"WORLDS IN THE MAKING"

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 61, 5 December 1919, Page 10

"WORLDS IN THE MAKING"

According to tlio Chautauqua people Dr. Arthur D. Carpenter was onco described by the'late Mr. Percival Lowell, of the famous Flagstaff Observatory of America, as "the greatest populariser of astronomy tho world knows. As tho average astronomer is not usually a man that looks for popularity the description may hold good. Certain it is that Dr. Carpenter, the first of this year's Chautauqua lecturers, liad no difliculty in interesting his audience at the Concert' Chamber, where ho spoko of "Worlds in the Making." Ho ' went away back to tho misty bms, when primitive folk deemed tho world Hat, and that if ono walked far enough ho would fall off the edge into infinite space. Then in tho second century' came Plolomy, of Alexandria, who held that tho world was round and stationary, which was a big advance. The fact was, Uio lecturer 'narrated racily, that this planet was onco a gaseous star whirling in space, but as time went on it cooled down, a crust was formed, vegetation formed, then camo animal lifo, and in aeons of timo hurniin lifo developed, so that even as we were living on a star wo wero citizons of tho universe, which wa3 a great and grand thought • Tho belief was held that-, this world was the centro of the universe, whereas it was one of tho most insignificant of the stars. If bo could transport tho audience to mighty Jupiter and tliero bo provided with a, powerful telescopo this world could not bo discerned at all. In tho fifteenth century ' Caperniciia discovered that tho world was not the centro of tho universe, but that tho sun was the ccntr9 of our system. It was Gallileo who made tho first telescope from an old organ pipe, and when ho made one which lnairnined 32 times, ho discovered til the sun rotated on its own axis. Iho moon was a burnt-out star, from which tho water and air had escaped into spaco, but what was seen by all on looking at tho moon was its scenery, its vast empty ocean beds and towering mountains. Tho highest mountain .on the moon was Mt. Curtis, 29,500 ft. high, higher than any mountain on the caitn. Tho same process of extinction wlucli had deadened the moon was taking place on the earth. Worlds wero born like a child tl'icy grew to mans estate ana had their palmy days and then paled their ineffectual fires and died, bnl; lon„ before that occurred life -would # ceaso to exist 011 this planet. That giant astronomer of tho eighteenth century, Su ■William Horscliel, of whom cvciy Lug lishman should bo proud discovered tl o existence of double, treble and multirdo stars, and discovered ."0,000 suns in the globular cluster of Herculcs, each ono at least sixty times bigger than our sun and each tho centre of a system of Totaling worlds, probably having ahholieri o lier ptate of civilisation than _wc possess. Tho lecturer spoke of tho ineffable wonder of tho view of the Hercules cluster through tho 72-inch telescopo at \ ictoria, B.C. Ho also spoko of tho wonders of tho Milky Way, and of distant stais whoso light took 10,000 years to travel lo this earth. He. spoko of. the clash of suds, de-ad ami alive, and lijci•dentally paid a tribute to Dr. A. W. Bickerton, tho author of iho partial impact theory. The action of the earth, moon, and sun wero shown by tho lecturer by' an ingenious apparatus.

THE LYRIC FOUR. In tho first part of clio evening a delightful entertainment was given by tho vory talented Lyric Pour (of Aucltland). As a quartet they sang, with rare union mirl excellent shading, such numbers us "Tho Goblins J ll Git Yer," "Annio j Laurie," "JRovorie," "Old Mother Hubbard," "Mammy's Little Coal Black Coon," and "Tho Summer Lullaby." Mr. Alan M'Blwain, a humorist of rare capacity, tokl tho story of "Tho Village Piro Brigado" and sang "Jonea of the Lancers. Mr. John Ilyan sang "Cornoral John Bartholomy" and "Because I Was Shy," and Mr. Arthur Ripley sang very sweetly "O Vision Enthraneing" and "O Little Mother o' Mine." TO-DAY'S PROGRAMME. Tho Lyrio Pour will contribute new programmes this afternoon and evening. In tho afternoon Dr. Carpenter will speak on "Tho Energy of tho Universe" and in tho ovening Mr. Aubrey Williams will lecture on "Bolshevism."