79 



follows naturally that the temperature of earth and the 

 other planets sinks the lower, the more spots appear on 

 the sun. In 1894 an unusual number of such spots dim- 

 med the solar disc, and these explain the unusual cold 

 experienced in that year, a chilliness which many sci- 

 entists tried to account for by a gigantic ice-flow which 

 was supposed to have broken away from the arctic ice- 

 fields and floated down into the Atlantic in the neigh- 

 bourhood somewhere of the Gulf Stream. 



On paying attention to scientific researches as to the 

 movements of comets we remark the following. Whene- 

 ver any planet passes through the orbit either of Jupiter 

 or Saturn it changes the direction of its parabolic course 

 so widely that this change can be seen through the te- 

 lescope, its movement towards the sun being appreciably 

 delayed by this divergence. Astronomers assume that 

 both these planets are so powerful, that by the force of 

 gravitation they influence these passing comets. I do 

 not deny the influence, but I ascribe it not to a law of 

 gravitation, but to a general law of perfection reigning 

 amongst cosmic spheres, which develops planets into suns, 

 continually approximating them to that ideal. 



In an earlier chapter I affirmed that the goal of every 

 planet is to become a sun. The more perfect a planet, 

 as I explained, the further from its sun is its solar orbit; 

 whilst, for the final formation of a sun, independent com- 

 bustion, the formation of an independent planetary or 

 satellite system for supply of oxygen, and a supply of 

 dead cosmic matter are indispensable conditions. 



When we analyse each planet separately we find 

 that Saturn approaches the most nearly of any in our 

 solar system to the perfect state. It owns 8 moons and 

 a ring of cosmic matter so broad that our earth together 

 with its one satellite, could easily lie within its spread. 

 We need have no hesitation in pronouncing Saturn the 

 most finished of our spheres since we see that it supplies 

 most oxygen to the sun, draws most electricity from its 

 moons and in the formation of its cosmic ring proves 



