The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1867-01-04
@iseslIauenus.
EASY LESSONS IN GEOGRAPHY
THE EARTH.

1Q0 bAhIQ.
Tho earth ID IN old subject We don't
know how old. Wise men have endeav-
orsd to ascertain It's age in various ways
and have succeeded very well. only differ
ering in their calculations . few thousand
centuries or %.
We have several reasons for writing up.
on the earth, the principal one being the
imperfect facilities Afforded for getting up
on any other planet to write. Nothing pre-
vents our wiring upon the sun or the moon,
e1eep, the difficulty Of getting there.
The earth is the third planet in order
from the sun, and the largest within the
bel, Of the planetoids We have wondered,
sometimes, why the earh did not have
bet all to HERSELF being the Champion OF
the Universe.
The srcienis looked upon the earh a a
fat disc, swimming upon water like piece
Of toast in basin Of milk. Once upon q
time lot Of adventurous young ancients
started out to find the jumping of place,
and continuing on straight line, they were
sstonished to find themselves on the very
spo, whence they started. They informed
their parents OF the circumstance, and they,
aner about century OF painful and labor
ious thought upon the subject came to
the conclusion that the earth must he
round, @b-causc If il sin't," uiumphantly
asked Jolly old ancient, T" how could the
hoys ha' 90, vssaiii1" There was no
getting around thas. and The earth be- been
Of = spherical s6rm ever slnos.
Il = saimsssd thst about two-shirds Of
the surface Of the globe l. covered with va
Ter. Although millions Of living creatures
slake their ihira daily, the quantity OF va
tor has no, been materially diminished Cor
centuries past, at least no, since the intro
duction Of whiskey shops which prove a
great saving Of water, and are therefore of
immense benefit to navigation.
The greatest distance from the earth to
the sun Is 9t,OO0OoO Of miles, and the least
distance something over 100000 miles
A saving Of 2,0OGOO0 miles could he effect
ed il q railroad should ever connect the
two, I,y taking the least distance. This
would shorten the time consumed in run
ming, and reduce tn. expense very materi-
ally. Any railroad mn will tell you that.
The mean distance from the earth to the
sun is oa0O0,000 miles, which is no msan
distance, either, when YOU Ivy to walk Il.
The earth moves round the sun from
west to eas,. consuming 36S days md six
hours in every revolution, travelling nights
AMI Sundays Joshua, il will DO rcmem-
ber.d by some Of our Oldest citizens, once
commanded the sun to stand still, and she
is standing stu. Il sin't every fool OF
planet that can get around the sun. The
earth does il, however. She would get
around most anything.
The earth turns upon its axis, making
one revolution every twenty four hours, ex.
cept in Mexico there they have a rcvolu-
lion two or three times day. The earth
and her axis were thick as peas together at
one tiiIic v,t o"o uay u'o es',h got down
on her axis aud turned on 10. Il 10 revolu-
ii0ns Of tho earth that makes might and day,
to everybody hut printers and editors who
work ON morning papers Sit 10 oil day with
them.
Afer digging a certain depth into the
bowels Of the earth the temperature be-
co,nss warm, and il grows warmer as you
warm to your work, 80 that at the depth Of
thirty miles, las we are informed by a gen.
tlemsn who dug tina, distance ono July
morning,) everything is like molten iron at
white heat. There Is good reason for
believing that people who cheat the prin.
ter. and who try to get into shows without
paving for il, are sent thirty miles into the
depths Of the earth when they die.
The earth is not such dismal place to
1--we upon rs many try to make il out So
far a. our knowledge eStends-aDd NO
probably know ~ much about il a. any
bo,'y II, is lar preferable to any Of her sis
ter planets a. q permanent residence. Al
least, W. are satisfied with IL, and intend to
rmain here rs long as we are "on earsh."
A,rrp D,xSr, Sp,,ruv.-En,.,,sI