as the range of stellar systems. We are not as large as a horse or an
elephant. Are we, therefore, inferior? We are inhabiting bodies which
thrive but a few years, on a planet remarkable for its smallness. But we
stretch our knowledge over mighty distances; we construct triangles
which have for one side the whole sweep of the earth, over 180 millions
of miles; we measure the distance of other worlds by this side of a
triangle, and the nearest star is thus found to be 103,000 of our
measures away from us--103,000 times 180,000,000 miles! Young has well
said that