ch occur among the
celestial bodies beyond the sphere of our solar family, that which has
been ascertained is of great importance, and serves to make it likely
that all the suns in space are upon swift journeys which in their
speed equal, if they do not exceed, the rate of motion among the
planetary spheres, which may, in general, be reckoned at about twenty
miles a second. Our whole solar system is journeying away from certain
stars, and in the direction of others which are situated in the
opposite part of the heavens. The proof of this fact is found in the
observations which show that on one side of us the stars are
apparently coming closer together, while on the other side they are
going farther apart. The phenomenon, in a word, is one of perspective,
and may be made real to the understanding by noting what takes place
when we travel down a street along which there are lights. We readily
note that these lights appear to close in behind us, and widen their
intervals in the direction in which we journey. By such evidence
astronomers have become convinced that our sphere, along with the sun
which controls it, is each second a score of miles away from the point
where it was before.

There is yet other and most curious evidence which serves to show that
certain of the stars are journeying toward our part of the heavens at
great speed, while others are moving away from us by their own proper
motion. These indications are derived from the study of the lines in
the light which the spectrum reveals to us when critically examined.
The position of these cross lines is, as we know, affected by the
motion of the body whence the light comes, and by close analysis of
the facts it has been pretty well determined that the distortion in
their positions is due to very swift motions of the several stars. It
is not yet certain whether these movements of our sun and of other
solar bodies are in straight lines or in great circles.

It should be noted that, although the evidence from the spectroscope
serves to show that the matter in the stars is akin to that of our own
earth, there is reason to believe that those great spheres differ much
from each other in magnitude.

We have now set forth some of the important facts exhibited by the
stellar universe. The body of details concerning that realm is vast,
and the conclusions drawn from it important; only a part, however, of
the matter with which it deals is of a nature to be apprehended by