The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-09-19

people will obstinately refuse to be- iisve that any exist. That is human nature.
 Nor would that end all controversy for there are those who believe thai life may exist in other worlds. The Kansas City Journal almost drops in. to poetry in writing on the subject Ut says:
 The earth is one of the smallest oi the planets In this solar system. It iI natural to suppose that the flowert lifts his voice in praise of the God oI the Infinite in Jupiter, Saturn. Mars Venus. Mercury and the other worlds that have swung like the earth in un- ing sun since the morning stars sang together at the dawn of creation. Be sides. astronomers tell us that there are innumerable other solar systems such as ours; and man can see with spangie the hesvens-golden-hearted daisies in Gods meadows--are as countless as the sands of the sea. shore. Each must serve its appointed dsstiny-at least as useful L,,as as that S ci scholarly and eloquent head of ths Episcopal Church of Louisiana foI many years. once preached sermon upon the text. Tn My Fathers houst from the lips of Christ. and he al vanced the idea that the Savior meant that mortal man goes on In pro1res- sive stages from one existence to an othss ota; gnti1 srsse,nsss ne Tssshe' "Why asked fine bishop' .may mot the stars which we see In the heavens be the appoint. ed stages of our various extstencesr And. truly. why may not they per NC man can answer
 That all sounds nice, even if It is speculative and somewhat near to the romantic. Of course We do not know. and never can know. whether ours Is the only universe. Space is infinite. boundless and immeasurable. and one might bc Justified in not believing that all of it is wholly void except the compara lively small portion occupied by the universe that is visible to us For anything we know. or ever can know. there may be numerous worlds beyond the reach of mortal vision that are inhabited by some form of animal life and we none the wiser Where ignorance is bliss 'tis folly to Dc wise," we are told. and we are not sure that ignorance on this subject Is any drawback. If we knew that there were millions of crowded worlds besides ours we might be dissatisfied at not being able to get at them. As 10 that matter, we earth people are having enough troubles of our own just now.
 The good bishop to whom reference ,r made above. seems to be grazing on Mrs. Annie Besants preserves. or she on his. we are not certain which. when he speaks of "our various ex- istenees." Mrs. Resant claims. as well as we now remember. that she was born twelve thousand years ago. and has passed through numerous stages of existence since she started out That is interesting, even though she has no way to prove It, but the bisb- op seems to be arguing or specuiating on the same line. for he leaves us tc infer that man has existed in many forms and conditions besides the one he now occupies. That may be true. for all we know to the contrary. but 1t appears rather disconcerting to think that we may have been. and may continue to be. shifted about from one world to another through all time and eternity. That, however. need not worry us. nor interfere with the main object now to the front which is to ascertain if Mars is in- habited. When that is settled satis- fectorily 1t will be in order to tackle the more distant worlds.