“A Voyage through the Universe.”

Manawatu Herald, 14 June 1904, Page 3

“A Voyage through the Universe.”

On Saturday evening IftM In the Public Hall, Mr Clement L. Wragge, the Victorian Meteorologist, delivered a lecture supplemented by lantern views in connection with the above named subject, The lecture, though not patronised to the extent it should have been, was nevertheless fairly well attended. It is impossible to give anything but the la iciest resume of Mr Wragge’s exceedingly interesting address, and of his magnificent pictures, illustrating the countless worlds with which the heavens abound, the infinity of space, the orderly manner in which the whole universe is arranged, the wonders of •evolution, the majesty of He whosd handiwork this mighty creation is, and the insignificance of man and the tiny speck which he inhabits. All these thoughts came crowding through the mind)' in the course of Mr Wragge’s lecture, and one weirt away with a sense of one’s littleness in the midst of the infinity with which our small sphere is surrounded. Truly Astronomy is a wonderful Science ; and yet it can be presented in a dry as dust style that makes it a most dreary and uninteresting study. This was not the case with Mr Wragge. His Ifecture was one that appealed to both old and young; and the attention of the audience was arrested from the start by the popular and skilful delivery of the speaker, and the excel* lence of his lantern views. Mr Wragge first proceeded to give his hearers some idea of the magnitude of the heavens, in which the Earth is as a particle of dust, and the Sun a second class variable star. It is impossible for the mind to grasp the immensity of it all ■ we cannot, pierce, except to a very limited extent, the mysterious nebulae that extends above • us. One is struck, however, with the presence on every hand of the Ego, thp Creator, and so strong was our ■ feeling in this respect that we utterly failed to see how Mr Wragge’s address could be construed as an argument in support of Atheism. He stated that his own contention was directly opposed to any such conclusion, and to us it also appeared just the reverse, our impression being that Astronomy as depicted by Mr Wragge successfully bridged the gulf that some say exists between Religion and this particular branch of science. However, to continue, Mr Wragge next illustrated the Solar System, taking first the Sun, then the Moon, and finally the planets in order of distance from the Sun. The remarkable manner in which our Earth, 92,500,000 miles away from the Sun, responds to the various moods ot latter, was cleverly shown by the The views of the Moon, with its rugged mountain ridges and extensive sea beds, were especially good. With regard to the possibility ofthe Moon being peopled, Mr Wragge referred to the Oriental Astronomers, who express their firm belief that the Moon is inhabited by some low type of animal life, who exist'on the poisonous gases, which, they say, are to be found in the more cavernous parts of the Moon. Mr Wragge did not, however, commit himself on the matter. Passing on, the lecturer described the two planets, Venus and Mercury, . whose orbits lie between our Earth and the Sun; and with reference to Venus the speaker deemed it probable that it was inhabited, though owing to the force of gravitation being much less than on our globe, he considered that the people of Venus—if there are such—would not exceed on the average two feet in height. Mr Wragge also thought it possible that Mars was inhabited, though the Martians would, he said, be of much larger build than the human race in order to resist the force of gravitation. “ If Mr Seddon,” said the lecturer with a touch of humour, “ were placed on Mars, he would be squashed as flat as a dish, in spite of the fact that he weighs 20 stone.” Leaving the Red Planet, Jupiter was next referred to. The latter of course has not yet completed the cooling process, and is similar to the earth when the latter was in the early stages of development. Saturn was at length reached. This planet, one of the most important in the Solar System, is as yet in its infancy. Its surface consists of boiling mud, though the formation of strata is slowly but surely going on. A description ot the marvellous rings which encircle Saturn brought the lecture to an end all too soon.. It is not often that Foxton is visited by so eminent a man as Mr Wragge, and it is a pity that more did not avail themselves of the opportunity afforded by his tour. However, those who were fortunate enough to hear him, carried away with them a clearer conception of the wonderful universe in which they live, the claims of which to recognition and study are too often neglected in the rush of business life. Mr Wragge left for Wellington yesterday,, where he will conduct a further series of lectures.