THE NUMBER OF THE STARS. 149 



scope disclose the sublimely great. In each case myriads 

 of objects are submitted to our astonished view, but while 

 the microscope brings before us creatures of which count- 

 less millions could swim about freely in a thimbleful of 

 water, the telescope conducts our vision to uncounted 

 legions of stars, many of them millions of times larger 

 than the earth. 



The grandest truth in the whole of nature is conveyed 

 in that first lesson in astronomy which answers the ques- 

 tion What are the stars ? This is a question that a child 

 will ask, and I have heard of a child's pretty idea that 

 the stars were little holes in the sky to let the glory of 

 Heaven shine through. The philosopher will replace this 

 explanation by another hardly less poetical, which will 

 enable us to form some more adequate notion of the real 

 magnificence of the universe. Each star that we see is, 

 it is true, only a glittering little point of light, but that 

 is merely because we are a long way from it. An electric 

 light which will dazzle your eye when quite close will be 

 reduced to an agreeable illumination if it is at a little 

 distance, will become a faint light a mile away, and at no 

 great distance will become altogether invisible. We must 

 remember that out in space there is plenty of room 

 there are no bounds ; and therefore when we see light 

 glistening in the far distant depths we cannot at once con- 

 clude that the light is a faint one because it appears to us 

 to be faint. It may be that the light is only faint because 

 it comes from such a tremendous distance. In fact the 

 brightest light conceivable could be reduced to the in- 

 significance of a small star if only it were removed sum- 

 ciently far. 



