The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-10-09
MANS PLACE in NATURE.
BY PROF. EDGAR \ IARKIN, or tile Love Observatory.

4 the suns nearest neIghbor is known
| within the limit OF small area.
s NO mental power Of man in his present
scarcely trained and barbaric condition
! IS able cven to begin a series OF coherent
! thoughts on this mighty maze OF figures.
For lct5a mind be trained now 10 n de-
| gree OF culture the highest a spresent at
tainable such as that reached BY the
ticians--where one mind knows more OF
nature than ten million other selected
Imtnds-attacht these vast numbers, then,
lit would be overwhelmed f.i,s 4 moment.
Research In this note, striving to find
how small the earth IS, has scarcely
commenced yet, for, although the space
sphere, having diameter OF twenty
five trlllton miles. Is large enough to
contain thirty cotillion worlds like the
earth, the appalling fact now looms up--
this colossal sphere itself,St be described
With near approach to accuracy, would
require the use OF that short, simple,
easily remembered, impressive. and po-
tent word nothing! 1t comes in at the
critical time when searching for words,
and suits the case admirably.
Duls y ak III III Scu, IuTs IlSSCIlO.
ogists have discovered that The human
mind. in It's current and passing phase
'iof evolution from primordial conscious
ness In the remote past. to approaching
and limitless reason In tho distant future,
Is unable to think OF the meaning Of the
word nothing. II is OF course, scarcely
accurate to say that a sphere OF space
twenty-five trillion miles in diameter.
bears 50 minute a relation to space now
known to astronomers that the proportion
could be included under the word noth-
Ing What we mean 70 say is that
In comparison the Dimensions OF the.
sphere is next to nothing. This has
an appronch to precision For from star
gauges, photometrld determinations,
proper motions, computations and 4esti-
mates. modern critical research has led
to the conclusion, a conclusion whose
limit Of area may probably be set within
twenty per cent, that the portion OF the.
sidereal structure visible in the largest
telescope has diameter so enormous
that light moving $4,000 miles during
each second OF time requires 10000 years
Ato traverse 1t.
* a sphere With this diameter Is $50 bill
lion times larger than the microscopic
sphere OF only twenty-five trilllon miles
In diameter. So the little sphere con-
strolled by our sun is not strictly nothing,
but Is very near It, Call the celestial
sphere 300 Billion times larger than the
little one allow3hfty billion for mistakes
In measuring these brain SIMPLIFYING dis
stanees, then the final result, so far ms,
the size of the earth Is concerned, is
changed.
This may be cleared thus No mind
not even Of the ablest mathematlcans,
where one man knows more than ten
million others--wou he powerful enough
to traverse wildernesses, broad expansos
and complex labyrlnths OF hgnres and
detect the difference between these two
sentences: The earth Is nothing and the
earth Is next to nothing.
So far the Dimensions of the earth have
been compared 10 space fairly Well known
10 modern astronomy; but II At be com.
pared III mass to the nldss OF matter
nov known to be In existence the earth
again emerge from q sea Of mathematics
SO unutterab bly, and 4lndescrlbably small
that tl,e mind actually finds relief from
stress and tension always experienced
In these Investigations by summoning ia
our aid Inc quieting and soothing World
nothing, But the earth Is mans place,
In ma turp 5tf ysef ~ iil& e HI ri s9Et5i s{A