Astronomy and the Bible;

THEOPENSPACEINORION 249

andunknown. Thereisavastnetworkofglittering
light,arobeofmajesticgloryladenandbedeckedwith
gemsofstars.
Inallordinarytelescopes,thenebulaofOrionlooks
likeamereflatsurface. Thewriterhasseenitmany
times, and has observed itscloud-like light, its soft
andtenderglow,andhasbeenastoundedatitsappar-
entenormous size,thegreatexpanseofspace which
itevidentlyoccupies.
Now, the eye cannot store the energyexerted by
light. Themomentwetakeoureyeofftheobject,the
imagedisappears. Theeyecanrespondonlymoment
by momentto theenergy of lightas it is received.
Thisisnotthecasewiththemodernexceedinglysen-
sitive photographic plates. They storelight energy
duringallthetimethattheyareexposed. Thusthe
lightpilesupinitseffectuponthesensitivefilm. All
thelightthatcomestoitfromaheavenlybodyiscon-
centrated upontheplate, andproduces a cumulative
resultafterseveralhoursofexposure. Bythismeans,
objectsarerevealed,effectsareproduced,ofwhichthe
eyeisentirelyunconscious.
AfewyearsagoEdgarLucienLarkin,directorof
the Mount LoweObservatory, announcedthat there
was an opening intothe nebulous matter of Orion.
Froman article hethen wrote forthe Signsof the
TimesMagazine,Iquotesomemostremarkablestate-
ments,which give usthe lastwordupon "theopen
spaceinOrion"

:

"Thereaderis invitedtocome alongwithmeand
helptosinkasoundinglineintothemostappallingand