The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-08-05
Cntnstrop hism and the Evolution OF Environ
mrut.

Cntnstrop hism and the Evolution OF Environ
mrnt
An address OF singular interest md Of
substantial value WIS delivered hy Mr. CLAIR.
iSol. klNGH the Thirty first Anniversary Of the
| Sheffield Scicnt. ic School. II s now published
in pamphlet form, and some account Of it, scope
| and rurport will he acocItalc to wider audi
encc than that which listened 10 ;hc speaker.
Mr. King has undertaken TO show. as a result
of personal research. that the geological record
| ~ thls continent at all events does not confirm
the generally received hypothesis OF uniform
gradual change in the conformation and consti-
tuition Of the carths surface. but points distinct
" to series Of catastrophcs The important
bearing of this view. II il can be sustained. no,
only on the Darwinan theory OF the origin OF
/ species. hut on the whole doctrine of evolution
Will be- read Nv perceived.
There are. Of course. certain facts Ms TO which
the Old school OF gcolo.;ists. who may tie called
/ tttastr1uh IS. ana the modern Unifurmitprnus
! ufe agr~d. By both. the great Obvious changes
| In tn cutth's rocky crust ara referred to a few
! Processes such. for instance as the sub acr al
! decay 81 continents. delivery by streams of
land dctrtus INTO the = n. the spreading out OF
! these comminutrd materials upon pclleic
| noor and lastly uphcavals by which o'canic
beds wrre hit 81 up to form snhsequcnt land
taken as type II the orthodox CaLisroph ets.
that pll th"sc pro 'rss - w,rc more rapid and
abrupt ia the prst than now. SuiIennwss and
world wide drstructivcnrss they maintain are
the characteristics Of geological changes. and
periods ~ calm. like the present. are curt
~ terminated by cpocas OF catastrophe. 1t
would follow TINT surcrss We iaunas aud nor,,s
have been created oni, to be cXt.ngushed hy
general cataclysms
On the other hand. the now Uniformitarian
sshoolof which Lyallanl Hutton ar expononts.
and which seems 20 have attained complete az.
tendency. Athens that the pro .csscs named
! have not nsr, ssariy boon at any time more
rapidly accomplished than they ar, to-day
Lyell rcie.ts Il swift and destructive rate Of
geological revolution in tAc past. arst. because
| the pres mt courc OF nature or rs no parallel
sn ii"nnrss. and secondly. bc.nusc he con-
c"lvcs that nature never moves 10y leaps. A.
cprding to another eminent geoiogst the vast
changes undergone by the carth's crust must
have been pro luced. not by commissions and
cata "ysris. hut 10y thos, agencies that we see at
work every day around us. su n az rain. frost
snow. ice, AMI chemical action. In "a word.
Uniformiiarians start with the assumption Of
almost inluip timc. lortify IL by IN analogy Of
ut least "a 81 enable relevancy the
pr 's"nt rate ot chluge-and appeal W Ia assur-
an a. io the absence of ev.l'n e against them.
Now M Kln- attempts to supply this want Of
evidence. and he finds testimony wnich he
deems decisive IN the geological features of
North America
Beneath our America lies buried another dis
o.,,,.,,aI 'o,s, 80 iS
fully survey. but it, skslrtla ia lofty chains II
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