AN IMMATURE WORLD.

Otago Witness, Issue 2433, 31 October 1900, Page 71

AN IMMATURE WORLD.

By a Bankbb.

In recerit articles we have, given rein to the Imagination, and assuming in fancy the ethereal powers which we hope to possess in the long hereafter, have visited the centre of our solar system and some of our nearer planetary and errant neighbours. Let us again unfetter ourselves from our earth-shackles, and once more vault far into space, and, on soulwing, continue our aerial lour.

Speeding towards that brilliant and- mighty planet Jupiter, we are astounded at his gigantic proportions, his relative size as compared with the earth being as that of a tennis ball to a grain of pepper. The great planet, however, is evidently not yet sufficiently mature for habitation, being evidently n the condition in which our earth was towards the close of the fix.st eon or the commencement of the second, an epoch when the sun, moon, and stars had no's yet been made to appear; for he is completely surrounded with dense impenetrable masses of thick cloud, which must effectually and completely obscure the heavens from view. When, however, in the course of the eons the giant watery world has cooled down, the dry .land has been formed, and the vapours have disappeared, except such moderate volume of passing cloud as is necessaiy for the irrigation of the planet, owing to hi 3 numerous satellites the future inhabitants will very seldom have the opportunity of enjoying the glorious spectacle of a starry night. For, except perhaps about once or twice in a centuiy one or more of his five moons is always shining, and, like our moon, concealing by their superior brilliancj r all but the brightest of the stars. How favoured is this earth by having but one moon; for had we as many as some of the larger planets the mighty vault of the universe, with its serried ranks of brilliant stars, would never have been seen by mortal eyes, and the wonderful immensity of sjiace would never have been revealed.

In other respects, too, we are more favoured than Jupiter, for his year being 10 times the length of our own, each of his seasons is two and a-ha.lf years in duration, while his days and nights are only five hours each.

That which, however, strikes us with the greatest astonishment is the diminutive apparent size of the sun, which appears to be only s-bout double the size of Juriter as seen from the earth, though of course infinitely more brilliant. Full bright sunshine, therefore, as we enjoy it, can never be seen on that planet. '

Leaving this great immature world, let us iake flight through the ethsr and visit the little sun-immersed planet Mercury. Now we Bee the orb of day as an enormous fiery globe hanging threateningly above us, infinitely more brilliant and dazzling than he appears to us, liis rays producing" a burning heat so intense that if our own planet were exposed to it, univer&a]. conflagration would probably ensue. Doubtless, however, there is some provision of iNaturo to mitigate the vehemence of the scorching heat; the atmosphere possibly being of such a nature as to obstruct and modify the fervency of the light and heat lays. Returning now to our native earth, we congratulate ourselves that Of all these shining orb^, Man has his fixed seat in the fairest and moat peifeot oi them all; and v.'hen we compare the leaden gloom of clgu^-envdoned Jupiter, or the fiery blase

of sun-parchsd Mercury with the lovely adomlrtents of our own beautiful earth, a feeling of gladdened satisfsct-ou must arise vi-hin. us that we arc earth-born.

And not only is she physically beautiful above her fellows, but, far more momentous still, she has been honoured T7ith a. lengthened personal visit from the Eternal Son of God, who here gave Himself a ransom for each and every one claiming that substituted expiation, the record of their misdeeds being then and there eternally obliterated and expunged from the Great Book.