Page:Gods Glory in the Heavens.djvu/70

54 of science. It was also a favourite idea of Oken, that the earth is a great crystal, and that the moon also partakes of this character. Science has, as yet, thrown no light on Oken's meaning. Possibly all that he means by a crystal is, that it is the symbol of form, apart from organic structure. The notion of a crystal has been adopted by most of the German cultivators of science from the ideal side. Thus Hegel holds that the moon is a "material crystallisation, without atmosphere, and without formative processes." He defines a crystal to be a "mute life."

Again, speaking of crystalline form, he says, "It is the silent geometer in the interior of the body, which, independently of external impulse, organises it within and without." By the "silent geometer," the Christian means the Divine intelligence which shapes it into symmetry and beauty. And, though we can discover no organic forms in the moon, yet the footsteps of the Creator can be detected. Viewing the moon as an individual crystal, we can detect symmetry, and as one of a group, we can recognise type. But, leaving these abstract views, let us now deal with the reality.

When you first view the moon through a telescope, even though it be an excellent one, you can hardly fail to be disappointed. No doubt, the surface of the moon will excite surprise by its curious and novel aspect, but it will fail to give you any idea of magnitude. You may tell the beholder that the little specks