L I L E O 



ITH the history of Copernicus and Gali- 

 leo there is connected a man of such 

 stern and striking individuality that the 

 story of the evolution of astronomy can- 

 not be told and this man's name left out. 

 Giordano Bruno was born in 1548. His 

 parents were obscure people, and his 

 childhood and early education are en- 

 veloped in mystery. Occasional passa- 

 ges in his writings refer to his sympathy 

 for outcast children, and he quotes the 

 saying of Jesus, " Suffer little children to 

 come unto me, and forbid them not, for 

 of such is the Kingdom of Heaven." 

 He then refers to himself as having been 

 a waif and robbed of the love that was 

 his due, "the lawful, legal heritage of 

 every child, sent without its consent into 

 a world of struggle and strife, where only 

 love makes existence possible." 

 Evidently the early life of Bruno was a 

 symbol and shadow of what fate held in 

 store for him. 



The first authentic knowledge we have 

 of Bruno was when he was twenty-two 

 years old. He was then a Dominican 

 monk, and he is brought to our attention 

 because he distinguished himself by in- 



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