomes
small. for were it removed to the dis
tance of the nearest fixed star it woulI
shine with the brilliancy of only Il star
of the second magnitude
Sirius. the king among the fixed stars
of our armament. is at least so large
that. if it were inhabited by beings
similar TO men. one of average size
would attain to the dazzling height of
one and onr-half milcs--that of IL To-
spectacle mountain peak. Here we
leave ii to the Imagination of the read
rr to picture to himself Il world pco-
Piled with such gigantic beings. com
pared with whom we poor terrestrial!
mortalS sink into utter inSigniticance.
Still there is one conSOliny thought.
viz. that in small body there may
dwell Il large soul and vigorous mind.
the one immortal and the other capa,
bic of graphing with the abStrrScSt
questions of philosophy and science
Baltimore Sun.