CHARLES B. WARRING. 95 
equal, the central point would be half way between 
them, or, in case the star was our present nearest neigh- 
bor, the fixed central point would be out in space, 
10,000,000,000,000 miles away from each. 
_ If, however, the star were more massive than the sun, 
the point would be nearer to the star. If the latter were 
1,000 times greater than our sun, the point would be 
1,000 times nearer to it than to the sun, and yet distant 
from the former 20,000,000,000 miles, or more than 200 
times farther from that enormous star than we are from 
the sun.. 
We may suppose another star added to this binary 
system, and, in similar manner, launched into space. 
_ The three bodies would revolve around the centre of 
gravity of the whole, and this, although the first and 
second would continue their rotation around their own 
mutual centre. We have an illustration of this in our 
solar system. The moon and earth revolve around their 
common centre, situated about 1,000 miles beneath the 
earth’s surface, and on the line connecting the two, while 
at the same time they revolve with the sun around the 
common centre of the three. 
If, to our triple system, other stars were added, the 
same law would hold good, although their movements 
would be so complicated as to defy the power of analysis. 
If not too near each other, if, for example, they were 
at such distances as actually separate the stars, system 
upon system might revolve in harmonious but compli- 
cated movements, whose paths no finite intelligence could 
calculate, and yet, save for some interstellar resisting 
medium, they would go on forever. 
From ali this I conclude, that the stability of the uni- 
verse is not due to the mastering power of some great 
central body, but to the action of part upon part com- 
bining all into one grand, orderly whole. The promise 
of permanency is found in the combined influence of the 
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