27,2 MY LIFE 



But while I was writing three new chapters on the won- 

 derful astronomical progress of the latter half of the century, 

 the startling fact was impressed upon me that we were situated 

 very nearly at the centre of the entire stellar universe. This 

 fact, though it had been noted by many of the greatest 

 astronomical writers, together with the indications that led 

 to the conclusion that our universe was finite, and that we 

 could almost, if not quite, see to its very limits, were sel- 

 dom commented on as more than isolated phenomena — 

 curiosities, as it were of star distribution — but of no special 

 significance. To me, however, it seemed that they probably 

 had a meaning; and when I further came to examine the 

 numerous facts which led to the conclusion that no other 

 planet in the solar system than our earth was habitable, there 

 flashed upon me the idea that it was only near the centre 

 of this vast material universe that conditions prevailed ren- 

 dering the development of life, culminating in man, possible. 

 I did not, however, dwell upon this idea, but merely suggested 

 it in a single paragraph on pp. 329 — 330 of my work, and I 

 might probably never have pursued the subject further but for 

 another circumstance which kept my attention fixed upon it. 



While I was still hard at work upon the book, the London 

 agent of the New York Independent wrote to ask me to write 

 them an article on any scientific subject I chose. I at first 

 declined, as having no subject which I thought suitable, and 

 not wishing to interrupt my work. But when he urged me 

 again, and told me to name my own fee, the idea struck me 

 that these astronomical facts, with the conclusion to which 

 they seemed to me to point, might form a very interesting, 

 and even new and attractive article. As the subject was 

 fresh in my mind, and I had the authorities at hand, it did not 

 take me very long to sketch out and write a paper of the 

 required length, which appeared simultaneously in the Inde- 

 pendent and in the Fortnightly Reviezv, and, to my great 

 surprise, created quite a sensation, and, still more to my 

 surprise, a considerable amount of antagonism and rather 

 contemptuous criticism by astronomers and physicists, to 

 which I replied in a subsequent article. 



