Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1916-06-22
ASTRONOMY lessons EGO
Earth Fills Only Very Minute Portion
Of Space.
IN The July American Magazine "sid-

In the July American Magazine "Sidr
says:
a cube one Notwithstanding Of an
mon in diameter is a pretty small OBJ.
lect It would not choke mosnuito.
You could not see it unless you used "A
microscope. Possibly. If It were made
or the right kind OF stuff and if ID
flew into your eye. you might feel it.
But even that is doubtful
Yet Uncle John Brashear. in mis-
delightful article. shows that little
cube just that big floating around in
Lake Eric takes up exactly as much
room in the lake by comparison. as
our earth fills in the space around us,
known and measured by astronomers,
the boundaries Of which are only as
far away as the nearest star.
This recalls Mark Twain's great
story, Captain Stormfield's Visit to
Heaven. wherein are recorded the diff
ficulties which the captain confronted
in the next world when he tried to ex-
plain where he came from He said
that San Francisco was his native
place Nobody in heaven had heard of
san Francisco. Then he named Cali
fornia, and. meeting with no response,
to mention the United States and Amer
lea. Nobody had heard of them Final
~ he claimed the earth as his former
home, and at last. after a long search
through the records of heaven. it was
discovered that among the billions up
on billions of stars. worlds, constella-
tons and planets there was, in the
dusty tones, slight reference to an
INSIGNIFICANT IN q
The Wart, and recognized by Stormfield
as our good old mother earth.
I'm this connection it is also we'll to
remember that the wonders Of time are
as great the wonders Of space. No
body knows or can even guess how long
this big show has been running. Any
way, II is very old show as we'll as
very large one.
II am glad that Uncle John has
brought this matter 20 our attention
again. II is a good thing once in
while to he set right on our compare
tive importance In the scheme Of
things At this time it is an especial
ly welcome and refreshing bit OF COM
ment. For one thing, II makes the
Emperor Of Germany seem less mpor-
tHnt Also, 1t will help us to pass
through the egOtsm and dogmatism
of n presidential campaign with bet
ter perspective and more humor Fur
thermore, the hardshps we have to
endure may be nothing compared With
those which are FOSTERING the irhab.-
tants Of other worlds. who, for all We
know, nay he even more scll-ccntcred
and sensitive than we-;h0ugh this
seems rardly possible.
THAT q knowledge of the stars helps
TO keep ones ego in proper restraint Is
demonstrated in the case of Mr. Bras
hear himself, for IN all Pittsburgh there
isn't man with less ego than Uncle
john Anybody, from the mayor down
to tho tnicSt neWsboy on Smithfield
street, will tell YOU that he is the big
gost man in the City-and the simplest
and most attractive. Street-car motor
men and conductors spy tho old gentle-
man 4 block away and hold up traffic
for the privilege Of getting him AS a
passenger, They love him because no
loves thcrl-aud because arrogance and
superiority are totally absent from his
makeup. From studying the stars
Uncle John has learned humility"