Astronomy 



Why should not any one of the suns in other parts of space 

 possess planets as well adapted as our own to develop the 

 higher forms of organic life ? These questions cannot be 

 answered definitely; but there are reasons, he considered, 

 why the central position which we occupy may alone be 

 suitable. It is almost certain that electricity and other 

 mysterious radiant forces (of which we have so recently 

 discovered the existence) have played an important part 

 in the origin and development of organised life, and it 

 does not appear to be extravagant to assume that the 

 extraordinary way in which these cosmic forces have 

 remained hidden from us may be due to that central 

 position which we are found to occupy in the whole uni- 

 verse of matter discoverable by us. Indeed, it may well 

 be that these wonderful forces of the ether are more 

 irregular — and perhaps more violent — in their effect upon 

 matter in what may be termed the outer chambers of that 

 universe, and that they are only so nicely balanced, so 

 uniform in their action, and so concealed from us, a« to 

 be fit to aid in the development of organic life in that 

 central portion of the stellar system which our globe 

 occupies. Should these views as to the unique central 

 position of our earth be supported by the results of further 

 research, it will certainly rank as the most extraordinary 

 and perhaps the most important of the many discoveries 

 of the past century. 



While still working on this section of his " Wonderful 

 Century," he was asked to write a scientific article, upon 

 any subject of his own choice, for the New York Inde- 

 pendent. And as the idea of the unique position of the 

 earth to be the abode of human life was fresh in his mind, 

 he thought it would prove interesting to the general public. 

 However, before his article appeared simultaneously in the 

 American papers and in the Fortnightly Review, a friend 



1^9 



