Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1899-01-25
SPACE.
Human Conception of the Term Is
Faint.


Written for THE AMERICAN by Livy Pen
ney, of Hancock.
How little does the word space, abb
stractly considered, convey to the mind
of man OF that eternity OF distance that
street ches away in every direction from
I he point on which he is standing. How
feeble are the powers of the loftiest gen
ius o graphic with problem which has
nett her sum nor bound nor limit.
know OF no theme SO eminently cal
eulsted to awaken emotions OF awe and
wonder In he soul that is in tune
with the harmon les of nature as the con-
temptation Of he starry heavens. There
he Eternal hes written His name in let
tiers OF living light, whose beauty is not
diminished by he lapse OF ages, nor their
refulgence extinguished by the circlng
centuries OF time
All the stars that the unassisted eye can
reach, and countless IT ilions hat can only
be reached by the astronomers glass, are
supposed to belong to one great brother
hood OF suns, among which the great
luminary on which we depend for life and
light is but one. Reasoning from analogy,
we may well suppose that each of those
suns like our own has its attendant train
o. planets, peopled with beings fitted to
their degree OF light. heat and density.
1t was thought to be, and indeed was, a
great scientific achievement when, by the
aid OF the first rude glass, the astronomer
WAS able to demonstrate the difference
between fixed stars and planets. But to
Lord Ross was left the honor of breaking
The seals OF the great volume OF astronom-
ical science. When he turned his great
reflector upon the starry heavens, new
revelation burst wit st@tling splendor
on the bewildered eyes OF man. Spaces
before suppose to be starless were found
to be thickIy studded with stars Of many
colored light, W hose scintillations were a
blank to all glasses previously con-
structed. Patches OF pale vapory light
which had before been discovered and
commented upon as part OF our own con-
stellation and probably suns in process of
cor densation, were by the powerful lens
OF this ghiy telescope found to be i'm
measurably removed beyond our system of
conceivably remote for human compre-
hension. In fact, some of these nebulous
patches, When viewed through glasses OF
hight st magnify ing power show stars of
tae fifth and sixth magnitude.
We comprehend the spaces in which we
move and to some extent the solar dis
tances, but the mind ofSman is too feeble
ai,,a rafi nnaI nj m NJ q
point so distant that congregation of
suns ike the one TO which we belong
shrinks into a mere luminous wisp the
size of Il mans hand.
Perhaps il is Idle to speculate on atheme
so far trsnscendIug the power Of finite
compre pension, but the Contempiative
mind invoiuntarily turns from the known
to grapple with the unknown. The mind
OF man ehrinks back with awe at the
thought and yet he intuitiNely admits
that space must be of necessity infinite
III extent; that there can be no point so
distant but there must be an intinity OF
space beyond it.
Could we borrow the wings OF light and
fly past those distant clusters OF suns as
city, there would be plenty Of room for US
to fly to all eternal duration, and still
have the amount Of space before us that
we had at starting.
When l contemplate the power and
wisdom OF our peneficent Creator through
the medium of His works, l am lost in
wonder and admiration. Surely He that
hath said: "The knowledge of the glory
OF God shall cover the earth as the waters
cover the sea-" is amply able to redeem
His pledge. In view Of all these consid-
erat ions, am satisfied that the purpose
for which all this beauty, order and har-
mony WAS called into existence will not
be fulfilled till one universal shout Of
Thanksgiving goes up to God from every
created intelligence. The bud is Gods
promise of the blossom; the dawn is
Gods harbinger OF day, and the. hopes
and aspirations which He has implanted
in human souls, are Gods sure guarantee
that man was created for eternity.