The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1873-11-12

OLnefs 10 prove Lnat Ihe material OF
the sun is gaseous, and that these
gases are retained by some kind of
! crust. Through this surface the
tunlultous inner compositionis is con-
stantly squirting and outbreaking
with great violence He thinks that
this crust may consist of q sheet
of descending rain-not Of water,
of course, but OF the materials
whose yapors are known to exist In
the solar atmosphere, and whose
condensation and combination are
supposed to furnish the solar heat"
AS this peculiar rain meets the gas
eous substance Of the sun it coales-
ces into a continuous sheet, form
ing "a sort of bottomlcss ocean,
resting upon the condensed vapors
underneath, and pierced by innum-
erable ascending jets and bubbles.
This action of the suns envelope
will be quenching Of tie great
orb upon which we depend for heat
and light. It will grow smaller,
, and more compressed and surround
ed by this crust, until it will be so
hidden and mufded as to be practi-
cally excluded from this economy
of the universe. The result will be
intens Sc cold and darkness, a cessa
ton of all animal life, and an I'M
mediate return to original chaos.
THE BUBBLE EARTH TO BURST.
Gen. J. G.. Bernard described
! the interior Of the earth as a
! molten fluid. Previous notions
had given the earth, however a rig
| id exterior surface from one or two
| thousand feet deep. He refuted this
/ theory, and claimed for the globe
upon which we live somewhat the
construction of rubber ball filed
with melted lead. The surface is,
he thinks, a pliable coating that
has been gradually formed over the
fiery mass inside. A globular form
is maintained bv rapid rotary mo
ton, the inner fluid sustaining the
soft shell in its position, so that the
undulations are imperceptible to US.
Thus we are being whirled through
space on a huge globule) the sur
face of which floats on nj interior
of liquid fire. Only the rotary
speed of this bubble keeps it to-
gether, and any disarrangement OF
change in terrestrial phenomena
would resolve itself into vapor. Gen
Barnard does not believe that the
surface is OF an essentially different
composition from the liquid inte
rior-it has only been condensed
sufficiently to form sort Of capsule.
The tenure of the worlds existence,
therefore is exceedingly uncertain.
Any great disturbing influence
the breaking out Of huge volcano,
any change in the surface that
would render it brittle, the impact
Of a heavy meteor Or comet-may in
moment, immolate it, leaving hu-
manity to whirling death and the
horrors Of inorganic space.
DARKNESS, SILENCE AND DEATH.
Mr.. H. F. Walling began an es-
say on ';The Dissipation of Ener-
gy' by saying: ''Since the days of
the ancients it has been known that
all motion is gradually developed
by friction, and must finally cease
unless maintained by external pow
er." The heat power Of the sun,
which hs regarded as the motive
power of the earth, is being ex.
haastel by ihe prodigious lavish
ness of it's expenditure. It is sup
posed, he said, that the satellite
will fall into planets, planets into
suns, and suns into q common cen
tre, after which darkness, silence
and death will reign He was not
without a shadow Of hope, however.
He saw tWo possible chances for a
postponement, at least, of the dread
full catastrophe: First, a series of
natural chemical evolutions attract
ing to the sun a vast amount Of
combustible naterial; and second,
the infinite magnitude of the uni
verse being sufficient to permit q
never e ding concentration OF
masses. One dreadful effect of O.
loss of sun power, he said, is a dis
placement Of. atmospheric forces.
T.dal influences Or planetary COLI
sions May hasten the final dreadful
catastrophe. which will be slow
ing of the machinery of the uni
verse, until growing stagnation cul-
inmates in a total extinction of life
forces.
UNIVERSAL DROUGHT AND STARVATION.
Professor Franklin B. Hough
foretold perpetual drought-the
result CT a clearing off Of the for
ests. ''The contrast" he said, :'be.
tween an open and snnburnt pas
ture, end one interpersed with
e1amps Of trees, must have been
noticed by every careful observer,
The fact that furniture in houses
too much shaded will mould is an