Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1855-02-15
Tic Agc OF the Mnrid.

The Age of the World.
I A question of great Importance with dj
: vines and men Of science at the present day
l is that Of the age Of our planet, and ,ho diG
! ierent changes which have taken place upo
it, as related IN Genesis. One class con
; tend that the different nets of creation too
D place exactly as described in the first chap
. tor VI Genesis, in six solar days, and that al
r things were made out Of nothing in that time
Another class believe that cur planet was il
existence for thousands Of years prior 4
the first act recorded in Genesis that it hat
undergone vast changes and that it had beer
long in confusion, and was bercft Of life
when, the command went forth, "Let there
be light" This class also believe that thu
: successive acts described in Genesis tool
piece in six common days, furnishing the
world with the ext ct orders Of creation a,
there described. Another class also believe
that the successive acts described in Gene
sis took pace in six common days, furnish
ing the world with the exact orders Of crca.
,ion as there described. Another class be.
leve that the successive acts of creation as
mentioned in Genesis, took Place in the OK.
act order there described, but that Instead oil
the days there mentioned being soa, i,ys,
they were i'.defnits periods of tim5--.omc OF
them Of great length--perhaps sixty thousand
years. This latter class embrace the great
est number Of learned geologists aid disircs.
In the last number Of the Biblioihsca SgcrG,
the Rev. John .. Means, of East Midway,
| Mass, presents his views at great length on
this subject, and takes the latter view of the
question, namely: that the days mentioned
in the first chapter Of Genesis, if interpre-
ted to mean inaefnits periods Of time, would
reconcile both science and the Scriptures IN
every particular. He employs some strong
arguments in favor of this view of the ques
ton. Thus, the sun, moon, and stars, are
said t, be created on the third day, therefore,
the two previous days could not be one OF
our solar days, embracing one revolution of
the earth on its axis in twenty-four hours,
with the sun to rule the day and the moon to
| rule the night. This argument is incontro-
vertible. but what was the cause Of light
before the sun was created. He sees no
difficulty in this. He says, ''lhe material
universe is full Of light, ready to be worked
at word. Chemical action on a vaster
scale than man Ian fellow, is taking place
every moment, and floods of light are poured
forth. Combustion is attended with light as
well as heat" at may sound strange" he
again says, "to say that the most. intense
light is to be found, not on the earth, but in
it. The whole of the suns rays hich reach
the earth, gathered to focus, would not be
SO intensely light as the centre of the globe.
1t seems pretty certain that within the crust
of the earth, is a globe of fire, at least two
! thousand miles in diameter" This opinion
! costs neither him nor any man of science
; anything whether it be true or false, but he
/ departs from reason aud logic, by endeavor-
ing to establish du o hypothesis by setting up
another. There are no positive proofs of
the earth being crusted ball OF fire. We
are not dependent on the sun for light, as he
has clearly stated, but he does not seem to
understood its true theory. 1t is produced
by the vibrations of subtle medium dilused
throughout space. Our planet is sel;-luml-
nous, but in degree less so than the sun, for
there is one glory of the sun, another of the
moon, and another of the earth. Mans eyes
are constructed to see objects only by a
great quantity of intense light; but some
beasts and fowls have their eyes constructed
to range the fores, and field by night as free
ly as man does during the day, while during
sunlight they can scarcely see at all.
tribe Of Africans ulso-the Bosjesmen-re-
main in their caves during day, and search
for their food during night. From habit,
we presume. they have become nocturnal
men-owls--thus showing that nat
, ural light belongs TO our planet; the unceas-
ing throbbings of its particles produce con-
tinual light; this was the way, 70 doubt,that
light was produced in the early days of the
earth. Hugh Miller brings forward some
strong arguments in favor of the great age
of our planet, and mentions number of geo.
logical changes recurring tens Of thousands
of years to accomplish, which could not have
taken place in the short period of six thou
sand years, as is believed by those who ad-
here to the solar six days Interpretation of
the Genesis narrative Of the creation. Sir
Charles Lyell believes that it must have ta-
ken $1,000 years to form the delta of the
Mississippi, and 50 900 years for the Nigga
ra river, to form its present channel from the
Falls to Queenstown. Nearly all the emf
nent geologiss believe this, and they consid-
er they have facts to prove it, 50 strong, that
they cannot 10 gIinIayed. Mr Means rea-
sons strongly TO prove thai the meaning OF
the word day in the first chapter of Genesis
is an indefinite period of time, and makes
out very strong case in favor of the world
being perhaps million years of age, accor-
ding''to the Mosaic account OF creation.-Sci-
entifc American.
WASHING REcEIPT.-Take one h. Of salt
| nei r. and tissolYe il In one palluM Of cold.