The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1875-03-24
The sea

Prot Huxley lectured. February
- IN tGe FOresters' hall. in London.
lie dwelt primarily upon what he
oeheyed to be the Importance of
physical science as a branch not onlv
ofthe higher, but also Of the eleme5-
tary education Of the country. urging
that while it was true that the study
Of the higher branches Of natural sci
ence required for its pursuit a Ger.
tain maturity Of intellect and adj
vsnced knowledge, there was moth
ing unieasible in imparting to chill
dren some Of its more elementary
principles He then launched into a
most interesting discourse on The
. Sea, limiting bis attention 10 accor-
dance with bis originally expressed
design, to the distribution within il
e of certain apparently insignificant
+ and practically invisible creatures
= with which be said the ocean teemed
! TO such an extent as to convert it in
to q kind Of Giving Soup"
These minute organisms he de-
scribed as coyeringa vastportiOn Of
the surface, whence as they died
they sank slowly 10 the bottom,
bearing with them their tiny shells CT
skeletons, which soon became all that
was left to tell Of their existence.
The recent investigations Of her
majesty's ship Challenger bad cast
much light upon the history Of these
creatures, showing tha. within GER
tain zones-between about ffty-6vs
degrees north and City five de-
grees south latitude-the or
ganlsms thus being constantly pre-
clpltated to the bottom Of the ocean
consisted almost entirely Of ealcare-
Gus foraminiferous bodies, while
those in the southern regions be-
lyOnd be been shown TO be exclusive
ly the s.iicious shells Of the vegeta-
bic diaomacee From the accumu-
lation though countless ages Of these
myriads Of shells it was not difficult
to realize that they were gradually,
by their agglomeratiO9, producing
deposits Of hard, solid matter. 80 that
the polar regions were becoming
gradually envelOped in q stratum Of
silicious or ainty rock, forming q
kind Of cap on the bottom Of the sea
over each end of the globe SO in
the more equatorial portions of the
sea the bottom was found to consist
of carbonate Of lime or chalk, form
ed in like manner, but from the
calcareous foTaminifere and the
chalk cliffs which lined our coasts
had been shown from microseOpiesl
research 10 be nothing other than the
deep sea deposit Of sn ancient world,
modified from its original form by
the gradual agency Of water and the
solvent action Of the carboGic acid Of
the atmosphere. Hence these tiny
creatures, insignificant as they might
appear, were the means Of producing
enormous transformations throughout
the sarface of the earth. Many Of
the results obtained from the Cbal-
lenger and other experiments and OBJ
servations were then cited more
in support Of the idea that
these diatOmaceOus and fsraminife-
rOus deposits were capable Of under
going by various natural processes
such transformations as to cause the
Of their originally or
ganized structure; and thus much
light might be thrown, said the lee
turer, On the problems presented BY
geological formations.
The older geolOgists bad inferred
from the absence Of recognizable or
ganisms in some of the earlier fOrma-
tions that no life existed in those
ages, and it was impossible to say,
with certainty, whether or not such
was the case, but the whole evidence
of the paleontology went to prove
that the earliest forms of life must
have been vastly simpler than the
fossils met with in the earlier strata.
From recent researches, however, it
had at last been found consistent to
the theories Of both biOlo-
gists and geologists on these mat
.ers, and the FIRST CLEAN Of this re-
they owed to one who
had only that very morning passed
away from their midst; one who
would be remembered in history 80
he greatest geolOgist Of his day
lis old friend and master, Sir Charles
LyelL That great philosopher bad
n bis Principles Of Geology, giveE
n a charming torm his Interpretation
If these phenomena, showing the
iubjection Of these early rocks to the
Ietion Of heat, with the consequent
Of the modification Of
be form Of their original constituents
Sir Charles Lyell was q geologist
# fifty years ago, and fifty years ago
he metamOrphic actions Of water
lad been but little studied; and no
ne entertained the idea that clay
ould by any possibility be the re-
ult of vital acton The lecturer
hen spoke in touching terms Of re-
ent visit which be had paid to the
-reat man, whose memory he honor
d, when be had discussed with hiR5
be result Of the Challenger eXpedi-
ion, and had listened to bis feeble
.oice and trembling lips, which had
carcely strength to comm unicate TO
i'm the thoughts passing within bis
ruly great mind. After few clos
lg remarks on the advantageous ap-
licatioD Of the study Of natural
henomena to the exercise aud de-
elOpment Of the faculties Of reason
nd observation, even in the very
oung, Professor Huxley sat down
mid prolonged applause, having
cen listened TO with marked a.ten-
on.