The New York herald., 1922-01-15

SnlDing merry red little Mars because
ne is near us and blinds our eyes,
while Betelegeux, shining serenely
with his brothers in the radiant con-
stellation Of Orion, passes us un-
noticed.
The navigator's dream of a distant,
perhaps dead and gone star, being
brought close to us so that all its
glory should stand revealed before our
vision cannot bo realized. But in the
world of music it came to pass, and
the young men and maidens, who said
that their fathers had lied to them,
were abashed and said unto one an
other: Behold, it is true. One star
dffereth from another in glory. and
those that We're afar off are greater
than those that are before us. We
have been deceived, and wondrous was
the deception; but now we have seen
the truth and we shall not be deceived
again. nay. not If ten thousand critics
apostrophize the dwarfs and tell us
there never We're giants on the earth"
And all of this came to pass because
Nine. Calve rose from the dead past
and showed herself. This star, who
had been so far away in the heavens
that she had almost faded out of MEM
ory. was suddenly brought from twen-
ty-four light years away and set right
against the present, and her light
blinded the eyes of the multitude.
Weighing Planets and Stars.
i About this same time arises the
question whether all stars apparently
of the same size are also of the same
substance. But this leads us far
astray; weighing planets and stars is
n serious business and perhaps it is
unnecessary to say more just now
than this: that many which seem to
shine with a glorious light are found
on close examination to be full of
jmperfections.
Unfortunately. what the typical OPP
eragoer likes is a star that blazes red
and fiery, and occasionally throws off
portions of its molten surface with
loud reports. The calmer and more
discriminating observer says: But
please take note of this other star.
Here is one which shines with a pure,
clear. steady light, beautiful, serene,
peaceful How wonderful is the peace
of the night, the radiance of the silent
heavens. the luminous points of the
inconceivably distant stars, the SEEM
ingly fluid mass of the milky way,
and soaring through all. the pale, cold
circle of the dead moon"
The gallant youth and the tapping
maiden laugh him to scorn and an
swer: Can that stuff! The hectic life
for u.s. On with the screams; let
voice be unconhned. We fear no
noise. We sleep in summer"
What is the varied beauty Of stars
10 them? To their careless eyes the
white Procyon, the red Antares. the
yellow Capella and the steel blue Vega
are all alike. A star upon the celes-
tial space is just a star to them. What
they really hunger for is comets. But
in the world of musical art comets are
rare birds. We see them occasionally.
We read OF "the comet Of a season."
re appears. IL blazes, Il burns out; IL
leaves nothing behind but some ugly
smoke. Somehow the youth and the
maiden think that we should meet
comets every season, and they point
with triumph 10 Mime. Jeritza. Well
collisions with comets are not likely
10 take place oftener than orce in
15.OOO,O 900 years. and so we need not
become unduly excited.
Collision with g comet.
.SsF5~eNer. Il we really did have a
head on collision with the solid part
OF a big comet there would be some
doings. our air and water Ceven the
lind infected with the synura1 yould
be consumed and most of the earth
would turn red hot. Noxious gases
would be generated. worse than those
created at Senatorial sessions, and the
world generally would be made unfit
TO live in.
No. Mime. Jeritza is not Betelguese
comet of many feathers. nor even the
lost Biela comet. She is a star. a
Abrilliant. scintillating star. but when