Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1877-01-10

ouA W do Willy ttDOtl Ollt anu u v uultC
times heavier than water. The earth
moves at the rate of eighteen or nine
teen miles per second. If it moved at
the rate of twenty-five miles per sec
ond, or about one and half times
faster than it does, it would then get
away from the sun into space. But
the further we get away from the sun
the less velocity the earth would pos
sess. If we got as far away as the
nearest fixed star from which light
takes three years to come to us, the We
locity would then be three and quar-
ter miles minute, and travelling at
this rate the sun would be able to con-
troll the earth'S movements, and we
should circle round it in period of
103, 900, 900 years. If at this distance
the earth were to fall straight to the
sun, it would require 100000 years
to reach it. After giving some illus
trations of the intense heat of the sun,
Prof. Young proceeded to give a series
of stereopticon views of the solar spots
and prominences from photographs
taken by DR.. Draper, Mr.. Rutherford,
and other astronomers.
In conclusion he said: "And now
wish had some power of conception
and expression which would enable me
to take you, in imagination, to the sun
itself. No time is needed for the jour
ney. We stand already nearer than
the moon is to the earth. Around us
play the lambent beams of the coronal
glory, and below us, boiling and toss
ing, is the burning ocean. We look
down into the depths of the huge dark
chaSms, around which ascend the
flames Of incandescent hydrogen, even
to where we stand, in heat which
would instantly wither our mortal
frames if we were so unfortunate as
to have them with us. We descend
lower and place our feet upon the
clouds, and now we are overwhelmed
by 1000 light rings, and the war and
din of myriad thunders, which could
not reach us in the thin upper air.
Such a scene of turmoil and conflicting
energies no terrestrial experience could
fit us to comprehend. The widest
fury Of the tornado, the most awful
commissions of volcanic energy, are
the merest child's play in comparison.
We descend through the yawning cav
ity which, TO us from the earth, seems
but a tiny dot, though huge enough to
swallow the solid globe. We slide
down upon the fallen cloud of molten
rain, whose particles coalesce as they
go on forming great sheets and lakes
OF mud metal. COMPRISING and
weighing down the contending winds
within, and forcing them to rush with
war and shrek up through all the tor
tuous ways they can find or make 10
the liberty Of the upper air. AT last
we reach the fever heat of their CEN
trial country, and our descending rain
of fire meltS away and Vanishes like
clouds i'll the heat of noon. AT the
center all is calm, and in the midst of
this intenSest heat we look up to the
awful armament of fire which sur
rounds us everywhere, whose constant
fall and slow but sure contraction
supplies the heat which reaches his at
tendant planet.
But, you say, if this is true thesun
cannot shine forever. Yes, that is 50
and not for very many millions of
years. One hundred and twenty-five
forty years, or two and a half miles in
a century, or 5000 miles in a million
of years. SO that if the process was
to 90 on at a uniform rate for little
more than thirty millions of years,
there would be no sunlight. OF course
this is impossible. Were the sun to
become as cool as the earth. it must
still be more than four hundred thou
sand miles III diameter, so that it has
only 400, 900 miles to shrink. But,
then, on the other hand. when 400, 900
miles in diameter, a shrinkage Of 125
feet would produce eight times as
much heat as now. 1t is almost GER
tain, however, that unless our ideas
are wrong as to the supply of solar
heat, the present condition of affairs
must come to an end in period much
less than 100, 1000, 900 gyears. Science
teaches no eternity of material organi-
cation. She points us backward to a
beginning and forward to an end. But
of what preceded the one or is to fol-
low the other she can neither affirm
nor deny. AS the end of our system,
she indicates a cold, frozen orb, which
| has swallowed up all his attendant
planets, and moves sullen and inert
through space. VIII there be new
birth? a resurrection, 50 to speak?
Analogy would lead us to say yes;
that somehow the dissipated energy
will be re-collected and the dead mass
reviyIfied, but how we cannot say.
Some small portion of the wonderful
ways and glory of the Creator we can
trace out and follow and admire. but
to find out the Almighty to perfection,
that is beyond the ability of His
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