among the stars; there the ship Argo, which had explored all strange seas of earth, nightly sailed in the infinite realms of heaven; there Perseus perpetually killed the sea-monster by celestial aid, and perpetually won the chained Andromeda for his bride.  Very evident was their recognition of divine help:  equally evident was [Page 196] their assertion of human ability and dominion.  They gathered the illimitable stars, and put uncountable suns into the shape of the Great Bear—­the most colossal form of animal ferocity and strength—­across whose broad forehead imagination grows weary in flying; but they did not fail to put behind him a representative of themselves, who forever drives him around a sky that never sets—­a perpetual type that man’s ambition and expectation correspond to that which has always been revealed as the divine.

The heavens signify much higher power and wisdom to us; we retain the old pictures and groupings for the convenience of finding individual stars.  It is enough for the astronomer that we speak of a star as situated right ascension 13’ 45”, declination 88 deg. 40’.  But for most people, if not all, it is better to call it Polaris.  So we might speak of a lake in latitude 42 deg. 40’, longitude 79 deg. 22’, but it would be clearer to most persons to say Chatauqua.  For exact location of a star, right ascension and declination must be given; but for general indication its name or place in a constellation is sufficiently exact.  The heaven is rather indeterminably laid out in irregular tracts, and the mythological names are preserved.  The brightest stars are then indicated in order by the letters of the Greek alphabet—­Alpha (a), Beta (b), Gamma (g), etc.  After these are exhausted, the Roman alphabet is used in the same manner, and then numbers are resorted to; so that the famous star 61 Cygni is the 111th star in brightness in that one constellation.  An acquaintance with the names, peculiarities, and movements of the stars visible at different seasons of the year is an unceasing source of pleasure.  It [Page 197] is not vision alone that is gratified, for one fine enough may hear the morning stars sing together, and understand the speech that day uttereth unto day, and the knowledge that night showeth unto night.  One never can be alone if he is familiarly acquainted with the stars.  He rises early in the summer morning, that he may see his winter friends; in winter, that he may gladden himself with a sight of the summer stars.  He hails their successive rising as he does the coming of his personal friends from beyond the sea.  On the wide ocean he is commercing with the skies, his rapt soul sitting in his eyes.  Under the clear skies of the East he hears God’s voice speaking to him, as to Abraham, and saying, “Look now toward the heavens, and tell the number of the stars, if thou be able to number them.”