A 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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