JOURNAL AND PROCEEDINGS, 83 
localities, that is, the blue stars prevail in and about the Milky Way, 
whilst those approaching the poles are prevailingly yellow. We do 
not understand fully the reading of the spectroscope yet in this con- 
nection, but we look forward hopefully. 
It is known and accepted by astronomers in general that the 
number of the stars of each of the fainter magnitudes rapidly increase 
in numbers until about the 9th magnitude is reached, after which 
there is a marked falling off. This fact must speak loudly when 
considering the size and form of the universe. 
Whilst there are some bright stars very far away and some faint 
stars comparatively close, yet it is known that the larger stars as a 
class are nearer to us than the fainter ones, and that the fainter ones 
as a class are more remote. If the law of increase in the number of 
stars was the same down to the faintest visible in the telescope, and 
so on indefinitely as holds true from the 1st magnitude stars down 
to the 9th magnitude, starlight at night would be as bright as noon- 
day, but as a fact the total of starlight is less than one thirty- 
seventh millionth of the sun. 
But to go further in the study of the extent of the universe we 
must study the nature and distance of some of these stars, and I may 
say right here that the work of ascertaining the distance of the stars 
is no small task. However, this work has been pursued vigorously 
for many years past and is being pursued vigorously at the present 
moment. Dr. Gill, of the Observatory of Good Hope in South 
Africa, published in 1891 the results of attempts to measure the dis- 
tance of Canopus and Rigel. These stars are amongst the brightest in 
the sky. Although having the best instruments the world could then 
produce, and he a very able scientific man, said that their distance 
is so great I cannot measure it. If, therefore, this be true of some 
of the bright stars in the sky, what can we say of the distance and 
the size of the fainter ones that bedeck our canopy? Up till now the 
distance of about 100 stars is ascertained with considerable accuracy, 
but the stars being so far away the mile unit of earth forms too small 
a part ; as a grain of sand is to the entire globe, so the mile unit is 
to star distance. In measuring the distance of the planets the 
astronomer uses the distance of the earth to the sun as a unit, that 
is to say Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune are so many times 93 
millions of miles remote from the sun, but when we look into the 
