The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-03-01
EARTH AT The CENTRE OF ALL
AND NAN THE CHIEF END AND
PURPOSE or THE UNIVERSE.
DR.. Alfred Russell waliaces Theory - to
the I'm: tance or Our sslar system
-Receri Astronomical Dfscoterfes
show u to Have . special Piace'
,s,,e,a, coa, pe,po,eA 10 TaE sun.

SnfdG Z dof Dtspdteh W 80 osN'
LONDON, roo. 20 ino attcnt!on OF the
thinking world will be attracted by re-
markable a. ticle In the Forfniohly Rerfse
for March. by DR.. Alfred Russell "aiiaee,
entitled Mans Place In the Universe
The eminent writer has assembled all tnc
latest astro nomical and other sciehtihc
discoveries and knowledge bearing upon
the subject He deduoes therefrom this
marvellous theory:
First-Ths the earth or solar system
In the ply, ical centre OF the stellar uni
verse.
Sccond-l.hat the supreme end and pur-
pose OF this vast universe was the proouc-
ton and d. pelopment Of the living soul IN
the perisha We body OF man.
II Is irhp ,ssbie In a brief cable review
10 do mora Than Indicate the chief features
Of DIR. Wall cos great contribution to mod
ern though He first reminds us that TO
the early stronomers the earth was the
centre OF he Visible universe. the sun,
moon. pla cts and stars oil revolving
around IL ! eccentric and complex or bits
After that progressive knowledge showed
us the utte insignifcance OF even our solar
system, we seem driven to the other ex-
tremc. Tn, tendency OF all recent astro-
nomical research has been to give US wider
views of the vastness and variety and mar
velous coniplexity OF the stellar universe
and propoftionately, to reduce the I'M
portance Of our little speck Of earth almost
10 the vaniphing point
Moderx fec3ytics, In tbs light OF this
knowledge, point out the irrationality and
absurdlty Of surprising that the Creator
OF all this unima ginable vastness OF suns
and systems should have any special In
tercst In 40 pitlful creature IA man. the
degraded or imperfsctly developed In
habltant Of one Sf tho smaller planets at
,ached to O second or third-rate sun, while
that Hfshoah have selected this little
world for the -ccne Of the tremendous and
necessarily unique sacrifice OF His Son,
In order TO ave portion OF these mis-
cradle SINNERS from the natural conse'
auences OF their sins, Is. In their view. a
crowning absurdty too Incredible TO be
believed by any rational being.
|, must be confessed, he says. that
theologians have no adequate reply Ia
this rude attack. while many OF them have
felt their position to I've un'eII'le, and
have renounced the ie:a g. 1'h reveia-
ton and "a Suppress, Vaviour for the e1-
elusive benefit OF 40 minute and insignif-
cant a speck in the universe.
DR.. Wallace then adduces the evidence
from n groa, body OF new facts and obser
walton. made within the last quarter Of
n century that the carths position In tho
material universe is special and probably
unioue. He fir, asks, Are tho stars in
Ante In number, Then he points out that
with every increaae OF power In telt ,opes
unit, reccnt wears there had been q pro
nortionate increase In the number OF visible
90. Th.ro are about ,oo nm stars b,-
a. -, ,ho ar., and ninth ma rni,ud,. the
tho nuu,blr nj each Lesser magnitude being
-, ,hro. ,imes tia, NJ tho next hisher.
NJ ~ this rate Of incrras~ were col tipued
aawn 20 the s.ven,ecnth masnitudr there
you'd bc about 1 400 900 ooo visible. In
,ho hes, modern ,elescoues. telescopic
and photographs charts sbox
,,o,h,,a aanraa<h;ng mi. number Tho
,a,es, estimate does not EXCEED 100 900 600.
A. a.. g., ,,;,,.,,s roach fur,ber and mr..
,hor ;o,r snac. thew And n con,inuo,s
s,,,.,,,,,,i,, H., ,h, nurhor NJ .,.rs thu. In.
,iic.,ino nm anproach 10 the outer limit.
., ,ho lila, universe
nj. ..,.,,.io, 4. S,r,hsr .nforoad h.
,ho ,.,, ,ha, the numerou. dark n.saase.
A.. a.. aavon. uh.ro ba,dIv .nv .,sr.
"a visible and ,ho.e s.en nroiac,sd
an nm in,.,.elv dsrk baokground CON-
- ~ n,os.n, tho ..re fs.tures in tale
go, 81 Tho h,sh.s, noxers as ,bsv do
IN ,hos. ~ modera,e size This could
no, nossihlv happen n IN. stars were in
enit M, n,,r,her q, eyen ~ tbev e.,ended
in sin,lar nrofnsion into snace. much
aroa,.r INN ,ho.e which our tslescone.
Cor r..oh because in thai case ,be,.e dsrk
h.,Lr ound. would he illuminated nv the
ii.h, ~ nillions az s,ars 40 dI.tan, IA %
10 .eo-a,eIv Invisible. ma IN the case ~
an. NiILv Wav. The onlv other e.plana-
a. ,o,,id no tha, tho star .v.,em 4. nen.-
,,.,.t in s..ysral directions NV nerfec,lv
.,rai~b, tunnels Of enormous lenyth n.
c,ruosrei with their diameter. In which
M .sars e,is, and this Ia con .idered to Ire
so ,mprobable as no, TO he worthy of
cnp.ideration.
Lr Wallats, next con siders the most
nj r1kine proof OF the limited extent OF the
a ,llar uniy~rre which consists In an ANALYSIS
o',he laws OF lieht. He quotes Prof New
,omhr~p6 other physicists. who affirm that
n the number OF stars wer. INFINITE their