The union Democrat., 1871-10-28
THE .'GREAT YEAR,


We hare all heard of the "creat ~ear -
which Is supposed to be equal to twenty-six
thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight of
our years. We are told that it has its seasons
spring, summer, autumn and winter and
that ever since the Deluge the denixens of
those portions of the earth lying between the
Polar circles have been ENJOYING the summer
of the great year. This astronomical period
is measured by the procession Of the equinox
es. 1t may be necessary to explain thai the
procession of the equinoxes is continental
shifting of the eQuinoctial points from east to
west. II, for the sake of illustration, par-
ticular point in the heavens where the sun
crosses the equator this year be noted, next
year the sun will cross little to the vest
ward of that point, and so on every year un.
I'll complete circle has been described by
this shifting point; or, rather, till an entire
revolution has been made, which will be in
twenty-six thousand eight hundred and sixty
eight years. But there are said to be some
other conditions entering into the problem
which reduce the period of revolution to TWEEN
ty-one thousand. This is, Of course, an inn
agnary method of representation Of the pre-.
cession OF the equinoxes. This shifting of
the points of contact between the apparent
path of the sun and the equator is an effect
of the spherodal figure of the earth, and is
caused by the attraction Of the sun and moon
upon the excess of matter about the equatori-
al regions.
Without entering into any calculation Of
the scientific problem, it will be sufficient to
say that Alphonse Adhemer, an eminent
French mathematician, has demonstrated that
during half the great year, the sun shines
on the Northern Polar regions seven DAYS
longer than on the corresponding section of
the South Polar Zone. That is, for ten thou
sand five hundred years the Northern re.
gions have ten days more of sunshine than
the Southern. This destroys what might be
called the isothermdl equilibrium. Seven
days, or rather nights, of extra freezing adds
to the cap of ice that covers the South Polar
Zone, and slowly and steadily it is pushing
up in the direction of the Antarctic Circle.
When the period of ten thousand five hundred
years has been completed this cap will have
reached the seventeenth degree Of south lati-
tude. and will have changed to some extent
the shape of the earth. The center of gravi.
ty will have shifted some three or four miles
to the south.
Then comes change. The earth will
have passed around to the other side of this
imaginary orbit, or, rather, its projected axis
will have toppled over, and the sun will shine
ou tA0 SOutu oAuH IcAlUuS seven uayS longer
than on the Northern. The effect will be to
melt the cap of ice, and in the course of GEN.
turtles cause general breaking up of that
section of the ice cap that hos pushed itself
beyond the Antarctic Circle. Then comes the
mighty catastrophe. While the freezing was
going on and the ice accommodating in the
South Polar regions, the earth's center of
gravity had shifted a few miles along its axis
in the direction Of the South Pole, drawing
with it the vast body of water on the earth's
surface. A glance at the map of the world
shows that nearly three-fourths of the water
surface of the earth is in the Southern Hemis-
phere. When we remember that the South
ern oceans are much deeper that the North
ern, we can form some idea of the vast pre-
ponderance of water in the Southern Hemis-
phere, which according to NJ. Adhemer, has
been increasing ever since the last Deluge es-
tablished temporary equilibrium. As soon
as the ice cap is broken the waters will rush
back to the Northern Hemisphere, and will
overwhelm islands and continents in their flow.
New oceans will be formed in the Northern
Hemisphere, and new continents will rise in
the Southern. The most comforting part of this
theory is that according to NJ Adhemer, we
still have $500 years of grace before the Del
uge overtakes us in which we can get ready
our 'arks." and make preparation for saving
fragment of the race from destruction.