The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1921-02-01
THE. WINTER PERMANENT.

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Time may be probably occupied these Win
ter nights in thoughtful contemplation OF the
glory and the mystery of the armament Such
contemplation from time to time contributes
to reverence and humility. Owing to the
greater clarity of the atmosphere in the win
ter time the spectacle of the armament is
more brilliant now than in any other seasons
of the year A number of the consultations
are in position for favorable observation dur
ing the early evening, among them being
Orion and the Pleiades. During the last week
Venus and Mars have been in close proxirn-
ty lust after sunset in the southwestern sky,
Venus shining with resplendence that is re-
gal Aldebaran will be found near the Pleiades
in the zenith, with splendid Capella not tar
distant Castor and Pollux are in the eastern
sky area These are but a few of the more
prominent and better known consultations
and stars.
Men have been contemplating the firma-
ment since the earliest dawn of human intelli
gence The beauty the majesty and the mys-
terry of the heavens have appealed to the soul
of man since unrecorded time The stars and
the consultations were named by men who
have been dust many thousands of years. An
astronomist of the Mt Wilson observatory
recently challenged interest by some deduc-
tons concerning the size of Betelgeuse, a
star in the constellation Orion. This constel-
lation is one of the most beautiful in the
heavens. 1t was known to and referred to by
the writer of the book of Job, which is be-
lieved to be one of the oldest writings extant
Job also knew the Hyades and the Pleiades
The men of old doubtless had more time for
looking at the stars than we are willing to
spare in the present day, and their manner
of living gave them more abundant opportuni-
ty and greater familiarity with the wonder OF
the heavens. Ancient literature is filled with
the wonderment and the mystery that was
impressed upon their minds by the heavenly
spectacle
We are told by the astronomers that change
is in progress in the outer space as constant
ly as it is in progress in our own little world.
The heavenly bodies that we call stars and
planets though they appear to us to be fixed
in their places are in constant motion. Stars
die, and new stars are created to take their
places The universe is so vast, and space is
so immense, and time is SO inconsequential
and so limitless that our lifetime is far too
brief to observe any changes that may take
place These changes are to be measured
not in days, nor years, nor centuries, but in
ages.
Our sun is vastly greater in bulk than the
earth, and yet Prof. Nicholson calculates that
the red star in Orion, Betelgeuse, which to
the naked eye appears as no more than a point
of light, is equal to 100000 suns-is 800
times larger than the sun. Accepting the as
tronomer's calculations as approximately ex
act, the tremendous immensely of space is APP
parent This is an immensely so great as to
stagger the mind. No human mind is capa-
bic of thinking in the terms of distance so
vast or of bodies so large. Compared to Betel-
geuse, and considering the Unreasonable vast
ness of space, the earth is something less than
a speck of dust.
Truly the heavens declare the glory of
God Who is able to contemplate the hrrna-
ment and not confess consciousness of the
existence in the universe. of power so great
as to be beyond the capacity of the human
mind to comprehend? How puny the human
mind becomes by contrast.
What wonder is it that David of old should
have exclaimed; when l behold thy heavens,
the sun and the moon and the stars that thou
hast made what is man that thou art mindful
of hm?"