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  THE 
  UNFATHOMED 
  UNIVERSE 
  

  

  offered 
  by 
  philosophy 
  and 
  by 
  theology 
  have 
  often 
  seemed 
  

   unconvincing 
  because 
  imposed 
  from 
  without, 
  instead 
  of 
  aris- 
  

   ing 
  in 
  minds 
  saturated 
  with 
  the 
  actualities 
  of 
  the 
  case. 
  It 
  

   goes 
  without 
  saying 
  that 
  there 
  have 
  been 
  poets, 
  philosophers, 
  

   and 
  theologians 
  who 
  have 
  seized 
  on 
  the 
  universal 
  elements 
  

   in 
  Nature 
  which 
  are 
  for 
  all 
  time. 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  obvious 
  that 
  

   Nature-poems 
  may 
  be 
  literary 
  treasures 
  though 
  they 
  are 
  no 
  

   longer 
  significant 
  to 
  us 
  in 
  our 
  world-outlook. 
  But 
  what 
  

   we 
  want 
  to 
  get 
  at 
  is 
  simply 
  this: 
  What 
  counteractives 
  or 
  

   compensations 
  may 
  there 
  be 
  for 
  those 
  in 
  whom 
  the 
  scientific 
  

   mood 
  is 
  strong, 
  in 
  whom 
  neither 
  Nature-poem 
  nor 
  ancient 
  

   Theodicy, 
  neither 
  philosophical 
  idealisation 
  nor 
  fairy 
  tale 
  

   finds 
  satisfactory 
  organic 
  response. 
  

  

  To 
  conserve 
  the 
  feeling 
  for 
  Nature 
  at 
  once 
  a 
  satisfaction 
  

   and 
  a 
  clue 
  we 
  may 
  get 
  what 
  aid 
  we 
  sincerely 
  can 
  from 
  

   Nature-poetry 
  and 
  other 
  idealisations, 
  we 
  may 
  give 
  greater 
  

   breadth 
  and 
  depth 
  to 
  our 
  vision 
  by 
  more 
  science, 
  we 
  may 
  

   exercise 
  ourselves 
  in 
  scientific 
  reconstructions 
  till 
  the 
  Dryad 
  

   comes 
  back 
  into 
  the 
  tree, 
  but 
  all 
  these 
  are 
  vanity 
  unless 
  we 
  

   keep 
  close 
  to 
  the 
  concrete 
  realities 
  themselves, 
  and 
  receive 
  

   with 
  open 
  minds 
  the 
  great 
  primal 
  impressions 
  of 
  immensity, 
  

   flux, 
  order, 
  intricacy, 
  and 
  beauty, 
  not 
  refusing 
  to 
  be 
  thrilled 
  

   by 
  what 
  seemed 
  to 
  our 
  more 
  naive 
  predecessors 
  to 
  be 
  immedi- 
  

   ately 
  divine. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  grandeur 
  in 
  the 
  spectacle 
  of 
  the 
  star-strewn 
  sky, 
  

   so 
  apparently 
  crowded, 
  but 
  there 
  are 
  thousands 
  of 
  worlds 
  

   unseen 
  for 
  every 
  one 
  our 
  unaided 
  eyes 
  can 
  image, 
  and 
  yet 
  

   the 
  astronomers 
  tell 
  us 
  that 
  the 
  emptiness 
  of 
  space 
  is 
  its 
  

   most 
  striking 
  characteristic. 
  We 
  are 
  staggered 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  

   that 
  when 
  we 
  look 
  at 
  a 
  Centauri, 
  which 
  lies 
  some 
  ten 
  billions 
  

   of 
  miles 
  nearer 
  to 
  us 
  than 
  any 
  other 
  known 
  star, 
  we 
  see 
  it, 
  

   not 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  to-night, 
  but 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  four 
  years 
  ago. 
  We 
  have 
  

  

  