The Democratic press. (Eaton, Preble County, Ohio) 1860-1865, 1861-12-12
Written for the Democratic Press
EVENINGS AT HOME.
BY AUNT MARY.

"'N"N
shall knit all the quicker while we
listen to YOU"
"With pleasure, my dears, if
you will tell me on what subject
you wish to talk"
"Well, Aunt Mary, we had a
letter this morning from brother
George, at college, and he tells us
that he is studying Geology, and
it teaches him so many wonderful
things about the earth, that we
thought we should like to learn
something about it ourselves, be-
fore he comes home, that we may
talk about it together in the holi-
days. Will you talk to us about
Geology this evening, Aunt Mary?'
Eyes, | will do SO my dears.
Geology, as you already know,
means the study Of the earth, and
is derived from two Greek words,
namely, &c (the carth) and logOS
"a discourse). The science of Ge-
ology is especially directed to the
investigation Of the earth beneath
its surface, as far down as human
skill and intelligence have been
enabled to penetrate, and affords
most interesting revelations of the
past history Of the world. The
total depth Of rocbs formations Of
which the geologist can obtain a
survey, docs not exceed five miles,
from the foundations of granite to
the diluvial deposits on the sur
face. The earth does not all con-
sist Of brown mold, like the flower
bed Of your little garden, but far
down under that mold, if you could
d g SO deep you would find rocks
and earths of different kinds.
These are called strata, Which is a
Latin word signifying layers, be-
cause these rocks are found lying
upon each other like the leaves of
II book"
as it true, Aunt Mary, that the
earth was made smaller than it
now is, and has been growing
larger ever sincc?'
"No, my dear Anna, it is not
true; though I have heard some
ignorant people assert that such
was their opinion. We know that
the earth contains the same guam
tity of organic matter now, that it
did in that period spoken Of by
Moses in Genesis i. /, when "the
earth was without form and void,"
as it could not have received any
addition of material substance, eX-
cept by the destruction Of other
globes, or by the suspension of the
laws Of gravitation in the entire
solar system, Though the subsi-
dence of the sea, and the action of
volcanoes and earthquakes, have
made various local changes in its
stratlfed condition"
"We read in the inspired Book,
that "in six days God created the
heavens and the earth. Does this
mean six natural days2"
"The term "six days." my dear
children, here signifies six epochs
or periods Of time, during which
the earth underwent successive
changes in vegetation, climate, and
atmosphere, in order to prepare it
to be the habitation of man. That
this earth has passed through pro-
gressive ages, each possessing its
own peculiar organization, Tand
sustaining its own peculiar forms
of animal life, is one great fact es-
tablished by Geology, and it is in
reference to the supposed chrono-
logical order of their existence that
geologists class the qualifications
into the three divisions of primary,
secondary, and tertiary. "he gran
ite and other crystalline rocks as
sociated with them, do not bear
the marks Of having been deposit
ed by aqueous solution ; hence they
were considered to be the first rock
formations, and obtained the name
Of primary.