THE BROTHERHOOD

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 86, 7 September 1914, Page 4

THE BROTHERHOOD

.EVOLUTION W TUK SULAIt

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AUDRKSS BY MH. JOHN UlljCiliUST

Tlhere was a large attendance at the Brotherhood meeting yesterday uftcrnoon, when' Mr. John,. (jilchnst gave .in address on the "fvv: lutiou of the Solar System," winch was largely illustrated by means of moving .and lantern p:i; turcft. Mr. Sidney Smith presided, and referred to the good wort.', which Air. (i-rlclrtfet was doing in bringing the niarlelu of Wie heavenly bodies to Wie knowledge of .the school children of the district. Tihe lecturer was followed with tbe greatest interest by all present. I|.; op-crn'-d bis Iccluiv by giving a descriptions of some natronomieal insmuiWiUs TJio usea of -the spectroscope were Skilfully explained. 'J. he idea that man bad regarding (he system, of the Jieavens was dwelt upon: ihow he thought that his little bit of matter was the centre of the universe. Tae modern idea, wis thai; the sun was the centre of our little gystemi, and 'with the eight large planets and their moons, and tbe meteoiß, comets, and zodiacal tfigfit made up wluit we tailed the solar system 1 .

Distances between the various planets were dealt with by imagining that the earth w»e a railway station from which trains were leaving Irum a number of platforms to go ouF to other worlds than ours. Vast as the distances were within the sslar system, they were trifling when we caano to a cjusideriitiou of the enormous distances which separated us from the stars. The limit 01 cur system could be readied, in a train travelling at CO miles per day, in SbSS year?, but to icach tho nearest ti.xcd star the train would require 40 million years. The dimensions were mentioii'd. We learned .that tho .sun.is really a very email star, all-hough it is a million times larger than the earth when compared with (Wane oilier stars. Then the | t volution ol the. system was traced tvom l a collision of two euns, which produc <d ! a ncbuila, which in turn became spiral in I shape, threw off. arnin as part of thu spiral, three condensing and forming i stars, and tiho stars cooling, througn' radiating their heat into space, became planets.' We had here the whole round life and death, whwh, after a'll, spelt change, Tne concluding part of the lecture was taken up w'Uiii a most simple fc-eries of. explanations ol the various intricate movements within the soli) I .' system. These were undoubtedly well supported by an ingenious set of moving diagra.mat.io pictures. Tth e first one fbowed the whole system in movement round the sun. Others graphically :i.t out the causes of tbe t«les, day and night, the seasons, and the apparen'. ct.tionaTv position of the. .planets at intervals. Mention must afflso 'be made of Wie illustration showing the transit of Venus and the eclipses of the sun ami mown. The, lecturer operated his- own lantern in a skilful manner, there beinr not the slightest hiss or noise perceptible, whilst -till* light was very good. Throughout the lecturer was'listened to with rapt attention, and frequent applause and laughter greeted- the iVver (xtlanatsons and humorous Treimuk*. Altogether itpr»vcd .a very pleasant and proiitaUc atierncnn.