Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-09-12
Scientific Discussions
by Garrett P. Serviss

A Swedish thinker who is incident
ally an astronomer, c. V. l.. Charlier.
of the Lund Observatory, has recently
brought out clearly the \contrast be-
tween two ways of looking at the
universe which divide the minds of
astronomers, although they are hardly
heard of by the general public. Char
lier calls one of these the monistic
and the other dualistic conception of
the stellar universe.
According TO the first, the universe
is a single system of stars, whose
movements are governed by their at
fractions, and which have now, after
now long a history no one can even
guess, arrived at, or near, a state of
equilibrium. The second conception re-
CARDS the universe" that we see which
is not supposed to fill all space, as a
mixture of the two systems of stars
which are in process of blending, and
giving birth to a third, or combined
system that is at present nowhere near
a condition of stable equilibrium.
This dualistic theory might be lik-
ened, in a broad sense, to the conjuga-
ton of reproductive cells, or gametes,
whereby an organism is produced made
up from combination of the elements
OF the two kinds of cells. AS an as
Economical conception, the theory is q
new one, having only been developed
within the past fifteen years since the
discovery of the existence of two great
opposed star-streams, whose members
move among one another in nearly op-
posite directions.
The older, or monistic theory, on the
other hand, recognizes but one original
set of stars accounting for the motions
by reference to the kinetic theory of
gases, which shows how the attractions
of a group of stars, consisting of many
millions, and separated from one an
other by distances very large in COM
parison with their sizes, would bring
them ultimately into a state of general
equilibrium, with regard both to the
density of distribution in all parts of
the system, and to the mean velocities
This theory may be fancifully said to
present the stellar universe as an or
ganism of parthenogenetic origin, in
whose formation no conjugation of star
cells has occurred.
The dualistic theory regards the
Milky Way, which contains the vast
majority of all the stars of our stellar
system, as having essentially a spiral
form. This accords with the typical
form of the spiral nebulae, and such
an accord becomes a highly significant
fact in view of the growing tendency
toward the belief that the spiral nebu-
lac are exterior stellar systems, be-
yond the limits of our universe" In
this view, infinite space is peopled with
universes, all having more or less struc-
tural resemblance to our own, which is
based upon the spiral of the Milky
Way.
Now, suppose it were true (and no.
body can say 1t is scientifically impos-
sible) that a "conjugation," or inter
mixture of the stars of two of these
spirals had some regenerative effect,
whereby a new and in some sense (per-
haps a biogenetic sense) more vigor-
our stellar system was produced. We
would have no occasion to be aston
ished by that, for it would be a process
strictly analogous to what we see
around us on a small scale every day
The transference of energy, or the re-
awakening of life, by the meeting of
ccntrasted, but yet closely related ele-
ments, is phenomenon so common
that we encounter II at every turn, and
often the means by which the blending
is brought about seem much more ex-
traordinary than would be the inter
penetration of two spirals of stars that
had drifted together in the chasms of
space, like floating thistle downs. Con-
many towering plants are fertilized by
the interposition of bees gathering
honey and incidentally loading them
selves with reproductive cells which
they mechanically, and unintentionally.
convey to a meeting and combination
with other related cells, which only
await the fertilizing encounter in order
to produce a new organism.
Looking at the matter in this way
we may marvel beyond limit at the
thought that the vast counter-streams
of stars which flow to and fro within
the circuit of the Milky Way show the
set of the cosmic currents produced by
the mingllng of two mighty spiral sys-
TENS, whose conjunction signified the
generation of a new universe" a new
individual born among the countless
multitudes of boundless space.
That there should be a necessity for
such method of Regeneration. or re-
Juvenation, of so vast an organising as
a system of stars orsht not to seem
either surprising or improbable when
we remember that there is not a single
example OF living or an organic thing
from flower to a sun, that does not