Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1914-10-26

each with it, multitude OF revolving cor
pnscles, but all invisible to him simply
because his vision could not extend be-
yund the atomic limits.
lie would call his atom the universe
Just as we call our atom the universe
We look down upon him and say How
absurd this infinitesimai feature Is. why
there are countless millions Of atoms in
single grain OF sand"
But might not an intelligence vastly SUI
perior TO ours say the same thing OF us
because that intelligence would know that
tho starry system which our telescopes
reveal. and beyond which they show moth
ing is as insignificant in infinite space as
drop OF water in the ocean,
There was time when men thought
tho earth greater than the sun. Then
there was time when they thought tho
sun greater than any star. But long ago
astronomy began 20 teach that the earth
IL a spock beside the sun. that the sun
Is only a member OF an inferior rank OF
stars, and that the solar system, which
consists Of the sun and its planets. is 80
insignificant a part Of the starry "uni-
verse" that its destruction would be- as
ilnnotioed IN the great scheme Of things
ms the extinguishment OF a single tiny
candle I'm tho combined blaze Of an a.
Illuminated city.
But as astronomy progresses is
thoughts are still widened We must
climb 10 a yet higher point in order 90
get the full. sweeping view that IL now
offered TO MS. The starry universe. In
its turn, sinks into relative insignlfioance.
and becomes but an atom in a mightier
creation. We have found It's limits; We
have touched bottom; we have giimpsed
its last and farthest star: like travellers
through forest. our telescope vision be-
Gins 10 perceive where the maze In thin
ming ahead, and where the edge must be.
Instantly our thought leaps 10 the UNI
known. mysterious beyond. II becomes
the business OF astronomy TO concern IT.
self about that beyond. The astronomer
rises 20 a higher level lie must treat
what he has hitherto called "the uni
VERSE as the chemist treats a molecule.
1fc must look at Il from the outside. lilo
must boldly assume an attitude OF de-
tachment; that OF an interested. but in
dependent. observer. II he In inteiiec-
tually great enough he can substitute the
microscopic for the telescope method.
and deal with the stsr-filled atom as
part Of an Infinitely greater whole.
For the present the outer universe. or
iimitiess system Of "universes." can only
be known 20 US by the method OF infer
ences. To make this clear. let Us
imagine ourselves the inhabitants OF q
corpuscie In an atom OF radium. Looking
around us we perceive the various mo-
tions OF all the corpucles composing our
atom. and we see nothing beyond them.
By paying close attention we soon OBJ
serve that some OF the corpusclea are
moving with such speeds IN such tireo-
lions that they evidently must eventually
escape from the confines OF the atom.
Immediately we begin to picture 10 our
selves what we had not previously
though OF. namely. a beyond some
thing, 81 only empty space. lying outside
our atom The moment this idea comes
10 Ne We can no longer look upon that
atom - the whole universe. We see that
IL Is only a part though We may not NJ
first comprehend how small a pint We
then begin 70 reason about those cor
puscies which are plainly flying out Of
The atomic boundaries and wonder
whether they are going to join other
atoms out there. and whether those other
atoms have been influential in causing
their departure.
In similar way the astronomer sees
jn the starry system In which we dwell
a certain number OF stars. such as the
celebrated ''iSd0 Groomhridge." or the gi-
gantie Arcturus. which are shooting
through space with velooities 80 high
that he cannot account for them. and
which must apparently. finally escape
from the visible universe--to 40 where?
To Join another universe" or 20 wan
der Independently In nllmitable space?
These runaway suns" are like the cor
puscles escaping from an atom OF ra-
dunn. The latter come out into our
world Of human sense. and We study
them curiously. Into what kind OF a
world do the fugitive stars penetrate.
and 70 what experiments and theories
does their emergence there give rise.