ours called the earth makes never a
creak or groan as she spins in her age-long journey. It is always
astonishing to me that so few people care to look out of the window as
we fly along; most of them are far too much absorbed in their little
petty daily concerns ever to lift their eyes from them. It is true that
sometimes the blinds are down, for the sky is thickly covered with
clouds, and we cannot see anything even if we want to. It is true also
that we cannot see much of the scenery in the daytime, for the sun
shining on the air makes a veil of blue glory, which hides the stars;
but on clear nights we can see on every side numbers of stars quite as
interesting and beautiful as any landscape; and yet millions of people
never look up, never give a thought to the wonderful scenery through
which their car is rushing.

By reason of the onward rush of the earth in space we are carried over a
distance of at least eighteen miles every second. Think of it: as we
draw a breath we are eighteen miles away in space from the point we were
at before, and this goes on unceasingly day and night. These astonishing
facts make us feel how small and feeble we are, but we can take comfort
in the thought that though our bodies are insignificant, the brain of
man, which has discovered these startling facts, must in itself be
regarded as one of the most marvellous of all the mysteries amid which
we live.

Well, we have arrived at some idea of our earth's position; we know
that the earth is turning round day by day, and progressing round the
sun year by year, and that all around lie the sentinel stars, scattered
on a background of infinite space. If you take an older boy or girl and
let him or her stand in the middle to represent the sun, then a smaller
one would be the earth, and the smallest of all the moon; only in truth
we could never get anyone large enough to represent the sun fairly, for
the biggest giant that ever lived would be much too small in proportion.
The one representing the sun must stand in the middle, and turn slowly
round and round. Then let the earth-child turn too, and all the time she
is spinning like a top she must be also hastening on in a big ring round
the sun; but she must not go too fast, for the little moon-child must
keep on running round her all the time. And the moon-child must keep her
face turned always to the earth, so that the earth never sees her back.
That is an odd thing, isn't it? We have never seen