Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1894-05-31
The Universe, the solor System and the Earth
We Live On.

The average man is too busy with
his wants and necessities, his pleasures
and politics, to give much time to en-.
large his mind and understanding by
the study of the earth he lives on, oI
the universe of which he is an infinitis-
mal part. Allow one who has read
some space to give n brief synopsis
from the works of leading astronomers
of those interesting sciences.
Time Is but II measure OF eternity;
ii had no beginning and can have no
end; it always was and always will he.
Space is everywhere; it has no limit
aud is beyond our comprehension. 1t
Is studded with myriads of bodies
called stars; some of those seen by
our largest telescopes (the invention
of puny man) are so distant that 1t
would take light travelling ut the rate
to reach the earth, a distance almost
inconceivable. They can be seen just
as far in the opposite direction, and
how much farther man will never
know. One star Is at least twenty
times as large as our sun, and some
are 10000. ZOO, 900, 600 miles from
our solor system, OF which our sun is
the center. All are in motion, one
star travelling at the rate of goo miles
second. Our sun is also a star,
shining by its own light and is moving
towaI d the constellation OF Herculus
nearly million of miles every two
days, carrying the earth, the other
planets and every thing within the solor
system with it, as II ship carries her
passengers and freight; but we need
not be afraid of a collision as it will
take us n million years to accomplish
the journey. What subject to con
template. How incomprehensible the
universe. How puny is man. Our
sun, although only an average star, is
S60, 900 miles in diameter and a mil
lion times as large as our earth. 1t
would take IL railway train, running
sixty miles an hour night and day,
/ five years to go around it. Like our
earth it revolves on it's axis, but its
day is nearly as long as twenty-six OF
ours; 1t is over ninety million miles
from us and is supposed to he the
source OF light and heat for this and
all the other planets or bodies within
and controlled by itsinfluence. Some
however, dispute this and say both
by electricity. Neptune, the furthest
known planet, Is ,1SO,OOO,OOO OF
miles from the sur, and still this I'M
mense distance which is less than one
| hall the diameter OF our solor system
is but u speck when compared to the
universe, and if it was all blotted out
OF existence it would only be the loss
of one twinkling star among myriads.
The SOLAR SYsTEM-The Nebular
theory, first proposed by Kant, de-
veloped by Herschell and discanted
ON by LaPlace ''supposes that count
less ages ago IA mi2lty nebula was
7
ing. In the process OF contraction
portions of the condensed matter
would be left behind. These portions
would still revoive around the central
mass, and each portion would rotate
on it's axis in the same direction. As
tie process of contraction proceeded
dynamical principles that the velocity
of rotation would increase; and thus
at length these portions would con
solidate INTO planets while the centra
mass would gradually contract to
form the SUM-" Taking it fer granted
that the earth was once a ball o.
molten matter, that through long ages
it cooled enough to form a crust and
finally to support life at the poles
first vegetable, then animals, reptiles
fishes and those that now live in the
tropics; then man, the black races
first, the red next, the white last
: Proof that both vegetables and ami
mails that now exist within the tropic.
once lived near the poles are found il
the DRIFT and coal beds of the fal
north, and large quantities OF ele
phant bones are dug up on islands Oh
the sea coast of the extreme north o
!. Norway and carcases of elephant.