Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1910-05-27
WHAT THE COMET SAW


paritively close to the old earth
Wednesday night? 1t has been
three-quarters of a century since
Mr.. Halley's tramp was permitted
a really good view of our little
sphere despite the fact that it is a
very rapid traveller and never varies
from its fixed course. Seventy five
years have wrought many changes
on the earth. To us who have
seen so many of these things en-
volved they do not seem so wonder
full as they might were we to re-
turned after a long absence to find
them accomplished. And so, the
comet, if it looked this way at all,
and if its visions were not dimmed
by the bright rays of the sun to-
ward which it gazes increasingly,
probably was somewhat surprised
at the progress which we mortals
have made.
But the comet is an old head
and a wise one, no doubt. 1t has
been ''joy-riding" through space
for centuries without a single ac-
cident and with never a collision.
So it must be fair to assume that
this tramp of the heavens has an eX-
cellent memory for faces and
events, and a keen perception, says
the Woman's National Daily. 1t
would be worth while if one could
be told by this tourist what it has
observed elsewhere on its travels.
We should all like very much to
know how our boosted attainments
compare with those observed on
other planets. We are quite in
clined, you know to judge all such
things by comparison, not realizing,
even if it is a fact, that there is a
real and true standard of perfection.
One thing is certain, though, and
that is that the comet must have
been forced to admit that the people
of the earth have made wonderful
material progress in seventy-fve
years. So hasty a glance as that
permitted in his hurried fight could
not have allowed even an imperfect
estimate of our progress in any
other line of development except
as it may have been apparent in the
harmonious working out of in
dustrial and economic problems.
The comet, if it had seen similar
evidences of ingenuity elsewhere,
must have wondered what the
parallel lines of steel running criss-
cross from ocea to ocean and from
lakes to gulf were designed for.
And the network Of wires run
ming everywhere! What were they?
None of these things met the
comets hurried glance three
quarters of a century ago. Then
it was seen that man is digging a
great ditch which will sever the
western hemisphere in twain.
What kind of work is this for NOR
tails? Absolutely altering the to-
biography of their little planet.
And for what purpose? Oh, this is
it. To allow the more ready
passage of these new warships,
those powerful engines of offense
and defense, greater and more
terrible than anything the world
has ever seen. Possibly the tramp
smiled a little as he saw these
great preparations, for it must
have occurred to it that by chang
ing its course the merest jot ii
could have swept these mighty men
of war, the canal, the railroads
and all into oblivion chaos.
But the lordly wanderers Smile
was ~supercilious. 1t is as impotent
to change its own curse as nan is
to stop the revolutions of his own
earth. Somewhere there is a
guiding destiny. Call it what you
will, but il is something beside
chance. BY design there has been
evolved a system as perfect and
immutable as God himself by which
the corse of comets as well as that
of the sun and planets is fixed.
When we realize that we can but
repeat the words. "What is man
that thou art mindful Of him: or
the son of man that thou visitest
him?"
- ~ -
naraaa -A---