CHAPTER I. 



WHA T MA Y BE SEEN IN THE HE A VENS. 



" And God said, Let there be light ; and there was light." 



GENESIS. 



" A sound of song 

 Beneath the vault of Heaven is blown." 



GOETHE. 



HE unequal duration of Day and Night, the suc- 

 cession and regular return of the seasons, all the 



phenomena observable upon the earth, are but the 

 effects of a cause which we must seek in the heavens. 

 It is impossible to explain them unless we contemplate 

 it on high, relegating our planet into the great chorus 

 of the worlds, where it holds but a modest rank. Only, 

 to perform this miracle, we must for a moment repress 

 in ourselves the senses which deceive us by their 

 exaggeration or appearances, and give free course to 

 enlightened thought. It is by this means alone that 

 we can succeed in fully demonstrating the close and 

 perpetual relationship which exists between our planet 



