The Washington times., 1920-01-12
A Strange Sight That Heaven
Reserves for Us
We May See Our Actual Selves Living Our Actual Lives
Over Again.
Over Again.

Over Again
This column is not written for the supercially wise
who tell you ohand the distance of neghbor Alpha
Centauri the of the parallax in fixing stellar dis
tances.
Our feeble writing and thinking for the million
who about the gas mans next visit than about
the ntersiderea fight of the labeled 1880 Groom
bridge"
preface about the speed is therefore necessary
to the unfolding of future detail that may ascnate you
You know that light travels through space at the speed
of 900 miles second The light from your lady loves
eyes travels that would take it times around
the world in less than second No wonder affects you
strangely
The sun is about ninety three millions of miles away
takes the sunlight eight minutes and seconds to
reach the earth
The light which comes from distant stars travels
through periods which vary as the distances of the stars
For instance:
Sirius SO billions of miles away and sends his light
planet in little less than nine years Our friend
Groombridge already mentioned is 426 billions of miles
away, and sends us his light in something more than
seventy two years.
Vega, the beautiful sun toward which our system is
supposed to be moving is twenty light years. distant
and it goes
These are our NEAR neghbors in space The majority
Of stars visible in the field Of the telescope quadons
and quintions of miles from Their light takes
es and of centuries reach this planet No wonder
the Inquson burned Giorano Bruno for declaring that
these off centers of planet systems It gives
us headache, even now that we know it all is true.
You know how long it takes for light to come. Know,
also that our sight, aided by more powerful telescopes
could reach those distant stars should the stars
as they are today but as they were WHEN THE LIGHT
STARTED ON ITS JOURNEY. We stars in the sky
now that doubtless ceased to exist ages ago.
Long after our sun shall have faded its light will be
family visible to other suns
If we could see the surface of the Pole STAR which is
thirty six light years. from would witness events
that happened there thirty-six years ago.
Similarly, if human being that star could look
at with the aid of the light send he would this
earth thirty six years back
On star still farther off, with sight of sufficient
power could look down here and Caesar his saddle
without srups gaopng bare headed in his red blouse
the fields of Gau he could Demosthenes as
cool and calm Depew getting the better of argument
you do not like this kind Of speculation just skip this
column until tomorrow But these facts and figures are
mere fundamentals of astronomy and you might as well
think them little
Now about Heaven-our future abode. We read of all
sorts of delights promised there But how does this i'm
press you?
You die and are immediately transported to your happy
home distant star Or you find that heavenly bliss
consists in the privilege Of moving about will through
space travelling at speed far exceeding that of light You
regulate your distance and looking down this earth see
whatever you please
Perhaps your wife is dead and is in Heaven with you
is your wedding anniversary and you become senti
mental You say "Lets look back and ourselves court
ing each other ninety years ago. (or nine hundred years
ago. that depends how long you have been in Heaven
You off instantly through space the proper distance
look down EARTH whence the light takes nine hundred
years to reach and each sees both making love the old
farm. You to each other IT shall love you always
in Heaven and the pretty truth of the prophecy
touches you immensely.
We feel convinced that win be very nice feature of
Heaven life.
There is another good thing about It, We know thanks
to the telescope that there is Heaven within many eight
years" of That will make it impossible for the elect to