BEYOND THE STARS 95 



evidence of collision, like the ordinary " new 

 star." 



The root-hypothesis of this work is, however, that 

 this world of ours is a good average sample of the 

 universe, as it always has existed, and always will 

 continue to exist, and that, however high we ascend, 

 or however low we descend, in the scale of magni- 

 tude, we may hope to find conditions not alarmingly 

 different from those which we have here and now 

 learnt to know and to adapt ourselves to. I am 

 disposed to believe that this place in which I am, 

 and this moment in which I write, are as significant, 

 as sacred, and as important as any I have ever had, 

 or am ever likely to get. There may be variety, 

 improvement, progress, or decay, but the essential 

 elements of all these I believe to be permanent, and 

 not confined to the Here and Now. 



Let us not be afraid of extending the scope of 

 scientific inquiry, and of applying known laws to 

 wider ranges until new limits confront us. Newton 

 made the law of gravitation include the solar 

 system. Spectroscopy has applied our terrestrial 

 chemistry to the sun and stars. Meteorites bring 

 us samples of interplanetary matter, and we find 

 nothing but materials well known on earth. Why 

 should moro magnitude appal us? Size is only 

 relative. The Arabic, numerals and the exponential 

 notation enable us to state the largest magnitudes 

 rins than those of an ordinary balance- 



