122 TWO NEW WORLDS 



densities must be less. In the absence of evidence 

 for a vast preponderance of dark stars within our 

 own galactic system, I prefer to adopt this latter 

 alternative. It gives scope for greater variety, it is 

 more probable from the point of view of stability, 

 and it is in harmony with that general prevalence of 

 separate objects which we discern throughout nature, 

 whether in atoms, living beings, stars, or galaxies. 



We have throughout this work equated stars 

 (or rather solar systems) with chemical atoms, an 

 identification which is well supported by electrical 

 and chemical data. The average diameter of an 

 atom is 10~ 8 cm. The diameter of the solar system 

 is about 10 14 cm. The ratio of these two quantities 

 is 10 22 . This is the " world ratio " which I have 

 hitherto applied to all phenomena in successive 

 universes. Using this as a guide, it is not very 

 difficult to construct our " supra-world." 



There is our galactic system, our " visible universe," 

 measuring 10 21 or 10 22 cm. across, a distance corre- 

 sponding on our human scale to 1 mm. or 1 cm., or, 

 say, J in. To a " supra-man," therefore, our galaxy 

 will be a small object of about that size. It contains 

 about 1000 million stars, or about as many stars as 

 the lowliest organism known to us contains atoms. 

 For aught we know it may be an organism a fasci- 

 nating question with which I shall deal further on. 



Outside the galaxy is empty space for some 

 distance, and then other galaxies or somewhat dif- 



