Adams County news. [volume] (Ritzville, Wash.) 1898-1906, 1902-05-07
Earth Running Away.

Inc most StupendouS event ahecung
the ultimate destiny of mankind is one
that perhaps ninety-nine out of every
hundred of the earths inhabitants have
never heard Of, and that certainly net
one in a thousand has ever seriously
thought about.
Miss AgHes M. Clerke, the historian of
astronomy in the nineteenth century, h; S
rightly declared that in comparison with
the momentous issues of this event,
"world-poitics, evolutionary anticipa-
tons, the subjugation of nature by SCI
ence, sink into significance"
1t is the movement, or flight of the
solar system through space. The word
fight involves no exaggeratjon. because
the speed concerned is more than twenty
times that of the swiftest projectile.
In other words, the sun and the earth,
with the other seven principal planets,
and all the moons, asteroids, meteors.
comets and smaller bodies belonging to
Our particular system, are flying together
through the universe in the open space
between the stars. so rapidly that every
year they advance not less than 100000
900 miles.
One of the greatest and most difficult
tasks that astronomers have set for
themselves is that of determining the
precise direction of this vast cruise of
worlds. The distant stars are their bea-
cons, from which to calculate course and
distance: but unfortunately, all these
stars, like the sun itself, are in motion.
and going in every direction.
1t is as if the lighthouses by which the
sailor guides his way along dangerous
coast were constantly shifting their
places. not one of them fixed in position!
For this reason there are no problems
in astronomy so difficult to solve as those
presented by the flight of the solar sys-
tenn. Just where are we going?
From what point in the universe have
we come? What governs our motion?
Shall we run into danger?
We know that the universe is popu-
lous with invisible or half-seen nebulae.
and totally dark bodies, some of which
are of enormous size and massivenese-
shall we ever strike these things, or run
through them?
Once in while we behold sudden
flaming in the black depths. and a new
star blazes for awhile, and then fades into
nebula, and our observations tell us
that there has been a violent collision
with its consequent outgush of terrific.
world-consuming heat.
OWill something of that kind ever occur
to us as we rush blindly into the dark?
With our minds absorbed by such petty
things Tiny railroads few thousand
miles in length; little acorn cups of ships
aAoat upon the film of water which we
call the ocean; heaps of piled bricks,
making cities that have "the brief dura-
ton of a flower" and specks Of land inn
posingly named empires. which man
on the moon could hide behind his up
lifted finger-with all these we are little
children playing on the deck of speed
ing steamship, whose engines are racing
without possibility of control. whose
helm is lashed fast, whose prov is burst
ing into unknown and trackless waters.
and whose navigators can only guess at
their course, because they can discover
no beacon that remains steadfast.
The sunshine sparkles day after day
upon our toys, and we are light-hearted
because we know nothing of the perplex-
tiles that confound the watchers on the
mastheads.
But, on the other hand, it would be
foolish to worry. There may after all be
no danger, or so little that we can disre-
gard it. The probabilities are all in our
favor.
At present we seem to be moving
straight away through space, and if we
should keep on in the same direction for
million years or two million years, we
would arrive in crowded part of the
universe, where, from our own point of
view, the Milky way CLEANS with its
countless multitudes.
We seem to be aimed toward one of
the greatest stars in the sky. Vega. in
comparison with which our sun is pitt
full glimerer.
But it is hardly possible that we shall
continue in the same undertaking course.
| The only conceivable cause of our mo-
ton is gravtation, and with that power
every star is drawing us. We must
swerve from straight line sooner or
later; we may be swerving from it now.
Yet, after all is said, the thing remains
a mystery. But better movement, prog
ress in some direction, even though it
defy analysis and comprehension. than
mo.ionlessness and stagnation. however
well explained.-New York Journal.
Anent Hiss Stone.