Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1911-05-18
The Center Of
Things
By DR.. A CRANE

comforting. | am the center of the
universe. In a minute this morning
this flashed on me, and the puzzle of
the ages was solved.
No more dispute as to whether the
earth goes round the sun, or the sun
round the earth, or both round the con-
5stellation Of Hercules, for the whole
business revolves about me. I am the
axis. -.
When Proctor Knott extolled Du-
.luth as the spot where the horizon
comes down at equal distance in every
direction, he spoke the sober, Gods
truth. 1 write these lines on a ship a
thousand miles at sea; all around is
water and sky; and right in the exact
geographical center of everything am
I and my ship. Come to think of it,
this has always been the case all my
life.
My father and mother existed for
the purpose of bringing me into the
world; my brothers being by-products.
The old Third ward school house in
Springfield, Ill, was built THAT might
attend there, and Ut has since beer
torn DOWN learn to spell; indeed, the
entire educational system came into
being in order that 1 might go to that
school,.
Emperors die in China, and kings
are upset in Portugal; earthquakes
shake Sicily and panics Wall street,
and all simply that the news thereof
may be laid before me at the break
fast table.
Tho hir opG lfff1a 1fVrorr uyhiy1
about the pole star, Antares winks,
and Venus glows, and Halley's comet
comes and goes-for me.
And in all this there is no egotism.
For in saying I am the center of the
osmos I do not at all imply that you
also are not the center of the cosmos.
In fact, you are; everybody is. There
are as many centers as there are con-
scious beings. The mistake we have
made all along is in supposing there
can be but one center. If you look
through a window pane covered with
rain drops n frost crystals at a point
of light, you will notice that any way
you move your head the light always
remains the center Of innumerable con-
centric rings formed by the glistening
reflections. 1t is even SO In life, as you
move the center moves.
There are as many worlds as there
are creatures. AS Zangwin says: The
ascent world of dogs, the y world of
birds, the uncanny touch world OF
= bats, the earth world of worms, the
water world of fishes and gyroscopfc
world of dancing mice, the flesh world
of parasites, the microscopic world Of
microbes, interest n another mex
'tricably and with an infinite inter
ilacing, yet each is a symmetric sphere
of being, a rounded whole, and to its
denizens the sole and self-sumcient
cosmos.
The account Of creation as given IN
the Pentateuch is therefore psycholog.
tically and essentially correct; Coo did
make the sun and give man light by
day, and the moon and stars to shine
on him by night, as far as man is con
.cerned.
If the Bible had been written fol
angels it might have stated the case
differently. When the penitent at The
tmourner's bench is told that he will
never find peace until he believes tina
the son of God came to a " him per
tsonally, he is told the plain truth: thu
meaning of which Is that he Is to NOV.
in from the suburbs into the center o
creation.
For it is only when a soul feels tn
stars rise and fall about him orderly
angels and devils tugging at him, AM
all creation recognizing his geocentri
supremacy, that he gets pOise an
ceases to be eccentric. Eccentric mean
having the point about which a whee
'%revolves at. N side of the center.
There are SO many disconnected, ur
happy people in the world, simply be
cause there arc SO man eccentric, loI
sided, bumpy, flat-wheeled, irregula
souls. Move in! Move in! Occup
your due place in the spotlight of de!
tiny! Worms do it, why not you?
Philosophers have ridiculed thi
homocentric theory. Goethe turne
from it in disgust. Pope wrote caust
cally:
While man exclaims. See all thing
for my use!
See man for mine!' replies the pan
pered goose"
But the instinct of humanity
wiser than the wisdom Of the learne'
Homer breathed truth when he repr
scented the gods fighting for an
against Troy. The Old Testament
right when it shows Jehovah activel
interested in the chosen people. Ever
people is a chosen people, and there
no God but our own peculiar Jah
EElOhim.
And Jesus was most right n trr
of all when he had us %appropriat
each one of us, the special care of Il
Father of All. There is no Providen.
that is of any mortal use to nae b.
Special Providence; if it is only ge
eral it had as well not be at all. 1t
precisely because he clothes the lili'
Of the field that he will also clotl
ye, o We of little faith. Because !
notes the sparrow he will note you.
Won have an right