, 1879-04-04
HOW OLD IS THE yvoRLp.

dcotoc1sts, astronomers, aud physicists alike
have hitherto been ba.l1ed In their attempts to
SCI up. any satisfactory kind of chsonometc,
Which Will approximately noasuro geological
Limo, nht thus giyu us soma caw to tho an
tlquisy Of our globe. 1t is therefore worth not.
my that Mr. A{clfard Rcade, OF Liverpool, has
lately contributed to tic Royal Society a very
suggestive paper, iu which ha cnlcaYors to yrap.
plo With the question by employing the lue.
stone rocks OF the cartl's crust as m index oi
geological time Li,nestoHes l,nyo been tu
course OF formation from tlIo earliest known
geological periods, but 1t would appear that tu
!atef formed strata aro moro ca!carcous than
the earlier, md that tllero nas, in fuct,
bccn gradually progressive Increase OF
calcareons matter. Tile very extensive Irnosi.
tion Of carbonate Of limo over wide areas Of tl,c
otsaano'tom to- nt tlc present uay Is sutlsiensly
lenger. According to the authors estimate, the
sealmcntary crust Of the earth Is At least one
milo in average actual thickness. Of which prob
Ah'y one-tcnth consists Of ca1rareona matter,
ID u seeking the origin Of ttis ca!:arcous matter,
original crust were Of tue nature OF gra1litc OF
basattfc rocks. by the tlistnteEratlnn OF sl,e),
rocks, caleaFcous ind other selinlentarf dcpoa.
lts have been formed. TIC amount Of Ilmo-
GRANTEES and basaita is found, by comparison
Of analyaes, to bc, on an average, nt,olIt ). I'll
parts In 100,00O parts Of water. II is further
assumed tfllt tho IMPOSED AREAS OF icneous
rocka, taking m avoragc throughout a1l geolos-
eal tn9. will hear to the exposures Of sedlnen~
tary rocls ratio Of about one to nine, From
tlleso mud other data Mr. Rrado concj1jcs tilat
the elimination OF tile calcaroul,s nattot nnw
lonnu n a!l tno acd,snsntary strata must llayo
therefore, represents tho minimum ago OF IT'D
world. Tho author lnfers that The formation al
ll,A Lanfcntlan. Cainhtlan, mud anIian strata
must havo occupied about 1..o0, 900 0U OF years;
tln ota rcd aa'llstoue thu cnrhonlfcrous, and
tho pokllltlc systems, auothrr 200 tO00, ,OU: ami
~ t4o other strata. remaining 90 iD0, ,OQU Mr.
Kcade Is, therefore, led TO beliovo tint gcotocicnf
tlno las Dccn enormously In excess Of thu limits
urged W Gerta!n pIIysscssts; and TINT It has
on tio hypothesis Of evolution, huyo occurred
ID tha orgAn!c world.
LIFE~rNSURANCE FOR 1NvA11ns.
a writer fn the Portland (sIc.) Pres, proposes
now plan OF lIfe-iusurance, cornnupy In
which only invai!ds anl wcakllngs shall be- In.
sured. lilo says: ",Tlle robust mnp shall be
shunned, for 10 is deception and snare. You
cannot count OH him. ue IL always sure to dto
when DEATH Is least expected. liz has been tho
utter ruin OF many strong companies, aud tile
CAUSE Of embarrassment und inpoycrlshmcat 10
many others. Just whau you arc counting ot,
nts premium for dividend, ho urops otI and
you hase policy 10 pay. Tic Invalid, pi, tlin
other hantl, Is tuleratly certain TO tyu 10 goud
old Rgo. Tise s!rkly youth who promises Il, do
before he IL 80 Often lives to bo 81, plul gomo.
!sa'es !aa feashes % gar,-a''l Y then redeemed,
Once tn whEo u vigorous young 1nau lives 10
DO old. Occasionally au i'lyallu WHO Is ysry.
very good, digs young uut In general lii
weakling outlires the other. Tho trpublr with
our !!Ee'1nsura1lce System, ~ now conducted, IL
that IT, managers obstnatcIy work On tla as.
sumption TINT a healthy man ought to liys
Longer than weakly onu. perhaus he out,ht.
but l1o doesn't. tits 1acts arc auaInst tllnIn'
Sill they 70 on In tie old way, obstinntnfv
cIinging to their unfortunate theory, II,ey sri,
anab!e to seo what onscrpIls!ng men In otllrr
inyHlld, Ss, 4 WI! worked, u mine Of wealth,
a. tae great dTug,shons 10 has bl!l.. scs tha
OF observation-disclosures. = What = halp np
ta to tho frult-trahe, an4 tu tho pcu-
plo who put Up !ellies md other 'deltca-
clos Tor tho alek.' tbs only man l,e does NOT
ass(st Ia the undertaken. That worthy loses
Rreat sums tn interest wh1le waiting Tor him,
anu soHet'mes goes into bankruptcy with i
largo stock, shopWotu and out Ut 4tyie on lautf.
IN face Ut all n4rso facts, u4t actuares W on III
thstr bluA1rtlng way insurinE tue at1oug and
refusing tho weakly. They DO not perceiyo tiat
the robust man has hts bead turned By til, tyus.
sete1on OF great capital OF health, and uuaa
and equnntera It. llu does DOT appItciatu its
WORTH II CANT 10 him Without ebert ou lis