Evening star., 1942-10-15
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Laboratory, Field
And Study
By Thomas r. Henry.


New concepts of the vastness Of Gre
alton have resulted from observations
through window in the Milky Way
from the summit of Mount Palomar,
Calf, where the new 200-inch telescope
Of the California Institute OF Technology
and the Carnegie Institution of Wash
ington will be set up after the war.
The window" looks through the star
constellation of Perseus, part of the
10000, ,O00, ,000-star Milky Way galaxy of
which the solar system is a part, into far
depths of space in which Astronomer
Fritz Zwicky has counted 800 titanic star
systems, each probably as large as our
own galaxy.
DR.. Zwicky has reported his observa-
tions to the National Academy of
Sciences. These star systems, he ex-
plains, are congregated into supersys-
tenn which extends over region Of space
approximately 4,5OO,0oO light years in
diameter. A light year Is the distance
which light, moving at. a rate Of 186, 900
miles second, covers in year.
Actually, DR.. zwicky says, these star
systems which are congregated in the
"Perseus Cluster" and which can be
counted through the space window"
probably constitute less than half the
galaxies in the entire aggregation. The
window is break in the supposed dust
clouds in our own galaxy which obscure
the view beyond. In the entire congre-
CATION OF galaxies, bound together by
some common attraction, he believes
that there are at least 1000 members.
They constitute probably the most enor-
nous physical object in all creation.
The Milky Way galaxy in all probable
ity Is unit of some similar congrega-
tion OF star systems, but at present only
seven or eight of these can be recog-
nized. They include the two clouds of
Magellan, visible in the Southern Hemi-
sphere, and few others not more than
couple of million light years from the
earth. For the terrestrial astronomer 1t
is a case Of not being able to recognize
the forest for the trees.
4 *4
The total number of present-dsy
spoken languages, exclusive of minor
dialects, is placed at 2,769 by Prot. Mario
A. Pei Of Columbia University. Yet, the
same scholar says, for most practical
purposes 1t Is necessary to know only
seven main languages In addition to
English. These are German, Spanish
French, Portuguese, Italian, Russian and
Japanese.
Colonies settled by Europeans have
learned the languages Of the colonizers.
ne says, 50 that knowledge of the lam
guages of colonization will enable
person to speak to natives in several
Asiatic, African and Oceanic countries
whose only other tongues are obscure
native dialects.
Ii smattering of Dutch, Arabic and
Chinese is added to this linguistic train
ing, ne says, a person can make himself
understood in any land.
Prof. Pei has organized a war lin
gustlcs course at Columbia which in
cludes elementary instruction in seven
oasic tongues. Students also will be re-
qulred to master rudimentary vocabu-
larry OF 80 or 40 war-zone Languages.
Ihe course will train men and women
to locate and identity practically anv
language they see or hear It is planned
particularly to meet the needs of future
officers.
Striking examples Of the way in which
linguistic training can be put to military
uses, he says, appeared in the early days
OF the war when German parachutists
came down in Holland equipped not only
with Dutch uniforms, but with a COM
mand of the Dutch language. German
motorcycllsts, disguised as French SOL
dlers, swept across Belgium and Northern
France, spreading disorder and panic in
excellent French.
The new training will give "an ele-
mentary linguistic consciousness to the
soldier of today for his military activities
on foreign soil and to the man or woman
OF tomorrow in a world destined. by
means OF constant advances In mechant-
cal civilization, to become more and
more a single political, economic and
cultural unit.