The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1877-04-05
SCIENTIFIC

Evolution and the Vegetable Kingdom.
The whole evidence supplied by fOs-
sill plants is opposed to the hypothesis of
genetic evolution, and especially the
sudden and simultaneous appearance
of the most highly organized plants at
particular stages IN the past history of
the globe, and the entire absence
among fossil plants of any forms inter-
mediate between existing classes or
families. The facts of palgOntOlOgi-
cal botany are opposed to evolution,
but they testify TO development - TO
progression from lower TO higher types.
The Cellular Alg8 preceded the Yascu-
lar CryptOgams and the GymnOsperms
of the newer PaleOzoic rocks, and these
were speedily followed by MonOcOtyle-
dOns, and at a much later period by
DlcOtyledOns. But the earliest Tepres-
entatiges of these various sections of
the vegetable kingdom were not gen.
eralized forms, but as highly or more
highly organized than recent forms;
and the divisions were, when we be-
came first acquainted with them, as
clearly bounded in their essential char
acteTs and as decidedly separated from
each other, Is they are at the present
day. Development is not the property
of evOlutiOnist. Indeed, the Mosaic
narrative, which traces all nature to a
supernatural Creator, represents the
operations of the Creator as having
been carried out ia a series of develop
ments from the calling of matter into
existence through the various stages of
its preparation for life; and on through
the various steps in the organic world,
until man himself is reached. The
real question is, does science give us
any light as to kOlU this development
was accomplished! is it possible, from
the record of organic life preserved in
the sedimentary deposits, to discover
the method or agent through the action
of which the new forms appeared on
the globeP The only answer that can
be given to this question is, that while
the rocks record, in their contained fOs-
sils, the existence of plant and animal
forms at different periods of the earth's
history, as yet they have disclosed
nothing whatever as to hOlU these forms
originated Contemporary ReUieW.
Why Tides Occur Later Each Day.
AS the moon TevOlves around the
earth from west to east, she advances
eastwardly in her orbit about thirteen
degrees every t~wenty-fOur hours.
Hence, when any part of the earth, III
its revolution, comes under a part OF
the heavens where the moon was the
evening before, the moo is not there,
but has gone eastward thirteen degrees,
and therefore the earth must turn on
its axis as much longer as is necessary
to bring that part again under the
moon, which requires generally-nOt
always-abOut fifty minutes. The
same thing occurs the next evening,
and the evening after, and thus the
moon rises most of the year about fifty
minutes later each day. Now, as the
tides are produced mainly by the moon
1t will at once be seen from this east
ward movement, and this later rising
each day, why they must occur about
fifty minutes later each succeeding day.
While the lunar tide is thus daily lagg-
ing, the solar tide occurs at the same
time. Hence those two tides always
begin to separate after new moon, being
further apart each day, until they again
coincide at full moon, when there is, as
already stated, a higher tide than usual
called the spring tide. Then again they
separate, until new moon occurs, when
they once more unite, producing In
other spring tide
1t must not be supposed that the
whole body of the ocean, to it's pro-
fOundest depths, is equally moved by
the tides. The tides are mainly super
fetal, and, except where the water is
of moderate depth, the lowest parts
are only slightly disturbed; but to what
depth the tidal current extends can
never perhaps be satisfactorily deter
mined. The Gulf Stream is about
three thousand feet deep, having for
its bottom a bed of colder water of va
riOus depths; but as the stream is the
result of other causes than those hat
produce the tides, it is not safe to esti-
mate the depth of the tidal currents by
it's own.